Mailbag: March 5

Q: Do a healthy Quilvio Veras and the emergence of Rafael Furcal translate into perhaps the best fielding combination up the middle and very hot setup men to leadoff? Will this tandem replace the Robby Alomar-Omar Vizquel tandem as baseball's best for well into the future? - Greg Simons, Los Angeles
Peter Gammons: I'm not sure it's close to the Vizquel/Alomar class defensively, but Veras and Furcal could be a devastating offensive combination. Veras gets better and better each season, and Furcal is a potential star. Hopefully, Furcal's shoulder is OK. That has been a concern.

	Darren Oliver won just two games in 21 starts last year.

Q: With Johnny Oates commenting that Darren Oliver may be the key to the Rangers' season, I wonder what the word on him truly is. I've always thought he has good stuff and keeps his team in games, but gets very little run support, and has been bad-mouthed beyond belief by Ranger fans. Is he a head case, or does he have more good seasons in him? - Mike Levy, Austin, Texas
PWG: If there is anything left in Oliver, it had better come this season. In his defense, despite the four straight declining seasons, he pitched well for the Cardinals the second half of 1999, so there is hope. The rope will be short, however, because the Rangers cannot wait around for him.

Q: Do you have any proof that the Red Sox faked Dave Nilsson's physical results, to get out of their deal? That's a serious allegation -- one which should enrage not only the Sox, but Nilsson and his agents, who could argue that the faked results got him labeled as damaged goods. And if the Sox really faked the results, why didn't another team pick up Nilsson? I'm pretty sure you wrote about active interest from the A's and the Yankees before the Sox offered him a two-year deal (contingent on the physical, of course). - Andy Baker, Los Angeles
PWG: The Yankees had interest only based on last season, while the A's budget couldn't afford more than a slight bump with the attempts to sign several players to long-term deals. Nilsson and his agent claimed, as reported in the Boston Herald, that he passed the physical. Then the next day the Red Sox decided to go in another direction when they lost out on Mike Mussina and decided to keep Scott Hatteberg.

Q: Which second baseman do you feel has the brightest future, Jose Vidro or Luis Castillo? Thanks. - Eddy W., Toronto, Ontario
PWG: Vidro, if he is healthy, just because he is such a potent offensive player. Castillo is a wonderful player with speed, the ability to get on base and defend with extraordinary range, but he is different type of player. It depends on what you're looking for.

Q: I'm curious to know what your feelings are in respect to Tom Gordon coming back from injury this season and pitching for the Cubs. Do you believe he will be the old "Flash" Gordon again, or do you believe he may just be another average reliever/closer? - Michael Mulligan, New Brunswick, N.J.
PWG: Knowing 1) Flash's makeup and 2) that every scout who saw him said the arm speed was back to generate that hard power curveball, I think he can come back. But he must be treated with kid gloves. He's not some rubber-armed reliever. He's coming off serious surgery, and if Don Baylor gets him up and down, I would worry.

Q: What do you think of Orioles shortstop prospect Ed Rogers? - Keith Hunger, Baltimore, Md.
PWG: I have not seen him, but the consensus among the baseball people in the organization is that he has a chance to be a power-hitting shortstop. They absolutely rave about him.

Q: Just a thought. With the push to heighten the strike zone and call strikes as the rule book intends in the majors this year, will there be the same effort put in the various levels of minor-league play? Otherwise, it would be a major culture shock for a first-time call-up. I know that all major league umps were required to be "trained" during the offseason for the new zone, but I never heard a peep about the lower leagues. Any insight? - Tim Frost, Foxboro, Mass.
PWG: It is my understanding that the umpires are now all under the same umbrella, and they will make efforts to call the same strike zone. Great, thoughtful question.

Q: How does Nomar Garciaparra's injury effect what Dan Duquette will look for in a Troy O'Leary trade? I know he wants a left-handed reliever like Dennis Cook, but with the possibility of losing Nomar for the season do you feel he will go after another everyday shortstop? Lou Merloni has played shortstop in the past, but I don't see him as an effective everyday player. - Mike, Waltham, Mass.
PWG: Any Troy O'Leary trade is to get rid of his salary, and thus far he has been unable to give him away. If they were able to get rid of the $4.7M, then they have no problem taking a Pat Meares or someone like that. The staff would like to get Mike Benjamin, but the Pirates love him. The question on Meares is his left thumb. He hurt it the last day of spring training 1999, hasn't been able to swing the bat for two years, and there are some around the Bucs who think he still isn't right. Too bad if it's true. He's a good player.

Q: I'm curious about possible contenders for the Reds' rotation in a few years. Who do you see stepping up from a group like Seth Etherton, Ty Howington, Rob Bell and others? - Dennis Blay, Livonia, Mich.
PWG: Etheron had some light shoulder problems, Howington went for an MRI Friday. Bell should be in there, and don't overlook Chris Reitsma. He threw the ball very well Friday and is Jim Bowden's sleeper.

Q: Dear Peter: Do you see any justification for Major League Baseball to reinstate any of the 22 umpires whose resignations were accepted by MLB, and efforts to rescind denied, and if so, which of those umpires do you feel deserve to be reinstated on the basis of their umpiring skills? - Reid Duffy, Indianapolis, Ind.
PWG: I think there's justification, because some of them were good and love the game. Sandy Alderson promised a full review, in time, and suggested several will return.

Q: Now that the Brewers have their key players signed through 2003 in Jeromy Burnitz, Geoff Jenkins, and Richie Sexson, what else do they need to take the next step and become contenders? I have high hopes for the Brew Crew in 2001 and think they can turn a few heads, especially if their pitching does well. - Joe Valent, Minneapolis, Minn.
PWG: I agree, but Jamey Wright, Ben Sheets and Jimmy Haynes must step up in between Jeff D'Amico and a deep bullpen that I thought Davey Lopes really handled well.

Q: You have covered baseball a long time. How about a story concerning the greatest spring trainings by players who went on to very short or no careers? - Michael Cairo, Columbus, Ohio
PWG: I remember back in the 1960s, Walter Bond and Mike de la Hoz had incredible springs for the Indians, and I remember one Bobby Darwin had for the Twins in the 1970s. Ed Spiezio had such a great spring in 1969 that SI had a story headlined, "Ed Spiezio, won't you please pop up?" There was an outfielder in the '80s with the Tigers named Tim Corcoran who in four springs ran up numbers that would have projected to something like .370 with 56 homers and 150 RBI for one season. In 1,050 major-league at-bats, he hit .270 with 12 homers.

Q: How long will it be until we see Bobby Bradley in the Pirates rotation? - Adam, Medford, N.Y.
PWG: Not long. He struggled in his debut Saturday and even threw a wild pitch on an intentional walk, but he's got a Bert Blyleven hammer.

Q: With Mark Teixeira out 6-8 weeks with a broken leg, will that hurt his chances of being drafted No. 1 or No. 2 in the first round? - Mark Russell, Des Moines, Iowa
PWG: It depends on what his contract demands are when he comes back. The Twins wouldn't take him, but the Cubs will if they are convinced he can play third base and will sign. Before the injury, one scouting director told me that his winter conditioning, speed and agility work had taken him from a questionable to sure third baseman.

Q: How do you think Freddy Garcia will fair this year after a subpar year last year with injury? Do you think he can still become the ace of the Mariners' pitching staff? - Chris, Los Angeles
PWG: Yes. If he's healthy, he has No. 1 stuff, and he proved in the playoffs he has the heart.

Q: I was wondering if Carl Pavano was completely healthy this year, and if so, what sort of production do you expect out of him and out of the young and potentially very good Montreal rotation? - Adam Loftin, Reeds Spring, Mo.
PWG: Health has been a problem going back to the minors, and he doesn't have a great defense. Still, he could win 15 any year, and so could Tony Armas.

Q: Tow Nash, the Devil Rays' prospect -- any update? - Troy Miller, Tokyo
PWG: He's working with a tutor in California, is close to getting his high school equivalency and will be in spring training at the end of this week.

Q: I was wondering how the Atlanta Braves where going to generate the power in the fourth spot this year since Andres Galarraga left for Texas? - Jeff Vickers, Cross Lanes, W. Va.
PWG: They can use Brian Jordan or Javy Lopez, or use Andruw Jones in the three-hole with Chipper fourth.