Baseball Guru
02-19-2003, 09:42 AM
Monday, February 17, 2003
BY DAVID WALDSTEIN
Star-Ledger Staff
PORT ST. LUCIE -- On March 31 at Shea Stadium, a new era in Mets history will begin, an era highlighted by Fred and Jeff Wilpon together in the owner's box and Art Howe in the dugout.
And Tom Glavine will be on the mound.
Although Al Leiter has been the ace of the staff since he joined the Mets in 1998, Glavine is set to get the nod as the Opening Day starter against the Cubs.
People with knowledge of the team's plans say the coaching staff already has come to a decision on the way Howe will structure the rotation -- with Glavine at the head.
Howe would not comment on his plans were for Opening Day or the rest of the rotation, and said he would not reveal anything until later in spring training. But it appears Glavine will get the nod, and that's okay with Leiter.
Despite getting three of the past four Opening Day starts for the Mets, excluding only the trip to Japan, Leiter said he was in favor of Glavine, for all he has done in his career.
"He deserves it and should be the Opening Day starter," Leiter said. "Look at his numbers, look at his career. He's one of the top seven or eight in all of baseball, not only last year, but in all of baseball in terms of being the tops guys.
"When you talk about the top guys, you go to him, Maddux, Clemens, Johnson, Schilling, Pedro (Martinez). He's one of them. I'm not the least bit thinking that I am deserving or on equal footing to those guys."
When told what Leiter had to say, Glavine smiled and almost seemed speechless for a moment.
"It would be nice," he said. "It would be great, but we'll have to wait and see."
As good as he has been over the years, Glavine, who has 242 career regular-season victories and 12 in the postseason, has started just four Opening Day games (he remembered only three) dating back to his first in 1990. With Greg Maddux and John Smoltz on the Braves staff, there just weren't enough Opening Day starts to go around. Maddux started four years in a row, from 1993-96, Smoltz started in '98 and Glavine again in '99. Glavine also started in '92 and last year.
"Absolutely, it would be a great honor," Glavine said, "especially coming in with a new team. But we'll just have to wait and see."
Obviously, before they settled on Glavine, Leiter received a lot of consideration. But the Mets are eager to show off their newest free-agent prize, and to wipe away the memories of last year.
The Yankees did the same thing in 1999. The year before David Cone went 20-7 in his fourth year with them, and went 2-0 in the postseason. But the Yankees had traded David Wells to get Clemens, who instantly became a jewel to show off. Clemens started Opening Day and beat the Royals at Yankee Stadium.
That same year, Kevin Brown opened for the Dodgers after signing a five-year, $105 million contract, while the season before Chan Ho Park won 15 games for the Dodgers.
But as advisable as the choice would be in terms of generating a buzz, it was apparently made from a baseball standpoint. Howe talked about his rotation yesterday and said he would theoretically like to split up the lefties and righties. Speaking speculatively, he said that if left-hander Mike Bacsik makes the team, there would have to be two lefties back-to-back at some point with three in the rotation.
One way to set it up would be to start with Glavine, followed by right-hander Pedro Astacio, Leiter, righty Steve Trachsel and then one of the following: Bacsik, Cone, Jason Middlebrook or Aaron Heilman.
Chances are, with two off days in the first two weeks of the season, the Mets might not need a fifth starter until April 14, which is 13 games into the season and the third time through the rotation.
Leiter said that although he considers being named the Opening Day starter an honor, there are bigger ones.
"Pitching Game 7 of the World Series is pretty cool," Leiter said.
BY DAVID WALDSTEIN
Star-Ledger Staff
PORT ST. LUCIE -- On March 31 at Shea Stadium, a new era in Mets history will begin, an era highlighted by Fred and Jeff Wilpon together in the owner's box and Art Howe in the dugout.
And Tom Glavine will be on the mound.
Although Al Leiter has been the ace of the staff since he joined the Mets in 1998, Glavine is set to get the nod as the Opening Day starter against the Cubs.
People with knowledge of the team's plans say the coaching staff already has come to a decision on the way Howe will structure the rotation -- with Glavine at the head.
Howe would not comment on his plans were for Opening Day or the rest of the rotation, and said he would not reveal anything until later in spring training. But it appears Glavine will get the nod, and that's okay with Leiter.
Despite getting three of the past four Opening Day starts for the Mets, excluding only the trip to Japan, Leiter said he was in favor of Glavine, for all he has done in his career.
"He deserves it and should be the Opening Day starter," Leiter said. "Look at his numbers, look at his career. He's one of the top seven or eight in all of baseball, not only last year, but in all of baseball in terms of being the tops guys.
"When you talk about the top guys, you go to him, Maddux, Clemens, Johnson, Schilling, Pedro (Martinez). He's one of them. I'm not the least bit thinking that I am deserving or on equal footing to those guys."
When told what Leiter had to say, Glavine smiled and almost seemed speechless for a moment.
"It would be nice," he said. "It would be great, but we'll have to wait and see."
As good as he has been over the years, Glavine, who has 242 career regular-season victories and 12 in the postseason, has started just four Opening Day games (he remembered only three) dating back to his first in 1990. With Greg Maddux and John Smoltz on the Braves staff, there just weren't enough Opening Day starts to go around. Maddux started four years in a row, from 1993-96, Smoltz started in '98 and Glavine again in '99. Glavine also started in '92 and last year.
"Absolutely, it would be a great honor," Glavine said, "especially coming in with a new team. But we'll just have to wait and see."
Obviously, before they settled on Glavine, Leiter received a lot of consideration. But the Mets are eager to show off their newest free-agent prize, and to wipe away the memories of last year.
The Yankees did the same thing in 1999. The year before David Cone went 20-7 in his fourth year with them, and went 2-0 in the postseason. But the Yankees had traded David Wells to get Clemens, who instantly became a jewel to show off. Clemens started Opening Day and beat the Royals at Yankee Stadium.
That same year, Kevin Brown opened for the Dodgers after signing a five-year, $105 million contract, while the season before Chan Ho Park won 15 games for the Dodgers.
But as advisable as the choice would be in terms of generating a buzz, it was apparently made from a baseball standpoint. Howe talked about his rotation yesterday and said he would theoretically like to split up the lefties and righties. Speaking speculatively, he said that if left-hander Mike Bacsik makes the team, there would have to be two lefties back-to-back at some point with three in the rotation.
One way to set it up would be to start with Glavine, followed by right-hander Pedro Astacio, Leiter, righty Steve Trachsel and then one of the following: Bacsik, Cone, Jason Middlebrook or Aaron Heilman.
Chances are, with two off days in the first two weeks of the season, the Mets might not need a fifth starter until April 14, which is 13 games into the season and the third time through the rotation.
Leiter said that although he considers being named the Opening Day starter an honor, there are bigger ones.
"Pitching Game 7 of the World Series is pretty cool," Leiter said.