EMOO NEWS
by Alex Wassem
Vol. II, Ed. IV EMOONEWS June 10, 1998
With the season reaching the 1/3 pole, this year’s race is still a six horse affair. And that’s said at the risk of not even including the Hawaiian Laze, Scruffy Nerz Herders and Tennessee Ruxpins who, truth be told, could still close ground and compete with the front runners. The only certainties as of early June are that the Dainty Hunchbacks, Wayfarin’ Strangers and Gamecox are about to begin embarking on a separate game--preparations for ’99. The Gamecox have already begun laying the foundation by trading potential free agent Pete Harnisch for top prospect Paul Konerko in an even up trade and also parting with Craig Counsel and Todd Dunn for Javier Jazquez and Julio Ramirez. Konerko paid his first dividends this weekend by hitting his 1st major league homer against the M’s and driving in 4 runs in a Dodgers victory. While Harnisch will boost the shell shocked Smart Alecs’ pitching staff and Counsel will be an improvement over Jason Bates for the Kittyhawk Flyers, Konerko will be a nice fit the next several seasons for the rebuilding Gamecox whether it’s at 1B, 3B or the OF and Javier Jazquez will overcome his early ‘98 season struggles and become a solid starter for Les Expo. Overall, these two trades should benefit the Alecs and Flyers in the short term while building the Gamecox for the long term. There’s also rumors of Scott Radinsky being put on the block by owner Joe Cox and perhaps Trevor Hoffman as well as the All Star break approaches. In a tight race such as what 1998’s appears to be shaping up as, the price for a player with Hoffman’s ability could be steep. Or the Gamecox could even decide to keep Hoffman for ’99, creating the domino effect of contenders having to consider the value of a 57 year old Doug Jones or recently injured EMOO free agent-to-be Ricky Bottalico down the stretch.
The Wayfarin’ Strangers have also cut a couple of deals recently, letting go of Jeff Cirillo and Chris Stynes. In return, they’ve acquired Brian McRae and 20 year old AAA player Chad Hermansen. Hermansen scorched the opposition for 7 homers in a 10 day period in late April. He’s been out of the lineup the past week with an injury. The only question regarding Hermansen is one of his glove. He was drafted as a SS, moved to CF in mid 1997 before winding up the year in 2B. After a dreadful start with the glove this season, he’s been moved once more to the OF. If the DH were available in the NL, Hermansen could very well already being playing in Pittsburgh before he could legally drink. If he sticks in the outfield this time, do not be surprised to see Al Martin move on after this year.
The Dainty Hunchbacks had been content to sit back thus far until trading Ryan Klesko last night for Lou Collier and Bobby Abreau. They appear to have suffered another setback this week with the recent news that Todd Hollandsworth may miss the remainder of the season due to injury. Hollandsworth is one of only two Hunchbacks playing out his option, John Hudek being the other. Consequently, any trades the H-Backs make would be with players who could also still have value right where they are. However, a few players in their second contracted seasons include Tyler Green, Chan Ho Park and Kevin Tapani from the pitching staff, catchers Chris Widger and Charles Johnson, and outfielder Moises Alou.
It seems that the ’98 season has seen a huge amount of trade rumors but very few trades to show for it. The Mooners have coveted speed virtually since Day One but word has it that they have been loath to settle for anything less than top drawer talent and have not offered anything in return that was agreeable to the other parties they’ve spoken with. Thirteen more SB for the Mooners would mean five additional points plus lost points for the teams in front of the Mooners in SB. The Smart Alecs needed, and continue to need, pitching. Pete Harnisch looks as though he’ll help to stop the bleeding a bit but for every up outing by a pitcher there’s been an equal down outing. Dave Mlicki’s move to L.A. may help him but co G.M.s Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare appear to be spooning Mlicki’s dinner to him in a dog bowl. Just two more wins for the Alecs at stats time would have meant two additional points and the league lead in the standings. The Suns have been rumored to be seeking Barry Bonds and/or Mark McGwire. It goes without saying that a deal of that sort would be a true monster rotisserie transaction. The Herders proved they’re not afraid of such moves when they brought Bonds aboard last month. The Flyers have been attempting to add offense since late April, having spoken to the Strangers, Gamecox, Smart Alecs, and Xpress among others, but their offers have been limited to Dustin Hermanson and various combinations of fringe players. To date, Craig Counsell has been the best trade the Flyers have been able to complete. The Xpress have also been in the market for offense and seem willing to part with a top starting pitcher in the right deal, read Todd Stottlemyre or even Curt Schilling from their stable that also includes Ramon Martinez and Kerry Wood. While they acquired Greg Vaughn, F.P. Santangelo and Roger Cedeno in last month’s Bonds trade, only Vaughn has paid substantial dividends offensively. Owner Craig Gill pulled the trigger on two trades within the last 24 hours, giving up OF Cliff Floyd and Bob Abreu, 2B Mark Lewis and SS Lou Collier for 2B Eric Young, OF Ryan Klesko and prospect P Rick Ankiel. Klesko should provide additional power while Young is guaranteed to add to the SB totals of the XPress. Moreover, the starting pitching was kept intact. The XPress also has a deal on the table with the Nerz Herders. The Mudhens have been eerily quiet, almost like the Shadow. The only trade rumor regarding the Mudhens that made its way here involved Rich Aurelia and Keith Lockhart, among others, and it appears as though that rumor is dead. The Laze are another team little has been heard from. One big RBI stick could add upwards to four points to the Laze total and, combined with a HR bat, could add another four points on top of that. Lastly, the Ruxpins appear to quickly be getting to a point in the season where they will need to make a move or two either to compete now or to compete down the road. But that is the dilemna they must resolve. Injuries to Bottalico and John Jaha have done damage and several Ruxpins have ’98 contracts. In the long run, owner Jim Birkel could be the one holding the keys to the EMOO house for some lucky team. I suspect we’ll know more in either 3 weeks or 6 weeks’ time. The Ruxpins, too, made their opening salvo last night with the shipping of Eric Young and Rick Ankiel to the XPress for Cliff Floyd and Mark Lewis. Don’t forget that the league wide trading deadline is July 31 at midnight. After that, only trades between clubs next to each other in the standings are allowed with August 31 being the in-season trading deadline.
In the N.L., the real life trade of Mike Piazza, not once but twice, has created ripple effects within EMOO as it has everywhere else. A list of winners and losers:
Winners: the LA pitching staff who now have a true catcher behind the plate with the ability to call a good game as well as superior defensive tools to Piazza.
Losers: the Mets pitching staff for the opposite reasons stated above. Though the committee of Spehr, Castillo, Pratt, etc were no threats offensively, all were Piazza’s equal or superior wearing the tools of ignorance.
Winners: Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, Jim Eisenreich and Manny Barrios. Sheffield, when he chooses to put his mind to it, is one of the better offensive players in the game. While Dodger Stadium is not a hitter’s park per se, an attitude adjustment alone could raise his game. He’ll also have solid table setter Eric Young on base in front of him. Bobby Bo tends to play well when he has something to compete for and Jim Eisenreich has the benefit of being a lefty on a team that is stacked from the right side. Further, with Hollandsworth’s injury, he could see more time in LF. Barrios is a long term winner. With the state of the closer role in LA, Barrios could win an opportunity to compete next spring. Look for the Tennessee Ruxpins to be scouting him closely at AAA games around the country this summer.
Losers: Todd Zeile, Roger Cedeno, Wilton Guerrero and Matt Luke. Zeile’s got little help in front of him in the Marlins’ batting order. He has little to play for. He’ll be traded again by the time the leaves begin to fall and he may not even be in the NL when all is said and done. Cedeno loses his CF job as Mondesi moves over from RF to accommodate Sheffield. Even defensively, there’s no need to substitute for Mondesi late in a game. Guerrero loses more AB and has now been optioned out (he should have been all along just so he could play every day). Eisenreich fulfills the same role that Matt Luke was filling, only better.
Winner: Ed Yarnell and Geoff Goetz. Yarnell’s a top pitching prospect but, with the Mets, he found himself competing with a cast of thousands. Remember the names Wilson, Pulsipher, and Isringhausen just to scratch the surface? With the Marlins in desperate need of major league pitchers (they’ve already auditioned 14 rookies thus far), Yarnell has a wide open path. Drafted out of L.S.U., he’s accustomed to facing the best competition, larger crowds and pressure situations. At AA this season, he’s posted a record of 8-0 with a 0.49 ERA in 55 innings, giving up only 22 hits. After only a single AA start at Portland after the trade, the Marlins have already promoted him to AAA Charlotte. The only risk is that the Marlins could rush him too quickly. Goetz was the Met’s 1st round draft pick last summer. Although he’s not close to the bigs, he still has fewer obstacles in the Florida system than he did in New York for the same reasons as Yarnell.
Loser: Preston Wilson. This may be a surprise to some. Despite the organization’s high regard for Wilson, in Florida he has to overcome a trio of young outfielders (Cliff Floyd, Mark Kotsay, Todd Dunwoody) who are themselves just now getting their first big league opportunities. Ryan Jackson is also in the picture and Julio Ramirez has all the Marlin front office excited. In New York, there are few top OF prospects and the starting major league outfield can be bettered. Brian McRae is close to being without a job while Butch Huskey could be moved to 3B with Edgar Alfonzo moving to 2nd. Carlos Baerga is a free agent after the season. Wilson was considered a disappointment by many until he turned his career around last season. He’ll need to continue making the same type of progress to leap frog the front tier of Marlins. However, based on raw ability only, he’s probably ranked behind only Floyd and perhaps Ramirez.
On the bubble: the New York Mets. In the short term, they’ve acquired the best hitting catcher of his generation in Piazza. He’ll infuse the club with his confidence and the bat they’ve so desperately been seeking. But, are the pitchers talented enough to overcome him behind the plate? And longer term, can the Mets (will the Mets) sign Piazza for the $100+ million that he seeks? My guess is, "Yes." Piazza got a dose of reality this month. The Dodgers did the unspeakable by trading him. The Marlins did likewise in short order. From the Mets perspective, they’ve already invested three top prospects. Further, they’ve already seen the effect he has on ticket sales as well as the residual effect on those around him in the batting order.
Another bubble player will emerge upon the return of Todd Hundley. It remains to be seen who it will be. A possible scenario has Hundley and Piazza manning catcher and 1B in some fashion with John Olerud moving to LF (be must show he’s at least adequate there). Gilkey could move to CF, replacing McRae, or to RF replacing Huskey. Does Huskey move to 3B as discussed above? Until he picked up his average the last 4 weeks, Baerga seemed to be a good bet to become the mystery player. If nothing else, the Mets now have options. That also means there’s fewer at bats for at least one player, if not several. Of course, this all assumes that Hundley will be back and that, too, is by no means definite if the rumors being leaked to the media have any truth to them.
Next time, I’ll talk about this year’s amateur draft as well as a mid season look at the EMOO minor leaguers and possibly this year’s version of the EMOO All-Star teams
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