03/28/98- Updated 06:29 PM ET
DUNEDIN, Fla. - After four consecutive losing seasons, the Toronto Blue Jays are aiming to contend in the American League East: Their starting pitching staff - led by Roger Clemens, Pat Hentgen and Juan Guzman - is loaded.
The bullpen has been fortified with lefty Randy Myers, who will follow setup man Kelvim Escobar and his 100-mph fastball. And Dan Plesac will be as reliable as ever on the left side.
The Blue Jays, though, have questions at nearly every position, except second base, where switch-hitter Tony Fernandez is playing. Fernandez is the team's most consistent hitter.
The questions:
BALTIMORE - Yes, Mike Mussina and Scott Erickson will be a dynamite combo in the rotation, but if lefty Jimmy Key doesn't pitch well, the Orioles will be in trouble. A solid third starter would give the Orioles' weakened bullpen from becoming over-worked.
BOSTON - Even though adjustment to a new league can be difficult, Pedro Martinez should have minimal problems adjusting to the AL strike zone and hitters. But, the improvement in outfield defense is a must. The Red Sox need their outfield of Troy O'Leary, Darren Lewis and Darren Bragg, from left to right, to play well defensively. Any offense the Red Sox from them will be a bonus.
NEW YORK - The league's best lineup needs pitcher Hideki Irabu to settle down, pitch well and keep the distractions down. So far in spring training, it looks as though Irabu will do that.
TAMPA BAY - The biggest drawing cards will be infielders Fred McGriff and Wade Boggs, but if center fielder Quinton McCracken, a career fourth outfielder who hasn't been given a chance, develops into a capable everyday player, the Devil Rays will be off in the right direction.
CLEVELAND - Charles Nagy is the most underrated staff ace is in baseball, but the Indians are want to make to sure Jaret Wright, a postseason pitching hero in 1997, is the real thing. Chances are he is, but strange things have happened to young players in their second season. The Indians are counting on him to help their beleaguered pitching staff. Maybe they haven't given him enough time to grow?
CHICAGO - The White Sox lost catcher Jorge Fabregas in the expansion draft to Arizona, but they rebounded by picking up Charlie O'Brien and Chad Kreuter. O'Brien is a good teacher for young pitchers, something the White Sox need. If he can help develop the pitching staff, the White Sox will not care what he hits.
DETROIT - Tony Clark and Bobby Higginson are stars in the making. So is Brian Hunter, the defending stolen base champ. The Tigers' pitching is shaky after Justin Thompson, unless Brian Moehler can build on his 11-12 rookie season. The Tigers, who once thought they had a lot of up-and-coming arms in the minors, are finding that isn't so. That's why their rebuilding process hinges on the success of Moehler. The rest of the rotation - Tim Worrell, Frank Castillo and Scott Sanders - are not part of the long-term answers.
KANSAS CITY - Will the Royals contend? Probably not. The Royals are waiting for Jermaine Dye to be injury-free and start hitting. They gave up Michael Tucker to Atlanta for Dye, who was hindered with injuries last season.
MINNESOTA: The Twins are in start-over mode. Outfielder Rich Becker, first baseman Scott Stahoviak and pitcher Frank Rodriguez have failed the Twins in their rebuilding process. That's why there is so much pressure on second baseman and first-round draft Todd Walker. If Walker's returning to second from third helps his hitting, the sting of the Chuck Knoblauch trade will be easier to take. If not, well, say this: Twins fans can't put up with another David McCarty, a first-round draft who bombed.
SEATTLE: First baseman David Segui replaces Paul Sorrento at first base, giving the Mariners a better contact hitter with less power. That's just what the Mariners need. They relied too much on the home run last season and when it got to the postseason against pitching-rich Baltimore, the Mariners were shut down trying to find other ways to score.
ANAHEIM: Has Ken Hill found the mechanical flaws that will return him to a 16-game winner? Last season, when he was acquired by the Angels, Hill and pitching coach Marcel Lachemann went to the video tape and Hill was a new pitcher in September. If Hill continues, the Angels are going to be tough to beat because Cecil Fielder is going to ignite the offense.
TEXAS: The Rangers need a healthy Will Clark, who says he's never felt better than he has this spring. A healthy Clark will provide good protection for Juan Gonzalez, who can then challenge Roger Maris' single-season record of 61 home runs.
OAKLAND: The Athletics are slowing building a nucleus. A.J. Hinch, Scott Spiezo, Jason Giambi and Ben Grieve should be fine. The question is center-fielder Jason McDonald. He needs to learn all he can from future Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson. If so, Oakland will have two-thirds of its outfield set (Grieve and McDonald) and three-fourths of the infield (Kurt Abbott, Spiezo and Giambi).
LOS ANGELES: The Dodgers have great pitching, but the question is second baseman Eric Young, the leadoff batter. He needs to have a better on-base percentage than the .327 he had away from Coors Field as a member of the Colorado Rockies.
SAN DIEGO: Pitcher Kevin Brown is a valuable addition to the Padres, but his concern is catching. Brown wants an experienced, hard-nosed catcher, and the Padres will be using Carlos Hernandez, who is backed up by Greg Myers. It's up to Hernandez to handle a deep, experienced pitching staff, many of whom are learning the forkball from pitching coach Dave Stewart. The Padres traded catcher John Flaherty for reliever Brian Boehringer and infielder Andy Sheets.
SAN FRANCISCO: The Giants need pitching, and Julian Tavarez can be a big help in the rotation if he learns to control his temper. Each of his pitches are above-average, but it he can't control his emotions, he'll be in the bullpen.
COLORADO: The Rockies, who finally have the best pitching staff in their short history, would like to see second baseman Mike Lansing relax and worry about keeping his defense airtight. If Lansing starts thinking about offense and tries to hit home runs in Coors Field, he's not doing the job. He needs to work with new shortstop Neifi Perez, and if Lansing does that, he could relax and wind up with 20 home runs, which would make the Rockies happy.
ARIZONA: Pitcher Willie Blair is the unknown commodity. He won 16 games last season for Detroit, but the Tigers decided not to sign him to a big-time contract, thinking that he was a one-year wonder. Can Blair, who spent his career shifting from rotation to bullpen, repeat his performance of 16-8 with a 4.17 ERA? Or were the Tigers correct?
ST. LOUIS: The key to the Cardinals' high-powered offense is Royce Clayton, who will be bat leadoff. If he gets on, then the meat of the Cardinals' order will get good pitches and the offense will explode. "I can do whatever I need to do,'' Clayton says. Says manager Tony La Russa: "He keeps getting better and better.''
CHICAGO: Pitcher Kevin Tapani is the ace of the staff and this year he's healthy. In the past, Tapani's only problem was slow starts. He's 8-10 with a 5.00 during the first month of the season during his career. After April, his monthly ERA never goes above 4.41. A consistent Tapani is going to be a big plus for the Cubs.
HOUSTON: Outfielder Moises Alou wasn't happy with his trade from Florida to Houston, but now that he's in spring training with guys like Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell, he's going to find the Astros to his liking. Especially when the Astros have a chance to compete for a playoff spot in the NL Central while the Marlins flounder in the NL East.
CINCINNATI: Pokey Reese replaces the injured Barry Larkin as the Reds' shortstop. Reese is a solid prospect who has a tough time handling the grind of the regular season. Last season, he hit .160 in September. A weight-lifting program over the winter may help that.
MILWAUKEE: The Brewers are without power-hitting Dave Nilsson, out with a knee injury, so that means Darrin Jackson and Marc Newfield will handle the left-job job. Jackson is a good defensive player who can hit .300. Newfield is a prospect who has to show his time has come. The Brewers would like to have Nilsson, but they may be better with Jackson and Newfield.
PITTSBURGH: The Pirates need offense and Kevin Young is the key. Last season, he came out of nowhere to hit .300 with 18 home runs and 74 RBI. He's hit cleanup and the Pirates need him to do it again.
ATLANTA: First baseman Andres Galarraga is important in the Braves' lineup, and he's going to have to prove that his success since 1993 isn't just because he played for Colorado in Coors Field. The Braves' offense could be flat last season, and the Galarraga has to pay no attention to what former Brave Fred McGriff used to say: Turner Field is not a good place for hitters.
NEW YORK METS: Is is difficult to believe that lefty Brian Bohanon, always the epitome of a journeyman, is one of the Mets' best pitchers? He is. And no matter where he pitches, he's going to be a big plus for the Mets. Heck, the Mets are so loaded with pitching, they may trade Bohanon.
MONTREAL: The Expos are happy that Shane Andrews, who battled with the team last season because of differences of how injured his back was, is happy. He was one of the Expos' best players in 1996. The Expos need all the good players they can get.
PHILADELPHIA: Center-fielder Doug Glanville needs to be productive and a leader in the outfield. The team is rebuilding and needs his strong defense to give confidence to a young pitching staff.
FLORIDA: The Marlins would love to trade Jim Eisenreich
and John Cangelosi so that their outfield rebuilding projects
can go full-steam ahead. The Marlins want to make plenty of room
for Mark Kotsay, Todd Dunwoody and Ryan Jackson.
PUTTING A GUN TO DEAD TIME: Baseball isn't into speeding up its games this season, but officials want to cut the dead time. "We think we can cut 15 to 20 minutes out of a game, but we don't want to do anything to the flow,'' says Frank Robinson, a consultant to the commissioner on special projects. Robinson is visiting every spring-training camp with a list of rules and suggestions for cutting the dead time from games. "I haven't had one complaint,'' Robinson says. "And we have the approval of the umpires and the players' association. It's going to be a good thing.''
Dead time guidelines:
