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Inside Baseball
Posted: Tuesday June 20, 2000 04:51 PM Ranger Luis Alicea, reemerged as a regular, is hitting better than ever By Stephen Cannella
Before a game against the Orioles last week, Rafael Palmeiro and Pudge Rodriguez were talking hitting in a corner of the visitors' clubhouse at Camden Yards, critiquing each other's stances, exchanging tips and advice. After a few minutes they were joined by Luis Alicea, which at first glance seemed like the governor of Rhode Island sitting down at a summit between the leaders of China and the U.S. Palmeiro and Rodriguez are two of the game's best hitters; Alicea entered this season with a .254 average during his 10 years in the majors. Racked by injuries, he had only 164 at bats in 1999 and hadn't been a regular since '97. It turns out that Alicea belonged in the conversation, and not only because he was able to inform Palmeiro of a flaw he'd spotted in Palmeiro's stride. A 34-year-old switch-hitter and a backup for most of his career, Alicea has flourished as the Rangers' regular second baseman this season. His .331 average and .405 on-base percentage through Sunday were tops among American League second basemen, and his .397 on-base percentage in the leadoff spot (minimum 150 plate appearances) was the league's second best. "Yeah, it looked pretty dead there for a while," says Alicea of his career after last year. "I knew this was my last chance." After spending his first five seasons in the big leagues mostly as a utility player with the Cardinals, Alicea broke through with the Red Sox in 1995, making 130 starts at second, hitting .270 and going 6 for 10 in Boston's Division Series loss to the Indians. Still, the Red Sox traded for Expos infielder Wil Cordero in January 1996 and then released Alicea before Opening Day so they could save five sixths of his $1.5 million contract. "I lost a lot of confidence after that," says Alicea. He spent the next two seasons with the Cardinals and the Angels, starting 104 and 100 games at second, respectively, and hitting a combined .255. Alicea signed in December 1997 with the Rangers, for whom he was a backup at second and third in '98; he was set to fill the same role last year before a laundry list of injuries made '99 a nightmare. During the previous off-season his cornea had been scratched during minor surgery on his right eye, forcing him to skip late-winter workouts. In spring training he suffered a small tear to a ligament in his left wrist, an injury that hampered him all season, forcing him to pull off the ball during his swing. Finally, in early September he strained his right calf muscle and missed most of the season's final month. Alicea had his wrist surgically repaired last October and immediately began working out, forgoing his usual month off. When Texas couldn't come to terms with incumbent second baseman Mark McLemore, who signed with the Mariners as a free agent in December, the Rangers gave Alicea a one-year, $750,000 contract. "I always work out in the winter, but this year I worked harder than ever," he says. "I threw every day and was hitting by December, so I came into spring training comfortable. All the work paid off." "After Pudge, Luis has been our most consistent hitter," says Texas manager Johnny Oates. "There comes a time in everyone's career when he has to accept that he's no longer an everyday player, and Luis might have thought he'd reached that point, but he's extended his career." He has also made himself a sleeper candidate to be the All-Star Game backup to likely starter Roberto Alomar. "It would be great to go, especially since my son [Ryan, 7] is old enough to understand," says Alicea, who through Sunday was ninth in fan balloting, 731,713 votes behind Alomar. "He made his [youth league] all-star team, and he slept with the trophy." Dad may soon know just how he feels. Issue date: June 26, 2000
For more Inside Baseball see this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, on newsstands Wednesday, June 21. Click here to subscribe to SI.
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