Outside Oberlin

Small Market Teams Defy Age of Free Agency

Shawn Green, Juan Gonzalez, Ken Griffey. You will find none of these marquee superstars on any of the young, hungry small market clubs. The A's, Pirates, Royals and White Sox rely on loaded farm systems and key veteran acquisitions. The secret to small-market success is getting by with hidden talent - guys like Joe Randa and Randy Velarde, to name a few. Let's examine these teams in detail and analyze how far each is from serious playoff contention.

Beane's, Beane's, the Magical Fruit:

A's GM Billy Beane is one of the sharpest minds in terms of scouting talent and developing a "five-year plan" for his team. One of his most overlooked moves was acquiring Jason Isringhausen and relocating the hard-throwing pitcher to the bullpen, where he ended last season as a solid closer. The pitching coaches have brought young arms like Barry Zito and Mark Mulder along slowly in case they are needed during the 2000 campaign. Sophomore Tim Hudson was dominant at the end of last season, and Kevin Appier is the ace to prevent losing streaks.

But their real strength lies in the plethora of young sluggers: Ben Grieve, Eric Chavez, Miguel Tejada, even Jeremy Giambi off the bench. Potential MVP Jason Giambi (Jeremy's older brother) is 29 and is coming off his best season - .315, 33 dongs, 123 ribbies, .422 OBP, 105 walks. Perennial designated hitter and DL-ridden John Jaha is the only righty bopper in the lineup.

So how do they stack up? With a $28 million-dollar payroll and a weaker AL West with the recently departed Junior Griffey, the A's are the favorite for the division crown. Can this be true? Charles Finley is rolling in his grave.

Pirates Beginning to See the Light:

What's not to like? Okay, Wil Cordero has no right making $3 million to start in the outfield when he should be serving jail time in Puerto Rico. Anyway, this team is ready, right now. Suddenly, Kris Benson is on everyone's preseason Cy Young lists.

He leads a steady staff with Jason Schmidt (who can take pressure off himself now that he is not the number one pitcher in the rotation, even though he can pitch like one), a revamped Francisco Cordova (3.60 era last three years), Todd Ritchie, who won 15 games last year, and the bionic Pete Schourek, who doesn't have an original tendon left in his elbow. They still don't have a bona-fide closer, but Mike Williams, Rich Loiselle and Jose Silva all will be vying for the full-time job.

The lineup is fun to watch, especially with the return of Aramis Ramirez and the arrival of Rookie of the Year candidate Chad Hermansen. Jason Kendall is back, and if sophomore Warren Morris can fulfill expectations, the top four in the lineup could post a .400 OBP. They ranked 13th in the NL last year in runs scored, a sign that the boys in black and gold will have to play small ball. Brian Giles will get his 35+ dingers, but Kevin Young is a line-drive hitter, so this team needs Kendall and Morris on base and running early and often.

Unfortunately, with a payroll of $23 million and a stocked NL Central, it will be hard for the Steeltown Nine to even think wildcard.

Dos Carlos Not Enough:

Don't get me wrong, out of the four teams here, the Royals have the best line-up. Why? Balance and speed. Johnny Damon, still one of the most under-appreciated players in the game, had another fine season last year. Carlos Beltran garnered AL Rookie of the Year honors with a .300 BA, 100 RBI, 100 run campaign, and Mike Sweeney and Joe Randa both hit over .300 with 40 doubles apiece. Jermaine Dye is the glue that holds this tiny market together. After years of unfulfilled expectations in Atlanta, the kid shone last year with 44 doubles and 120 RBIs. This team is fast, young and can hit from top to bottom. Even after Damon signs on with a contender next year, Mark Quinn will step in to play left field. The team's $16 million payroll may fool you at the plate, but what's holding these boys back is rotation depth and the lack of a bullpen. The starting five features Jose Rosado, who has been one of the most consistent pitchers in the AL the last three years, and Jeff Suppan, a 10-game winner last year. The closer job goes to Ricky Bottalico.

Hurtin' in ChiTown:

Finally, the White Sox. I'm not particularly fond of this hobbled franchise, what with Jerry Reinsdorf and all, but I respect Frank Thomas as one of the top five players in the game, even after last year's awful slide.

That said, Big Frank has some protection, something he lacked since Joey Belle left two years ago. Magglio Ordonez is a legitimate power threat and Paul Konerko finally showed why scouts were so high on him three years ago. But it's the kids that make the line-up and staff so interesting. Ordonez is 26, Konerko is 24 and 26 year-old Carlos Lee comes off a rookie year in which he drove in 84 runs in just 127 games.

The youth may be the downfall of the rotation, however, as there is no true ace or a veteran stopgap. Mike Sirotka has the potential, but he struggled last year after posting a sub-4.00 era the year before. Kip Wells is the ace-in-the-hole, and if Jim Parque can keep the ball down, the top three may win 40 games. Bobby Howry, Keith Foulke and Bill Simas lead a hard-throwing, talented group of relievers just itching to get into games. Much like the Reds' pen, Foulke and Simas worked multiple innings without trouble.

Maybe Reinsdorf can hock one of his Bulls rings to add a veteran starter to the $26 payroll next year and propel the Sox to playoff contention.