| | Does former reliever Dennis Eckersley and current Atlanta manager Bobby Cox deserve consideration for the prestigious baseball Hall of Fame?
That is just one of the questions ESPN.com baseball columnist Rob Neyer tackled in his latest chat with users. Neyer said both are borderline prospects but in the end, he thinks both will slip in the door in Cooperstown. Neyer also talked about the Mariners pitching staff, the Mets outfield and warned fans not to get overly excited about the Oakland A's stellar spring training record.
An edited transcript follows from Neyer's March 22 chat.
| |  | | Neyer says Cox deserves the Cooperstown nod. |
John Wilmoth: I was wondering if you have something against the Texas Rangers or Ivan Rodriguez? You were
very intent on proving how undeserving Pudge was of the AL MVP as if he was a lousy catcher.
There were more deserving candidates but he was deserving himself.
Rob Neyer: I've softened my stance on Rodriguez somewhat since last fall. But I have to argue with a central
line of your argument, which is apparently that Pudge "deserved" the MVP even though there
were "more deserving" candidates. MVP stands for MOST Valuable Player. There can only be
one "most," so if you really think he wasn't the most deserving, then you should have been
disappointed when he won the award.
Neyer for President: What's the story with the Red Sox sending down Michael Coleman yet again? Stories out
of spring training have been downplaying his defense, but he's supposedly one of the best
defenders in the minors. He doesn't seem to have anything left to prove at AAA, either. Can he
at least hope for a trade?
Rob Neyer:
Sure, he can hope ... but given the fragility of Carl Everett's body, I suspect the Sox want to
keep Coleman around as insurance. He does deserve a chance to play every day in the major
leagues, and if it doesn't happen this year, it will next next year.
Rubin: Spring training records generally don't mean anything, but the A's are 15-3 and scoring a ton of
runs. Will there be any carryover into the regular season?
Rob Neyer:
A year ago, I did find a historical correlation between great spring records and regular-season
success. Not a strong correlation, but a correlation nonetheless. That said, the best
spring-training record in 1999 was posted by the Kansas City Royals, who proceeded to go
64-97 when the games counted.
Tom: Philly newspapers keep mentioning Enrique Wilson as a name that could replace Marlon
Anderson at second base. Any chance it could happen? How do you think Wilson would do in an
everyday role?
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NEYER'S FILE
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ESPN.com's Rob Neyer writes a daily baseball column from March through October. His book "Baseball Dynasties," co-authored with Eddie Epstein, has just been published, and can be ordered from Amazon.com. |
Rob Neyer:
If Wilson's ever healthy for a full season and gets a real chance to play, he's going to surprise a
lot of people. And we know the Phillies could use some pop in the middle of their infield. Seems
like a match made in heaven.
Greg Murphy: Why does Tim Wakefield need to be in the starting rotation for the Red Sox? I feel he'd be more
effective coming out of the bullpen. One inning a batter is facing a 90 mph fastball, the next it's a
65 mph knuckler. I think it would be a tough adjustment.
Rob Neyer:
To this point, no one has ever demonstrated the existence of a carryover effect from one pitcher
to the next, so I don't think this argues for Wakefield pitching relief. He's not a particularly
effective pitcher but he is quite durable, so the No. 4 spot in the rotation seems like the role for
which he's best suited.
Buttercake: If you were to put together an outfield for the Mets, based on their current players, who would
you start, who would sit the bench, and who would be released/send to Norfolk?
Rob Neyer:
The Mets simply don't have many options at this point. I'd keep Ricky Henderson in left field and
Darryl Hamilton in center, by default. And right field would be manned by Jon Nunnally and Derek
Bell, in that order.
Rocco: What do you expect from Chad Hermansen of the Pirates this year, and is there any hope
of the Pirates making the playoffs sometime before I'm an old geezer?
Rob Neyer:
Hermansen's still got some learning ahead, but if everything breaks right for him, he could do
something similar to what Carlos Beltran did a year ago. Like a lot of teams with little money but
good young talent, the Pirates might have a shot in 2002.
Tommy Boy: A-Rod can hit the cover off the ball, but his OBP is not anywhere near elite levels. Any chance
he'll improve that significantly over the next few years?
Rob Neyer:
He'll never be Barry Bonds, but there's no reason Rodriguez can't settle in with a .370-.380
range OBP, much like Griffey has. And given all the other things he does, that's plenty good
enough.
Stefano61: What do you think Eric Chavez is going to do this year? Last year I had him in my Roto team
and he killed me. Should I keep him this season?
Rob Neyer:
Chavez wasn't that bad last year. He will be a star, and if you dump him now you'll never
forgive yourself.
Joshuadensen: I picked up Baseball Prospectus. Can you explain why you use OPS instead of their EqA when it
seems their system is more accurate?
Rob Neyer:
Hey, I'm glad to hear that you found a copy of Baseball Prospectus, as I'm told they're flying
off the shelves. EqA, another tool for measuring offensive effectiveness, is indeed more
"accurate" than OPS. But it's also incredibly complicated, and most of the time OPS tells the
same story.
Spencer: Why is John Valentin still even considered an option at third base for the Sox? Wilton Veras has had enough
at bats to prove that he's no fluke, and he's a much better defensive player. The Red Sox have
never shown any remorse before in getting rid of big names (Clemens, Vaughn), so why is
Valentin still hanging around?
Rob Neyer:
Well, for one thing, Valentin's still under contract, which makes it hard to trade him. As for
Veras, his hitting stats last year were essentially identical to Valentin's. Veras should
become a quality major leaguer, but that's still a few years off.
Matt: Do you think that Vernon Wells is going to take over Jose Cruz Jr.'s job in centerfield? If so,
how long is it going to take him?
Rob Neyer:
I don't what the Jays will do, but I know what they should do, and I'll discuss that in my column
(Thursday).
Funster4: Do you think Armando Rios or Calvin Murray will see significant playing time this year? Also,
do you foresee either one being anything other than a role player?
Rob Neyer:
Sure, I think Rios especially, could be a solid everyday player. And both should have plenty of
chances to play this year, given that Barry Bonds and Ellis Burks both are fragile, and Marvin
Benard's not really an everyday center fielder.
Jason: What is your outlook on Andruw Jones in Atlanta? Is he going to break out, or was the hype
too much?
Rob Neyer:
I don't know that he'll "break out," but he really doesn't have to. Given just a normal career
progression, in three or four years he'll be the best center fielder in the National League.
Looper: How do you think Ricky Bottalico is going to do in the closers' role for the Royals?
Rob Neyer:
He'll be one of the worst closers in the American League ... and he'll be twice as good as what
the Royals had last year. The Royals should pick up six or eight games this year just on the
strength of a less-horrible bullpen.
Bigmassey: Who do you think will win the fifth spot on Mariner's rotation, John Halama or Brett Tomko? Will the loser
be traded for an outfielder?
Rob Neyer:
A week ago, the plan was for Halama to hold the No. 5 slot, and Tomko to start the season in
Tacoma. However, that could change at any moment, depending on how each pitches. And of
course, the M's do need an outfielder, and Tomko would be great trade bait.
Balboni, Steve: Will Tino Martinez hit enough to be the DH in 2001 (worth the $6 million option)?
Rob Neyer:
Well, $6 million ain't what it used to be. And of course, the Yankees can spend whatever they
like. But no, relative to the other players in the league, Martinez won't be worth that money next
year. First basemen with sub-.500 slugging percentages just aren't so valuable any more.
Mr. Sockalexis: What is your feeling about Dennis Eckersley's worthiness for the Hall of Fame? He was never a "great"
starter and he was a great reliever for only five years. Are Jim Katt, Bert Blyleven and Louis Tiant more
qualified candidates?
Rob Neyer:
Actually, he was a great reliever for a few years, though he pitched for so-so teams so his
record doesn't look so hot. Eckersley's the first of his kind, and I think his history of success in
both roles is enough to merit his election.
Tommy Boy: Which new mallpark are you most eager to see a game in?
Rob Neyer:
Hmmm ... I'm against mallparks in general, but I'd like to see that incline they've got in center
field at Enron Field.
Koop: How about Kirby Puckett? He would have been a shoe-in Hall of Famer had he been able to
play a few more seasons. As it is, does he deserve to go in?
Rob Neyer:
Kirby's stats are similar to those of another Twins outfielder, Tony Oliva. Puckett's got the smile
and the World Series heroics, but essentially it comes down to this: does Kirby get more credit
for having bad eyes than Oliva gets for having bad knees?
Hobson: Is Bobby Cox a Hall of Fame manager?
Rob Neyer:
He'd help his case a lot with another World Championship, but Tommy Lasorda is in, and he
wasn't half the manager that Cox is.
Killermogul: What's your take on the grumblings by players headed to the Orient to open up the season? The
good, the bad, the ugly?
Rob Neyer:
Personally, I think that teams should play their home games in their home parks, if only for the
fans. But as long as the players fight for every penny they can get, the owners are going to come
up with new ways to make more pennies.
Thanks for all the great questions, I'll be back next week sometime. | |
ALSO SEE
Rob Neyer chat archive
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