Are the Diamonds transferring to the NL?

1993 in review:

Pitching

Alex Fernandez (20-9, 1.19 WHIP, 3.71 ERA) became a star this season, leading the team with 249.2 innings and 188 strikeouts. Opponents slugged only .377 against him, best mark on the team besides Jim Gott.

Chuck Finley (18-10, 1.38, 4.86) had another poor first half followed by a strong second half. He allowed 26 homers but held opponents to a .330 OBP.

Scott Erickson (9-15, 1.60, 5.60) was generally terrible. He allowed only 14 home runs in 197.2 innings but opponents hit .306, worst in the rotation.

Bob Wickman (8-14, 1.75, 6.30) was probably miscast as a starter. He made 27 starts and 20 relief appearances and never really got comfortable in either role, allowing opponents a .300/.382/.450 stat line.

Prospect Orlando Reid made nine starts (0-4, 1.65, 7.10) and gave up eight home runs in 65 innings.

Willie Blair (2-11, 1.85, 6.63) made 14 horrible starts, allowed 14 homers in 130 innings and allowed opponents to slug .500.

The bullpen was generally dreadful also, with the exceptions of Rick Aguilera (0-1, 39/42, 1.11, 3.20) and Jim Gott (2-3, 1/4, 1.28, 3.32). Tom Edens was at least competent (1-4, 0/2, 1.57, 4.71).

Dave Burba was 8-6 despite a 7.74 ERA, Scott Sanders was at 7.03, and Tony Fossas was 10.80.

Overall the Spectres' 5.64 ERA ranked 23rd in the league.

In a weak 1994 draft, Montreal has only one selection, the #2 overall pick.

With it, they take the best player on the board, who happens to also fill a need. Carlos Delgado, currently an outfielder but projected to play first base eventually, will learn at the feet of Eddie Murray for a few years before being thrown to the wolves.

1994 Preview

With only one new face, #2 overall draftee Carlos Delgado, the best hope for improvement on a disappointing 1993 season comes from improvement within.

Luckily, there have been some hopeful signs this spring.

One of the major failures in '93 was the pitching staff, which had only two dependable starters in Chuck Finley and Alex Fernandez. This season, those two look to continue their success while a couple of new faces look ready to contribute. Joe Hesketh is healthy and will likely replace Bob Wickman in the rotation. Hesketh held a spot in the starting five in 1992 and had a lot of bad luck, then was hampered by elbow problems in '93. He looks healthy and ready to roll in '94.

Another new face in the rotation may be Scott Sanders, who, as a first-hand witness to the disasters in '93, spent the offseason "stretching" his arm out to last six or seven innings. He looks to get at least an opportunity to take a regular turn in the rotation.

If either Hesketh or Sanders has some success, the team could have three dependable pitchers in the rotation, which would be a huge improvement and reduce the stress on the bullpen, which was severely overworked last season.

In fact, the only two effective relievers last season were closer Rick Aguilera and setup man Jim Gott. Gott is gone this year, having retired due to shoulder problems. But that doesn't mean that Aguilera is on his own. The team feels that Wickman, who bounced back and forth from rotation to bullpen and back last season, can be an effective reliever now that his role is set. In addition, young fireballer Robb Nen looks like he is ready to take on some responsibility.

If one of Dave Burba, Willie Blair, or Tom Edens becomes a consistent contributor, the Spectres' pen could become a source of strength.

There's plenty of room for improvement on offense as well. While Jay Buhner and Greg Gagne had possibly the best years of their careers so far, players like Ken Caminiti and Brady Anderson seemed to regress after promising 1992 campaigns. Anderson has become a great baserunner but needs to hit for a better average to take more advantage of that skill set. Caminiti was expected to provide some power in the middle of the lineup but generated next to nothing.

Ken Griffey Jr. ended with generally solid numbers but should have done a lot more. And the catcher platoon of Karkovice and Taubensee needs to start producing up to potential.

Based on spring results, Bret Boone may get more playing time as he is clearly a better fielder at second than Tony Phillips and looks like a competent hitter as well. Phillips may get some playing time in the outfield or at first base.. Eddie Murray's bat has looked a bit slow this spring.

If everyone produces up to potential, it could be a very dangerous lineup. The team was about average in run production last season despite several down years so it wouldn't take much improvement to become a feared group.

Tentatively:

1 - Anderson (CF)

2 - Phillips (2B)

3 - Griffey Jr. (RF)

4 - Buhner (LF)

5 - Caminiti (3B)

6 - Murray (1B)

7 - Taubensee/Karkovice (C)

8 - Gagne (SS)

With Boone possibly taking Murray or Anderson's spot from time to time (Phillips shifting over to play OF or 1B)

Says the guy with Mark McGwire and Gary Sheffield on his roster.