Cooperstown Confidential--May 14, 2005 (Part 1)

[Bruce Markusen]

Assistance For Aaron From Double D
Who says today’s players can’t learn from the game’s history? Thanks to a couple of baseball lifers, the Mets’ Aaron Heilman may have salvaged a career that seemed to be plummeting toward a collision with the waiver wire. Earlier this spring, Mets roving pitching instructor Al Jackson realized that Heilman’s delivery reminded him of Don Drysdale, a contemporary of Jackson in the late 1950s and sixties. Jackson told Mets bullpen coach Guy Conti, who then unearthed some film footage of Drysdale’s motion. Jackson and Conti watched film of both Drysdale and Heilman and came away with the same conclusions: Heilman’s mechanics were eerily similar to that of the Hall of Fame right-hander, and his pitching could be improved by dropping his arm angle even more as a way of further replicating the Dodger great’s three-quarter delivery. Heilman complied with the advice given to him by Conti and Jackson, adjusted his arm angle downward, and found that his mediocre fastball now featured more movement, both side to side and down in the strike zone. The change in delivery, coupled with a much-improved change-up, has lifted Heilman from the baseball scrap heap to a place of importance in the Mets’ starting rotation. The Mets now view Heilman as their second most effective starter, behind only Pedro Martinez, and ahead of the more talented but underachieving duo of Victor Zambrano and Kris Benson.



The Rumor Mill
Even with a healthy Bobby Crosby and Nick Swisher (thank you to dads Ed and Steve), the A’s are at least two major bats away from contending for a playoff spot in the American League West. That’s the current reality for Billy Beane, who is facing almost as much early-season criticism as another embattled general manager (Brian Cashman). In an ideal world, Colorado’s Todd Helton would be a wonderful upgrade over the middling Scott Hatteberg, but the A’s won’t pick up the tab on the millions owed the Rockies’ 31-year-old first baseman as part of his multi-year contract. Realistically, the A’s will have to target a less expensive player, with a right-handed bat being preferable. An excellent fit would have been the Pirates’ Craig Wilson, who has never caught the fancy of Lloyd McClendon in Pittsburgh but is now out six to eight weeks with a badly injured middle finger. Wilson’s versatility would have made him an option at either first base, left field, or right field, and given A’s skipper Ken Macha the flexibility to bench Hatteberg against left-handed pitching… Another alternative (albeit a left-handed one) could be Milwaukee’s emerging Lyle Overbay, whose fast start has lifted his trade value to its highest point—yes, it would be an overpay for Overbay—and whose departure would make room for Prince Fielder at first base. If the A’s are willing to offer the Brewers a package that includes a young starter (John Rheinecker or the struggling Dan Meyer?) and a hard-throwing reliever (the struggling Juan Cruz or the disappointing Octavio Dotel), a deal for Overbay could get done. And with Bay Area pressure mounting on Beane to make changes, the always-aggressive general manager won’t be shy about snapping the towel on a trade. While he’s at it, Beane would also like to upgrade his offense at second base and in the outfield, with the slow-starting Eric Byrnes still very much available…

In reality, the highly-touted Fielder might not be ready for delivery to Milwaukee until 2006, but the Brewers figure to be out of contention anyway, so a 2005 rush job might not be too harmful. By the way, the suggestion that the Brewers might trade Fielder and not Overbay makes little sense; Fielder is seven years younger than the 28-year-old Overbay and may have marquee value once he reaches the major leagues… Besides the A’s, several other teams appear interested in Overbay, including the Devil Rays, who can offer the underused and perhaps overrated Danys Baez, and the Red Sox, who are not completely satisfied with Kevin Millar because of his streakiness at the plate and lack of steadiness in the field. Of course, Millar did help his Boston cause to remain this week by hitting two crucial home runs in Red Sox wins…

With Wily Mo Pena on the disabled list, the Reds have removed Austin Kearns from the trading block—but only temporarily. In their continuing quest to improve an awful and not-that-inexpensive starting rotation (see Eric Milton), the Reds realize that one of their outfielders will have to be surrendered in any acquisition that brings in pitching. Cincinnati would prefer to deal Ken Griffey, Jr., but his dwindling range in center field and diminishing power at the plate have scared off some of the most obvious suitors (even the Yankees, who are desperate for outfield help). Right now Kearns has more trade value than the 35-year-old Griffey; any team acquiring the probable Hall of Famer would considers its willingness to assume his contract a big part of the compensation plan… The Royals and Braves have also set their sights on Kearns, with Kansas City viewing him as a centerpiece to their future offense and Atlanta hoping for an immediate remedy to their sputtering lineup. In both cases, the Reds would like young pitching in return. The Royals will think about giving up any pitcher not named Zack Greinke, while the Braves could offer Richmond right-hander Kyle Davies, who features three above-average pitches…

The Nationals also remain in hot pursuit of Kearns, if only because of their desire for some young right-handed power, but one has to wonder if that’s the best direction for Jim Bowden to take. The recent hitting of Ryan Church, who hit .343 at Triple-A Harrisburg last year and has overcome a slow start in 2005, has given the Nats a third competent outfielder, making for an athletic trio that features Brad Wilkerson in center and Jose Guillen in right… Here’s another possibility for the Nationals, and one that would cost less in terms of talent: Colorado’s rejuvenated Preston Wilson in exchange for starter Zach Day, who has fallen deep into Frank Robinson’s doghouse. The Nats would make that deal, but only if the Rockies assume the majority of Wilson’s $12 million salary this year… Whether it’s Washington or somewhere else, Wilson remains one of the likeliest players to be traded this spring. The Yankees are another possible destination, though the Rangers’ David Dellucci remains their first choice in a quest for a center fielder…

You just knew we couldn’t go a week without a Placido Polanco rumor, so here’s the latest. With Jose Valentin currently disabled by a knee injury, the Dodgers have become the most recent team to express interest in the underused Polanco. While most teams who like Polanco view him as an ideal second baseman or possibly as a shortstop, the Dodgers need help at third base. Polanco can more than handle the position defensively, but his talents are somewhat wasted on the corner. A better solution might be for the Dodgers to trade a prospect for Polanco and then have him switch places with starting second baseman Jeff Kent, who’s better suited to play third base anyway. That would make for a better defensive infield, but the Dodgers, like most teams, would be reluctant to switch veteran players from position to position in mid-season.

[Bruce Markusen]

Card Corner
“Second basemen’s teeth.” It remains one of the best answers a ballplayer has ever given to an inquisitive reporter. And it was what George “Boomer” Scott told a writer when asked to identify the material used in making his distinctive necklace that made the hulking slugger that much more intimidating when he strolled to the plate. In reality, the unusual necklace (which was clearly in evidence on his 1975 Topps card) was made up of ivory tusks of some sort, but the reality doesn’t come close to matching the color of Scott’s sinister imagination.

Scott had other interesting accessories to his sense of baseball fashion. Unlike most fielders, he wore a helmet while playing first base. Scott began wearing the helmet in the field because of some idiotic fans on the road, who had decided to throw hardened objects his way. Given their unruly behavior toward the usually amiable Scott, Boomer might have been tempted to construct another necklace—this one consisting of fans’ teeth.

While the helmet and the necklace were always evident during the games, Scott exhibited another wardrobe preference as part of his pre-game workouts. During his second stint with the Red Sox, Scott used to wear a rubberized suit in a futile attempt to lose some of the excess weight that always seemed to accumulate toward his midsection. (The tight-fitting polyester uniforms that came into use in the 1970s didn’t accentuate Boomer’s figure either.) As Don Zimmer pointed out in his first book with Bill Madden, Scott might have sweated off a few pounds during each early evening workout, but he seemed to have gained it all back by the time the first pitch rolled around.

[Bruce Markusen]

Pastime Passings
Walter Ward (Died on May 8; age 42; long battle with cancer): At the time of his death, Ward was the director of communications for the Atlanta Braves. He had previously served as the publicity director for TBS, the Braves’ flagship station on cable television. The Braves held a moment of silence for Ward prior to their game on May 8 against the Houston Astros.

Pete “Gabe” Gebrian (Died on May 6 in Stuart, Florida; age 81): A former pitcher and scout, Gebrian recorded five saves for the Chicago White Sox in 1947, his lone major league season. He later worked as a scout for the New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Pittsburgh Pirates, and was named Scout of the Year by the New York Pro Baseball Scouts Association in 1973. Gebrian was a veteran of World War II and a recipient of the Bronze Star.

Bob Zuk (Died on April 9 in San Bernardino, California; age 77; long illness): A professional baseball scout for over 40 years, Zuk signed three Hall of Famers during an illustrious career. His trio of notable signings included Reggie Jackson, whom Zuk tabbed for the Kansas City A’s; Willie Stargell, whom he signed for the Pittsburgh Pirates; and Gary Carter, whom Zuk stole while employed with the Montreal Expos. Zuk’s expertise also paid off with non-Hall of Famers. While working as a territorial scout, Zuk signed a total of 22 players who would eventually make their way to the major leagues. In addition to scouting for the A’s, Pirates, and Expos, the well-traveled Zuk also worked for the Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers. Beginning in 1966, Zuk worked exclusively out of Redlands, California (giving him a direct pipeline to California natives like Carter and Stargell) and remained there until his retirement in 2003, when he gave up his position as assistant to the general manager for the Reds. A 1997 inductee into the RBI Inner City Hall of Fame, Zuk received the George Genovese Lifetime Achievement Award for his scouting efforts on January 8 of this year.

COMMENTARY: Like most scouts, Zuk worked in obscurity, and his death received so little coverage that it wasn’t carried by most sports media sources until weeks after his passing. Yet, he was clearly one of the game’s best evaluators of amateur talent during the 1960s and early 1970s. His recommendations—and subsequent signings—of Jackson, Stargell, and Carter all turned into gems, giving three different major league teams cornerstone players who would contribute mightily during the 1970s. (And for those keeping score, the trio of “Mr. October,” “Pops,” and “Kid” combined to win eight World Championships during their Cooperstown careers.) Zuk also played a subtle role in aiding Jackson’s development after his signing by the then Kansas City A’s. A’s owner and general manager Charlie Finley, anxious to cash in on his draft choice, wanted Jackson to start his first pro season at Double-A, but both Zuk and fellow A’s scout Ray Swallow argued hard against such a move. Zuk begged Finley to start the high-strung Jackson at Single-A, and the often stubborn Finley listened to the wisdom of his scout on this occasion. So when Jackson debuted professionally that summer, he made two pitstops for Class-A teams in Lewiston and Modesto, where he built up his confidence against lower-level minor league pitching. Reggie then moved up to Double-A Birmingham in 1967 and so dominated Southern League pitching that he earned a promotion to the A’s midway through their final season in Kansas City.



Bruce Markusen is author of Tales From The Mets Dugout, newly released by Sports Publishing, and Ted Williams: A Biography, published by Greenwood Press. Markusen will be signing copies of Ted Williams: A Biography at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum on Sunday, May 22, at 1:00 pm.