Yanks win big on El Duque gamble

Ken Rosenthal

Even eight months later, several scouts recall the day with disgust. The El Duque who threw 35 uninspired pitches in a staged workout at the University of Miami did not look ready to return to the majors. It would have been farcical to suggest that he would be the Yankees' No. 1 starter by late summer.

"A charade," recalls one scout who was in attendance. "A waste of time," says a second. "A total joke" adds a third. Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, allegedly 34, didn't even warm up on that January day. He went through a drill in which he executed his throwing motion with a balled-up towel, then took the mound. Coming off shoulder surgery that sidelined him for all of last season, he topped out at 78 mph, mixing in big, loopy curveballs. After he was through, one scout cracked, "OK, is he done getting loose?"

The session appeared to be nothing more than a Duque-and-pony show, designed for the benefit of others. Donovan Osborne and Randy Keisler, two lesser pitchers represented by Hernandez's then-agent, Jeff Moorad, preceded El Duque. A number of other bit players, presumably friends of Hernandez, also participated. One scout speculates that Hernandez threw poorly to scare off other prospective suitors because he had a deal in place with the Yankees.

Not so, according to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. Truth be told, the Yankees weren't enamored with Hernandez, either. The idea of him joining the team in mid-July and going 8-0 wasn't as improbable as, say, his celebrated defection from Cuba in 1998. But as comebacks go, this one is pretty far-fetched, a sequel nearly as good as the original.

Hernandez is up to 92 mph, pitching with his familiar creativity and guile. Yet, he is not the same righthanded magician he was during his initial tenure with the Yankees from '98 through 2002. "He's better," righthander Mike Mussina says. "He has more to go to. He originally struggled with lefthanded hitters. He has weapons for lefties now."

Lefthanded hitters are batting .256 off Hernandez, down from .266 in the first phase of his career; righthanders are batting .162. Asked his secret, Hernandez responds through a translator, "You're asking the person who least thinks about that." Don't believe it. Hernandez will sit on the bench, notice some quirk in an opposing hitter's swing or stance and remark, "You see what he's doing?" Often, his teammates are dumbfounded by the sharpness of his observations.

Mussina attributes Hernandez's success against lefthanders to his ability to better change speeds and work both sides of the plate, as well as his development of a backdoor breaking ball. It's true that only three of Hernandez's first 13 starts were against teams with winning records. But the Yankees, with Mussina injured, rushed Hernandez's promotion from Class AAA before his rehabilitation was complete.

Lest anyone forget, Hernandez is 9-3 in the postseason with a 2.51 ERA; his history is what compelled the Yankees to revisit him last winter. The team's interest, however, grew serious only after Hernandez worked out a second time.

El Duque still wasn't himself. But the Red Sox--whose bullpen coach, Euclides Rojas, is the former closer for the Cuban national team--also were interested. And Billy Connors, the Yankees' pitching guru, had a hunch that Hernandez would regain his arm strength.

The Yankees lost a similar gamble on Sterling Hitchcock in 2001. They also were wrong about Osborne, whom they signed after his initial workout with Hernandez, then released in May. But they hit on Hernandez, whom they signed for a $500,000 guarantee and bonuses that include $45,000 per start. Red Sox G.M. Theo Epstein says that Moorad told the Sox the only way they could get Hernandez would be if their offer "far exceeded" the Yankees'.

"I wish we could have gotten him and gotten an option (for a second year)" Epstein says, smiling. "I bet they wish they would have gotten an option, too."

The Yankees can worry about re-signing Hernandez this offseason. He won't need to stage another workout, that's for sure.

SPEED READS

* There's no defending Rangers reliever Frank Francisco, who faces charges of aggravated battery after throwing a chair in Oakland that hit a woman and broke her nose. The entire Rangers' bullpen overreacted, but the fans were not blameless. Too often, fans fail to observe minimum standards of decency.

* The lack of excitement over Barry Bonds' 700th home run reflects three things: Bonds' grating personality; suspicions that he has used performance-enhancing drugs, and the frequency with which home run records now occur. The mixed feelings will be even more pronounced if Bonds passes Babe Ruth at 714 and Hank Aaron at 755.

* No one should penalize the Twins' Johan Santana in the Cy Young voting because he pitches in the mediocre A.L. Central. Santana began the week 6-4 with a 3.23 ERA against the Central, 12-2 with a 2.44 ERA against everyone else. Three Central clubs--the Indians, White Sox and Tigers--were among the top six in the A.L. in runs.

INSIDE DISH By KEN ROSENTHAL

The chances of the Diamondbacks re-signing 1B Richie Sexson and bringing back CF Steve Finley as a free agent appear slim, increasing the likelihood that the team will retrench this offseason and make another attempt to trade LHP Randy Johnson. Finley, who has hit 34 homers at age 39, will be an attractive alternative for teams that fail to sign Astros CF Caries Beltran. Sexson, too, should have better options, the Mariners, Giants and Dodgers possibly among them.... The lack of available lefthanded starting pitching might enhance Johnson's appeal. Mets LHP AL Leiter, 38, could become a hot commodity if he declines his end of a $10 million mutual option. The Phillies' Eric Milton and the Dodgers' Odalis Perez, two pitchers who have tailed off in the second half, are the leading free-agent possibilities. Remember when the Yankees wanted Mariners LHP Jamie Moyer? He has allowed 41 homers, matching the seventh-highest total all-time.... The White Sox likely will pursue Beltran if they lose RF Magglio Ordenez as a free agent, but they would need to move EF Carlos Lee or 1B Paul Konerko to create enough flexibility to address other needs. The Phillies, who also covet Beltran, want to re-sign Milton and add another starting pitcher, plus address their bullpen.... Rangers 1B Mark Teixeira, emerging as one of the game's most dangerous switch hitters, is lethal from both sides. Teixeira began the week with a .953 on-base/slugging percentage against righthanders and a .919 OPS against lefthanders. Astros RF Lance Berkman had a far wider split--1.066 OPS against righthanders, .872 against lefthanders.... Yankees RHP Mike Mussina has some advice for Royals rookie prodigy RHP Zack Greinke: Trust your fastball. "You're going to get hit if you don't throw it in the right place," Mussina says. "But if you use it right, it's still your best pitch. He'll learn that as he goes along. We all do. He's got to remember that he throws 93 to 94 mph." A pitcher who relies too heavily on his off-speed stuff eventually loses velocity, Mussina says.... Expos 3B Tony Batista, a potential free agent, sports a career .298 on-base percentage but is one of only 14 major leaguers to hit 25 or more homers in each of the past six seasons, and he has driven in at least 99 runs in four of those. Batista, 30, isn't much defensively, but he could make a solid DH in the right lineup.... Mariners rookie LHP Bobby Madritsch, who looked terrific in victories over the contending Red Sex and Angels, could end up a closer. "I know we will have some arguments in the future about his role," Mariners G.M. Bill Bavasi says.... How bad is the state of pitching? The Astros lured RHP Russ Springer out of retirement on June 19, thinking he could help their Class AAA club and perhaps serve as an 11th man on a staff. Yet there was Springer facing the heart of the Cardinals' order in the eighth inning of a tie game last Wednesday night--and allowing two runs in a 4-2 defeat.... Red Sex 1B Doug Mientkiewicz uses a hockey analogy when talking about himself and his fellow late-inning defensive replacements, 2B Pokey Reese and, depending upon the game, OF Dave Roberts or OF Gabe Kapler. "We're the dump-and-chase group," Mientkiewicz says. "We dump the puck in the corner and kill the clock with a lead."

RELATED ARTICLE: Mets' brass needs to turn the page, then get on the same one.

The Mets' organizational flow chart, if you want to call it that, would consist of dozens of arrows going every which way. Add audio, and you'd hear voices everywhere. Players, scouts, owners all drowning out general manager Jim Duquette, whose authority is compromised by a stumbling owner, Fred Wilpon, and his hands-on son, Jeff.

The firing of manager Art Howe, effective at the end of the season, will accomplish little--especially if the Mets' No. 1 choice, Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella, thinks twice about leaving one mess for another. Fred Wilpon denies there is organizational chaos, yet the Mets' plan changes approximately every six seconds.

This is not to exonerate Howe, who never was the right fit for New York, showed little ability to anticipate game situations and failed to get the most out of his players, several of whom were injured this season. But if the Mets want to win back respect--a modest goal in a town where the Yankees aren't satisfied unless they win the World Series--they need to act like the Cardinals, Braves, Giants and other well-run franchises that give their executives reasonable autonomy.

They also need to do the following:

* Trade Mike Piazza. By contributing a significant portion of Piazza's $15 million salary for 2005 in a deal, the Mets could recoup some of the prospects they lost in acquiring pitchers Kris Benson and Victor Zambrano.

* Acquire Alfonso Soriano. The Rangers' demands will be lower than last spring; Soriano's salary could rise to $7.5 million in arbitration. The Mets would want Soriano in a corner outfield spot to replace Cliff Floyd, who, like Piazza, belongs in the A.L. If traded for the second time in as many years, Soriano might relent and move from second base.

* Re-sign Benson only at the right price. With so many comparable free-agent pitchers available, why get carried away with Benson? With or without him, the Mets will have one of the game's most stable, if aging, rotations entering 2005.--K.R.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Sporting News Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning