BASEBALL '97: AMERICAN LEAGUE : WEST SEATTLE MARINERS.Manager: Lou Piniella Last year: 85-76, 2nd Who's new: LHP LHP Left-Handed Pitcher LHP Left Hand Path LHP Lighthouse Point (Broward County, Florida city) LHP Left Half-Plane LHP Lead Hollowpoint (bullet) LHP Living History Project LHP Landslide Hazard Program Jeff Fassero Fassero was drafted by the St. , RHP rhp abbr. rated horsepower Scott Sanders To see the baseball player see Scott Sanders (baseball player) Scott Russell Sanders (born 1945) is an American novelist and essayist. Sanders has won acclaim for his skill as a personal essayist. , 1B Mike Blowers Michael Roy Blowers (born April 24, 1965, in Würzburg, Germany) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and first baseman. He is an alumnus of Bethel High School in Spanaway, Washington, Tacoma Community College and the University of Washington. Who's gone: OF Mark Whiten, LHP Terry Mulholland, RHP Mike Jackson, 3B Dave Hollins They'll win if:P Randy Johnson makes a smooth comeback from back surgery, which appeared to be reality during the spring, and OF Ken Griffey Jr. can break with recent tradition and stay off the trainer's table. They'll lose if: SS Alex Rodriguez (AL-leading .358 average in '96) and RF Jay Buhner (44 home runs, 138 RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in ) return to earth this year, and if LHP Norm Charlton and RHP Bobby Ayala destroy team morale by blowing too many late leads. Forecast: 95-67 TEXAS RANGERS Manager: Johnny Oates Last year: 90-72, 1st Who's new: RHP John Wetteland Who's gone: SS Kevin Elster, LHP Mike Stanton They'll win if: The thumb injury of league MVP (Multimedia Video Processor) A high-speed DSP chip from Texas Instruments, introduced in 1994. Officially introduced as the TMS320C80, it combines RISC technology with the functionality of four DSPs on one chip. Juan Gonzalez (.314, 47 home runs, 144 RBI) proves to be a nagging concern or takes any of the considerable bite out of his bat. They'll lose if: The Rangers don't adequately compensate for the loss of Elster's bat (24 home runs, 99 RBI), and if a rotation that seemed to perform way over its head last year can't get the ball to Wetteland often enough. Forecast: 88-74 OAKLAND A's Manager: Art Howe Last year: 78-84, 3rd Who's new: DH Jose Canseco Who's gone: C Terry Steinbach, SS Mike Bordick, RHP John Wasdin They'll win if: Canseco stays healthy and provides some protection in the lineup for 1B Mark McGwire, who somehow hit .312 with 52 home runs last year without it. They'll lose if: SS Tony Batista and C George Williams fall well short of matching the invaluable - and sometimes intangible - contributions of the departed Steinbach and Bordick. Forecast:75-86 ANGELS Manager: Terry Collins Last year: 70-91, 4th Who's new: 3B Dave Hollins, C Jim Leyritz, RHP Mark Gubicza, DH Eddie Murray, LHP Allen Watson, RHP Shigetoshi Hasegawa Who's gone: DH Chili Davis, 1B J.T. Snow, 2B-LF Rex Hudler They'll win if: The peppery pep·per·y adj. 1. Of, containing, or resembling pepper; sharp or pungent in flavor. 2. Vigorously sharp-tempered: a peppery sales clerk. 3. Collins and Hollins can ignite a chronically lethargic team, and if starters Chuck Finley and Mark Langston can beat Ponce de Leon Ponce de Le·ón , Juan 1460-1521. Spanish explorer who sailed with Columbus on his second voyage (1493-1494) and discovered Florida (1513) while looking for the legendary Fountain of Youth. Noun 1. to the Fountain of Youth Fountain of Youth legendary fountain of eternal youth. [World Legend: Brewer Dictionary, 432] See : Unattainability . They'll lose if: Leyritz falters in his bid to be an everyday player, CF Jim Edmonds continues to exhibit a proneness to injury, Murray demonstrates that he tried to stay one season too long and closer Troy Percival's spring back troubles were evidence of a deeper problem. Forecast: 68-94 CENTRAL CLEVELAND INDIANS Manager: Mike Hargrove Last year: 99-62, 1st Who's new: 3B Matt Williams, OF David Justice, OF Marquis Grissom, OF Kevin Mitchell, 2B Robby Thompson, RHP Mike Jackson Who's gone: OF Albert Belle, OF Kenny Lofton, RHP Dennis Martinez, RHP Julian Tavarez, 2B Jeff Kent They'll win if: A reconstructed lineup can overcome the loss of Belle and Lofton, who contributed 148 RBI and 75 stolen bases, respectively - both major-league highs. They'll lose if: Closer Jose Mesa goes to prison for rape, SS Omar Vizquel's bum throwing shoulder mends slowly . . . and the players can't learn each other's first names by the end of May. Forecast: 90-72 CHICAGO WHITE SOX The Chicago White Sox are a professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The White Sox are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the White Sox have played in U.S. Manager: Terry Bevington Last year: 85-77, 2nd Who's new: OF Albert Belle, RHP Jaime Navarro, RHP Doug Drabek Who's gone: RHP Alex Fernandez, OF Danny Tartabull, P Kevin Tapani They'll win if: Belle and 1B Frank Thomas achieve a semblance of harmony in the heart of the lineup - not to mention the clubhouse - and 3B Robin Ventura suffers no setbacks in his recovery from a dislocated dis·lo·cate tr.v. dis·lo·cat·ed, dis·lo·cat·ing, dis·lo·cates 1. To put out of usual or proper place, position, or relationship. 2. ankle and compound fracture compound fracture n. See open fracture. Compound fracture A fracture in which the broken end or ends of the bone have torn through the skin. of his right leg. They'll lose if: Navarro proves an inadequate replacement for Fernandez, who was sixth in the Cy Young voting and takes 16 wins and a 3.45 ERA to Florida. Forecast: 89-73 MINNESOTA TWINS Manager: Tom Kelly Last year: 78-84, 4th Who's new: C Terry Steinbach, RHP Bob Tewksbury, 1B Greg Colbrunn Who's gone: No one of significance They'll win if: Steinbach can use all of his guile behind the plate to squeeze the most out of a suspect pitching staff (as he often did at Oakland), while also coming close to the career-high 35 homers and 100 RBI he delivered last year. They'll lose if: RHP Rick Aguilera makes a rocky return from knee surgery, DH Paul Molitor (41 in August) finally begins to slow down, and Central rivals Cleveland and Chicago drive them out of the division-title race by the time the first frost arrives - on Aug. 2. Forecast: 80-82 MILWAUKEE BREWERS Manager: Phil Garner Last year: 80-82, 3rd Who's new: No one of significance Who's gone: SS Pat Listach They'll win if: A youthful infield realizes more of its promise, particularly 1B John Jaha (.300, 34 home runs in '96) and clutch-hitting 3B Jeff Cirillo (.325), the former Providence High School Providence High School may refer to:
They'll lose if: Garner has difficulty keeping a baby-faced squad from getting discouraged in a top-heavy division, and OF Chuck Carr doesn't bounce back from the knee surgery that crimped crimped said of grain that has been passed through corrugated rollers after previous exposure to moist heat so that the grain is fractured but there is a minimum of dust. his '96 season. Forecast: 79-83 KANSAS CITY ROYALS The Kansas City Royals are a professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium. Manager: Bob Boone Last year: 75-86, 5th Who's new: 1B Jeff King, DH Chili Davis, SS Jay Bell, OF Jermaine Dye Who's gone: RHP Mark Gubicza, OF Michael Tucker, 2B-3B Keith Lockhart They'll win if: King and Davis can make enough of a difference in an offense that batted a collective .266 and scored a league-low 746 runs (yes, even fewer than Detroit). They'll lose if: Closer Jeff Montgomery, who is coming off shoulder surgery, isn't able to nail down the infrequent victories in the late innings; Kevin Appier might not need him that much, but Tim Belcher, Chris Haney and Jose Rosado surely will. Forecast: 73-89 EAST NEW YORK YANKEES  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. Manager: Joe Torre Last year: 92-70, 1st Who's new: LHP David Wells, OF Mark Whiten Who's gone: RHP John Wetteland, LHP Jimmy Key, C Jim Leyritz They'll win if: RHP Mariano Rivera can make the often-difficult jump from setup man to closer and replace the league-leading 43 saves that Wetteland provided. They'll lose if: An unraveling effect occurs under the requisite glare of Yankees life. There is plenty of fodder for one, given the age, health and/or troubled histories of Wells, David Cone, Wade Boggs, Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden. Forecast:93-69 TORONTO BLUE JAYS "Blue Jays" redirects here. For other uses, see Blue Jay (disambiguation).. The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Manager: Cito Gaston Last year: 74-88, 4th Who's new: RHP Roger Clemens, C Benito Santiago, 2B Carlos Garcia, OF Orlando Merced. Who's gone: 1B John Olerud. They'll win if: A glittery starting rotation - Clemens joins Cy Young winner Pat Hentgen and ERA champ Juan Guzman - proves the equal of its press clippings. They'll lose if: A shaky trio of outfielders - Merced, Otis Nixon, Shawn Green - falters in the expansive SkyDome, and Joe Carter, moving in from the outfield to 1B, is also a defensive liability. Forecast: 90-72 BALTIMORE ORIOLES Manager: Davey Johnson Last year: 88-74, 2nd Who's new: LHP Jimmy Key, SS Mike Bordick, OF Eric Davis Who's gone: LHP David Wells, OF Bobby Bonilla, 3B Todd Zeile, DH Eddie Murray. They'll win if: OF Brady Anderson proves that his 50 home runs last year (29 more than his previous career best) were not a freak of nature. They'll lose if: They have to rely heavily on starters Rocky Coppinger, Scott Erickson and ex-Angel Shawn Boskie, and if closer Randy Myers doesn't pitch any better than he did last year. Forecast: 86-76 BOSTON RED SOX The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox are a member and currently champions of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball’s American League. From to the present, the Red Sox have played in Fenway Park. Manager: Jimy Williams Last year: 85-77, 3rd Who's new: LHP Steve Avery, RHP Bret Saberhagen, OF Shane Mack Who's gone: RHP Roger Clemens, DH Jose Canseco They'll win if: 1B Mo Vaughn (44 home runs, 143 RBI last year) doesn't get a hernia carrying this offense on his back. They'll lose if: Avery, acquired to replace Clemens in a suspect rotation, underachieves as much here as he did the past two years in Atlanta. Forecast:79-83 DETROIT TIGERS Manager: Buddy Bell Last year: 53-109, 5th Who's new: RHP Todd Jones, RHP Dan Miceli, CF Brian Hunter Who's gone: OF Ruben Sierra They'll win if: The rest of the league benches its regulars and promotes Triple-A players en masse. And at that, the Tigers would have to be at the top of their game. They'll lose if: A rotation anchored by Doug Brocail and Felipe Lira performs to expectations. Forecast: 58-104 |
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