MLB: Cone Not Assured of Job With Red Sox

By Seth Doria Sports Central Columnist

With just over a month before Boston Red Sox catchers and pitchers report to Florida for spring training, most of the news surrounding the 2001 season is Manny Ramirez.

And why not? Manny, averaging .341 with 41 homeruns and 114 RBI over the past two seasons, should lend instant credibility to an offense that ranked in the depths of the AL in most offensive categories.

Putting Manny in the heart of the lineup with Nomar Garciaparra and Carl Everett should give the offense some of the pop it hasn't had since big Mo Vaughn's MVP season in '96, two years before he left for sunny California.

The signing of Manny also signifies something never before seen by Sox fans - management's ability/willingness to go out and snag a high-profile star out of a bidding war. But whereas getting Ramirez signified a departure from the annuls of Red Sox futility, there were two other signings during the winter that showed the more things change, the more they stay the same.

It has become a Boston pitching tradition, a formula for overachieving second-place teams: have a pitching ace (Clemens, Martinez), a good closer (Gordon, Lowe), and fill in the rest with a mix of young players who aren't ready, but will be after they leave (Jeff Suppan, Aaron Sele) and guys who have the big names, but have lost their ability to win more than they lose. But now, joining the list of such esteemed free-agent reclamation projects such as Jeff Fassero and Steve Avery, are Hideo Nomo and David Cone.

Nomo, who hasn't had a season ERA below 4.25 since 1996, and Cone, coming off his worst season as a major leaguer (4-14 with a 6.91 ERA), will try to bolster a staff that again this year will start with Pedro Martinez and end with ... well, that's the point, nobody knows who it will end with by the time October rolls around. Nomo and Cone will be joined by Saberhagen, Pete Schourek, Paxton Crawford, Tomo Ohka, Tim Wakefield, Frank Castillo, Rolando Arrojo, and Kent Merker in the quest to fill those days when Martinez can't pitch. A lot of quantity, yes. Quality? Check back in a couple months.

For starters, eliminate Wakefield, Merker and Schourek from contention for a regular starting spot, though chances are each will get a couple fill-in starts during the season. Between Merker and Schourek, there's a chance neither could make the opening-day squad and Wakefield, the ever-confident knuckleballer, has proven time and time again that when the game is on the line, the last person you want with the ball in their hand is someone who throws the ball slower than the speed limit on I-95.

As for the other candidates, Arrojo proved last season (5-2 with Boston) he had enough to be a reliable third pitcher, though he'll probably fill the two-spot in the rotation this season. Castillo, a free-agent pickup from Toronto, had the best season of his ten-year career last year, going 10-5 with an ERA under 4. He should fill the three-spot. So that leaves Ohka, Crawford, Cone and Nomo looking for the four and five spots in the rotation.

Nomo, though he has fallen hard from his lofty perch atop the kingdom of Nomomania, put together some solid starts among his bombs with the Tigers last season. In his eight wins, Nomo posted a 1.92 ERA. In Nomo's 12 defeats, 7.72 ERA. The key to Nomo's season may be his ability to consistently use the slider and off-speed pitches. After coming off the disabled list with the Tigers, Nomo changed his game plan and won four of his final six decisions.

Both Ohka and Crawford should expect to see AAA this season, but Ohka should spend more time with the big club than Crawford. Ohka was a stud last season in the minors, going 15-0 with a 2.31 ERA between AA and AAA. Crawford has made his way through the system with surprisingly average numbers and would have to improve dramatically if he hopes to be a major contributor this year. Then, there's Cone.

Signed from the Yankees on Thursday, Cone agreed to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract that would allow the Sox to cut him in spring training at a minimal cost. If he performs well, the deal could be worth up to $5 million. Cone had offers for more money and a guaranteed roster spot from other teams, but chose the Sox, a team he had beaten repeatedly in crucial situations in his days with the Mets and Yankees. He will have to fight for a roster spot if he wants to walk out to the mound at a sold-out game in Fenway and prove last year's debacle wasn't the bitter end. He'll have to overcome a 2000 season in which he was labeled over the hill and was left off the postseason starting rotation for the world champions. He's got a lot of fighting to do.

Whether he succeeds or not will be determined on the fields in Florida over the next few months. Most fans will be rooting for him. Unfortunately, history is against him.

Article courtesy of Sports Central