1989 ALL-STAR GAME PREVIEW : AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STARS

OUTFIELDER

HAROLD BAINES

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

Scouting report: Even the White Sox must be represented in All-Star Games and this year, the White Sox even have a legitimate candidate. At the time of his selection, Baines had a higher batting average than Mattingly, more home runs than Ripken and more RBIs than Puckett. Baines has helped lift his team’s batting average to .270.

Why he’s here: When’s the last time the White Sox had a .315 hitter?

THIRD BASEMAN

WADE BOGGS

BOSTON RED SOX

Scouting report: The trade rumors keep flying, but so do the base hits. This year the All-Star votes poured in as always--nearly 1.3 million strong--as Boggs again outpolled a host of worthy competitors: Lansford, Gaetti, Gruber, Molitor. Despite some early-season signs of distraction, Boggs is back hitting around the .330 level. percentage. Would you trade him?

Why he’s here: To the fans, what’s done on the field still counts.

SHORTSTOP

TONY FERNANDEZ

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

Scouting report: Has had better offensive seasons--he’s batting .259 with 33 RBIs--and a healthy Alan Trammell might have placed this selection in jeopardy. But All-Star teams do not live on offense alone. Fernandez has had a stunning first half in the field, committing just two errors while anchoring an infield now gaining acclaim as baseball’s finest. Ozzie Smith won’t be the best defensive shortstop on the field Tuesday.

Why he’s here: Two errors .

PITCHER

CHUCK FINLEY

CALIFORNIA ANGELS

Scouting report: When his pitching career came to a fork in the road, Finley took the forkball. The difference has been staggering. After spinning his wheels through a 9-15 season in 1988, his first as a starter, Finley has been the Angels’ best power pitcher in 1989. He struck out 15 Orioles in one game, pitched a one-hitter in Fenway Park and became the Angels’ first 10-game winner.

Why he’s here: All hail the forkball.

SECOND BASEMAN

JULIO FRANCO

TEXAS RANGERS

Scouting report: The Rangers traded half a roster to get him and so far, Franco has made it seem a bargain. A .333 batting average, 62 RBIs--even 10 home runs, which are twice as many as Kirby Puckett has. Beat out a strong field of AL second basemen (Whitaker, Sax, Ray, Reynolds) with a late surge at the polls. Joins Palmiero and Sierra to give Texas the best 3-4-5 hitters in the league.

Why he’s here: The Franco file is impressive.

THIRD BASEMAN

GARY GAETTI

MINNESOTA TWINS

Scouting report: There’s an odd void in the Minnesota clubhouse these days: no more chain-smoking and carousing Gary Gaetti, the free spirit who lifted the Twins to the 1987 World Series title. The change is the result of a 1988 religious conversion, which has had a calming effect on everything except Gaetti’s hitting.

Why he’s here: LaRussa had a choice--Gaetti or his own third baseman, Carney Lansford. LaRussa went for power.

OUTFIELDER

MIKE GREENWELL

BOSTON RED SOX

Scouting report: Was the third-leading vote-getter among AL outfielders who played at least one game this season. Finished fourth, however, when the voting public went nuts for someone who hasn’t left the disabled list. Getting outpolled by Jose Canseco is nothing new for Greenwell; he also finished second to the Oakland slugger in last year’s AL MVP balloting.

Why he’s here: Greenwell is ready, while Canseco isn’t.

THIRD BASEMAN

KELLY GRUBER

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

Scouting report: Remember that funky little Rance Mulliniks-Garth Iorg third-base platoon that seemed as much a part of the Toronto Blue Jays’ fabric as Jesse Barfield? Well, now Barfield and the platoon are both gone--and for the latter, you can credit Gruber. As the Blue Jays’ starting third baseman, Gruber has batted .308 with nine home runs and 43 RBIs.

Why he’s here: To carry the torch for teammate McGriff, who should also be here.

PITCHER

MARK GUBICZA

KANSAS CITY ROYALS

Scouting report: His record isn’t 10-3, as is Jeff Ballard’s, which left this selection open to some second-guessing in Baltimore. But Gubicza’s 8-6 mark hardly tells the whole story because he has been backed by some erratic support in Kansas City. In 1988, Gubicza finished 20-8 with a 2.70 ERA to finish third in the AL Cy Young balloting behind Frank Viola and Dennis Eckersley.

Why he’s here: There’s more to it than wins and losses.

PITCHER

MIKE HENNEMAN

DETROIT TIGERS

Scouting report: The Detroit representative should be Lou Whitaker, the veteran second baseman who ranks among the league’s home run leaders with 18. But with his wife expecting a child, Whitaker begged off the All-Star game to remain at home, which meant LaRussa had to select another Tiger. Henneman does have a 5-2 record, which, with the Tigers, counts for something.

Why he’s here: The heir to a parent.

OUTFIELDER

BO JACKSON

KANSAS CITY ROYALS

Scouting report: Maybe football really is just a hobby. This season has marked Bo’s breakthrough with the Royals, developing into the eye-opening wonder scouts always thought he’d be. They’re still talking about Jackson’s erasure of Harold Reynolds at home, where a sure sacrifice fly was thwarted by Bo’s over-the-shoulder catch and no-hop throw to the plate.

Why he’s here: 1.8 million voters can’t be wrong.

PITCHER

DOUG JONES

CLEVELAND INDIANS

Scouting report: Three years ago, the Indians told Jones that as a relief pitcher, he’d make a great minor-league coach. Graciously, Jones declined the team’s offer, rethought his pitching repertoire and decided to streamline it. Before, he used to throw 57 varieties of breaking balls. Now, throwing mainly sinkers and changeups, Jones is a savior of 58 games in the last 1 1/2 seasons.

Why he’s here: Beats coaching in Burlington.

OUTFIELDER

JEFFREY LEONARD

SEATTLE MARINERS

Scouting report: A peculiar career continues on its peculiar course. A playoff hero in ‘87, then washed up in ‘88, Leonard is now playing for his third team in three years. More than that, he’s now leading the Mariners in home runs (15) and RBIs (58). This will be Leonard’s third All-Star appearance--in his third different uniform. He also represented Houston in ’80 and San Francisco in ’87.

Why he’s here: He knows the National League.

FIRST BASEMAN

DON MATTINGLY

NEW YORK YANKEES

Scouting report: When he was still homerless in late May, Mattingly kept trying to tell us he’s no home-run hitter. Now he has 11 of them, to go along with 56 RBIs and his customary top-10 batting average. Splashier first halves belonged to Toronto’s Fred McGriff and Texas’ Rafael Palmiero. But in the end, Mattingly will be Mattingly--and in the AL, no first baseman does it better.

Why he’s here: It’s an All-Star game, isn’t it?

FIRST BASEMAN

MARK McGWIRE

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

Scouting report: Where would the A’s be without him? With teammates dropping like flies and Jose Canseco, his brother in bashing, sidelined since March, McGwire has been a vital power source in the middle of the Oakland batting order. Despite spending his own stint on the disabled list, McGwire is again on pace to hit more than 30 home runs and drive in more than 100 runs.

Why he’s here: Got to have one Brother at the Bash.

PITCHER

MIKE MOORE

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

Scouting report: What thoughts run through the mind of a Seattle Mariners fan when he studies the pitching lines of Montreal Expo Mark Langston and Oakland Athletic Mike Moore? The Mariners, they could have been contenders. Now, Moore is doing his pitching (2.22 ERA) and winning (11-5) for Oakland, the latest case of the rich getting richer.

Why he’s here: Seattle’s Kingdome for another horse like Moore.

PITCHER

DAN PLESAC

MILWAUKEE BREWERS

Scouting report: Milwaukee’s only All-Star, which kind of shows what’s happened to the trendy preseason pick to win the AL East. Plesac has a losing record (2-3), but he’s also saved 22 of the Brewers’ first 42 wins. Plesac’s save totals have risen in each of his past three seasons (14 to 23 to 30), a pattern that figures to continue in 1989.

Why he’s here: We know why. What about the other Brewers?

OUTFIELDER

KIRBY PUCKETT

MINNESOTA TWINS

Scouting report: Although the power numbers are off a bit (just five home runs so far), Puckett is on a pace to eclipse 220 hits for the third time in four seasons. And any season now, he’s bound to beat out Boggs for the batting title. Besides the home-run hitting and outfield-relay contests, how about an over-the-wall catch competition between Puckett and Devon White?

Why he’s here: To represent the little guy.

SHORTSTOP

CAL RIPKEN

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

Scouting report: From the World Series in 1983 to 0-21 in 1988 to first place in 1989, Ripken has been the one Oriole constant. He’s putting together a typical Ripken season: .275, 11 home runs and 51 RBIs at the midway point. With more than 1.1 million votes, Ripken nearly doubled the total of runner-up Walt Weiss in the AL shortstop balloting.

Why he’s here: It’s now a part of the traditional All-Star game attraction: Go See Cal.

PITCHER

JEFF RUSSELL

TEXAS RANGERS

Scouting report: It was a calculated gamble by the Rangers--shipping bullpen closer Mitch Williams to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Rafael Palmiero. Williams went on to make the NL All-Star team, but the cupboard in Arlington wasn’t exactly left barren. Williams’ successor, converted starter Jeff Russell, has emerged as one of the American League’s premier relievers.

Why he’s here: Proof that there’s life in Texas after Mitch.

PITCHER

NOLAN RYAN

TEXAS RANGERS

Scouting report: A classic All-Star moment is in the making. Nolan Ryan, the all-time Angel, returns 10 years later to Anaheim to pitch in the All-Star game. Ryan is 42 and according to Buzzie Bavasi, the man who let him go in 1979, “He’s pitching better now than he was 10 years ago.” At last, he’s pitching for the home team in Anaheim again.

Why he’s here: What would an All-Star game in Anaheim be without him?

SECOND BASEMAN

STEVE SAX

NEW YORK YANKEES

Scouting report: Was Sax’s .322 batting average the real reason Tommy Lasorda named Willie Randolph to the NL All-Star All-Star team? The Dodger who got away has played so well for New York, the Yankees felt secure enough to ship Rickey Henderson, back to Oakland. Sax ranks among the league leaders in hits, stolen bases and multi-hit games. The Dodgers have probably noticed.

Why he’s here: In case the Dodgers haven’t.

OUTFIELDER

RUBEN SIERRA

TEXAS RANGERS

Scouting report: The next Clemente is finally coming of age. After a disappointing 1988, Sierra now leads the American League in batting average, RBIs, runs, total bases, doubles, slugging percentage and extra-base hits. Should have been voted into the AL starting lineup, but placed only sixth, 200,000 votes behind an injured guy. That figures to change by this time next year.

Why he’s here: He may have a Triple Crown in him.

CATCHER

TERRY STEINBACH

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

Scouting report: A year ago, he was the scourge of the AL All-Star team--railroaded into the starting lineup, despite a .217 batting average and 19 RBIs. Then he homered off Dwight Gooden in a 2-1 AL victory and was voted the game’s MVP. Since then, he’s been a changed man--contending for the league batting title and handling an injury-riddled Oakland pitching staff with precision.

Why he’s here: This year, the voters got it right.

PITCHER

DAVE STEWART

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

Scouting report: A two-time 20-game winner with no Cy Young Awards to show for it, Stewart could be closing in on his personal grail in 1989. Stewart is the American League’s winningest pitcher with 13 victories after opening the season 6-0. Only one Oakland pitcher has ever had more than three 20-win seasons, Catfish Hunter (with four), and he’s in the Hall of Fame.

Why he’s here: Consistency counts.

PITCHER

GREG SWINDELL

CLEVELAND INDIANS

Scouting report: The last time Cleveland had two pitchers in the All-Star game, the year was 1977 and the pitchers were named Dennis Eckersley and Jim Kern. Before that, it was 1968 and Sam McDowell and Luis Tiant. So this doesn’t happen often. But, then, Greg Swindell doesn’t happen often. Swindell won 18 games in 1988 and is 11-2 with a 2.75 ERA in 1989.

Why he’s here: Pitching’s in vogue again in Cleveland.

CATCHER

MICKEY TETTLETON

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

Scouting report: The man who’s given Fruit Loops equal time with Wheaties. Tettleton has gone from journeyman catcher to AL home run leader through much of the first half. Tettleton began his career with Oakland, which released him in March of 1988 because the A’s thought he couldn’t hit. Now, he’s on the same side as old catching rival Steinbach.

Why he’s here: Why Baltimore is in first place.

OUTFIELDER

DEVON WHITE

CALIFORNIA ANGELS

Scouting report: A foregone conclusion on June 1, White’s selection to the All-Star team was greeted as something of a surprise on July 6. That’s because White virtually disappeared in the month of June, watching his batting average plunge from .300 to .259 while driving in just nine runs since May 28. Of course, on May 28, White was hitting .307 with 30 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.

Why he’s here: Remember April and May?

HONORARY CAPTAIN

Although he played on winning teams in only two of his 14 appearances, Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox was one of the American League’s top All-Star performers during his career.

He was named the game’s most valuable player in a losing cause in 1970, collecting four hits. His three-run pinch-hit home run off Tom Seaver accounted for all of the AL’s runs in a 6-3 loss in 1975.

In the last All-Star game to be played in Anaheim, he had three of the AL’s eight hits in a 2-1, 15-inning loss.

In the field, he went over the left-field fence to rob Johnny Bench of a home run in 1969.

A 1989 inductee into the Hall of Fame, he batted .294 in All-Star play and didn’t make an error in the outfield or at first base.

Yastrzemski’s game-by-game All-Star record:

Year Pos AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BA PO A E 1963 OF 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 1 0 0 1967 OF 4 0 3 1 0 0 0 .750 2 0 0 1968 OF 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 1969 OF 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 1 0 0 1970 OF-1B 6 1 4 1 0 0 1 .000 8 0 0 1971 OF 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 1972 OF 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 3 0 0 1974 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 5 0 0 1975 PH 1 1 1 0 0 1 3 1.000 0 0 0 1976 OF 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 1977 OF 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 1979 1B 3 0 2 0 0 0 1 .667 5 1 0 1982 PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 1983 PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 Totals 34 2 10 2 0 1 5 .294 25 1 0