AL East
Orioles
Manager: Ray Miller
1997 record: 98-64, first place
Spring Training: The Major Questions
No. 1: Can Armando Benitez, Arthur Rhodes and/or Norm Charlton fill in the blank left by closer Randy Myers' defection to Toronto?
No. 2: Will free agency become a distraction or a motivation to the 13 eligible after this season?
No. 3: Will Jimmy Key more closely resemble last year's first half (12-4, 2.55 ERA) or second (4-6, 4.50 ERA)?
No. 4: Is Roberto Alomar physically and mentally ready to resemble his reputation as one of the game's top five players?
No. 5: Will Team AARP benefit from its experience or crumble from its "maturity."
Boston Red Sox
Manager: Jimy Williams
1997 record: 78-84, fourth place
No. 1: Can the Red Sox sign first baseman Mo Vaughn to an extension or will they trade him during the season?
No. 2: Is Tim Naehring healthy enough to contribute at third base after undergoing elbow surgery last year?
No. 3: Does Steve Avery have anything left at 27? Does Dennis Eckersley have anything left at 43?
No. 4: Who catches, Jim Leyritz or Scott Hatteberg?
No. 5: What does the rotation look like behind Pedro Martinez and Tim Wakefield?
New York Yankees
Manager: Joe Torre
1997 record: 96-66, second place
No. 1: With Bob Watson out as GM, does Torre have any reason to worry? (Steinbrenner has Davey Johnson's home number.)
No. 2: Who plays left field: Darryl Strawberry, Tim Raines, Chad Curtis or rookie Ricky Ledee?
No. 3: Can Scott Brosius hold third base (.304 in '96, .203 in '97).
No. 4: Will arbitration between the club and Bernie Williams cause irreconcilable differences?
No. 5: Can Hideki Irabu and Ramiro Mendoza pitch capably as Nos. 4 and 5 starters?
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Manager: Larry Rothschild
1997 record: none
No. 1: Besides Fred McGriff, who knocks in runs?
No. 2: Will Esteban Yan prove the Orioles foolish for exposing him to the expansion draft?
No. 3: Is Cuban defector and projected No. 3 starter Rolando Arrojo legitimate or another hype from Havana?
No. 4: Can Tony Saunders (Glen Burnie) avoid the jinx that befell Colorado's David Nied, the first player taken in the 1992 expansion draft?
No. 5: Handed a starting outfield job, can former Golden Spikes Award winner and Atlanta Braves bust Mike Kelly hold it?
Toronto Blue Jays
Manager: Tim Johnson
1997 record: 76-86, fifth place
No. 1: Will Johnson's arrival allow young outfielders Shannon Stewart and Shawn Green to flourish?
No. 2: Will budding star Kelvim Escobar be in the starting rotation or set up Randy Myers?
No. 3: How will the weak-hitting Jays replace departed designated hitter Joe Carter's 102 RBIs?
No. 4: Is there a better starting rotation than Roger Clemens, Pat Hentgen, Juan Guzman, Woody Williams and Chris Carpenter/Escobar?
?3 No. 5: Randall K. Myers: truth or consequences? Chicago White Sox
Manager: Jerry Manuel,
1997 record: 80-81, second place
No. 1: Can the inexperienced Manuel guide this team better than his predecessor, Terry Bevington? (Probably. Tom Thumb had bigger shoes to fill.)
No. 2: Can third baseman Robin Ventura return to All-Star form after playing in only 54 games last season because of a fractured ankle?
No. 3: Will Jaime Navarro (9-14, 5.79 ERA) begin justifying his hefty contract and role of No. 1 starter, or did the White Sox miscalculate badly when they signed him before last season?
No. 4: Was offering a minor-league contract and spring training invitation to Ruben Sierra, who has worn out his welcome with five clubs in the past three years alone, a desperate cry for help?
No. 5: Will owner Jerry Reinsdorf wait until after the All-Star break to dismantle the team and squash moral?
Cleveland Indians
Manager: Mike Hargrove
1997 record: 86-75, first place
No. 1: Did a sensational postseason lead to expectations too great for Jaret Wright to meet in this, his first full season in the majors?
No. 2: How quickly will Ben McDonald return from last season's rotator cuff surgery, and is this the year he lives up to the considerable hype that accompanied his arrival in the majors with the Orioles?
No. 3: Do the Indians keep closer Jose Mesa and hope his failings the last two postseasons haven't broken him?
No. 4: Will center fielder Kenny Lofton be the same player the Indians traded last spring, or the one Atlanta had no interest in keeping?
No. 5: Does Carlos Garcia plug the hole at second base, or must the Indians turn to rookie Enrique Wilson?
Kansas City Royals
Manager: Tony Muser
1997 record: 67-94, fifth place
No. 1: How sharp will the growing pains be for Felix Martinez, who will experience his first full year at shortstop or lose the job to former Detroit Tiger Orlando Miller?
No. 2: Can the team meet Muser's goal of being more fundamentally sound, or will the inability to do "the little things" again lead to big problems?
No. 3: Will the club get enough run production at the DH spot from Hal Morris, a line-drive hitter acquired from Cincinnati?
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