BY SCOTT MacGREGOR
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Derek Jeter isn't putting up numbers like Mark McGwire or Sammy Sosa this season, but he just may be the MVP of the best team in baseball.
The New York Yankees shortstop was already a star-in-the-making heading into this season (remember how he helped electrify the Yanks in the '96 post-season on the way to a World Series title -- as a rookie?). But this year, as this edition of the Bronx Bombers heads toward a possible regular-season record for most victories, Jeter is proving there are few limits to how good he can be.
Jeter hasn't put up the kind of power numbers that his good friend and fellow shortstop Alex Rodriguez has in Seattle, but the Yankees don't need that. What they need -- and are getting -- is Jeter's overall mix of speed, average, power and defensive skill.
In his third season, Jeter has raised his batting average nearly 30 points to .325 and is on pace to surpass 200 hits and nearly reach a combined total of 200 in runs and RBI. He also has 24 stolen bases in 29 attempts, an improvement on the 23 he swiped in 35 tries last season.
But even more impressive is his defense. Jeter credits two small, but important adjustments to the advice of Yankees infielder Luis Sojo. First, when he has to throw deep from the hole, Jeter no longer leaps and throws off-balanced, but instead plants his right leg and takes advantage of his powerful arm. Second, Sojo has taught Jeter how to protect himself while turning the double play at second base, touching the back of the bag to avoid a sliding runner rather than jumping over him.
New York infield coach Willie Randolph, formerly a good infielder himself, is duly impressed. "Derek is so much better with his feet than he used to be," Randolph said. "His balance is getting there. Sometimes, he surprises me how much he's improving."
BATTLE OF THE BULLPENS:
All year, it has been assumed the Braves are the best team in the National League because they've had the best record and have dominated the Eastern division. But there is much cause to question that after the Padres, the almost certain N.L. West champion, took two of three from the Chop-Chop Boys last week in San Diego.
Atlanta is still statistically superior to the Padres in most categories, especially starting pitching. But San Diego clearly has the better bullpen, bolstered even more by getting Randy Myers from Toronto to add the left-hander they'd been looking for all season to go with setup men Dan Micelli and Donne Wall and super closer Trevor Hoffman.
The Braves, meanwhile, have gotten good work from Rudy Seanez, John Rocker and new closer Kerry Ligtenberg, but also have such question marks as Russ Springer, the recently activated and rapidly aging Norm Charlton and the erratic and confused Mark Wohlers, currently trying to work out his problems again at Triple-A.
Braves starter Denny Neagle is a believer in San Diego's late-inning toughness.
"The thing about these guys, especially since they acquired Randy Myers, is that if you're down by one or two runs going into the seventh inning, the game is pretty much over," Neagle said.
When the playoffs start, however, the Braves might move fifth starter Kevin Millwood and perhaps even Neagle to the bullpen. "You never know, though," Reds manager Jack McKeon said. "Those guys may be good starters, but sometimes they're not used to pitching out of the bullpen and they're not as effective."
Atlanta still has the better bats and is healthier. The Padres have endured slumps and injuries by Tony Gwynn (who recently missed five games with an Achilles strain) and Ken Caminiti and a recent 7-for-68 skid by cleanup man Greg Vaughn.
THE BIG IMPACT:
Don't forget about Houston in the whole National League playoff mix. How good is Houston's trade for Randy Johnson looking? Some simple numbers: Johnson has made three starts, resulting in three Astros victories and two shutouts. Attendance is up a total of 38,000 at the Astrodome, with Houston drawing 52,000 and 40,000 for The Big Unit's two home starts, compared to a season average of 27,631.
Johnson has had such an impact that Astros owner Drayton McLaine, Jr., who has resisted giving pitchers big money since he was burned by the $38 million he paid to free agents Doug Drabek and Greg Swindell, is considering paying Johnson's asking price of $10 million a year for four years.
BIG AL, BIG COMPANY:
Albert Belle of the White Sox has become just the fourth player in major league history to hit at least 30 homers and drive in 100 runs in seven consecutive seasons. From 1992-98, Belle has averaged 41 homers and 124 RBI. The others: Jimmie Fox (1929-40, averaging 40 homers and 137 RBI), Lou Gehrig (1926-37, 36 HR, 152 RBI) and Babe Ruth (1926-33, 47 HR, 145 RBI).
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
The concern over the faltering Cleveland pitching staff has subsided a bit after Bartolo Colon and Jarret Wright each pitched well in their most recent starts. Particularly encouraging is Wright, who was going through a dead-arm phase but allowed only one run in 7 1/3 innings last Sunday in Tampa Bay -- his longest outing since June 6.
. . . Larry Walker's option has kicked in for 1999, paying him $5 million next season, a number that seems rather small in comparison with the numbers he has put up the last two seasons with the Rockies. One study found that 36 players, including such greats as the Phillies' Greg Jefferies and the Dodgers' Bobby Bonilla, are making more than Walker this season.
THE FINAL WORD:
From Cardinals pitcher Bobby Witt, on the madness that follows McGwire, especially during batting practice:
"It's like having the fifth Beatle."
