The top 10 stories of the season
1. Where's the beef?
The 1998 season featured one dramatic twist after another. Mark McGwire dueled with Sammy Sosa until both players surpassed Roger Maris' single-season home run record. The New York Yankees set an American League record with 114 regular-season victories on the way to the world title. Rookie pitcher Kerry Wood struck out 20 batters in a game. Cal Ripken ended his record consecutive-games streak. The Cubs made the playoffs. Against this backdrop, the 1999 season has a chance to be a major letdown.
2. Still pretty in pinstripes
The Yankees obviously weren't satisfied with their unprecedented total of 125 regular-season and postseason victories. They stunned the rest of the American League in February by acquiring five-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, making the club even more formidable than before. Of course, it would be unrealistic to think they can duplicate last year's performance, but they don't have to. The arrival of Clemens simply assures that they'll again be the dominant team in the American League East and a more formidable team in the postseason -- even in the temporary absence of manager Joe Torre. Polish up another trophy.
3. In sickness and in health
Yankees manager Joe Torre left the team during spring training after he was found to have prostate cancer. Atlanta Braves star Andres Galarraga will be out for the year after doctors found a cancerous tumor in his back. Florida Marlins prospect Mike Lowell is undergoing treatment for testicular cancer. Darryl Strawberry is undergoing chemotherapy for colon cancer. The unusual incidence of cancer among major-leaguers the past couple of years has put the game in perspective, but there is an upside. The high profile of people involved has highlighted the importance of testing and early detection.
4. Triple milestone
Maybe there won't be another dramatic home run race, but there definitely will be some magic moments this year. Three future Hall of Fame players are expected to join the 3,000-hit club this season. San Diego Padres outfielder Tony Gwynn figures to be the first, probably accumulating the 72 hits he needs by mid-June. Tampa Bay Devil Rays third baseman Wade Boggs should be next, likely getting his 78th hit of the season and 3,000th lifetime a few weeks later. Cal Ripken needs 122 hits to get there, so his 3,000th hit figures to come in late August or September.
5. No repeat for Padres
The San Diego Padres put on quite a show last year. They won the National League pennant. Greg Vaughn hit 50 home runs. They lost to the mighty Yankees in the World Series, but went far enough to persuade voters to approve construction of an expensive new stadium. Trouble is, the team that showed up for spring training this year bears little resemblance to the one that reached the Fall Classic last year. Kevin Brown became a free agent and bolted to the Dodgers. Ken Caminiti and Steve Finley left, too. Vaughn and starting pitcher Joey Hamilton were dispatched in off-season trades. In short, the club has been Florida Marlinized and will not be a serious contender in 1999.
6. Dodger blue and green
What do you get when you combine baseball's richest owner with baseball's winningest manager and one of baseball's top markets? Davey's Dodgers, of course, and they've already got their ticket punched for the postseason. The addition of $105 million pitcher Kevin Brown, big-swinging catcher Todd Hundley and seemingly can't-miss manager Davey Johnson has made them the team to beat in the National League. The Atlanta Braves may have something to say about that, but if troubled outfielder Gary Sheffield cheers up a little bit, the Dodgers will be tough to dodge in October.
7. This Belle toils for thee
Love him or hate him, but you won't be able to ignore him. Albert Belle is one of the most exciting and productive hitters in baseball, and he should be even more so at cozy Camden Yards. He's a 50-homer threat in any ballpark, and could be a 60-homer threat playing half the time at Oriole Park. He just isn't going to be anybody's Mr. Nice Guy. If you were looking for someone warm and cuddly, you came to the wrong place. But if you were looking for someone to give the Orioles an intensity transplant, Belle is the guy you want, even if he does shake loose a little plaster once in a while.
8. Diamondbacks ready to strike?
Comparisons to the 1997 world champion Florida Marlins abound this year. While the Padres are reminding everyone of the dramatic deconstruction of the '97 title team, the Arizona Diamondbacks have brought back memories of Florida's successful attempt to buy a championship trophy. The D-backs signed free-agent pitchers Randy Johnson, Todd Stottlemyre and Armando Reynoso, lured free- agent outfielder Steve Finley and acquired National League stolen base champion Tony Womack during a wide-ranging winter reconstruction that has turned the club into an instant playoff contender. They probably won't win the National League West title (the Dodgers bought that), but they have a real chance of being the NL wild-card team.
9. Cal's last stand?
Could this be the final season of Cal Ripken's illustrious career? Probably not, but it definitely is a pivotal year for baseball's greatest iron man. He is coming off the worst run-production season of his career and needs to turn up the volume at the plate to chase away the notion that age has caught up with him. He won't have to waste any effort defending his consecutive-games streak this year, and he will get a few days off here and there to help him stay fresh at the plate. Don't count him out just yet.
10. The other side of the Big Apple?
The Yankees probably won't surrender the high ground in the ongoing war for the heart of New York, but the New York Mets appear ready to reclaim a little of the limelight this year. They have a solid rotation, a deep, versatile bullpen and an upgraded offense. That could add up to a wild-card playoff berth -- and maybe even a run at the perennial NL East champion Braves -- but the Mets are banking heavily on newcomer Robin Ventura and New York retread Bobby Bonilla to add punch in the middle of the batting order. Maybe too heavily. We'll just have to wait and see.
Division of labor
What each of baseball's divisions is best at:
AL East -- starting pitchers. Roger Clemens has five Cy Young Awards, Bret Saberhagen two, Pedro Martinez one, Pat Hentgen one and David Cone one. And that's not even counting David Wells, Mike Mussina, Scott Erickson, Rolando Arrojo and Andy Pettitte.
AL Central -- second basemen. Roberto Alomar is a nine-time All-Star, Ray Durham was second in the AL in runs, Todd Walker was seventh in the AL in doubles and Damion Easley hit 27 homers.
AL West -- power hitters. Ken Griffey led the AL in home runs with 56. He's joined by Juan Gonzalez (45), Rafael Palmeiro (43), Alex Rodriguez (42) and Mo Vaughn (40). And now Jay Buhner is healthy and Tim Salmon is shooting at shorter Edison Field fences.
NL East -- prospects. Of Baseball America's top 100 minor-leaguers, the division has 26, including seven each for the Braves and Marlins. The most highly rated are the Braves' Bruce Chen (4), Expos' Michael Barrett (6), Marlins' Pablo Ozuna (8) and Mets' Alex Escobar (11).
NL Central -- first basemen. Single-season home run champion Mark McGwire is not alone. Jeff Bagwell scored 124 runs, Mark Grace hit .309 and Kevin Young had 27 homers.
NL West -- managers. Jim Leyland brings a record $2 million salary to Denver, and Davey Johnson arrives in Los Angeles with the top winning percentage among active managers. They join Dusty Baker (two-time Manager of the Year), Bruce Bochy (won the award in 1996 and was second last year) and Buck Showalter (guaranteed contract through 2002).
Circle your calendar
Dates to watch for:
April 8: 25th anniversary of Hank Aaron's breaking Babe Ruth's career record of 714 home runs.
April 23: Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. David Wells wears Babe Ruth's old Yankees cap but paints it royal blue and red.
May 10: First meeting between Cardinals' Tony La Russa and Phillies outfielder Ron Gant, who said his ex-manager has a history of friction with black players.
June 4: New Met Armando Benitez gets another crack at Tino Martinez's back; Round 2 of the famous benches-filling brawl.
June 7: Cubs vs. Diamondbacks. If Sammy Sosa homers off Todd Stottlemyre, will he bow to crowd after rounding bases or bow to Stottlemyre's wishes that he not?
July 18: Diamondbacks at Mariners. Ken Griffey is demanding that management bring a standout pitcher to Seattle. How about Randy Johnson in an Arizona uniform?
Aug. 9: Philadelphia fans, who would boo Santa Claus, greet Cardinals phenom J.D. Drew, who refused to sign with the hometown favorites after 1997 draft.
Wait and see
Greg Vaughn hit 50 home runs last season after undergoing laser eye surgery. Four players have had the operation since last season:
Bernard Gilkey, Diamondbacks: Had one extra-base hit in 101 at-bats with Arizona.
Wade Boggs, Devil Rays: .280 average second-worst of his career.
Al Martin, Pirates: .239 average easily a career low.
Wally Joyner, Padres: Average fell from .327 to .298.
Traveling men
Pitcher Mike Morgan, 39, says that to get him to retire, "they'll have to tear the uniform off my back." But which uniform? If he makes the Texas Rangers, he would be playing for his major-league-record 11th team. Top wanderers in the major pro sports:
Baseball (10): Morgan ('78-current), pitcher Bob L. Miller ('57-'73), outfielder Tommy Davis ('59-'76), pitcher Ken Brett ('67-'81)
NFL (10): End-tackle Tillie Voss ('21-'29)
NHL (10): Defenseman Michel Petit ('82-'97)
NBA (9): Forward Tim Kempton ('86-'97), guard Tony Brown ('84-'91), forward Chucky Brown ('89-current), forward Tony Massenburg ('90-current)
Closing the gates
One out of every six current major-league homes will be history by next season. Stadiums in the bottom of the ninth (with regular-season closes in parentheses):
Kingdome (June 27): From Diego Segui in 1977 to David Segui in 1999. Hope the ceiling tiles hold a few more months.
Tiger Stadium (Sept. 27): Maybe Denny McLain will be paroled in time to throw out the last ball.
3Com Park (Sept. 30): May the winning run score on a wind-blown pop-up.
Astrodome (Oct. 3): Eighth wonder of the world leaves legacy of artificial turf and exploding scoreboards. As if those are good things.
County Stadium (Oct. 3): Will Bernie Brewer move to Miller Park?
Deep thoughts
Who will knock Mark McGwire's record of 70 homers out of the park? Even in this era of creatine, andro and bad pitching, probably no one. Then again ...
McGwire: He's bigger, stronger and crushing pitches in spring training.
Sammy Sosa: Outhomered McGwire from May to end of regular season.
Albert Belle: Had 31 after the All-Star break and now makes his home at Camden Yards, where he has more homers than any other visiting player.
Ken Griffey: Remember him? Has 56 each of the past two seasons.
Vladimir Guerrero: Hit 32 of his 38 homers after June. Is only 23.
Still there . . .
Players who have been on their current team the most seasons in a row:
Cal Ripken, Orioles: 19th year
Tony Gwynn, Padres: 18th year
Barry Larkin, Reds: 14th year
Chuck Finley, Angels: 14th year
. . . and back so soon
Players making return engagements:
Bobby Bonilla (Mets): Four years and three teams later, can New York wipe that smile off his face again?
Rafael Palmeiro (Rangers): Turned down a better offer from Orioles.
Ken Caminiti (Astros): So hurt that he could hardly stand up straight during World Series. Unlike Houston, at least he got there.
David Wells (Blue Jays): Cecil Fielder was released but Weight Watchers still back in business north of the border.
Tony Phillips (Athletics): Replaces Rickey Henderson, who made his return to Bay area in 1998.
Willie Blair (Tigers): Was 16-8 in 1997 in Detroit, 5-16 last season elsewhere.
Otis Nixon (Braves): Sure, he's 40, but he stole 37 bases with AL's second-best steal percentage (.841) in 1998.
The next big things
Ready to take their game to the next level:
Juan Encarnacion, Tigers: Only 23, outfielder has all five tools, and, unlike last spring, he's healthy.
Tony Batista, Diamondbacks: Shortstop hit 13 homers in his last 166 at-bats, pushing Jay Bell to second base.
Paul Konerko, White Sox: Former Dodgers first base prospect arrives via Reds with fewer expectations, more experience.
Bob Abreu, Phillies: Outfielder was Baseball America's Winter League Player of the Year after hitting Venezuelan League-record .419.
Richard Hidalgo, Astros: Season-ending injury to Moises Alou ensures playing time.
Omar Daal, Diamondbacks: 2.88 ERA should produce better than an 8-12 record this time around.
Adrian Beltre, Dodgers: Trade of Bobby Bonilla to Mets opens up third base for 20-year-old.
Pub Date: 04/04/99