Some Prospects Have Potential

Trades at this time of year always sound so one-sided.

The contending team gets a player that everyone has heard of, maybe even an All-Star. The out-of-the-race team? It gets the proverbial minor leaguer.

This looks like a steal until the prospect eventually blossoms into Jeff Bagwell, John Smoltz, Moises Alou or Sammy Sosa.

Smoltz had never pitched a game in the majors when the Detroit Tigers traded him to Atlanta for Doyle Alexander on Aug. 12, 1987.

Alexander went 9-0 in the stretch and helped the Tigers reach the AL playoffs, where they lost to Minnesota. But Alexander retired two years later while Smoltz emerged as a Cy Young winner who’s still going strong.

Sosa had played 25 games for Texas when the Rangers traded him, veteran shortstop Scott Fletcher and another prospect -- Wilson Alvarez -- to the Chicago White Sox on July 29, 1989, for Harold Baines and Fred Manrique.

Baines and Fletcher did well enough for their new teams, but Sosa turned into an All-Star slugger, albeit after he joined the Chicago Cubs.

Bagwell was leading the Double-A Eastern League in batting when the Boston Red Sox, trying to bolster their bullpen, sent him to Houston for Larry Andersen on Aug. 31, 1990.

Andersen, however, became a free agent at the end of the season and bolted from Boston. Bagwell, meanwhile, became one of baseball’s best players for the Astros.

A couple of weeks before the Bagwell-Andersen deal, the Pittsburgh Pirates sent Alou -- who had played a total of two games in the majors -- to Montreal as part of a package for pitcher Zane Smith. No doubt about which team got the best of that trade, huh?

Not every deal turns out that way, of course.

Baines, for example, was traded by Texas to Oakland on Aug. 29, 1990, for two players to be named. While Baines did well for the A’s, pitchers Joe Bitker and Scott Chiamparino never excelled for the Rangers.

And there’s no telling what the White Sox will wind up with from their trade last July 31 in which they sent Alvarez, Roberto Hernandez and Danny Darwin to San Francisco for six minor leaguers. Rookie shortstop Mike Caruso, however, was one of those players Chicago received.

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BROAD STREET BULLPEN: The Phillies have become one of baseball’s success stories this season, making a 23-game improvement through 105 games compared with last year.

Among the biggest reasons is the bullpen, minus All-Star closer Ricky Bottalico.

By midweek, the crew of Wayne Gomes, Yorkis Perez, Jerry Spradlin, Ricky Bottalico, Mark Leiter and Mike Welch had a combined record of 18-10 and an ERA of 3.60.

Bottalico underwent elbow surgery early in the season and has pitched sparingly.

“The bullpen is one of the areas we’ve made great strides in, “ Philadelphia manager Terry Francona said.

“In April when Ricky went down with the elbow injury, we needed somebody to step up. What happened was the entire bullpen stepped it up. Their walks-to-strikeout ratio has been the biggest factor to their success.”

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A MAN OF MANY HELMETS: Braves third baseman Chipper Jones took advantage of Atlanta’s recent trip to Pittsburgh to indulge one of his passions -- watching Steelers football.

Jones describes himself a “major” Steelers fan. And with the Braves scheduled to play at night, he made a day trip to Steelers’ camp in Latrobe, Pa., at the invitation of coach Bill Cowher, who he met through an agency that represent both of them.

That night, Jones arrived at Three Rivers Stadium wearing a Steelers hat, and he also was promised a Steelers helmet by the team.

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BIG LEAGUE LESSON: No one said it would be easy to play shortstop on the major league level, as Oakland rookie Miguel Tejada is learning.

Tejada has made some sensational plays in the field, but has struggled at the plate. After Tejada made an error on a routine grounder recently, Athletics manager Art Howe decided to bench him for the first since his promotion from the minors on May 30.

Tejada found out he wasn’t starting from teammate Rickey Henderson.

“He was probably a little shocked,” Henderson said. Sometimes if it’s not going right [at the plate], you take it to the field. I was telling him, “Don’t worry about your bat. You’re doing outstanding out there.”’

Howe thinks Tejada can benefit from an occasional spot on the bench.

“I think he needs a little time to sit back and think about things. He’s struggling defensively and offensively,” Howe said. “Giving him a day off gives him a chance to recharge his batteries.”