New players figure to bolster Marlins, Phillies and White Sox - Warm Up Tosses

Baseball Digest, May, 2003 by John Kuenster

ONE WORKS BEHIND THE HATE AND HAS ALREADY PUT TOGETHER CREDENTIALS that place him in a class with Johnny Bench.

Another plays first base and has consistently produced the long ball, including 52 home runs last year.

The third is a hard-throwing, right-handed pitcher who won 20 games while splitting his time in 2002 with two teams.

All three of them figure to be "difference makers" in 2003 as division races unfold.

Ivan Rodriguez of the Marlins, Jim Thome of the Phillies and Bartolo Colon of the White Sox are three "old faces in new places" who hold the promise of making a special impact as their teams seek to move upward this season.

Manager Jeff Torborg, who spent 10 years (1964-1973) as a catcher in the majors, was ecstatic last winter when he learned the Marlins were serious about signing Rodriguez, a free-agent receiver who won ten Gold Gloves (as many as Bench) for defensive excellence with the Texas Rangers.

"I almost jumped through the phone when I heard we were interested," Torborg said of his conversation with general manager Larry Beinfest about the proposed move to sign I-Rod.

"I told Rodriguez he could be what we need to put us over the top. He runs the whole gamut. He has the quickest feet I've ever seen on a catcher. He can throw. He can block balls in the dirt. He can hit, and he doesn't strike out too much. When you get offensive production from a catcher, it's a big plus."

The Marlins signed Rodriguez to a one-year contract last January with the hope that he will enjoy an injury-free season, avoiding the disabled list that has featured his name over the last three years. In 2000, I-Rod underwent surgery on his right thumb; in 2001, he had surgery on his left knee, and in 2002, he suffered a herniated disc in his lower back.

In telling Rodriguez he has the skills and experience to help put the Marlins "over the top," Torborg wasn't necessarily predicting Florida is now equipped to beat out the Phillies, Braves and Mets in National League East Division.

But, he did say, "we're going to surprise a lot of people."

The Marlins posted a 79-83 record last year, and even if they boost their win total by ten games this time around, it may still not be enough to finish in front of all their division rivals.

Regardless of Torborg's optimistic forecast, however, there is no question Rodriguez will make the Marlins a much better team this year, not only because he has something to prove to himself and to the Rangers who let him go, but because he will be a great help in developing a young pitching staff that includes AJ. Burnett, whose fastball has been clocked at 100 mph; Josh Beckett and Brad Penny, who throw in the mid-90s, in addition to closer Braden Looper who fires 98 mph heat at opposing hitters.

"When you bring a guy like Pudge in here," said Burnett, "you've got added power on offense, the Gold Glove, and the arm. He's probably going to take the pitching staff to another level."

If Rodriguez does that, the Marlins may fool some of the pre-season prognosticators who generally relegated them to a fourth-place division status in 2003. Before the start of spring training, he weighed in at a fit 218 pounds, 12 pounds lighter than at the same time last year when he was rebounding from knee surgery late in 2001.

A lifetime .305 hitter, I-Rod worked hard in the off-season to regain the physical edge that made him the best catcher in the majors from 1992 through 2001, during which time he led American League receivers seven times with the best percentage of throwing out runners.

At age 31, with more than 11 big league seasons behind him, and having caught 1,426 games, he still should be able to contribute in a significant way to the improvement of the Marlins, especially when the incentive Of having his professional pride at stake is added to the equation.

"I look forward to a good season, a healthy season," he said before Opening Day. "I think we're going to win a lot of games. I think the 2003 season is going to be the year of the Marlins."

Fans in Philadelphia and nearby environs may disagree with Rodriguez's rosy outlook because of moves the Phillies made in the off-sea son to acquire not only free-agent Jim Thome, but the Braves' 18-game winning pitcher Kevin Millwood and pennant-winning Giants' third baseman David Bell as well.

Thome, in particular, has heightened the expectations of the Phillies this year. He gives manager Larry Bowa a potent force in the middle of the batting order along with Pat Burrell (37 homers in 2002) and Bobby Abreu (20 HR).

In commenting on the addition of Thome, Burrell said, "We have to be favored (in the N.L. East). All the pieces are now in place."

While he struck out 139 times with the Indians last year, Thome still drew 122 walks and recorded a .445 on-base percentage, fourth best mark in that category in the majors.

So, there's little doubt about his ability to elevate the Phillies' offense to an impressive level and engender thoughts among their followers of a division title for the first time since 1993.