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The Scout's View: Mets
Posted: Tuesday October 12, 1999 11:29 AM
Sports Illustrated asked major league scouts who have closely followed the playoff teams
to help prepare these reports on the four participants in the League
Championship Series. The scouts were promised anonymity in exchange for their
candor. Here's what they revealed.
Lineup
Rickey Henderson LF
Tries to
intimidate pitcher with
great eye and tiny strike zone
but can be intimidated himself
if pitched hard and inside.
Shortstop should play him to
pull. Still has very good
speed;
no arm to speak
of.
Edgardo Alfonzo 2B
A bove-average fastball hitter
who rarely misses mistakes.
Does not consistently put good
part of the bat on off-speed
pitches. Nibble with him,
make
him hit junk. Great
low-ball
hitter. Superior
glove.
John Olerud 1B
Pound him inside with
fastballs above the waist.
Then
get him to chase
changeup
and slider away. Will get
his
singles but clogs the bases.
Above-average
glove.
Mike Piazza C
Kills fastballs anywhere
near
the plate. Throw him
fastballs
inside, breaking stuff outside.
If frustrated, will swing at
bad
pitches and extend the
zone.
Mediocre arm, but calls
good
game, blocks almost
everything.
Robin Ventura 3B
Swings at pitches up in
the
zone. Turns mistakes
into
doubles. A lot of his
groundouts
come on changeups or
slow
curves that stay down.
Fine
defense but every so
often
uncorks a wild throw to
first.
Darryl Hamilton CF
Gets credit for being fast but
can't run. Likes the ball
down
and away, can get jammed
late
in the count. Hates
changeups.
Hits outside pitches
well.
Roger Cedeño RF
First-ball fastball hitter
but
doesn't hit breaking balls
well.
Has tremendous speed.
Decent
outfielder, has limited
arm.
Rey Ordoñez SS
Much improved over
last
year at the plate. More of an
up
hitter than down hitter.
Drives
the ball well to right
center.
Defensive
superstar -- has
great arm in the hole,
reaches
balls other humans can't
touch.
Bench
OF Benny Agbayani is a high-fastball hitter
with
surprising pop. Gets poor jumps on balls in outfield. OF-INF Shawon Dunston has
never had a good knowledge of the strike zone. Chases everything. Versatility a
plus, but don't want him having to make a big outfield play. OF Melvin Mora has a
Grade A arm and runs the bases very well. INF-OF Matt Franco is a dead
fastball guy. He can be jammed. C Todd Pratt is an adequate backup
with a sometimes dangerous bat. A fastball hitter who swings wildly. OF Bobby
Bonilla had power but has nothing
left.
Rotation
Al Leiter, LHP
A great cut fastball that hovers in
the
low 90s, with an above-average curveball. Throws a decent slider. Doesn't throw
as hard as he used to, but when he's on, he has good command. Go deep in the
count, make him throw a close fastball, then jump on
it.
Kenny Rogers, LHP
Deceptive and smart. Pitches below hitting speed, staying 83
to 85 on fastballs while hitters expect 90 or 91. Throws fastballs to
lefthanders, changeups and curves to righthanders. Has a big slow curve that, if
flat, is hittable. Changeup looks almost like a screwball. Great
glove.
Masato Yoshii, RHP
Best pitch is a split-fingered fastball (84 to 86 mph) that
looks like a normal heater but has more downward movement and less velocity.
Complements that pitch with an average slider and changeup. Sometimes slips and
leaves ball
up.
Rick Reed, RHP
Best pitch is his curveball, which is 76 to 78 mph and goes from
high to low. Also throws an 88- to 91-mph fastball. Doesn't have great stuff,
but above-average control makes him
tough.
Bullpen
RH Orel Hershiser doesn't have a good
fastball
anymore, so if his sinker isn't moving, he's in trouble. Still a battler,
though. RH Pat Mahomes has a good curveball with a bite at the end and a low-90s
fastball that tails. Spots pitches well and eats up innings. LH Dennis Cook is
strictly a situational guy, but his two- and four-seam fastballs make him tough
on lefthanders. RH Octavio Dotel has a mid-90s fastball and a big curve. With one
more pitch, will be an above-average starter. LH John Franco uses the straight
fastball (88 to 91 mph) as a show pitch, then throws a cutter that runs in on
lefthanders, setting up one of the game's best changeups. RH Turk Wendell will
challenge you with a fastball, then fool you with a slider. RH closer Armando
Benitez throws a fastball in the mid-90s and a hard slider with a tilt. Can be
rattled; location still a problem.
How To Beat Them
The Braves' pitchers have to keep Henderson off the bases, pitch around
Piazza and avoid making mistakes against Ventura and Alfonzo. New York won't be
intimidated by Atlanta's starters. Save Mora, the Mets' outfielders all have
below-average arms, so take the extra base at every
opportunity.
Issue date: October 18, 1999
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