Rocker and Mayne and
Eckstein (Oh my!)

Jason Michael Barker

News, notes and thoughts from around Major League Baseball while wondering what in the world Barry Bonds has to do to get some press these days...

It would appear the John Rocker saga has come to a close, at least its Atlanta chapter. Was anyone else surprised to hear that Rocker had been traded to the Indians this weekend? Maybe it's just me, but I didn't even realize there was a saga these days. Rocker has kept his nose clean, more or less, in recent times and had saved 19 of 23 for the Braves this season. Meanwhile, the Indians have a fellow by the name of Bob Wickman who has saved 15 of 16.

Between the two, I have no doubt that Rocker is a better pitcher. He's younger, throws harder, and when he's on, is much more dominant than the relatively pedestrian Wickman. Rocker is also under contract for several more seasons, whereas Wickman is a free agent after this year.

Still, there's more going on here.

One the one hand, adding a player like Rocker can't be the best for clubhouse chemistry -- assuming you're a big believer in such things. For his part, Wickman first called off the negotiations he was having with the club over a long-term contract. Next, he went so far as to say he would definitely be leaving the Indians when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Wickman's point is a good one -- he wouldn't have a problem losing his job if he wasn't pitching well, but he thinks he has been pitching pretty well. Manager Charlie Manuel said Wickman would get "some" save chances, but Wickman says that isn't a good sign. Admittedly, it isn't.

However -- and this is a pretty big however -- the other side of the coin states that if you can improve your team, then by all means do it. How valuable is it to have two good closers in your bullpen? Particularly when one is right-handed and the other left-handed. If anything, the addition of Rocker will give Manuel a great chance to toss traditional closer usage to the wind and use his pitchers depending on the situation.

Two of the three batters due up in the ninth are lefties? Go with Rocker. Three righties due up? Go with Wickman. Meanwhile, the other pitcher makes a great eighth inning set-up man. All it takes is a bit of crafty managing and the willingness of two pitchers to put their egos and statistics aside for the good of the team. The Indians were already the second-best team in the American League, and adding Rocker further solidifies that.

The Braves, on the other hand, get two pretty good pitchers for their pen, including one in Steve Karsay who should be their new closer. Karsay has been awesome so far in 2001, with a 1.19 ERA (and it's late June, people!) and 45 strikeouts in 44 innings, with just 30 hits and 8 walks allowed. Of course, he's also a free agent at the end of the year, and will likely command big money on the open market. Knowing the Braves, they'll just call up some 21-year old starter from A-ball and stick him in the closers role. Reed is pretty good too, but nothing to write home about.

Short-term, I'm inclined to give the edge to the Braves -- assuming Rocker really was a problem and had to be moved, they got two pretty good pitchers in return, and it's not as if Ted Turner doesn't have the money to re-sign Karsay at the end of the year. Long-term, however, I like the Indians particularly if Rocker can stay out of trouble and isn't a distraction.

In a much less publicized move, the Rockies dealt Brent Mayne to the Royals for Mac Suzuki and Sal Fasano this weekend. The trade makes perfect sense for the Rockies -- they have a young catcher, Ben Petrick, waiting in the wings who's ready to play regularly. Mayne can hit a little (though his numbers are certainly inflated by Coors Field), but he's not nearly the hitter Petrick is, and he also makes roughly ten times what Petrick does.

What isn't clear is why the Royals would make this move. Veteran catcher to work with a young pitching staff? That's the logical answer, since Greg Zaun has been out since September with a calf injury and began a rehab assignment yesterday. It's up to you whether or not you think that's important, and it should also be noted that the Royals only have three pitchers on their roster younger than 25. And no, that doesn't include yours truly.

Finally, the Angels were in town this past weekend to face the Mariners in a three-game set, and I had a chance to take in two of the games. A few things jumped out at me. First, Tim Salmon's on-base percentage is .366 so far this year. That shouldn't be a huge surprise, though it is a touch below his .393 career mark. So what's the big deal? Salmon is hitting just .208 this year, so that OBP is almost entirely due to his 54 walks. He's always been a patient hitter, but he's on pace to set a career high for walks this year. Salmon is much better than he's shown so far this season -- look for a big second half this year or a nice rebound next year.

The other thing I noticed was David Eckstein, who has been starting at shortstop essentially all season with Gary DiScarcina out. I've mentioned Eckstein before in my monthly rookie feature, but let me tell you after seeing him in person, the little guy can play. And he is little, all 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds of him. He's hitting .300, draws walks (24 in 252 at-bats for a .391 OBP), has stolen eight bases in nine attempts, looks solid on defense, and he hustles every minute he's on the field.

Remember, the Angels got this guy on waivers from the Red Sox this spring, and he's currently hitting better than all but four or five shortstops in the majors.

about the author

Jason Michael Barker has always believed that what goes up, must come down. Inform him that the old saying doesn't always apply to a pitcher's ERA when you write to jmb@strikethree.com.

Custom Search