A.L. East

Sporting News, The, June 28, 1999 by Peter Schmuck, Paul Doyle, Joel Sherman, Marc Topkin, Tom Maloney

Rising star

When the Red Sox claimed Troy O'Leary on waivers from the Brewers in 1995, he was considered no more than a fourth outfielder.

But four years later, O'Leary is starting in left field and has put up offensive numbers that would make Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski proud.

Entering this week, O'Leary was hitting .297, leading the Red Sox in home runs (14), and was on pace to drive in 100 runs.

When the Red Sox lost Mo Vaughn to free agency and failed to land a slugger, there were questions about where the run production would come from. O'Leary has helped fill the void.

"I'm just trying to get hits," O'Leary says. "I'm not trying to hit the ball out of the park."

O'Leary's rise can be traced to two areas of improvement: hitting lefthanders and playing the outfield on a regular basis. O'Leary has steadily improved against lefties, going from .198 in 1996 to .284 last year. He was hitting only .259 against them this season, but his at-bats have been good.

Defensively, O'Leary has worked with hitting coach Jim Rice and outfield instructor Dave Jauss, and O'Leary has become fundamentally sound in left. Playing next to Darren Lewis also has helped to inspire O'Leary's defensive improvement.

"There's a Gold Glover out there, man," says O'Leary referring to Lewis. "I've got to do something, too. I'm just another dude trying to mix in."

"The kid is just a good hitter," says manager Jimy Williams. "He's working every day to make himself better. This kid has made himself the player he is with hard work."

Baltimore

30-37: 4th

Johnson's work behind plate Gold Glove caliber

C Charles Johnson hasn't hit his stride defensively, but his 34 percent efficiency in throwing out runners still is good enough to rank him among me top four in the A.L.--and it appears to be on the upturn. Johnson was frustrated with his defensive performance in the early weeks of the season, but he has bounced back to show why he won four Gold Gloves in the N.L. He will have to go a long way to unseat Ivan Rodriguez as the reigning Gold Glove catcher, but the team can't complain. Chris Hoiles (21.4 percent) and Lenny Webster (23.4 percent) were the easiest catchers to steal on in the A.L. in '98. Now, the opposition is not nearly so quick to take liberties on the bases.... LHP Jesse Orosco is straggling, but manager Ray Miller is not ready to relegate him to a lesser role. Miller expressed confidence that Orosco would collect himself, as he often has after slow starts.

GETTING IT DONE: It took some lime, but 2B Delino DeShields has become a significant contributor to the defense and the offense. He batted .360 over a 33-game span (through last Friday), scoring 21 runs and driving in 14 while improving his batting average from .135 to .271. He also is starting to make some big defensive stops, which has helped make fans forget 2B Roberto Alomar. DeShields needs to improve his success rate on the basepaths--he has stolen 10 bases in 16 attempts--and he will become an even more important cog in the offense.

SEE A DIFFERENT GAME: Albert Belle blew a fuse just about the time Miller was going to advise him to back off his intensive pregame routine, so that message was delayed until the controversy died down. Now, Belle has scaled back his hitting program and appears to be getting the positive results he needs. "I just think that he, like everybody in the clubhouse, was trying so hard to pick up the slack," Miller says. Miller was concerned that Belle was working himself too hard because Belle felt primarily responsible for the club's poor record. --Peter Schmuck

GRADING OUT

OFFENSE A

Everyone is making a contribution, and Belle could be ready to rumble.

PITCHING B

The bullpen remains a question mark, but the starters have busted out of an early slump.

DEFENSE A

Continues to be solid, and even Belle has made some big plays.

ORIOLES

                AVG    G    AB    R    H   HR   RBI    OBP

Baines( )      .343   54   166   29   57   12    45   .415
Surhoff( )     .342   67   284   45   97   15    48   .370
Ripken Jr.     .325   40   157   23   51    9    28   .350
Clark( )       .309   34   123   24   38    6    21   .367
Amaral         .292   42    65   10   19    0     9   .360
Conine         .291   56   175   25   51    5    29   .352
Bordick        .279   66   265   37   74    5    30   .322
DeShields( )   .274   55   190   28   52    4    18   .355
Anderson( )    .273   64   238   51   65   11    39   .416
Belle          .271   66   247   44   67   12    40   .396
Johnson        .251   57   179   29   45   12    29   .351
(*)Figga       .250    7    12    2    3    0     1   .308
Reboulet       .212   39    85   18   18    0     3   .343

                SLG   SB     K   BB    E

Baines( )      .596    1    18   21    0
Surhoff( )     .567    2    36   14    0
Ripken Jr.     .573    0    16    6    7
Clark( )       .520    0    19   13    1
Amaral         .400    2    10    7    0
Conine         .463    0    19   18    2
Bordick        .396    3    38   18    5
DeShields( )   .374   10    19   23    4
Anderson( )    .487    6    40   49    0
Belle          .441    9    35   51    4
Johnson        .492    0    41   27    3
(*)Figga       .333    0     3    1    2
Reboulet       .235    1    16   16    2