Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York • Page 32

6D DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2001 BASEBALL REPORT Could be a Rocky year for Giants NOTEBOOK Leiter finishes a perfect spring New York Mets opening day starter Al Leiter finished up his scoreless spring with four shutout innings yesterday in a 16-4 rout of the Baltimore Orioles in Port Lucie, Fla. Leiter did not allow a run in 19 2-3 innings, going 4-0 in six exhibition outings. He gave up one hit and struck out four. Leiter also pitched four perfect innings in a game, though those numbers don't count in his spring totals. "I got ripped off because those four innings should count.

Those are the same guys who will be in the game late during the season," joked Leiter, who will start Tuesday against Atlanta. O's demote two The Orioles' pitching staff became more clearly defined when right-handers Jorge Julio and Chad Paronto were reassigned to the minor-league camp, leaving the club to make one more cut and an injury-related move before returning to Baltimore. Reliever Alan Mills will be placed on the disabled list this weekend while recovering from September surgery on his right shoulder, bringing the total to 12. Manager Mike Hargrove wants to take 11 pitchers with him, which places Calvin Ma-duro and left-hander John Bale on the bubble. Jeter closer to DL New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter was supposed to be the designated hitter in a mi- aJL .1 Li'JtfTLi 1 ferJ Ilia The Associated Press With luck, and some crumbling Colorado Rockies, San Francisco's Rich Aurilia, left, and Bobby Bonds could have something big to celebrate this year, like a World Series.

SF should lead the NL West race with Colorado close behind. The San Francisco Giants won the National League West last year in their first season at Pacific Bell Park but the Colorado Rockies have beefed up their pitching and could be the team to beat in 2001. Disappointing Los Angeles is hoping solid starting pitching can overcome the distraction of Gary Sheffield and the temporary loss of Adrian Beltre. Aging Arizona might have one big effort left but is more likely to slip. San Diego is the only NL West team certain to finish below .500.

1. San Francisco Giants 97765 last season, 1st place in NL West; lost to the New York Mets in the NL division playoffs; manager Dusty Baker. The Giants led the league in wins last year and they have the pitching and power to become the NL West's first repeat champion since 1993. Key additions OF Eric Davis, OF Shawon Dunston, Benito Santiago, Tim Worrell. Key departures OF Ellis Burks, Doug Henry, Doug Mirabelli, 3B Bill Mueller.

Strengths Underrated and deep starting rotation (righthanders Livan Hernandez, Russ Ortiz, Mark Gardner and lefthanders Shawn Estes and Kirk Rueter) bullpen stopper Robb Nen (1.50 ERA, 41 saves) potent lineup featuring NL MVP Jeff Kent (33 HRs, 125 RBI) and Barry Bonds (career-best 49 HRs) solid defense (except third base). Weaknessesquestions Can 3B Russ Davis' andor Pedro Feliz's power offset the departure of better-fielding Bill Mueller? can Armando Rios and Eric Davis replace Ellis Burks in RF? can CF Marvin Benard provide' more offense? below-average team speed. Stats and facts Outscored opponents by 178 runs (925 to 747) third in NL with 226 HRs and fourth with a 4.21 ERA 36-17 vs. NL Central but only 26-24 vs. NL West foes (will play 76 games within the division in the new unbalanced schedule) Nen has 118 saves in 137 opportunities in the last three seasons Bonds has nine consecutive 30-HR seasons Rich Aurilia is the first NL shortstop to have consecutive 20-HR seasons since Ernie Banks 40 years ago.

Projected starting lineup CF Marvin Benard, SS Rich Aurilia, LF Barry Bonds, 2B Jeff Kent, 1B J.T. Snow, RF Armando RiosEric Davis, 3B Russ Davis, Bobby EstalellaBenito Santiago. Reasonable goal Win the World Series. Predicted record 91-71, lose to Atlanta in NL playoffs. 2.

Colorado Rockies 82-80, 4th place in NL West; manager Buddy Bell. After years of trying to overpower opponents, the Rockies switched gears and have up- Sanders and injury-plagued Todd Stottlemyre have left? can slugger Williams return to top form coming off a broken foot and back problems? No. 5 starter (Witt and Mike Morgan are the active leaders in career pitching losses) suspect middle relief. shaky DP combo defensively team speed (Womack had 45 of team's 97 stolen bases). Stats and facts Ended May with a 33-19 record and seven games ahead of San Francisco but went only 52-58 the rest of the season Schilling was a disappointing 5- 6 after being acquired from Philadelphia Johnson was 15-2 with a 2.01 ERA through July but 4-5, 3.80 ERA in his last 14 starts 22-27 in one-run games and 5-8 in extra innings.

Projected starting lineup SS Tony Womack, 1B Mark Grace, LF Luis Gonzalez, 3B Matt Williams, CF Steve Finley, RF Reggie SandersErubiel Durazo, 2B Jay Bell, Damian Miller. Reasonable goal A season. Predicted record 77-85. 5. San Diego Padres 76-86, 5th place in NL West; manager Bruce Bochy.

This 32-year-old franchise has had more last-place finishes (13) than winning records (9) and the trend appears certain to continue this year. Key additions SS Alex Arias, OF Rickey Henderson, Bobby J. Jones, SS Santiago Perez, OF Bubba Trammell, David Lee, OF Mark Kotsay. Key departures 3B-OF John Mabry, OF Ruben Rivera, Donne Wall, Carlos Almanzar, Matt Clement, OF Eric Owens. Strengths Decent bullpen featuring setup men Kevin Walker and Tom Davey and closer Trevor Hoffman power of Phil Nevin (31 HRs) and Ryan Klesko (26 HRs) team speed decent bench, j- Weaknessesquestions Too many soft spots in the lineup.

how many games will Tony Gwynn play (bad wheels and turns 41 in May)? starting pitching can former top starter Sterling Hitchcock return from elbow surgery? worst-fielding team in the majors (.977 fielding percentage; 141 errors) frugal franchise ii a division of big spenders. i Stats and facts 41-40 home and 35-46 away 25-18 vs. NL East but 51-68 vs. other teams 57-56 vs. right-handec) starting pitchers but 19-30 vsj left-handers 14th in NL in batting average 12th in runs (752) and 15th in HRs (157) tied a major-league record by using 56 players last season and they spent 1,408 games on the disabled list.

Projected starting lineup 2B Damian Jackson, LF Mark KotsayBubba Tram- mellRickey Henderson, RF Tony GwynnKotsay, 3B Phil Nevin, 1B Ryan Klesko, CF Mike Darr, Ben DavisWiki Gonzalez, SS Chris Gomez. Reasonable goal Avoid 90 losses. Predicted record 70-92. and 58-67 vs. right-handed starters outscored opponents by 71 runs despite finishing only two games above .500.

Projected starting lineup CF Juan Pierre, 2B Todd Walker, RF Larry Walker, 1B Todd Helton, 3B Jeff Cirillo, LF Ron GantTodd Hollandsworth, SS Neifi Perez, Ben PetrickBrent Mayne. Reasonable goal Make the playoffs. Predicted record 87-75. 3. Los Angeles Dodgers 86-76, 2nd place in NL West; manager Jim Tracy.

Last year's Dodgers disappointed as the NL's first team with a $ioo-million player payroll, and injuries, illness and slugger Gary Sheffield's attitude plagued the team this spring. The Dodgers have some soft spots in the lineup but could have the best starting pitching outside of the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves. Key additions Andy Ashby, OF Marquis Grissom, INF Tim Bogar, INF Mark Lewis, Jesse Orosco. Key departures Todd Hundley, Antonio Osuna, Ismael Valdes, OF Devon White. Strengths Starting pitchers Kevin Brown, Chan Ho Park, Darren Dreifort and Andy Ashby (combined salary $45 million in 2002) closer Jeff Shaw (0.89 ERA after All-Star break) middle of the lineup when healthy (Sheffield, Shawn Green, Eric Karros and Adrian Beltre).

Weaknessesquestions ver loaded with right-handed hitters and pitchers when will 3B Beltre be ready after complications from offseason surgery? fair hit-weak field 2B and decent field-no hit SS Green's thumb Sheffield's attitude CFs awful on-base percentage (Marquis Grissom .288 and Tom Goodwin .310 in 2000) catching No. 5 starter LH relief pitching overall defense. Stats and facts Fourth in NL with 211 HRs and second with a 4.10 ERA fourth and fifth starting pitchers were 11-26 with a 6.28 ERA. outscored opponents 798-729 67-51 vs. right-handed starters and 19-25 vs.

left-handers 135 errors and allowed 70 unearned runs. Projected starting lineup CF Tom GoodwinMarquis Grissom, 2B Mark Grudzielanek, LF Gary Sheffield, RF Shawn Green, 1B Eric Karros, 3B Hiram Bocachica (until Beltre returns), Chad KreuterPaul LoDuca, SS Alex Cora. Reasonable goal Make the playoffs. Predicted record 85-77. 4.

Arizona Diamondbacks 85-77. 3rd place in NL West; manager Bob Brenly. The Diamondacks have become baseball's oldest team (average age of starting lineup and five starting pitchers is 34), are drawing fewer fans and spending less money. New manager Brenly is preaching more aggressive play but might not have the personnel to comply. Key additions 1B Mark Grace, OF Reggie Sanders, Bobby Witt.

Key departures Dan Plesac, Kelly Stinnett. Strengths Starting rotation featuring Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, plus Brian Anderson and Armando Reynoso decent lineup with Tony Womack's speed and the power of Luis Gonzalez, Matt Williams, Steve Finley and possibly Jay Bell (from 38 HRs112 RBI in 1999 to 18 HRs68 RBI in 2000) bullpen closers Byung-Hyun Kim and Matt Mantei the gloves of CF Finley and 1B Grace. Weaknessesquestions How much do Grace, OF Reggie BOB MATTHEWS Contact him at: 55 Exchange Rochester, NY 14614 258-2325 bob matthews a DemocratandChronkle.coni graded their pitching, team speed and defense. They won't be scoring quite as many runs but could win more games. Key additions OF Ron Gant, Mike Hampton, Denny Neagle, INF-OF Greg Norton, Ron Villone.

Key departures OF Jeffrey Hammonds, Julian Tavarez, Jerry Dipoto. Strengths Solid lineup, particularly from the left side with Todd Helton (.372, 59 doubles, 42 HRs, 147 RBI) and Larry Walker improved starting rotation featuring left-handers Mike Hampton, Denny Neagle, Brian Bohanon and Ron Villone, and right-hander Pedro Astacio left-handed relievers Gabe White and Mike Myers improved defense. Weaknessesquestions Are leadoff man Juan Pierre and young catcher Ben Petrick ready to make significant offensive contributions? can injury-prone Larry Walker play a full season? are four projected left-handed starting pitchers one or two too many? right-handed relievers, including projected closer Jose Jimenez. Stats and facts Peaked at 45-33 July 3 but then lost seven straight series averaged 7.8 runs per game at Coors Field (48-33 record) and 4.1 runs per game on the road (34-47) led NL in batting average runs (968) and on-base percentage (.362) only 13th in NL with 161 HRs (28 below league average and fewest since Coors Field opened in 1995) 53-45 vs. NL East and Central but only 23-29 vs.

NL West 24-13 vs. left-handed starters with a solid spring. against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. "I didn't say a whole lot in there, I listened for the most part," said Parker, whose voice occasionally cracked while talking with reporters. "I told him I would be ready to go when it's my turn." "It's a huge relief, along with the obvious excitement.

Unavoidable excitement. I'm ready to get the season going, that's the bottom line." Parker went 14-6 at Double-A Norwich last season. He was one of three pitchers New York acquired from Montreal for Hideki Irabu in December 1999. Parker joins a rotation that includes five-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina and Orlando Hernandez. "It takes pressure off," Parker said of pitching with the four established starters.

"You're talking about the premiere pitching staff as far as the four guys go in the league. I don't have to be the ace. We have four aces. It's an honor to be with those four." nor-league game yesterday, but it was rained out, increasing the possibility will start he the season on the disabled list. Jeter Jeter has not played in the field since he strained his right quadriceps March 16.

"Obviously, it doesn't help," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "This whole thing is about physical ability. I'm still a little hesitant to feel that he's completely healed." Everett fined An offseason peace summit between Boston Red Sox manager Jimy Williams and Carl Everett didn't change the defiant center fielder's ways. The team is hoping a fine and a suspension will. The Red Sox fined Everett $97,222 and suspended him for yesterday's game with Minnesota after he missed the bus to Tuesday's exhibition, then skipped a workout Wednesday.

The penalty was announced after an hour-long meeting between Everett, his agent Larry Reynolds, general manager Dan Duquette and manager Jimy Williams. Both sides emerged claiming a truce had been reached. Everett withdrew his threat to be traded. Ticket prices climb Average ticket price increased nearly 13 percent to $18.99 this year, and the Boston Red Sox have the highest average at $36.08 more than $7 above any other team. Eight teams increased their average price by more than 20 percent, according to the Team Marketing Report's annual survey released yesterday.

Pittsburgh, which moves to PNC Park from Three Rivers Stadium, has the largest rise at 82 percent, from $11.80 to $21.48. Milwaukee, which moves from County Stadium to Miller Park, increased its average 55 percent, from $11.72 to $18.12. Cincinnati is next with a 43.4 percent hike to $15.40, followed by Tampa Bay with a 42.6 percent increase, to $18.41. Baseball's average ticket price has more than doubled in a decade. Maddux sidelined For just the third time since 1992, Atlanta Braves right-hander Greg Maddux will not start Opening Day.

He was scratched after suffering a cut underneath the nail of his left toe when he was hit by a line drive Wednesday. Manager Bobby Cox indicated he was leaning toward RHP John Burkett starting against the Reds on Monday. -WIRE SERVICES Rookie Parker wins job The Yankees' pitcher earns a spot in Parker profile the starting rotation THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TAMPA, Fla. Talk about coming out of nowhere. Rookie Christian Parker earned more than a roster spot on the New York Yankees.

He carved out a slot in the rotation. Manager Joe Torre told the 25-year-old right-hander the good news after the Yankees' game against Pittsburgh was rained out last night. "The first thing I said to him: 'When you came to camp, I didn't know your name. "You made us, in essence, know who you are. And not by doing anything crazy other than going out there and he said.

Parker entered the fifth starter race as a longshot, well behind front-runners Randy Keisler and Adrian Hernandez. In five outings, including three starts, Parker went 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA. "There was a big smile on his face when I told him," Torre said. "That's the fun part of this job this time of year." Parker is scheduled to make his major league debut April 6 Full name: Christian Parker. Age: 25 (Born July 3, 1975).

Birthplace: Albuquerque, N.M. Ht.Wt.: 6 foot 1, 200 pounds. College: Notre Dame. Last year: Parker was 14-6 for Class AA Norwich (Conn.) with a 3.13 ERA, 204 innings pitched, 147 strikeouts, 196 hits allowed and 63 walks in 28 games. Pitching at Yankee Stadium crossed his mind when Parker made his only visit to the storied ballpark last December.

While visiting friends, the Albuquerque, N.M., resident walked around the outside of the ballpark. "I knew someday I had the idea someday," Parker said. "This is what I wanted to do. It's been my goal, really a dream I've had ever since I can remember." Soon after completing his session with the media, Parker was off to call his mother, Sandy. "They'll be some tears, that's for sure," he said.

For more information on the Web, go to: yankees.com 1 'V The Associated Press When Christian Parker entered the race for the Yankees' fifth starter, Joe Torre didn't even know his name. nr -ln 11 1 1 -n -a.