Friday, April 18, 2003
A Decade After His Career Year, Baerga’s Enjoys Best Night
I don’t know what was more surprising to me: the fact that Carlos Baerga hit a grand slam, a two-run home run and an RBI double en route to a career-high 7 RBI, or the fact that Carlos Baerga is only 34 years old. Maybe it’s just me, but I would’ve guessed that Baerga was closer to 37 or 38. It seems like he’s been on the baseball scene for that long.
A decade ago, Carlos Baerga was one of the most explosive middle infielders in the game. He, along with Kenny Lofton, were the igniters at the top of a still-developing Cleveland Indians line-up that would dominate the American League in the mid-90s. From 1992-95, he hit between .312 and .321, averaged in the neighborhood of 20 home runs, was consistent in OBP and SLG, drove in a bunch of runs and even stole a few bases. He was a very tough out, and especially difficult to strike out.
And then … his career went into a free-fall, as his offensive skills seemed to vanish. In 100 games for Cleveland in 1996, he dropped to .267 with 10 HR and 55 RBI; his OBP dropped 50 points, his stolen base total was exactly one, after several seasons of stealing about 8 to 15 bases a year. A mid-season trade to the Mets didn’t help matters as he finished the season hitting .193 in 26 games of work. During his two full years in New York, he didn’t do much besides draw the ire from the fans for both his poor offensive production (OPS in ’97 and ’98: .707 and .667 respectively), and the fact that the guy he was traded for, Jeff Kent, was developing into the best offensive second baseman in the game. Before the age of 30, Carlos Baerga’s career as a productive, everyday major league appeared to be over.
Except for 55 games in 1999 as a member of the Padres and Indians, Baerga didn’t play in the majors for three seasons, and didn’t play baseball anywhere in 2000. He showed enough flashes last year in Boston (.286, .316, .379 in 73 games) for Arizona to invite him to spring training this year.
Considering this timeline of events, Baerga’s performance last night for the Diamondbacks against the Rockies is the most surprising individual performance by a player this season so far. His grand slam in the 2nd inning off of Jason Jennings was the second of his career, and his first since July 20, 1993 vs. Oakland. It was his first multi-homer game since May 23, 1995. As stated earlier, the 7 RBIs were a career-best.
"I feel really good at the plate from both sides," Baegra told the Associated Press. "It's something I haven't felt in a long time. Maybe in '93, '94, '95, '96 -- those years -- I'd feel like that every time that I was going to hit. Now I've got it back, and it's a great feeling."
That sounds like a guy who has just had a career night, but a quick look at his stats shows there might be more to it than that. In limited time (10 games, 23 at-bats), Baerga is off to a great start: 11 hits, three 2B, the pair of home runs and 11 RBI.
Of course, this won’t last and Baerga will settle in to where his skill level actually resides at this point in his career. But it must be something to have a two-week stretch of baseball like you haven’t had in almost 10 years. It has to feel pretty good.
Quick Hits
The last two years, the AL West has been home to some gaudy records. In 2002, the A’s won 103; the Angles won 99. In 2001, Seattle won 116, and the A’s won 102. They were all good teams, and they reaped the benefits of bad Texas teams both years, and a bad Angels team in ’01.
Like any other prediction, this one has to be prefaced with “it’s early,” but the early returns suggest that the division is going to look a lot more like it did in 2000, when the division’s top teams, Oakland and Seattle, each won 91. Entering today’s games, the AL West is the most bunched-up division of all.
Seattle 9-7 --
Anaheim 8-8 1
Oakland 8-8 1
Texas 7-9 2
The only games these teams have played are against each other, with no games yet outside their division. The scheduling trend continues this weekend with Texas in Oakland and Seattle in Anaheim.
The A’s started great going 7-1, but are 1-7 since.
The Mariners started 4-6, and are 5-1 since.
Anaheim started 2-5, won 5 in a row, and have lost 3 of their last 4.
The Rangers are just a tick off of .500 going against three of the better teams in the league. When I was watching them play on Opening Night against the Angels, and saw a middle of the order that includes Palmeiro, Juan Gonzalez and A-Rod, I thought: “They can’t be that bad.” And so far they haven’t been.
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We’re all still waiting to find out exactly what the Yankees and Red Sox saw in Jose Contreras. The good folks of Columbus, Ohio might be getting a better perspective to form their own opinions of the $32 million pitcher within the next few days.
--------------
Is there a better baseball debate right now than the “bullpen by committee?” It fueled a good baseball conversation last night at a quiet Diner over a couple cups of coffee and one mean strawberry cheesecake.
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For all the hits that Theo Epstein & Co. is taking for their bullpen, they should be commended for the additions they’ve made to one of the best line-ups in baseball. I thought Millar was a very quiet, almost under-rated pick-up of the off-season (and to think they almost lost him to Japan…), and right now he’s making more than just a “solid” contribution. He’s hitting .408 and has a 13-game hitting streak, the longest such streak by a Boston player to start the season since Lee Tinsley in 1995. Lee Tinsley, there’s a name I hadn’t heard in awhile.
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Currently reading My Turn at Bat by Ted Williams. Enjoyable. I’ll share a couple anecdotes as I move toward its conclusion. Good one so far: During DiMaggio’s streak in ’41, Ted would playing left field in Fenway and the guy inside the scoreboard, tracking DiMaggio’s latest at-bat via the wire, would yell out, “Joe just doubled in the 5th.” In turn, Ted would relay the news over to Joe's brother Dom who was playing center.
I don’t know what was more surprising to me: the fact that Carlos Baerga hit a grand slam, a two-run home run and an RBI double en route to a career-high 7 RBI, or the fact that Carlos Baerga is only 34 years old. Maybe it’s just me, but I would’ve guessed that Baerga was closer to 37 or 38. It seems like he’s been on the baseball scene for that long.
A decade ago, Carlos Baerga was one of the most explosive middle infielders in the game. He, along with Kenny Lofton, were the igniters at the top of a still-developing Cleveland Indians line-up that would dominate the American League in the mid-90s. From 1992-95, he hit between .312 and .321, averaged in the neighborhood of 20 home runs, was consistent in OBP and SLG, drove in a bunch of runs and even stole a few bases. He was a very tough out, and especially difficult to strike out.
And then … his career went into a free-fall, as his offensive skills seemed to vanish. In 100 games for Cleveland in 1996, he dropped to .267 with 10 HR and 55 RBI; his OBP dropped 50 points, his stolen base total was exactly one, after several seasons of stealing about 8 to 15 bases a year. A mid-season trade to the Mets didn’t help matters as he finished the season hitting .193 in 26 games of work. During his two full years in New York, he didn’t do much besides draw the ire from the fans for both his poor offensive production (OPS in ’97 and ’98: .707 and .667 respectively), and the fact that the guy he was traded for, Jeff Kent, was developing into the best offensive second baseman in the game. Before the age of 30, Carlos Baerga’s career as a productive, everyday major league appeared to be over.
Except for 55 games in 1999 as a member of the Padres and Indians, Baerga didn’t play in the majors for three seasons, and didn’t play baseball anywhere in 2000. He showed enough flashes last year in Boston (.286, .316, .379 in 73 games) for Arizona to invite him to spring training this year.
Considering this timeline of events, Baerga’s performance last night for the Diamondbacks against the Rockies is the most surprising individual performance by a player this season so far. His grand slam in the 2nd inning off of Jason Jennings was the second of his career, and his first since July 20, 1993 vs. Oakland. It was his first multi-homer game since May 23, 1995. As stated earlier, the 7 RBIs were a career-best.
"I feel really good at the plate from both sides," Baegra told the Associated Press. "It's something I haven't felt in a long time. Maybe in '93, '94, '95, '96 -- those years -- I'd feel like that every time that I was going to hit. Now I've got it back, and it's a great feeling."
That sounds like a guy who has just had a career night, but a quick look at his stats shows there might be more to it than that. In limited time (10 games, 23 at-bats), Baerga is off to a great start: 11 hits, three 2B, the pair of home runs and 11 RBI.
Of course, this won’t last and Baerga will settle in to where his skill level actually resides at this point in his career. But it must be something to have a two-week stretch of baseball like you haven’t had in almost 10 years. It has to feel pretty good.
Quick Hits
The last two years, the AL West has been home to some gaudy records. In 2002, the A’s won 103; the Angles won 99. In 2001, Seattle won 116, and the A’s won 102. They were all good teams, and they reaped the benefits of bad Texas teams both years, and a bad Angels team in ’01.
Like any other prediction, this one has to be prefaced with “it’s early,” but the early returns suggest that the division is going to look a lot more like it did in 2000, when the division’s top teams, Oakland and Seattle, each won 91. Entering today’s games, the AL West is the most bunched-up division of all.
Seattle 9-7 --
Anaheim 8-8 1
Oakland 8-8 1
Texas 7-9 2
The only games these teams have played are against each other, with no games yet outside their division. The scheduling trend continues this weekend with Texas in Oakland and Seattle in Anaheim.
The A’s started great going 7-1, but are 1-7 since.
The Mariners started 4-6, and are 5-1 since.
Anaheim started 2-5, won 5 in a row, and have lost 3 of their last 4.
The Rangers are just a tick off of .500 going against three of the better teams in the league. When I was watching them play on Opening Night against the Angels, and saw a middle of the order that includes Palmeiro, Juan Gonzalez and A-Rod, I thought: “They can’t be that bad.” And so far they haven’t been.
---------------
We’re all still waiting to find out exactly what the Yankees and Red Sox saw in Jose Contreras. The good folks of Columbus, Ohio might be getting a better perspective to form their own opinions of the $32 million pitcher within the next few days.
--------------
Is there a better baseball debate right now than the “bullpen by committee?” It fueled a good baseball conversation last night at a quiet Diner over a couple cups of coffee and one mean strawberry cheesecake.
-------------
For all the hits that Theo Epstein & Co. is taking for their bullpen, they should be commended for the additions they’ve made to one of the best line-ups in baseball. I thought Millar was a very quiet, almost under-rated pick-up of the off-season (and to think they almost lost him to Japan…), and right now he’s making more than just a “solid” contribution. He’s hitting .408 and has a 13-game hitting streak, the longest such streak by a Boston player to start the season since Lee Tinsley in 1995. Lee Tinsley, there’s a name I hadn’t heard in awhile.
-------------
Currently reading My Turn at Bat by Ted Williams. Enjoyable. I’ll share a couple anecdotes as I move toward its conclusion. Good one so far: During DiMaggio’s streak in ’41, Ted would playing left field in Fenway and the guy inside the scoreboard, tracking DiMaggio’s latest at-bat via the wire, would yell out, “Joe just doubled in the 5th.” In turn, Ted would relay the news over to Joe's brother Dom who was playing center.
