Who’s on First? Orioles Don’t Have a Clue

SARASOTA, Fla. —  A revision to Abbott and Costello’s famous baseball routine is due in honor of the 1989 Baltimore Orioles infield.

Instead of “Who’s On First?” it should be “Who’s On First, Who’s On Second, Who’s At Shortstop, Who’s On Third?”

“I don’t know,” Orioles Manager Frank Robinson said.

“Look,” he added, “I’m not going to sit here and give you guys a starting lineup, because I can’t. I just don’t know. Really, I don’t even think about it. I don’t want my picture of spring training clouded. I want to go there with an open mind about every spot.”

No worry there. With the Orioles, all that is certain about the infield is Cal Ripken will be playing somewhere, either shortstop or third base. The rest of the alignment is up in the air, with eight others bidding for jobs at first base, second, shortstop and third base. All eight are hungry to win starting jobs.

“They better be hungry,” Robinson said, speaking about his entire team. “If they’re not hungry now, then they’ll never be hungry.”

The hungriest players seems to be at first base, where Eddie Murray’s old spot is wide open. Larry Sheets, who doesn’t want to be the designated hitter, has lost 30 pounds in hopes of improving his quickness and winning the job at first. Jim Traber has lost 15 pounds. Newcomer Randy Milligan is about 225 pounds. That’s about 635 pounds of beef at first.

Sheets played three games at first last year and has played 11 games there (two errors) in his major-league career. If Sheets doesn’t win the first-base job, it’s likely he will be the everyday DH.

The Orioles badly need someone to hit behind Cal Ripken. Sheets is fit for that job if he hits as he did it 1987 (.316, 31 homers). Last year, his average dropped 86 points, and he hit 21 fewer homers. But he hired a personal strength coach this winter and vows to have his best season.

Traber says he is down to 208, the lowest he has weighed in three seasons. He said he realized the mistakes he made last year when his average dropped to .222. He is, he said, the best defensive player of the three.

“All I want is a chance,” he said.

“Traber got a chance last year,” Robinson said. “He’ll get another.”

Milligan, 27, was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates in the off-season for a player to be named. He is a right-handed power hitter but hit .220 in 82 at-bats last year. Milligan has said, “I really can’t see me not winning the job.”

Another intriguing battle will take place at second between Bill Ripken and Pete Stanicek. It’s Ripken’s job to win, said Robinson, who obviously is stressing defense this season. Bill Ripken is one of the game’s top defensive second basemen and turns the double play as well as anyone in the league. Last year, he and Cal led American League combinations in double plays and total chances.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that we’re going to have a very good defensive club, no matter what 24 we keep,” Robinson said. “Defense is very important to any pitching staff, but especially to a young staff like we have.”

The question is, Will Bill Ripken hit? He batted .308 in 1987 but fell to .207 last year, the lowest average among those who qualified for the American League batting title. Robinson said he didn’t think Ripken was a .207 hitter or a .308 hitter. He said .260 would be plenty.

“Billy just has to adjust,” Robinson said. “If he does, and he becomes the type of hitter we think he can be, he will be a very good player. Having his father (Cal Sr.) back this year (as a coach) will help Billy, I think. He looks at his father as his personal hitting coach. I think Rip Sr. gives him confidence.”

Stanicek hit only .230 last year, but because he is a switch hitter with some speed, he is a candidate for the leadoff spot. Stanicek cannot rival Bill Ripken defensively, so it probably would take a very poor-hitting spring or a slow start early in the season by Ripken for him to lose his job.

But that doesn’t mean Stanicek won’t have a job -- he might be the starting left fielder.

Robinson agreed this scenario was possible: Bill Ripken wins the second-base job, Phil Bradley plays left, Joe Orsulak plays right, Sheets plays first and Stanicek is the DH.

“Hey, anything is possible,” said Robinson.

Although the right side of the infield is undecided, the biggest decision of the spring concerns the left side of the infield. Cal Ripken, who has led major-league shortstops in homers and RBI in five of the last six years, will open spring training at third base, and Juan Bell, 20, will begin spring training at shortstop.

It is The Great Experiment. Bell, acquired in the Murray trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December, is quick, with great range and a top-shelf arm. He played half of last year at triple-A and hit .300.

There appears little doubt he will be the Orioles’ No. 1 shortstop; the question is when. Many baseball men say he isn’t ready for 1989. But one general manager said, “Who cares if he isn’t? What have they got to lose? They lost 107 games last year. Anything they do this year is OK.”

Still, Orioles General Manager Roland Hemond said the decision would be based on “what’s best for the youngster (Bell).” Hemond said Bell would not be rushed to justify the Murray trade, saying, “We’re above that. Let’s watch him play.”

Ripken Jr. said he was willing to play third base; all he asks is he not constantly be switched back and forth and, if he is moved back to shortstop in spring training, he be given ample time to readjust.

Is a quick decision on Bell a priority?

“No,” said Robinson.

How soon would Ripken need to switch back?

“I don’t know,” said Robinson. “Ten days to two weeks. I’ll sit and talk to him about it.”

If Bell wins the shortstop job, that means no job for third baseman Craig Worthington, the 1988 International League MVP. Worthington’s stock has dropped slightly in the last year after he hit .244 for Rochester, N.Y., and .185 in 81 at-bats for the Orioles, but he remains one of big hopes for the future. Going back to Rochester certainly would be a blow, but Worthington said he wasn’t considering that.

“There’s a job open for me with the Orioles,” he said. “That’s how I think.”

The catching situation is more stable than the rest of the infield, though it’s not set in stone. Robinson said Mickey Tettleton, a switch hitter, would play mostly against right-handers and newly acquired Bob Melvin would play mostly against left-handers. Robinson said it was “time to find out what Carl Nichols can do.” Robinson said he might keep three catchers, because Nichols can play the outfield and has played third base in his career.