BASEBALL : Lee Smith Could Fill One of Rangers’ Needs

The Texas Rangers decided not to exercise the option on closer Tom Henke’s contract, which leaves them with a roster that has one pitcher (Cris Carpenter) with as many as seven career saves (earned in 24 opportunities).

Baltimore Orioles closer Lee Smith is a free agent. Texas manager Johnny Oates had an excellent working relationship with Smith, never using him more than one inning, almost never using him in a non-save situation.

Rangers General Manager Doug Melvin felt jilted when the Orioles hired Phil Regan as manager, preventing Regan from interviewing for the Rangers’ managing vacancy when it was Melvin who first mentioned Regan as a viable managerial candidate when Melvin was working for the Orioles.

Smith indicated at the All-Star Game in Pittsburgh that he might want to sign with a club closer to his home in Castor, La., so that he could spend more time with his ailing father.

At this point, Melvin only has made preliminary contact with Smith’s representatives, Chicago-based Speakers of Sport. But Melvin has a $35 million budget for 1995, needs a closer, and would like nothing better than to help his team by hurting the Orioles.

The Orioles want to re-sign Smith to anchor what could become the league’s best bullpen, considering they would have Armando Benitez for a full season to team with fellow hard-throwing Alan Mills in a setup role.

Despite uncertainy regarding the economic rules that govern the game, the Yankees acted swiftly in retaining Paul O’Neill, their most important free agent. The Orioles allowed Smith to test the market, gambling they won’t lose him.

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Oates will have a more conventional setup for his coaching staff than fired predecessor Kevin Kennedy, the new Boston Red Sox manager.

Kennedy’s bullpen coach Perry Hill spent games in the dugout, working with infielders. Meanwhile, Rangers pitchers sometimes warmed up pitchers and Jose Canseco’s infamous relief appearance included an unsupervised warmup in which he threw as hard as he could, then blew out his elbow in the game.

Oates’ bullpen coach, Larry Hardy, will be stationed in the bullpen. Imagine that.

The Rangers led the AL in blown saves (20) and had the league’s fourth-highest bullpen ERA (5.28).

“That might have caused problems getting relievers ready to pitch in a ballgame,” Oates said of the previous arrangement. “Larry will make sure our pitchers are prepared mentally and physically to get people out.”

In addition to trying to improve the Rangers’ relief corps, Oates will concentrate on getting the Rangers to play better defense. The Rangers ranked last in the league in fielding percentage for the second time in three seasons.

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Colorado Rockies General Manager Bob Gebhard summed up the reason for little activity on the free-agent front.

“There has been $600 million drawn out of the sport (by strike-lost revenues),” Gebhard said. “You’d like to get things done, but what are the numbers going to be? The players will want to build off what they made last year. I don’t know, in light of the lost revenues, that the owners will be prepared to give that kind of money.”

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Chicago White Sox first baseman Frank Thomas became the 11th player and second first baseman to win back-to-back MVP awards. The others, by position:

Catcher: Yogi Berra, New York (AL) 1954-55; First base: Jimmie Foxx, Philadelphia (AL) 1932-33; second base: Joe Morgan, Cincinniati 1975-76; third base: Mike Schmidt, Philadelphia 1980-81; shortstop: Ernie Banks, Chicago (NL) 1958-59; outfield: Roger Maris, New York (AL) 1960-61; Mickey Mantle, New York (AL) 1956-57; Barry Bonds, Pittsburgh-San Francisco 1992-93; Dale Murphy, Atlanta 1982-83; pitcher: Hal Newhouser, Det 1944-45.

By the way, one day after Thomas won his second straight AL MVP Award, Phillies GM Lee Thomas informed special assignments scout Jay Hankins that he wouldn’t be offered a contract for 1995.

Hankins was the Phillies’ scouting director in 1989 when the Phils used the fourth overall pick to take outfielder Jeff Jackson from Chicago’s Simeon High School. Jackson batted .177 at Double-A Reading last year and was dropped from the 40-man roster after the season. Three picks after Jackson was taken, the White Sox chose Thomas. Turns out, Jackson was No. 1 on the White Sox list, Thomas No. 2 that year.

Hankins was replaced by Mike Arbuckle as scouting director after the 1992 season but remained with the organization until last week. Hankins’ four drafts yielded only three players who have made it to the majors: shortstop Kevin Stocker, right-hander Mike Williams and catcher Mike Lieberthal.

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The Cleveland Indians again rehired a coach they fired a few years before. Last year, hitting coach Charlie Manuel was brought back four years after he was fired in favor of Jose Morales. Last week, the Indians hired Mark Wiley as pitching coach three years after they demoted him to special assignment scout.

Wiley, 45, replaces Orioles manager Phil Regan on Mike Hargrove’s staff. The finalists for the job that went to Wiley: former Dodgers pitching coach Ron Perranoski, former Red Sox pitching coach Bill Fischer, former Astros pitching coach Bob Cluck, former San Diego Padres pitching coach Pat Dobson and highly regarded Padres minor league pitching coach Dan Warthan.

The Indians have had eight pitching coaches since 1985: Wiley twice, Don McMahon, Jack Aker, Steve Comer, Dom Chiti, Rick Adair, and Regan.

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The Angels hope to land free agent power hitter Mickey Tettleton and make him their starting first baseman, as well as a backup outfielder and catcher and No. 5 hitter. The Angels’ $23.3 million payroll was the lowest in the American League last season.

The Angels also have an interest in free-agent strarting pitcher Kevin Gross, who was on course to pitch 200 innings for the eighth time in the past 10 years when the strike hit. The Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, and Texas Rangers also have an interest in Gross, whose signing will not cost a team a draft choice because the Dodgers did not offer him salary arbitration.

The Orioles hope to do better than Gross in their pursuit of pitching, but wouldn’t Tettleton be a nice fit if the Orioles do not re-sign designated hitter Harold Baines? Tettleton could serve as DH, third catcher and emergency outfielder.

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All parties interested in signing free-agent right-hander Bobby Witt should be advised that in 12 starts away from Oakland Coliseum, Witt went 2-7 with a 6.30 ERA. ... Montreal Expos President Claude Brochu on the proposed United Baseball League: “Oh, you mean the Union Baseball League? What makes me laugh is that I understand they’re going to have a salary cap. I wonder what Don Fehr thinks of that.”... Andre Dawson is doing a promotional tour of his book “Hawk.” In it, Dawson says 1994 was his last season, although he has left the door open for a return. “I might play next year. I won’t call anyone, but I might play. Otherwise, I’ll spend time with my family.” And then? “I’d like to get into baseball administration.”... Bert Blyleven, hired last month as Angels’ Class A pitching coach at Cedar Rapids, resigned to become the director of sports ministry at his church. “This just came up,” Blyleven said. “I know the Angels were surprised, but this is God’s way of telling me I shouldn’t leave. I still eventually want to manage in the minor leagues, and one day go to the major league level. But not now. I have two boys, 12 and 11, and I just don’t want to go six months without seeing them.” Uh, Bert: Did you want to go six months without seeing them when you took the job?. ... The Oakland Athletics’ 308 relief appearances tied Boston for the league lead, making it four years in a row Tony La Russa has made the most pitching changes in the AL. Oakland’s bullpen led the AL with 370 innings. ... Right-hander Darren Driefort, the No. 1 draft choice of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1993, has a torn ligament in his right elbow. A decision on whether to operate, which likely would sideline him for 1995, is expected in the next month. ... The San Diego Padres, in the market for a third baseman, have an interest in Tim Wallach, whose proposal to the Dodgers of a one-year, $2.65 million deal, plus an option year, was rejected. Wallach is scheduled to meet with the Padres on Thursday. The Padres also might have an interest in trading for Houston third baseman Ken Caminiti and one of the Astros’ shortstops, Andujar Cedeno or Orlando Miller, in exchange for outfielder Derek Bell. ... Davey Lopes, not retained by the Orioles as first base coach, is a candidate for a similar vacancy with the Padres. ... Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson, a coach for Joe Torre with the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves, has been added to Torre’s staff in St. Louis.