Talent and tumult in Texas

Sporting News, The, Jan 14, 2002 by Gerry Fraley

John Hart once offered advice to another baseball executive. "That character stuff can take you only so far," Hart said. That may be an exaggeration, but it does capture Hart's philosophy in one direct sentence. The general manager's job is to obtain talent. The manager's job is to make that talent win. Merit badges for good citizenship carry no weight in the standings.

It worked in Cleveland. Hart stayed with surly Albert Belle and quirky Manny Ramirez, twice brought in Wil Cordero after his spousal-abuse trial and traded for noted social critic John Rocker because each had talent. The Indians under Hart were an odd collection that lacked an ace and a central spiritual core, but they reached the World Series twice in the 1990s.

Hart, an obsessive tinkerer, takes the approach to an extreme in his new job. The Rangers of 2002 will be baseball's most monitored team, if not its most combustible. "There are certain clubs that have had success and had a little bit of an edge. That's not a bad thing," Hart says.

That does not mean the Rangers will be good. There is a large boom-or-bust quality to this halfway-house team, coming off two consecutive last-place finishes in the A.L. West.

Hart traded for center fielder Carl Everett, who had two head-butting, turmoil-filled seasons in Boston, and picked up Rocker for the second time in six months. The Rangers signed free-agent righthander Chan Ho Park, who wilted under pennant-race pressure with Los Angeles last season. They gave a minor league contract to righthander Hideki Irabu, released by Montreal last fall after showing up drunk at a minor league park while on an injury-rehabilitation assignment.

"Part of what you do when you put together a championship club is at times you bring in players who are emotional and driven performers, and at times you have to deal with some issues with them," Hart says. "We certainly are not going into his blind. We feel our organization is prepared to accept these issues."

The bigger question is: Can any of these guys still play?

The American League caught up to Everett after an excellent first half (.320, 24 HRs, 69 RBIs) in 2000. Since then, Everett has hit only .258 with 24 homers and 97 RBIs.

Everett gained weight and had problems with his right knee last season, which diminished his range. Playing center at The Ballpark is more demanding than the same position at Fenway Park.

Hart admits the trade to bring Rocker to Cleveland was a bad one. Rocker pitched poorly and disrupted the continuity of the bullpen. He went to the Puerto Rican winter league hoping Atlanta minor league pitching coach Guy Hansen could help him smooth out a violent delivery.

Rangers owner Tom Hicks proclaimed Park the No. 1 starter the team has lacked. But Park was 4-5 in his final 12 starts last season and went through a disastrous relief outing against San Diego on September 17 in which he did not retire a hitter.

That Irabu has a chance tells of the sad state of the Rangers' rotation.

Dave Burba was 10-10 with a 6.54 ERA as a starter with the Indians last season, and Hart signed him to shore up the rotation. Hart needed another arm after letting durable Rick Helling become a non-tender free agent to create payroll space for Park.

"This club has taken a huge step forward," Hart says. "We play in a very competitive division. The other clubs in the division have taken notice of what we've done. If you can compete short term, you can win short term."

That burden falls on Jerry Narron, entering his first full season as manager. For better or worse, John Hart has gathered talent.

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