The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • Page 147

Page6E Monday, February 21, 2000 The Sun Orioles Werth caught in middle of Johnson flap Thrift's endorsement thrusts spotlight on O's catching prospect I A- vh- A A I A. A A A I K. A ELIZABETH MALBY BUN STAFF Left out: O's don't want to give Charles Johnson, 28, five-year deal, but have for 30-somethings Albert Belle, Brady Anderson, Scott Erickson. I Ken Rosenthal Whatever their motives, Orioles are thinking team first, right? I 5 ua the show within two years, and starting by the third. "I don't think you have to worry about him playing the outfield ait this point," Buford said.

"He's shown he has the ability to catch. Even though he has a large frame, he sets a very low target. He seems to handle a game pretty well for the short period of time he's been catching professionally. That's the plus part." One of the negatives has been his skimpy home run totals. He hit eight at Single-A Delmarva in 1998, and combined for only four last season.

But he also has stolen 52 bases and been caught only 1 1 times since being the 22nd player chosen in the 1997 draft. "I'm not worried about home runs right now. As I get older and stronger, they'll come," said Werth, who is 16 pounds heavier at 216 than his playing weight last summer. "I expect to hit more this year, I want to get between 15 and 20. 1 feel bigger and stronger this year and I've made some adjustments.

Hopefully I can get it going." Said Buford: "The power isn't a concern at this stage. He can hit and has excellent speed. He can get infield hits, which is a plus for a catcher. The basic thing is gaining experience." That should come at Bowie, where Buford would prefer that Werth spend the entire season' rather than jump to Triple-A Rochester. "I certainly wouldn't want to move him.

Going from Double-A to Triple-A isn't that much of a difference," Buford said. Werth had wanted to play in ine Arizona Fall League after Bowie's season ended, but a sec-' ond exam on his right wrist revealed another break and he was fitted with a cast. He had the wrist checked by a doctor about three weeks ago and was given a clean-bill of health. Once he's dismissed from the major-league camp, Werth is pre: Who is that masked man? Jayson Werth has played only 40 games above Single-A, but some club officials seem to prefer a future with him behind the plate rather than Charles Johnson. By Roch Kubatko BUN STAFF FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.

-Within the swirl of intrigue and hurt feelings involving catcher Charles Johnson and Orioles management, plopped down in the middle of a potential storm of controversy stands a skinny 20-year-old who must wonder how he got there. Bitter at having to go to arbitration over a $500,000 difference in salary offers, Johnson has stated this probably will be his last season with the Orioles. A pending free agent seeking a five-year deal, he's been stiff-armed by vice president of baseball operations Syd Thrift, who seems to prefer giving former first-round draft pick Jayson Werth a clearer path to the majors even if it means pushing aside a player the organization had coveted last winter. "We've got to wait and see," Thrift said last month. "We've got to see where Werth really is because last year he had a season that wasn't really recognizable." Werth opened last season at Sin-gle-A Frederick.

He'll begin this one under a microscope. He had earned a promotion to Double-A Bowie after batting .305 in 66 games with the Keys, and was hitting .364 in his first 16 games with the Baysox before a fractured wrist cost him about a month and produced a .197 average after his return from the disabled list. He remains a work in progress. But all evaluations, though incomplete, are favorable enough to have some club officials pondering a future with Werth behind the plate rather than a four-time Gold Glove winner. Pretty heady stuff for someone who's played only 40 games above Single-A.

Someone who hasn't shown much power at any level. Someone who, his critics say, has outgrown the position and would be better served in the outfield. As for Johnson's situation, Werth said he knows only what he's overheard in the clubhouse. He's flattered by Thrift's endorsement but realizes he must have a good spring and carry it through the season to allow the club to form a more solid opinion. Sounding a note of caution, Werth said, "As long as I come out and play hard and play good this year, hopefully things will work out.

But I've got to do it." He'll be doing it differently than Johnson, whose reputation for defensive excellence contributed to only one runner trying to steal off him in his last 16 games. Because his arm is average at best, Werth must rely on a quick release to cut down potential base stealers. But he's hampered by a Rosenthaljrom Page 1e decided they needed Johnson, the game's second-best defensive catcher. Chances are, Johnson's best seasons lie ahead. He thrived under the tutelage of hitting instructor Terry Crowley last season.

And new manager Mike Hargrove will know better than to play him 135 games again. Health is not an issue Johnson's last trip to the disabled list was in 1996. And who's to say Werth will be ready to take over the position full time even if he progresses on a fast track? Jorge Posada shared the job for three seasons with Joe Girardi in New York before finally becoming the Yankees' No. 1 catcher this spring. Posada played his first full season at 25.

Werth would be 21 if he opened with the Orioles in 2001. Point No. 3: Johnson's agent, Scott Boras, is impossible to deal with, and he should be avoided at every possible turn unless he can be humiliated. Let's assume the Orioles are perfectly justified in their apparent contempt for Boras, which is shared by many clubs. The question then becomes, why did they trade a promising young talent like Armando Benitez for what will amount to a two-year rental of Johnson? The Orioles won't admit to a problem with Boras, but their actions speak volumes.

They haven't signed a Boras client long-term since Peter Angelos became owner in 1993. And they just went to salary arbitration for the second straight year with Johnson rather than split a $500,000 difference. Here's a team that will guarantee a churl like Belle $65 million, but won't fork over another $250,000 as a peace offering to their good-guy starting catcher. Predictably, Johnson is lanky, 6-foot-5 frame that takes time to unfold from a crouch and has drawn comparisons to Dale Murphy, a one-time catcher in the Atlanta Braves' system who was moved to center field. "I've got more things to move than a shorter guy," he said.

"As far as I'm concerned, I want to catch. That's the position I feel comfortable in. And from an organi pared to wear a Baysox uniform this summer, welcoming the chance to play every day rather than splitting time elsewhere. But he also wouldn't mind winding up someplace else in September. "I'm hoping to be called up by the Orioles," Werth said.

"As long as I don't have a bad year, I kind of expect it." li wv now questioning his future in Baltimore, especially with the Orioles only offering him a three-year extension. Why didn't the Orioles just settle and keep the lines of communication open? Why don't they offer Johnson four years and an option and turn Boras into the bad guy rather than lose another public relations battle? Not only was it unnecessary to provoke such a confrontation, but, by the Orioles' own reckoning, it was also premature. Earlier this month, director of baseball operations Syd Thrift said of Werth: "We've got to wait and see. We'll know a lot more by the end of spring training." Well, spring training has barely started, and the Orioles have already drawn their line in the sand. This from the same front office that attempted to trade B.

J. Surhoff without his permission this winter, and now faces the stiff challenge of re-signing Mike Mussina before Opening Day. Thrift said he told Johnson at the arbitration hearing that the Orioles' position was "not personal." But with the Orioles, every petty dispute is personal, as Jon Miller, Davey Johnson and Frank Wren among others could attest. For those who care about such things, it's impressive that Orioles general counsel Russell Smouse hasn't lost an arbitration case in five years. But last time anyone checked, victories over Boras do not count in the standings.

The names change, the disputes change, but the result is usually the same. Why should the Johnson saga be any different? Another productive employee. Another pointless battle. Another pending departure. You figure out the logic.

Me, I've got a headache. selected seating only Baltimore Arena winners oe seteciea on or arjoui i oays pnorugame date, days to claim their prize unless expires poor to 10 days. Baltimore Bayruimners Basketball The best entertainment value this winter! ELIZABETH MALBY SUN STAFF zational standpoint, I think they want me to catch, too. If something happens down the road and I'm not getting it done, they'll probably try me in the outfield. But that's down the road.

So far I think my catching has been up to standards." Farm director Don Buford said it's not too early to project Werth as a major-league catcher, and predicted the Illinois native could be in posed to benefit us," Erickson said. "Mostly, it's common sense." Hargrove's preference for a four-man rotation is disarmingly simple. "The more often you can put your best players on the field, the better chance you have to win. That's the basic premise," he said. "Your No.

1 and 2 guys are better than the 3, 4 and 5 guys. You want to get them on the mound as much as possible. You keep your fifth starter ready by sending him out to extended spring or some other way." Hargrove also made official yesterday what everyone had assumed when he announced Mussina as his Opening Day starter. Hargrove waffled on Saturday whether Erickson or Ponson would work the season's second game April 5, but Ellis' spring rotation suggests Erickson. Last spring, only Guzman pitched as many as 28 innings.

Mussina pitched only 22 innings; Ponson managed only 20, in part due to a disastrous outing in the team's exhibition finale in Birmingham, Ala. The innings monster Erickson pitched 26 innings, including seven against Cuba, but still felt shortchanged. NA '-aaAA i i Nmi t. i- riifii-' s5 $5 admission applies to Baltimore BayRunners at the Thursday, February 24, us. LAS VEGAS SILVER BANDITS ELIZABETH MALBY SUN STAFF New attitude: Much to their delight, starting pitchers Mike Mussina (bottom), Sidney Ponson (left) and Scott Erickson (right) won't get abbreviated innings in spring training like they did last season.

Ellis' pitch is big hit with O's starters Sunday, February 27, vs. TRENTON STARS UPCOMING HOME GAMES Tues, Feb. 29, vs. San Diego Stingrays March 23, vs. Cincinnati Stuff INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE Call SUNDIAL at 410-783-1800 and enter code 4656 to register to WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS to an upcoming BayRunners Basketball Game.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY: To enter, call The Baltimore Sun's SUNDIAL (410) 783-1800. In Anne Arundel County. caB (410) 266-7736: Carroll County (410) 8480338; Hartord County (410) 836-5028 and enter category 4656 and Mow the instructions for entering this contest. This contest begins on 12300 and ends at midnight 43000 (14 Weeks). The Baltimore Sun is not responsible Orioles, from Page 1e monthlong search for a fifth starter, Miller mistakenly believed his veterans and the impressionable Ponson could overcome abbreviated innings in spring training.

Juan Guzman's turn fell on the Cuba exhibition, but his status as a conscientious objector forced the rotation to be juggled. Starters sometimes appeared on five or more days' rest, and the liberal use of pinch hitters further confused the issue. "It was like they were trying to win games that didn't count instead of getting the pitchers ready," said Ponson, who allowed 22 runners in 13 innings covering his first three regular-season starts. The Ellis summit, coupled with Hargrove's preferences, produced the following: starters will be extended against live hitting rather than exiting quickly to pitch simulated innings in the bullpen; younger arms may have to make an impression elsewhere; routines will conform to pitchers' needs rather than vice versa. "The worst thing you can do is try to change things.

This isn't supposed to benefit him. It's sup tor incomplete or unclear raepnone transmissions, rou may aiso eraer oy maiing your name, aoaress, ana teiepnone numoerto: 4 The Baltimore Sun. Brand Builders. 501 Calvert M0 21278. Attn: Baltimore BayRunners.

2) PRIZES: Winner wil rerve a pair of tickets to a Baltimore Ba The total amount ot tickets is 14 pairs, 28 tickets in total, a value at $140. 3) Trus contest is open to persons 21 or older except emptoyeesof The BaKmore Sun, busress listed fi ther ad, their agencies, affiliates and immediate families. Void where prohibited. All federal, state and local rules and regulations apply. "The problem was that I felt fine but my mechanics were screwed up.

When I threw in the bullpen at 50 percent, everything was fine. When I got in a game and pushed it, everything came up. I had no idea," Erickson said. The annual onset of "dead arm" didn't hit Ponson until the last week of camp. Other factors are more subtle.

Because their minor leagues train' elsewhere, the Orioles remain un- able to manufacture innings for their starters in games. But with one meeting, Ellis cut through any doubt, suspicion or fog that typified last year's camp. Mussina and Erickson made some blunt suggestions. Ellis listened and acted. Calling 30 innings his "barome-, ter," Ellis expects each of his first four starters to work 28 to 32 innings this spring "somewhere, somehow." "That's the way it should be," Erickson said.

"We know ourselves better than anyone else. We know what works for us and what' doesn't work for us. Last year didn't work." I I Baltimore sun witnout aoaioonai compensanon. notified by telephone, and wil have 10 business lrctwx tfwrinrig are Daseoori numeraire re i-or a i o( wmers mai a sen-aoaressea envelope to The Baltimore Sun, Attn: The Baltmore BayRunners. Al deosioris am final.

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