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RINGOLSBY: Suzuki's next hit: the road

By Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News

Published June 19, 2008 at 5:43 p.m.

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The rap on Ichiro Suzuki and the Mariners: They're highly paid underachievers.

The rap on Ichiro Suzuki and the Mariners: They're highly paid underachievers.

Mile High Watch

* Rockies scouting director Bill Schmidt doesn't waste time getting prospects signed and playing.

In the six years Schmidt has overseen the Rockies' drafts and been the front man in negotiations with their No. 1 picks, he hasn't waited more than a month to get the player to agree to terms.

Thursday, the Rockies finalized a deal with No. 1 Christian Friedrich, two weeks to the day after the left-handed pitcher was the 25th pick.

The latest date Schmidt has signed a player came a month after the draft - right-hander Casey Weathers on July 6, 2007, and infielder Chris Nelson on July 5, 2004.

Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki signed June 10, 2005, within a week of his selection and a day earlier than Ian Stewart signed in 2003. In 2002, left-hander Jeff Francis, like Friedrich this year, finalized his deal June 19. Greg Reynolds signed June 25, 2006.

* Friedrich's father, William, is a dentist in Evanston, Ill., where his clientele includes a bulk of Cubs officials, including general manager Jim Hendry.

* The Rockies have agreed to terms or signed 12 of their top 18 picks. They haven't been able to get involved in negotiations with 10th-round pick Stephen Dodson, a right-handed pitcher at Georgia; 12th-rounder Ryan Peisel, a third baseman at Georgia; 13th-rounder Erik Wetzel, a second baseman at Fresno State; and 21st-rounder Tyler Trice, a right-handed pitcher at North Carolina because their teams are participating in the College World Series.

Trice and the Tar Heels played Louisiana State on Thursday, with the winner advancing to face Fresno State tonight. Georgia and Stanford play tonight. If Fresno State and Georgia, unbeaten in the College World Series, win tonight, they would advance to the best-of-three championship that begins Monday. If they lose, they would play a rematch of tonight's game Saturday, with the winner advancing to the final.

Lineup

NUMBERS GAME

34stolen bases for Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury in the team's first 75 games, breaking the franchise record of 31 thefts by a rookie set by Amby McConnell in 140 games in 1908. Ellsbury is 32 stolen bases short of the American League record for a rookie set by Kenny Lofton with Cleveland in 1992. The major league record for a rookie is 110 by Vince Coleman with St. Louis in 1985.

A GAME OF FIRSTS

Baseball fans in Chicago get a bonus this weekend: For the first time in 12 years of interleague play, the Cubs and White Sox will be in first place when they meet at Wrigley Field.

In fact, this is the first time the teams have led their divisions at the same time since 1977. The Cubs finished 81-81 that year, fourth in the National League East. The White Sox went 90-72 but finished third in the AL West, 12 games behind Kansas City.

HE SAID IT

"People are really mistaking my relationship with (Mets general manager) Omar Minaya and (Mets vice president) Tony Bernazard. We are friends. . . . It has nothing to do with Expos, Mets, Nationals or anything. . . . I'm a National. I'm very happy here, and I'll be here as long as (ownership), (president) Stan Kasten and (general manager) Jim Bowden want me to be."

Manny Acta, Nationals manager, on speculation he could become manager of the Mets.

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Seattle fired general manager Bill Bavasi on Monday. Manager John McLaren was let go Thursday.

Who's next?

The Mariners would love to unload the contracts of underachieving pitchers Erik Bedard and Carlos Silva. And the M's are apt to eat what remains on Richie Sexson's $14 million salary from this season, the final year of his contract.

But if they really want to make a move to let the world know they are serious about changing the karma in Seattle, the Mariners should explore trading Ichiro Suzuki, who has become bigger than the team and whose presence underscores the high-priced, underachieving headache Seattle has developed.

Ownership, of course, would balk at moving him because of concerns about a fan backlash, which is a major stumbling block for franchises. Yes, fans are a No. 1 priority, but to allow concerns about fan reaction to guide decisions retards the development of a franchise. Teams must have enough confidence in their decision-making ability to do what they believe will make the franchise better, because fans will respond if the team is successful.

Arizona made that mistake last year, when it agreed to a multimillion-dollar deal to retain Eric Byrnes, whose hustle excited fans, and then felt the need to unload promising Carlos Quentin, who has blossomed with the White Sox and become the steal of the offseason. Quentin went into Thursday tied for second in the American League in home runs (17) and RBI (56), and, at 25, he is just approaching the prime of his career.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is the wild card in the Seattle GM search. He is in the final year of his contract in New York, and Hank Steinbrenner said he wants Cashman back. But with an opportunity to go to Seattle, where ownership has been willing to spend money and where the lifestyle is a lot more laid-back, Cashman could be lured away from the Bronx.

Infield chatter

* Fired Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson could join the Giants as a consultant, with the hope he could help solve the mystery of left-hander Barry Zito, whom Peterson tutored while he was the Oakland A's pitching coach. Zito, in the second year of a seven-year, $126 million deal with the Giants, is 2-11 with a 6.32 ERA this season after going 11-13 with a 4.53 ERA in his Giants debut last season.

* Wayne Krivsky, fired last month as Cincinnati Reds GM, is set to join the Mets as a major league scout. Krivsky, Mets general manager Omar Minaya, special assistant Sandy Johnson, scouting director Rudy Terrasas and pro scout Brian Lamb worked together in the Texas front office.

* The Cubs have renewed interest in Boston center fielder Coco Crisp now that they've lost Alfonso Soriano for at least six weeks.

The rotation

With the firing this week of McLaren and Mets manager Willie Randolph, managerial rumors will start to circulate. There's a never-ending list of candidates, including Rockies bench coach Jamie Quirk, whose stock rose when Colorado shocked the baseball world last October.

From outside Colorado, here's five legitimate candidates for managerial vacancies:

* Jim Fregosi, currently special assistant to Braves GM John Schuerholz. Fregosi needs a boss who is secure in his position. Fregosi was a hard-nosed player and manages the same way. He scares off the insecure because, when asked for an opinion, he gives it. Most of all, though, he's a team man.

* Bobby Valentine, currently managing the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Japanese Central League. Great baseball mind who runs an excellent game, particularly from an offensive standpoint. He must have control, although he is not as much a control freak as Buck Showalter.

* Ted Simmons, currently bench coach in Milwaukee. Has not yet managed, but the All-Star catcher was a GM in Pittsburgh. A deep thinker who has a unique view of life. Demands total effort.

* Terry Pendleton, currently a Braves coach. Has declined interviews because of his loyalty to the Braves. But the time might have come for Pendleton to look elsewhere, with the talk that, when Bobby Cox eventually retires, Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez will be the top choice of new Braves GM Frank Wren.

* John Farrell, currently Boston's pitching coach. He's the new Bud Black, a people person with a skill set that creates a debate as to whether he should be a manager or general manager.

Out in left field

Night games have been a blessing for attendance. But they present a challenge for players. No matter how good the lighting, it's not the same as natural sunshine.

There hasn't been a .400 hitter since night games became a baseball staple. In 1941, the year Ted Williams became the last to hit .400 for a season, only five AL ballparks had been host to a night game. And night games were an event, not a regular part of the schedule. Boston didn't play its first night game at Fenway Park until 1947.

Closing statement

When Art Howe was managing the Mets, Jeff Wilpon, son of Mets owner Fred Wilpon, was so enthralled with the book Moneyball that he took a copy to Howe's office and told the manager he could learn some things from it.

Makes you wonder how closely young Wilpon actually read the book. If he had paid attention, he would have known that Howe lived Moneyball, having managed the A's when the author was hanging around and putting together his shallow interpretation of the baseball genius that is Oakland GM Billy Beane.

ringolsbyt@RockyMountainNews.com