'85 Rangers Quest for Dominance

[majesty95]

March 1, 1989

1986 Record: 70-92 (6th NL East, 27 GB)
General Manager: Tom Grieve (1st season, 4th overall 203-208)
Manager: Mike Hargrove (1st season)
Key Additions: 2B Johnny Ray (1988: .305 AVG, 1 HR, 27 RBI), IF Domingo Ramos (.241 AVG, 0 HR, 4 RBI), OF Dave Henderson (.245, 6 HR, 26 RBI)
Key Losses: 2B Jeff Treadway, SP Charlie Lea, RP Jack O'Connor
Batting Team Ranks: R, 630 (9th NL); AVG, .243 (9th); HR, 104 (11th); SB, 87 (10th)
Pitching Team Ranks: ERA, 4.03 (11th); SV, 41 (T-9th); SO, 1012 (6th)

Key Hitter: 2B Johnny Ray
Ray was brought in to bat in the No.2 hole in the lineup. Although he had only 167 at bats a year ago, Ray has hit over .300 four times in the past five seasons. Ray needs to be a catalyst at the top of the lineup and get on base and move runners over so that Edgar Martinez can drive them in.

Key Pitcher: SP John Dopson
Dopson started only 20 games last year (out of 43 played) and still posted a 13-6 record with a 3.64 ERA. That followed up a 8-15 4.92 season in '86. The Expos need Dopson to build off of last year's success and provide a solid No. 2 option behind staff ace Lee Tunnell.

Breakthrough Player: C Craig Biggio
Biggio was the Expos' first-round pick in '87 and was considered one of the top 20 prospects in baseball a year ago. He makes good contact and projects as a solid gap hitter. He also runs the bases extremely well. The Expos project his as a solid leadoff hitter. That could happen as soon as this season.

Due For A Letdown: SP John Dopson
Dopson has two sub-4.00 ERA seasons with a 4.92 season sandwiched in between. He also has a winning record after consecutive 4-11 and 8-15 seasons. While the Expos hope he can build off of last season's 13-6 record and 3.64 ERA, it is more likely that Dopson will finish somewhere closer to .500 with an ERA nearer to 4.00.

Top Prospects

Hitter To Watch: OF David Justice
Justice was the club's first-round pick in November and team brass believes he has 30 home run potential and can hit for a solid average. While his numbers last season (.238 AVG and 17 HR between AA and AAA) would seem to indicate otherwise, Justice did hit .290 with 22 home runs just two years ago at class A. If he is able to display that form in a full season at AAA, Expos fans may get a glimpse of him after the All-Star break.

Pitcher To Watch: RP John Wetteland
Although the Expos have a very solid bullpen and en established closer, Wetteland (the 33rd overall pick in November's draft) is considered the future stopper for the organization. He has a mid-90's fastball and two good breaking pitches and often makes hitters look foolish. He will start the season at class AA the possibility of seeing him in an Expos uniform in September is a near certainty.

Projected Lineup
CF Lloyd Moseby
2B Johnny Ray
1B Denny Walling
3B Edgar Martinez
RF Terry Francona
C Craig Biggio
LF Jim Eisenreich
SS Al Newman

Projected Rotation
SP Lee Tunnell
SP John Dopson
SP Floyd Youmans
SP David Cone
SP Jim Deshaies

Projected Bullpen
MR Reggie Patterson
MR Donn Pall
SU Steve Davis
SU Jeff Innis
CL Gene Nelson

Rotation
The Expos rotation had the worst ERA (4.15) in the National League a year ago. However, Joe Hesketh (6.00 ERA in 96 innings) was traded during the season and Charlie Lea (5.39) was traded for Ray in the offseason. That will allow Dopson and '85 first-round pick (9th overall) David Cone each a full season in the rotation. Dopson led the team with 13 wins last season and Cone has struck out 258 batters in 282 innings. Jim Deshaies also posted a 2.37 ERA in seven starts after being claimed off waivers. Combined with Tunnell and Toumans, the staff has the potential to be much improved over a year ago.

Bullpen
Having two pitchers who each saved over 18 games and posted a sub-4.00 ERA (Nelson and Finley) usually indicates a reasonably strong bullpen. Having two others (Pall and Innis) who combined for 137 innings and a 3.60 ERA guarantees it. All four men return and should anchor what is likely to be the team's strength again this season.

Catcher
Biggio is not great defensively but his baserunning and offensive potential more than make up for it. Mike Fitzgerald, who is an excellent defensive catcher, also helps. Grieve has said he would like to see Biggio get work in the outfield and possibly at second base to get Fitzgerald's defense in the game more and save to save Biggio's legs. That should open up a lot of lineup possiblities for rookie manager Hargrove.

Infield
Edgar Martinez is the catalyst on offense and the heart of the lineup. He, like Biggio, has defensive limitations but his offense is irreplacable for a team that struggles to score runs. The Expos would consider moving Martinez to first base but reigning Gold Glove winner Denny Walling and two-time AAA all-star Andres Galarraga reside there.

Walling, despite his seven errors, plays excellent defense and is at least average at the plate. Galarraga has shown flashes in the minors but had not transferred that to the big club. Last year, he finally put it together a bit, hitting .296 in 162 at bats.
Ray, although received quite luke-warmly by the local fans and media, is being touted as the difference maker by Grieve. Ray's defense is at least comparable to Jeff Treadway's, if not better, and is a much more proficient hitter. He won't hit many home runs but can get on base and move runners over which should benefit the 3-5 hitters.

Newman returns at shortstop after a thorough search for a replacement in the off-season produced little to get excited about. Ramos will likely see plenty of time at all four infield positions and will be ready to supplant Newman if he hits anywhere near his .211 average from a year ago.

Outfield
Had Lloyd Moseby played a full season in Montreal (he was acquired in a mid-season trade), he likely would have joined Walling as Gold Glove winners. Moseby has excellent speed, terrific range and rarely misplays a ball. He also reached base reasonably well (.346 on-base pct.) after being acquired from the Red Sox. Francona was also acquired mid-season and hit .302 between Montreal and Minnesota. He and Eisenreich (.278-3-60) will man the corner outfiled spots.

Prognosis
The Expos have finished last in the NL East each of the past three seasons and haven't finished about .500 since 1983. It would be foolish to think that the addition of Ray and full seasons from Cone, Moseby and Francona could propel this team into a divison contender. However, it certainly seems reasonable that this team could improve by nine games and reach .500. That, in and of itself, would be considered a win for Grieve. That would also give fans, desperate to see the game from outisde the NL East basement, reason to hope.

You can view the Expos website here.

[majesty95]

March 23, 1989

MONTREAL | TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 1989 | SINCE 1778 | SPORTS FINAL

Grieve Gets His Man

Jeff Russell Reunited With Former Boss in Trade For Outfielder Eisenreich

A week after losing starting pitcher Floyd Youmans for the season due to an elbow injury, Expos general manager Tom Grieve filled the hole by acquiring right-handed starter Jeff Russell from the Cardinals for outfielder Jim Eisenreich.

Grieve had traded for the 27-year-old Russell while he was the GM of the Rangers in 1985. It took less than five months, since being hired by the Expos, for Grieve to reunite with the three-time 15-game winner.

Russell spent four seasons with the Rangers from 1985-88, highlighted by a 17-win season in 1997. In those four seasons, Russell compiled a 61-40 record with a 4.04 ERA. Russell started 140 games and threw 913 1/3 innings, both of which led the team for that period.

Eisenreich spent three seasons in Montreal, from 1986-88, hitting .273 in 366 games. The 29-year-old outfielder had signed a four-year, $3.6 million contract extension mid-way through the 1988 season. The trading of Eisenreich frees up $400,000 in salary for the Expos while filling Youmans' spot in the rotation.

Ruseell had just signed a two-year free agent contract with the Cardinals in the offseason. However, with losing center fielder Andy Van Slyke to free agency, there was a hole to fill in the Cardinals' outfield. GM Ron Schueler feels he can move Curt Ford or Vince Colman to center field and have Eisenreich play either left or right field.

The Expos will likely look to either Steve Kemp or Doug Jennings to fill Eisenreich's posito in left field. Kemp actually started a majority of the team's games in left field last season. Both players have good plate discipline and are capable of drawing walks. Kemp is a slightly better hitter while Jennings gets the edge defensively.

The Expos open the regular season on Tuesday, April 3rd against the Pirates at Olympic Stadium.

Expos website

[majesty95]

April 3, 1989

MONTREAL | MONDAY, APRIL 3, 1989 | SINCE 1778 | SPORTS FINAL

At Least They Don't Count

Expos Prepare for Regular Season After Poor Spring Showing

The expectations were not neccessarily high going into the season, but they were certainly better than a .333 winning percentage. That is what the Expos accomplished after going 8-16 this spring, the second worst record in baseball.

A new general manager, a new coaching staff and a few new players had Expos fans excited about the possibility of at least playing .500 ball. However, now many Expos fans are scratching their heads wondering if they are set to endure another last place finish in the National League East.

Here is a look at the best and worst of the Expos' spring and a projection for the upcoming season.

The Good

The Expos bullpen was very good in the spring. Six relievers had ERA's under 3.00 including four who were under 2.00. Second round draft pick Mike Hartley was the leader of the group posting 9 1/3 scoreless innings in eight appearances. The lone blemish was returning closer Gene Nelson, who struggled by giving up six runs in 7 1/3 innings.

Johnny Ray, the most notable offseason acquisition, hit .346 and stole four bases, solidifying his proclaimed status as the league's best two-hole hitter, given by Expos GM Tom Grieve.

The team's leading hitter from last season, Terry Francona, also hit .333 this spring and should be a key contributor again. Also, the Expos top prospect from the past two seasons, Andres Galarraga, hit .333 and led the team with a .588 slugging percentage. Galarraga's performance will be key as first baseman Denny Walling will miss the first three weeks with a calf strain.

The Bad

Outside of David Cone and the newly acquired Jeff Russell, the Expos rotation was awful in the spring. John Dopson, the team's win leader last season and prononced ace, was 1-3 with a 7.02 ERA. Lee Tunnell, last year's ERA leader, was 2-2 with a 5.00 ERA. The rotation's fifth starter, Jim Deshaies, posted the worst ERA of the five with a 7.36

Starting catcher Craig Biggio, starting shortstop Al Newman and platoon left fielder Doug Jennings all hit below .200 this spring. While Biggio is likely to rebound, Newman and Jennings are big questions.

The Ugly

The Expos lost projected number three starter Floyd Youmans for the year to an elbow injury. Although the acquired Russell to fill that role, they are dangerously thin in the rotation, even sending last year's opening day closer, Chuck Finley, to the minors to get work as a starter.

Expos lost five games in a row twice this spring and only won two in a row once. The team was plagued by losing streaks last season and they desperately need to put together some winning streaks this season to keep the fans interested.

Expos website

[majesty95]

April 4, 1989

MONTREAL | TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 1989 | SINCE 1778 | SPORTS FINAL

Expos 14th According to Baseball America

Annual Rankings Say Expos Minor League System is 14th Out of 26 Teams

Baseball America published their annual rankings of the Top 100 prospects in baseball as well as their rankings of each Major League Baseball team's farm system. According to the publication, the Expos have the 14th best minor league system and two of the Top 100 prospects.

David Justice, selected fourth overall by the Expos in last November's draft, is the 13th best prospect in baseball according to the rankings. John Wetteland, selected 33rd overall in November, is ranked 62nd.

Out of the organizations with two or fewer prospects in the top 100, the Expos ranked first.

Leading the list of organizations was the New York Yankees who placed five of their prospects in the top 100, including No.2 prospect Kevin Appier. The Braves (5 players in top 100), Padres (5), Phillies (5) and Giants (4) rounded out the top five.

The No. 1 prospect is Curt Schilling og the Braves, the fourth overall pick by the Braves in 1987. The Padres' Sammy Sosa was third behind Appier and Albert Belle (Yankees) and Chris Hoiles (Braves) were fourth and fifth, respectively.

The Milwaukee Brewers finished 26th on the list, placing zero players among the top 100.

Expos website

[majesty95]

May 1, 1989

MONTREAL | MONDAY, MAY 1, 1989 | SINCE 1778 | SPORTS FINAL

Positives Emerge From Disappointing April

The first month of the season is in the books for the Expos. While their 10-14 record is undoubtably disappointing, there were some positives to take from the first 24 games.

April was basically a tale of two factions, the pitching and the hitting. While the Expos' hitters struggled for the most part, ranking in the bottom three in most offensive categories, the team's pitching was one of the league's best.

Leading the way for the Expos pitching was the rotation. Outside of Jim Deshaies, who was 0-1 with a 6.32 ERA, the rotation kept the team in many games and was a key factor in the 10 wins. Staff ace John Dopson led the way, posting a 3-2 record and 3.00 ERA in six starts. Newly acquired Jeff Russell posted the rotations best ERA with a 1.82 in five starts. Lee Tunnell had the rotation/s best WHIP, edging Russell (1.14) with a 1.13.

The Expos' bullpen was also very good at holding down leads and keeping the team in ballgames. Closer Gene Nelson got off to a rought start, blowing a save and taking two losses, but rebounded by allowing only one run in his last eight appearances and converting six straight saves. Rookie Mike Hartley was billiant, not allowing a run in 14 appearances. Reggie Patterson and Alex Madrid each posted ERA's under 2.00 (1.76 and 1.74 respectively) and Donn Pall and Gordon Dillard each posted ERA's under 3.00 (2.45 and 2.79).

The hitting was something of a different sort. Newcomer Johnny Ray leads the team with a .348 batting average but has been streaky, posting several multi-hit games while going hitless in several others. Fellow newcomer Dave Henderson has been good, posting a .291 average and a team high 11 runs scored. Two other newcomers, Manny Lee (.286) and Domingo Ramos (.333) were also good in limted action.

The big hitters in the lineup, however, struggled. Edgar Martinez, the team's best hitter by far, led the team with 11 RBI but hit only .235. Leadoff hitter Lloyd Moseby, outside of his team high tying three home runs, hit only .179 with a .242 on-base percentage as was supplanted late at the top of the order by shortstop Al Newman.

Terry Francona, the team's best average hitter last season, struggled with a .210 average. Catcher Craig Biggio, one of the best young players in baseball, only managed a .164 average.

As a team, the Expos hit only .231, ranking 7th in the National League. Conversely, the pitching staff posted a 2.77 ERA, good for fourth in the NL.

The positves from April were that the team was 6-5 in one-run games. They also had even records at home and on the road (5-7). Those stats indicate that, over a full season, winning close games will likely provide some additional wins that they did not get last year. Also, playing near .500 ball on the road leands itself to the possibility of a much improved record if the team can improve it's play at home

[majesty95]

Expos Appear to be on Pace After .500 May

MONTREAL | THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 1989 | SINCE 1778 | SPORTS FINAL

While the performances of several key players still plagues the Expos, heading into June just four games under .500 could be considered a success, all things considered. Team officials privately hoped before the season to play at least .500 ball. After a May in which the team went 14-14 without contributions from several of their key players, the Expos appear to be, at the very least, on pace to hit that mark.

The pitching continues to carry the team as the Expos rank 4th in the National League with a 2.75 ERA. John Dopson and Jim Deshaies were the stars of the starting rotation posting 4-1 and 3-1 records, respectively. Dopson tallied a miniscule 1.71 ERA in 42 innings over six starts while Deshaies was right behind with a 1.72 ERA in 31 1/3 innings. Young flame-thrower David Cone was terrific as well, posting a 3-0 record with a 2.57 ERA. Jeff Russell struggled in his second month with the Expos going 0-3 with a 5.61 ERA in six starts. However, Russell's career 4.00 ERA suggests that is just an aberration.

The bullpen continued to be very good led by Donn Pall (0.90 ERA in 17 games and Alex Madrid (1.84 in 13 games). The lone problem plaguing the pitching staff is closer Gene Nelson. Nelson followed up an 0-2 April with a blown save and 4.91 ERA by going 0-2 with a 5.56 ERA in May. For the most part, Nelson has been good in save opportunities but have been terrible in tied games, especially in extra innings. The Expos finally pulled Nelson from the closer role and inserted rookie Mike Hartley (1.38 season ERA) who opened the season without allowing a run in 23 straight appearances.

Offensively, the team's leading run producer, Edgar Martinez, continues to struggle and there are rumors swirling that the team is looking to deal the 26-year-old third baseman. Martinez followed up an April that saw him hit only .235 with three home runs by hitting a paltry .154 with only one home run in May. Martinez hit .286 with 61 home runs and 204 RBI combined over his first two seasons.

Leadoff hitter Lloyd Moseby has also been a disaster. The 29-year-old center fielder hit .242 with a .346 on-base percentage after being acquired from the Red Sox last summer. However, this year Moseby has struggled, hitting only .163 over the first two months of the season.

A bright spot on offense has been outfielder Henry Cotto who hit .308 in May with a team high four home runs. By mid-month, Cotto was starting in center field for Moseby and batting leadoff. Backup first baseman Andres Galarraga has been hitting well since Denny Walling has returned from the disable list. Facing primary on left-handed starters, Galarraga hit .306 in 18 games in May.

Defensively the Expos are tied for sixth in the NL with a .978 fielding percentage and are second best, throwing out 42% of would be base stealers.

As a team, the Expos made progress by stringing together four separate two or more game win streaks, including a three gamer last in the month. After a seven-game losing streak that started in April, the Expos didn't lose more than two games in a row the remainder of the month.

Heading into June, the Expos return to playing the NL East after playing only NL West teams in May. The Expos struggled with the East's top two teams, the Mets and Phillies, going a combined 0-6 against those two in April. They play each team six times in June and those games will go a long way in determining how the month unfolds.

You can view the Expos website here.

[majesty95]

At the Break: Expos Headed in Right Direction

July 10, 1989

The goal before the season began was to play at least .500 ball. Considering the team had lost at least 86 games each of the past four years, that goal seemed reasonable. Heading into the All-Star break, the Expos are right on track with a 44-43 record.

The Expos have steadily improved each month this season. The opening month of the season saw the Expos open with an 11-14 record, just a few games shy of their projected patch. In May, the Expos fought back from a slow start to win five-of-their-last-seven games and finish 14-14 for the month. June came and the team continued it's hot plat from the end of May, winning six-of-seven before faltering towards the end of the month by losing seven-of-eight. However, they still ended up 14-13 on the month and were inching closer and closer to their season goal of finishing .500.

A strong start to July has seen the Expos season record inch above .500 for the first time since early June. The Expos are 6-2 to start July and have won series' at Atlanta and Houston. Couple that with a series sweep of the second place Mets in New York and a series win at first place Philadelphi, and things are looking up for the Expos and their fans.

The one thing that has plagued the Expos has been consistency. In June, the team had winning streaks of four and six games erased by a five and a six-game losing streak. April and May were similar where stretches that saw the team win five-of-six and six-of-10 followed a seven-game losing streak. Much of that could be due to the team's youth.

The Expos currently have four rookies pitching in the team's bullpen (Alex Madrid, Steve Davis, John Wetteland and Mike Hartley) as well as eight other players who are under 28-years-old. With that type of youth, inconsistency is to be expected. That also could mean that as the team matures, they will gain some consistency and some of those losing streaks will be broken up with smaller win streaks. It certainly appears as though the Expos have a solid nucleus going into the second half and future seasons.

One of the leaders of the youth movement is newly acquired third baseman Kelly Gruber. The 27-year-old was hitting .309 when he was acquired along with outfielder Brian Harper (29) from Toronto. Since the trade, Gruber has hit .363 and is currently the team's leadoff hitter. Harper, who was leading the Major League with a .363 average at the time of the trade, has cooled off from that hot start but has still hit .300 with the Expos. The acquisition of Gruber and Harper have done wonders for the offense which has improved from a .231 team average to .243 since June 1. Both players were named to the National League All-Star team due to their impressive first-halves.

Pitching, however, has been the key to the team's improved record and will likely be the backbone of the team in the future. The Expos have consistently been ranked among the top four teams in the National League in ERA all season. Not only are the starters posting a very respectable 2.98 ERA, good for sisth in the NL, but the bullpen has been spectacular, posting the NL's second best ERA (2.70). The four rookies have all made huge contributions to that ERA as hs Donn Pall (27).

The rotation is anchored by John Dopson, whose 12 wins lead the National League, and David Cone, whose .196 opponent batting avg. also leads the NL. Both pitchers are under 27 (Dopson, 25, and Cone, 26). While both pitchers missed out on their first all-star appearances this season, Expos fans can expect to see each in their share over the next several seasons.

All-in-all, the Expos have to be happy with their first half. They are one game over .500 and have a strong nucleus to build around. They have shown the ability to beat each of the division's top teams on the road. They have also fought through tough losing streaks by following them with lengthy winning stretches, a trait previous Expos teams did not have.

[majesty95]

Thinking about continuing this. Computer crashed and finally got a new one. Haven't re-downloaded OOTP 11 yet though. Kinda miss this dynasty...

Click my 80's baseball link in my sig for the website I had for this dynasty.