~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SPORTSTICKER 1993 BASEBALL PREVIEW ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AMERICAN LEAGUE OUTLOOK BY LARRY FATA STAFF WRITER The American League season will begin in the first week of April because that's what the schedule says. But for the Cleveland Indians, the special optimism they brought to this particular season is already gone. The Indians will have to deal with the worst kind of tragedy -- two players dying tragically young and a third seriously injured in a boating accident March 22nd at a place called Little Lake Nellie, Florida. Pitcher Steve Olin was killed instantly in the accident when the boat in which they were riding crashed into a dock. Pitcher Tim Crews died hours later from the severe injuries he suffered. A third pitcher, Bob Ojeda, is expected to make a complete recovery -- at least physically. The Indians already were going to be watched more closely this season than in years past because it seemed the moribund franchise was making definite strides towards contention. Young players were beginning to make their marks and the 27-year-old Olin was a big reason for the optimism. The submarine-style righthander had established himself as the ace of the Tribe's bullpen last season with 29 saves to go along with a 3.09 earned run average. The sudden hole the accident leaves in the Indians' psyche as well as their pitching staff seems like a cruel twist to this franchise that has not won a pennant since 1954. The Indians' tragedy has served to knock the return of George Steinbrenner from the top of the news as the 1993 season gets underway. The bombastic owner of the New York Yankees returned March 1st after serving two years of a lifetime suspension for his associations with gambler Howie Spira. After his initial return to the Yankees' spring training complex in Fort Lauderdale on the morning of March 1st amid much media fanfare, Steinbrenner has been conspicuous by his silence. The main constants in the American League since 1985 have been the Toronto Blue Jays and the Oakland Athletics. The two teams, which met for the A-L pennant last season, each has won four division crowns between them in the last eight years. The world champion Blue Jays were hit hard by free agent defections, however, and the Athletics are suffering from the inevitable effects of age. The Jays still appear to have enough to be a major contender in the East but it looks like the gap in the section has closed considerably. The Baltimore Orioles could have what it takes to become the dominant bird in the East. Baltimore has three fine young pitchers in Mike Mussina (18-5, 2.54), Ben McDonald and Arthur Rhodes. The bullpen is ably manned by Gregg Olson (36 saves). Baltimore will be hoping for near repeat seasons from outfielders Mike Devereaux and Brady Anderson. Devereaux hit 24 homers and drove in 107 runs while Anderson had 21 homers and knocked in 80 runs from the top of the order. Baltimore also improved in the speed and defense department by signing second baseman Harold Reynolds. Baltimore will need rebound seasons from Glenn Davis and Cal Ripken and the Orioles also will try to coax one more double figure season out of Rick Sutcliffe. The Blue Jays lost starting pitcher David Cone, who was acquired in a late-season trade, to free agency as well as fellow hurlers Jimmy Key and Dave Stieb and bullpen stopper Tom Henke. Also gone are third baseman Kelly Gruber, shortstop Manuel Lee, outfielder Candy Maldonado and designated hitter Dave Winfield, all key contributors to the championship season. Juan Guzman (16-5) takes over as the staff ace but can the aging Jack Morris and Dave Stewart provide depth to the rotation? Paul Molitor was signed as a free agent from Milwaukee and while he remains an outstanding hitter, he can't replace the homers and R-B-I that Winfield provided. Joe Carter (119 RBI) and Roberto Alomar (.310, 49 SB) remain two of the best players in the league. The Yankees took plenty of heat for their inability to sign a number of big-name free agents despite lavish contract offers. But when the dust settled, New York emerged with three standout starting pitchers. Melido Perez and trade acquisition Jim Abbott had the sixth and fifth best E-R-A's in the league last season but finished with records under .500 due to a lack of support. They will be joined by Key, who was signed from Toronto. New York signed third baseman Wade Boggs from Boston with the hopes he can find his .300-plus bat and the Yanks are also hoping Don Mattingly rediscovers .300. The bullpen of Steve Farr and Steve Howe can be effective but questions about the pair's age and Howe's drug past persist. Danny Tartabull is the key player for New York. If he can stay healthy, he provides 30-plus homers and 100 R-B-I. The Milwaukee Brewers made a surprising late-season run at Toronto last year before falling short despite 92 victories. Milwaukee contended largely through the strength of an outstanding rotation. Sixteen-game winner Chris Bosio left via free agency but the Brewers still has a fine collection of starters. Bill Wegman and Jaime Navarro are coming off double-figure win seasons and Cal Eldred went 11-2 after his recall from the minors. The Brewers relied on speed last season, stealing 256 bases and shortstop Pat Listach recorded 54 thefts while hitting .290 on the way to Rookie of the Year honors. The Indians still have a fine group of young players but dealing with the tragedy and the subsequent practical loss of their bullpen stopper will delay Cleveland's progress. Carlos Baerga (.312, 105 RBI) had one of the best seasons by a second baseman in recent years; Albert Belle (34 HR, 112 RBI) continued to produce and Kenny Lofton finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting after stealing 66 bases. Charles Nagy (17-10, 2.96) heads the rotation. Cleveland's main prospects in this area are still a year away. The Detroit Tigers will continue their recent pattern of football-like scores with lots of hitting but suspect pitching. The Tigers will score plenty of runs with first baseman Cecil Fielder leading the way. Fielder led the majors in R-B-I for a third straight season with 124. Lou Whitaker (19 HR) and Travis Fryman (20 HR, 96 RBI) give the Tigers a powerful infield. Rob Deer and Mickey Tettleton also had over 30 homers each. The Tigers will need John Doherty and David Haas to blossom in order for the pitching staff to improve. Otherwise, the Tigers will rely on veterans Bill Gullickson and Mike Moore. The Boston Red Sox are coming off one of the worst seasons in club history, finishing last for the first time in 60 years. The poor finish resulted in 10 players being shown the door, including Boggs and outfielders Ellis Burks and Tom Brunansky. Boston has added some pop in outfielder Andre Dawson and Ivan Calderon. The right-handed Dawson should benefit from Fenway Park but can his knees take the pounding of another year in the outfield? The Red Sox' primary strength is the 1-2 punch of pitchers Roger Clemens (18-11) and Frank Viola. Behind those two, however, is an undistinguished array of question marks. Boston also has no proven stopper, second baseman, shortstop, third baseman or center fielder. The usual lack of speed is also present. The Kansas City Royals got off to a disasterous 1-16 start last season but rebounded to go a nearly respectable 71-74 the rest of the season. Kansas City has made some key trades and free agent acquisitions in the winter that could lead to a return to prominance in the West. Cone was signed to a huge contract to entice him to return to his original organization. Cone, who led the majors with 261 strikeouts, will anchor a rotation that also includes Kevin Appier (15-8). If Mark Gubicza can overcome the myriad of injury problems that have beset him the last two seasons, Kansas City will have a formidable rotation. Royals pitchers will love the defense up the middle with center fielder Hal McRae and free agent signee Greg Gagne at short and newcomer Jose Lind at second. The Royals shored up a potential power shortage by acquiring outfielder Felix Jose from St. Louis in the Gregg Jefferies deal. Future Hall of Famer George Brett returns for a farewell campaign. The Chicago White Sox have been perrenial bridesmaids the last few seasons in the West. The White Sox can count on superb pitching from Jack McDowell (20-10) and production at the corners from first baseman Frank Thomas (115 RBI) and Robin Ventura (93 RBI). George Bell (112 RBI) gave the Sox a formidable middle of the order but he may lose some at-bats this season as Bo Jackson continues his improbable comeback from hip replacement surgery. What Chicago is really hoping for is a full recovery from knee surgery by shortstop Ozzie Guillen and help behind McDowell in the rotation. A return to form by reliever Bobby Thigpen, who had a terrible year would also help. The Minnesota Twins have taken some hits in their solid rotation and now can only count on two starters as sure things. Kevin Tapani and Scott Erickson are the aces of the staff followed by question marks that include rookie Mike Trombley and Pat Mahomes. Leads should not be a problem with Rick Aguilera (41 saves) to protect them. The Twins avoided a major public relations nightmare by re-signing outfielder Kirby Puckett (.329, 19 HR, 110 RBI). The Twins then received a public relations boon by inking native Minnesotan Winfield, who is coming off the best season ever by a 40-year-old (26 HR, 108 RBI). The Seattle Mariners have a new manager in Lou Piniella, new ownership, a new logo and new uniforms. Now some new results for this franchise that has been under .500 in 15 of 16 seasons would be greatly appreciated in the Pacific Northwest. The Mariners should actually have a solid rotation if Randy Johnson stays to join Bosio and Dave Fleming. Stopper Norm Charlton (26 saves) was acquired in the Kevin Mitchell deal and he should shore up what was the weakest area on the ballclub. Ken Griffey (.308, 27 HR, 103 RBI), the franchise's most recognizable player, has been locked up with a long-term deal and Edgr Martinez (.343) became the first player in 60 years to win a batting title with a last place club. The Athletics have premier offensive players in first baseman Mark McGwire (42 HR) and outfielders Rickey Henderson and Ruben Sierra. Terry Steinbach is the best all-around catcher in the league. Oakland's primary strength, quintessential bullpen ace Dennis Eckersley (51 saves), could be neutralized by the lack of a strong rotation which is counting on Bob Welch and Ron Darling as stalwarts. The Texas Rangers are frighteningly similar to the Athletics and not merely because of the presence of Jose Canseco in the outfield. In addition to Canseco (26 HR, 87 RBI), Texas has the majors' home run leader in Juan Gonzalez (43 HR, 109 RBI), Rafael Palmeiro, Dean Palmer and Julio Franco so scoring runs should not be a problem. The Rangers also have a quality young catcher in Ivan Rodriquez. Texas also went out to get "The Terminator" Tom Henke. However, Texas, like Oakland, has an aging rotation after 20-game winner Kevin Brown. Nolan Ryan (5-9) finally began to show signs of being mortal last year and will be making his farewell tour. The California Angels have put the wheels in motion to rebuild from top to bottom with youth. California received starting first baseman J.T. Snow and pitcher Russ Springer from the Yankees as part of the return in the Abbott deal. Other rookies manning starting roles will be highly regarded outfielder Tim Salmon and second baseman Damion Easley.