BELIEVE it or not, the fate of the World Baseball Classic does not hinge on Alex Rodriguez’s participation.
But it does not help the perception of the tournament that arguably the planet’s most talented player has flipped and flopped, navigating from not playing to appearing by week’s end on two countries’ provisional rosters (U.S. and Dominican). And even now, as he says he is committed to playing for the U.S., friends of the Yankee third baseman remain convinced he still has no intention of participating.
Even disregarding A-Rod, no team is shunning this 16-team tournament like the Yanks. Hideki Matsui, Mariano Rivera, Randy Johnson, Jorge Posada, Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield will not be involved. The Yanks have been the most vociferous opponent of this international event (Damn Yanquis), but GM Brian Cashman insists no player was strong-armed into abstaining. Coercion was probably not necessary. Just remember how poorly the Yanks reacted when they had to go to Japan two years ago, so you know this spoiled lot does not like to have its rhythms jostled.
But other star-caliber players such as Mark Buehrle, Roy Halladay and John Smoltz also are not participating. And my hunch is the withdrawal numbers will swell in spring training. I suspect many players have no desire to risk injury and disrupt the normal flow of their spring, but have a better sense of public relations than A-Rod. We just may see a spate of players talking about minor injuries that do not remove them from laconic spring training, but move them to beg out of the tournament “to avoid being a detriment to my country.”
“I have no concern that will be an epidemic,” said Paul Archey, senior VP/MLB International. However, one GM noting the early defections and anticipating more before the tourney begins in March said, “I think we will never see Dream Team I with Michael [Jordan], Magic [Johnson] and [Larry] Bird, and we will go right to Dream Team III and nobody was real interested in that.”
This GM spoke on the condition of anonymity as did everyone who spoke negatively about this event – and that was nearly everyone I spoke to not employed at MLB’s central office – because as one AL executive said: “I hate it, but the Commissioner’s Office is not fond of anyone saying that publicly.” It is understandable why MLB is pushing the WBC. This could be a wonderful marketing tool for the game, which roughly translated means a way to reach into one billion pockets in China.
I don’t begrudge MLB trying to make new fans and more dollars. I just fear they are risking the integrity of the 162-game season for an event that plays better as a concept. But the games are not played in the mind. They will be played in March, when you will be asking some of the most superstitious creatures of habit to speed up their preparatory clock for a season they almost uniformly all feel is too long already.
Archey argues injuries can happen in spring training, as well. But the difference is that the pace is familiar and slow, the intensity around the games minimal. If a vital player is lost in this tournament and wrecks a postseason chance in the preseason, then who is going to care about all the money in China?
MLB has “safeguards,” notably with pre-determined pitch counts. But just in Seattle’s resistance to let its young ace, Felix Hernandez, play for Venezuela or Milwaukee’s to let its more fragile ace, Ben Sheets, play for the U.S., you can see those pitch counts quell few fears. And, despite Archey’s insistence that this “is a competition, not an exhibition,” the presence of pitch counts means winning is not the only thing.
And let’s take this for an example for a tournament that will have friends and MLB teammates dispersed throughout: Pedro Martinez, pitching for the Dominican, faces Puerto Rico’s Carlos Delgado. From their many AL East battles, Martinez knows he must delve hard in and up to set up his change-up away. If he pitches that way, he threatens the Met season both spiritually and physically. If he doesn’t, well folks we most certainly have an exhibition, not a competition, and does Major League baseball Really need to be party to a risky exhibition in March?
DOWN THE LINE
Arms success would give shock to Mets’ system
The combination of a disastrous draft last year that led to Omar Minaya restructuring the Mets’ amateur scouting department and the trades in recent years of valued farmhands has left the organization desperate that three pitching prospects, in particular, have productive years in 2006. For if Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Alay Soler thrive, the perception of the Mets’ system will move dramatically away from Lastings Milledge and the seven dwarfs.
Pelfrey is about the only piece of the last draft even the Mets feel they did not squander, internally sticking to the belief that he is better than St. John’s closer Craig Hansen. The recently signed 6-7 righty is expected to start at Single-A and the Mets envision ace. They thought the same of Humber, their 2004 first-rounder, before he needed Tommy John surgery. The Mets expect him to pitch competitively in the second half. Soler, a Cuban import who did not pitch in the minors last year due to immigration issues, was 3-2 with a 2.37 ERA in eight games (six starts) for Ponce of the Dominican League, and Minaya would not rule out a longshot possibility he could make the Met bullpen in spring training.
Trying to gauge the significance of Winter League stats is difficult, since the quality of the competition is so uneven. Still both New York clubs are pleased because Mets second baseman Anderson Hernandez won the Dominican League’s Rookie of the Year award and Yankee outfielder Melky Cabrera finished second. Both went seven-for-seven in steal tries during the regular season and had eight extra-base hits in 40 games. Hernandez hit .307 with a .354 on-base percentage for Licey while Cabrera hit .315 with a .382 on-base percentage for Aguilas.
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The Blue Jays remain interested in Mike Piazza if he would accept a one-year deal and the idea that he would catch no more than 70 games. Toronto also has interest in free agent Bengie Molina, but it is more probable he will end up with the Dodgers.
Tom Glavine, Steve Trachsel and Victor Zambrano should be the first Mets to hug new teammate Carlos Delgado when he shows up in Port St. Lucie. In 12 at-bats against Delgado, Benson allowed four homers among six hits plus the righty walked him twice and never struck him out. Delgado had 10 hits in 17 at-bats (.588) against Glavine with five walks. Delgado had just six at-bats against Trachsel, but four produced hits, including two homers. Delgado homered in four of his 22 at-bats off Zambrano. All told, Delgado went 22-for-45 against the trio (.489) with six homers and 10 walks. The Mets host Baltimore June 16-18 and the O’s might want to skip new addition Kris Benson, against whom Delgado is 6-for-12 with four homers.