NL Beat - Tiny as He Is, Roberts Could Make a Big Splash

[bernieh]

[i:1d53ec9034]by Bill Conlin
originally printed: The Sporting News, February 10, 1986[/i:1d53ec9034]

<img src="http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/images/baseball/stratomatic/1986/story_photos/bip_roberts_150x208.jpg" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" /> PHILADELPHIA—As small as he is, Leon (Bip) Roberts figured to slip onto one of the early lists of rookies who figure to make an impact in the National League next season.

We're also reading wonderful things about Kurt Stillwell, who may or may not take Dave Concepcion’s job in Cincinnati. But were 59 games in Triple A last season --Stillwell was injured -- enough to prepare him for a journey to the Hall of Fame? One evaluation of Stillwell allowed that “injuries set him back a tad.” Missing 100 games is a tad, all right.

And quicker than you can say, "Shawon Dunston was overmatched in ’85," accolades are being heaped on the Braves' shortstop of the future, Andres Thomas, and Mets phenom Kelvin Elster, who is projected as a Shea Stadium tenant by 1987 -- or sooner. After all, Thomas hit .179 in Triple A last year after a blazing .249 in Double A. That qualifies him for future superstardom, right? Particularly since he stole a total of six bases. Somehow, I have a strong hunch Rafael Ramirez will open the season at shortstop for Manager Chuck Tanner. Elster started the season in Double A, foundered and was sent back to Class A, where he hit .295. Somehow, I have a strong hunch Rafael Santana's job is safe for a while.

But Padres General Manager Jack McKeon says Roberts, all 5-7 and 169 pounds of him, probably will open the season at second base in Jack Murphy Stadium. That’s pressure, pals.

The failure of the Padres to win the NL West last season is being attributed to a large degree on the early season loss of cocaine backslider Alan Wiggins, a marvelous leadoff hitter and underrated defender for the 1984 N.L champions.

When Trader Jack's people informed him before the draft that Roberts, who hit .277 and stole 40 bases in Double A last season, had not been protected, he almost swallowed his cigar. McKean gleefully drafted the pint-sized infielder.

One thing McKeon has going for him is good luck in handling emergencies. The fourth pitcher in the bag of four prospects McKeon acquired from the Phillies for Sixto Lezcano on April 31, 1983 was Class-A righthander Lance McCullers. You can forget about the other guys. McCullers showed the rushing fastball and competitive zest of a future bullpen star when be was brought up after Goose Gossage was injured last season.

For two straight seasons, the shape of NL pennant races was influenced by first year players. Just as the Mets wanted Dwight Gooden to spend the 1984 season pitching in Triple A, Cardinals Manager Whitey Herzog was loath to take Vince Coleman north last April and didn't. But Gooden spent the entire 1984 season with the Mets and turned them into a contender. Coleman opened the 1985 season in Louisville (American Association), then ran himself to Rookie of the Year honors and the Cards to a pennant with his startling speed. Not enough weight has been attached to what his loss to the ravenous Busch Stadium tarp meant during the course of the Cardinals’ World Series pratfall against the Kansas City Royals.

Would any of us have picked the Cardinals fifth in the East or the Reds to bring up the rear in the West with even the tiniest clue of what Coleman and lefthander Tom Browning would accomplish? Browning's 20-9 season spelled instant contention for the Reds.

Will a rookie who’ll make a major impact be lurking behind the palm trees or cactus plants next month? There are some strong candidates. If any club ever needed a savior, it's the Giants. And he could come in the form of first baseman Will Clark, who was the best hitter on the talent-laden 1984 U.S. Olympic team, the best amateur team ever assembled by this nation. Because his swing is so sound, Clark made a smooth transition to wood bats last June, hitting .309, pounding 10 homers and driving in 48 runs in 65 games at Fresno (California).

One reason McKeon was willing to balk about dealing veteran catcher Terry Kennedy was a Dominican catcher named Benito Santiago. Larry Bowa, Las Vegas’ new manager, already has been advised that Santiago's offense probably will be his No. 1 priority this season. "They tell me he's got Tony Pena ability behind the plate," Bowa said. “If that's true, I won't have him long."

The Expos' Andres Galarraga was overmatched by NL sliders when he was brought up last September, but the powerful Venezuelan will get every chance to start at first base for Buck Rodgers.

Everybody loves a young lefthander who throws hard, but Mets prospect Randy Myers probably had his Tidewater (International) ticket punched when General Manager Frank Cashen obtained lefthander Bobby Ojeda from the Red Sox. Given the past inconsistency of lefthander Sid Fernandez, however, Myers, who was struggling at two minor league stops last season, could play a role in the big show. There are scouts, however, who feel the Mets would have been better served to hanging on to fireballing righthander Floyd Youmans, who could do for Montreal what Browning did for the Reds. Youmans had a better earned-run average (2.45) with the Expos than he did at two minor league stops last season. Unfortunately, he exceeded the rookie cutoff figure of innings pitched by a considerable margin and will be considered a second-year player.

The same applies to Dunston, who is still a rookie in every sense except the 74 games in which he played last season. When he came back from the minors in September, however, the heralded shortstop looked ready to start achieving the excellence predicted for him.

Another player who did not lose his rookie status last season and could make an impact in 1986 is 6-5 Todd Worrell. His 17 relief appearnaces with St. Louis consumed just 21 2/3 innings, and that figures to be his role next season -- unless Herzog is looking for a quick fix for a starting rotation that will miss the 21 victories and 269 2/3 innings pitched provided by the "Abominable Throwman,” Joaquin Andujar.

[Sykes25]

Just how much action will Bip Roberts get this season? Can't wait to see his stellar defense. 8)

[Proverbial Psalms]

I'm glad my real-life Phillies could help McKeon by giving them McCuellers and three other players for... ahem... Sixto Lezcano :roll: Guess it's better than 5 for one, ala Von Hayes :oops: