Positives in unforeseen places
From the White Sox's rotation to the Brewers' bullpen, there have been some big surprises so far this season.
So here we are, about a quarter of the way through another baseball season. And, as always, we find ourselves pondering many burning questions, such as:
• When did the '63 Dodgers' rotation sneak into the South Side of Chicago?
• Who kidnapped all the hitters in Cleveland, Houston and Philadelphia?
• Did the Brewers somehow trade for Mariano Rivera, Eric Gagne and Brad Lidge – or is all that bullpen magic really being performed by Derrick Turnbow, Matt Wise and Mike Adams?
• And, of course, did Dr. Albert Ting perform the Diamondbacks' offseason leather transplant?
Yes, we have questions. Many questions. We can't help that, because it's now more apparent than ever that it isn't last year anymore.
As we survey the baseball landscape, it's amazing how many teams have undergone massive changes in personality (or at least statistics) between last season and this season. So let's take a look at some of them:
White Sox rotation
Last year: 5.17 ERA (12th in AL)
This year: 3.12 ERA (1st in AL)
Until they arrived in Tampa Bay this week, White Sox starting pitchers actually had a combined ERA of under 3.00.
Not to imply that was eye-opening or anything – but the last American League rotation to submerge its ERA below 3.00 was the 1974 Vida Blue-Catfish Hunter-Ken Holtzman edition of the Oakland A's.
So for any rotation to be pitching this well would be major news. For a rotation that returned four of five starters from the third-worst group in the league, it's the story of the season so far.
But the emergence of this crew comes as no surprise to GM Kenny Williams, who predicted this winter that all five starters could win 15 games and who now says, "We saw it coming."
A bunch of factors came together, Williams says: The magic touch of pitching coach Don Cooper. An overhaul at catcher (A.J. Pierzynski and Chris Widger in, Ben Davis and Sandy Alomar Jr. out). The maturation of Jon Garland, now in his sixth big-league season at age 25. And the addition of El Duque as both a reasonably priced fourth starter (two years, $8 million) and an inspirational influence on Jose Contreras.
It was all about creating depth and "quality innings," Williams says. And the White Sox have reaped the fruits of both so far. But the question other teams ask is: Can it last?
Except for Mark Buehrle, every starter has an ERA this year well below his previous career ERA – Garland by two runs, Contreras by more than a run and a half, El Duque by more than a run. And while all five starters have had at least one 200-inning season, only Buehrle and Freddy Garcia have had any sustained excellence.
So if they can keep riding this wave, "they'll be dangerous," says one GM. "But it will be interesting to see how those guys react if they start struggling."
Brewers bullpen
Last year: 4.35 ERA (12th in NL)
This year: 2.97 ERA (2nd in NL)
We're not sure how many average American baseball fans could identify Derrick Turnbow, Matt Wise, Mike Adams and Jorge de la Rosa – even if they all sat next to them in the box seats. But those four gentlemen happen to be four of the most prominent relievers in the most surprising bullpen on our planet.
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The four of them make less money combined ($1.315 million) than Ron Villone. And three of them were acquired by the Brewers as either minor-league free agents (Turnbow and Wise) or (in Adams' case) signed as an undrafted college player.
But they not only have turned around what used to be one of the shakiest bullpens in baseball – they also stand as living proof that you can, in fact, survive in a world without $3-million setup men. And their success is a tribute to the vision of GM Doug Melvin and the genius of pitching coach Mike Maddux.
"Mike Maddux is a rising star," says one AL executive. "He gets the most out of guys. But even better than that, he can change guys. He can fix people. Look what he's done with guys like Doug Davis, Derrick Turnbow, Danny Kolb and Victor Santos.
"Because of him, Doug Melvin can take guys off the scrap heap and hand them over to Mike Maddux, knowing he can fix these guys. In their market, that's invaluable. It might even be a necessity."
There's no assurance this will keep up, of course, because we're talking largely about pitchers with no track record. But if it does keep up, the Brewers might finally be a threat to end that streak of 12 straight losing seasons.
Diamondbacks defense
Last year: .86 errors per game, 139 total (16th in NL)
This year: .40 errors per game, 64-error pace (1st in NL)
It takes hard work to commit 139 errors in a season. The Twins haven't done it in 25 years. The Yankees haven't done it in 22 years. Even the Royals haven't done it since 1983.
But those Arizona Diamondbacks rolled up 139 errors last year, obliterating their franchise record and paving the way for a terrifying 105 unearned runs – easily the most in baseball.
So this winter, the Diamondbacks didn't merely set out to a) hold an interminable Randy Johnson auction, b) spend more money than Bud Selig knew they had or c) add a bunch of veteran bats and arms. They also targeted guys who might actually catch the ball.
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Well, so far, that part of the equation has worked out almost as well as their new swimming pool. In the infield, their new second baseman (Craig Counsell) has made one error. And the new shortstop (Royce Clayton) and third baseman (Troy Glaus) have committed two apiece.
Going into Thursday, 11 different players in the big leagues had racked up more E's by themselves than those three guys combined. And the result is a team that, if it keeps this up, would become the first club to go from last in its league in errors one year to first the next since Pinky Pittenger's 1924-25 Cubs, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
"That was predictable if you just looked at the guys they brought in," says one executive. "Counsell. Clayton. Glaus. Shawn Green in right. Getting [Luis] Terrero out of center field every day [replaced by the apparently ageless Quinton McCracken]. They're better at every one of those positions. And up the middle, Clayton and Counsell catch just about everything."
Orioles rotation
Last year: 5.05 ERA (10th in AL)
This year: 3.84 (3rd in AL)
In Baltimore, great starting pitching was once almost as ingrained in the fabric of life as great crabcakes. So it's fitting that the pitching coach who has helped restore a little flavor from those glory days – Ray Miller – is a man who once coached five Orioles 20-game winners (Jim Palmer, Mike Flanagan, Steve Stone, Mike Boddicker, Scott McGregor).
The day Miller was hired, for the second time, as Orioles pitching coach (last June 26), the staff he inherited had the worst ERA in the league (at 5.34). From that day on, the Orioles had the second-best ERA in the league (4.70).
The ERA of their starters went from 5.94 before Miller to 4.44 afterward last year – and has been even better this year. So since the Orioles went out last winter and added no starting pitching, it's hard to look past the pitching coach when you start searching for reasons for the improvement.
"I'm a fan of [previous pitching coach] Mark Wiley, but when they brought Ray Miller in there, that staff took off," says one NL executive. "Nothing else has changed, really. Same guys. Same catcher. But it's no accident they're all throwing better."
So what are the odds they'll keep pitching like this? Hard to say. Erik Bedard has been "awesome," says one scout. Daniel Cabrera has been "phenomenal" at times, says another. And thanks to Miller's adjustments to Bruce Chen's stride, the nomadic Chen now "has a lot of Scott McGregor in him," says an AL scout.
But the two veteran starters – Sidney Ponson and Rodrigo Lopez – have been erratic. So "the interesting part," says one scout, "will come after the All-Star break, when those young kids go over 100 innings. That's when you'll find out how good they really are."
Padres offense
Last year: 14th in NL in homers (139) and steals (52)
This year: 4th in homers (39), 2nd in steals (27)
If you could pick one word that best described the San Diego Padres' offense last year, it would be "distracted." As in: They were so distracted by all the home runs they weren't hitting in their new home, PETCO Park, they forgot there were, in fact, other scenarios a team could use to score a few runs.
So this year, they set out to do it another way. They traded for one professional base-stealer (Dave Roberts) and signed another (Eric Young) as a free agent. But even that doesn't explain why they're on pace to more than double their stolen-base total.
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"After playing in our ballpark for a year," says GM Kevin Towers, "and looking at the parks in our division – SBC Park, Dodger Stadium, our place – you really need to steal bases and move runners and do more of those kinds of things."
So the Padres made up their minds in spring training that they were going to run more, up and down the lineup. And now 12 different Padres have stolen at least one base (including pitcher Woody Williams). Mark Loretta already has more steals (six) than he had all last year (five). And the Padres attempted 33 stolen bases in their first 33 games, the second-most in the National League (behind only Houston).
Their power outburst is slightly tougher to explain, because – except for center field (where Roberts replaced Jay Payton) – this is essentially the same lineup. But Ryan Klesko's shoulder is healthy again. So he already has crunched as many homers (nine) as he hit all last year. And the hitters sure didn't complain about playing a lot of road games early (explaining the 27-10 road-home homer split).
But Towers also thinks his team finally has adjusted mentally to playing at PETCO. And now that the Padres have focused more on gappers and using the opposite field, "the home runs are starting to come – and we're not even trying to."
No one knows exactly where this is leading. But for what it's worth, last year only one team finished in the top four in its league in both homers and steals – the Cardinals. And they wound up playing in the World Series.
Marlins rotation
Last year: 4.08 ERA (4th in NL)
This year: 2.69 ERA (1st in NL)
Apparently, Dontrelle Willis, Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett have gotten a little tired of hearing about all that potential they haven't realized.
Because they're sure as heck realizing it at the moment.
Before this season, those three had a combined record that was only six games over .500 (87-81). And you could attribute all of those games over .500 just to Willis' first two months in the big leagues (when he went 9-1 in 2003).
But nobody is talking about what those guys aren't doing anymore. Through 31 games, Willis was first in the league in ERA (1.08). Beckett was fifth (2.14). Burnett was ninth (2.70). And less than a month and a half into the season, they were a combined 15-5 – and already within 11 of their win total from all last year (when they went 26-26).
"The biggest thing I've seen from them is maturity," says assistant GM Dan Jennings. "They're not out there going, 'OK, I need to throw 99 miles an hour every pitch,' anymore. A.J. is commanding his big curveball, and it makes his fastball better. Beckett is using his changeup in any count. And Dontrelle has become consistent in repeating his delivery on a regular basis. The biggest reason, I think, is just maturity."
Al Leiter – brought in as a voice of veteran wisdom – has also helped instill lessons on the mental side of pitching. And there seems to be no question that these guys relate better to new pitching coach Mark Wiley than they did to his predecessor, Wayne Rosenthal.
On the other hand, chuckled one scout, "these kinds of arms can make anybody look good."
Jayson Stark is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
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