Battles shape up for spots in rotation

Simontacchi, Stephenson will lead cast of players vying for final two starting spots.

By R.B. Fallstrom ~ The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS -- As far as the St. Louis Cardinals are concerned, Jason Simontacchi's 11 victories as a 28-year-old rookie last year and Garrett Stephenson's 16-win season in 2000 are old, old news.

At the end of the season, they were the likely fourth and fifth starters for this year's team. Starting next Saturday with the first spring training workout in Jupiter, Fla., they'll have to show they're worthy for spots behind Matt Morris, Woody Williams and newcomer Brett Tomko.

The biggest competition figures to come from Dustin Hermanson, back with the team after a one-year absence. Hermanson missed almost all of last year due to injuries, but won 14 games for the 2001 playoff team.

The NL Central champions also have high hopes for reclamation project Cal Eldred, out the last two seasons following elbow surgery but a former top starter with the Brewers and White Sox. Eldred, a 16-game winner in 1993 who has posted double-digit win totals five times, has a minor-league deal and an invitation to spring training.

"Eldred is an intriguing guy," manager Tony La Russa said. "I know if he's close, or is himself, he'll be a hell of an asset for us."

Simontacchi, the former Italian Olympic hero and minor league gypsy, doesn't seem to mind that he might be more of a fallback guy than a frontline option in the minds of the front office. It took an avalanche of injuries to give him his shot last season as the Cardinals were forced to use 26 pitchers, 14 of them starters.

"My whole baseball career has been like that, I've always been fighting and scratching," Simontacchi said. "Now it's just up to me to prove to them that I'm better than just a one-year wonder."

Stephenson, who missed all of the 2001 season after undergoing elbow surgery and most of last year with hamstring woes, is counting on being in the rotation.

"You know, I don't really feel like there's a competition at all, ever," Stephenson said. "If I go out and do my job, there's not a question.

"I'm not going in as a question mark like last year and the year before, I'm going in with no question marks and my goal is 30-plus starts and 200-plus innings."

La Russa looks at the sheer numbers as a major plus, and said all of those competing for jobs will get a shot when the spring game schedule begins Feb. 27.

"We've got a lot of guys, I guess, and we're going to try to mix them all in," Morris said. "It seems every spring training we have a nice stack of pitchers and they weed them out."

La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan also can begin to audition stand-in closers in case Jason Isringhausen, who had offseason shoulder surgery, isn't ready or is limited at the start of the season. Among the options are Steve Kline and ex-Angel Al Levine on a new-look bullpen that will also feature pickup Joey Hamilton and perhaps wayward left-hander Rick Ankiel, sidelined all last season with an elbow injury.

Ankiel has been working out with Morris in Jupiter, Fla., throughout the winter. Morris said Ankiel, who began his career as a starter, likes the idea of beginning his comeback in the bullpen.

"I think he likes any idea right now," Morris said. "It'll be good. I think it takes some of the pressure off him."

There are no question marks in the starting lineup, one of the best in baseball since the midseason acquisition of third baseman Scott Rolen. Rolen has been fully recovered for months from the separated shoulder that knocked him out of the playoffs and is looking forward to a year without acrimony after a bitter end in Philadelphia.

"Right now I'm excited to go into a baseball environment, a baseball atmosphere," Rolen said. "What's going to be talked about is, 'What do you think your chances are of winning the World Series?' and that's exciting, instead of 'What do you think your chances are of signing a contract or being traded?' and all those other things that just seem to detract from the game."

La Russa likely won't tinker much with the lineup built around MVP runner-up Albert Pujols, Rolen and Jim Edmonds, counting on improvements from leadoff hitter Fernando Vina and a bounce-back season from first baseman Tino Martinez.

Vina had a low on-base percentage of .333, drew only 44 walks and was caught 11 times in 28 steal attempts, perhaps factors in his name being mentioned in trade talks.

"When you challenge a good player, they respond," La Russa said. "I know he's heard enough about his on-base percentage that he'll be challenged to move it up. He's got to move it."

Martinez was a disappointment with 75 RBIs and he also slumped in the playoffs. He was benched for the Giants' clinching Game 5 in the NLCS after going 2-for-25, and vows not to be so pull-conscious this year.