When Sammy Sosa first heard the news that Don Baylor was coming to Chicago to manage the Cubs, he facetiously asked if he could still play his salsa music.
Baylor has a reputation as a no-nonsense manager. Sosa has a reputation as a superstar who has the run of the clubhouse. Would the two headstrong personalities clash in their first year together?
“I have no problem with that,” Sosa said. “I get along with everybody.”
The relationship between Sosa and Baylor has not officially begun, but Baylor has already dropped clues that he expects Sosa to change his game to benefit the team. After hitting a combined 129 home runs and driving in 299 runs over the last two seasons, Sosa couldn’t be blamed for wondering why Baylor’s first challenge would be aimed at the most valuable player on the club.
Sosa and former manager Jim Riggleman clashed at the end of the ’97 season when Riggleman implied some of his players were playing to the WGN-TV cameras and exuding a “me first” attitude. Sosa came back to hit 66 home runs in ’98 and seldom heard a discouraging word from his manager thereafter.
Now comes Baylor, challenging Sosa to steal 30 bases and improve his defense.
“That’s what winning teams are all about, players saying, `I’m not going to be content,’ ” Baylor said. “Everything I hear is the Cubs are lovable losers and everybody is happy at Wrigley (Field) and you draw big crowds. But I want Sammy to be the most complete player he can be.
“If that’s a challenge, then it was the same challenge I gave to Larry Walker in ’97. I told him he could be a 30-30 man (homers and stolen bases) and he answered to it by winning the MVP. I challenged Chipper Jones (this year) to hit right-handed with more power. I challenged him in spring training and he took it to an MVP (award).
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“I know Sammy already has (had a 30-30 season) and already has been MVP. But it’s a challenge for him to become an even better player. You always want to push yourself to become a better player. He’s not a one-dimensional player. I know that. I’ve watched him since he bounced from Texas to the White Sox. He used to be a player who’d strike out a lot, then he was someone who could steal bases, becoming a 30-30 man. Now he’s in the upper echelon of players.
“All right, he’s there . . . but why not keep pushing? Maybe guys will think of him as a Hall of Fame player.”
Sosa may already think of himself as a Hall of Fame player–he’s one of only two men in history to hit 60 or more home runs twice. But Baylor wants this to be a consensus. He wants Sosa to be viewed as a “five-tool player” who can hit for average, hit for power, steal bases, throw out runners and contend for a Gold Glove, again citing Walker as an example.
When the Cubs were looking for a new manager, General Manager Ed Lynch stressed the need to find a motivator. With the exorbitant salaries being paid professional athletes today, self-motivation would seem to part of the package. But it doesn’t always work that way.
“We wanted a guy who could communicate to the players and challenge them,” Lynch said. “Don’s reputation precedes him. He’s a straight shooter and that’s something the players will appreciate.”
But can Sosa really steal 30 bases again? After being challenged by Baylor in Colorado, Walker, then 30, increased his stolen base total from 18 in ’96 to 33 in ’97. Sosa, 31, is faster than Walker, but his body structure is much different than it was in ’95, the last time he stole more than 30 bases.
Baylor also believes Sosa can significantly cut his strikeout totals if he puts his mind to it. Sosa has 516 strikeouts in the last three seasons and averages one for every 3.9 at-bats in his career. Babe Ruth never had more than 93 strikeouts in a season and averaged one strikeout for every 6.3 at-bats over his 22-year career.
“I do believe he can improve on that and that his average will go up,” Baylor said. “When I talk to him, it’s going to be positive discussion. It’s not criticism. Every year you have to challenge yourself as a player–what can he do to make himself and his team better? That’s how winning starts.”
In other words if Sosa wants to fulfill a longtime goal and play in a World Series, he must adapt his game. He might not hit 60 again or duel with Mark McGwire for the home run title. But if Baylor is right and Sosa can become a better all-around player, perhaps Sosa can lift the Cubs back to respectability.
“You can’t think `It’s all about me,’ ” Baylor said. “That’s not how you win. The philosophy is a little different, but where we’re trying to get takes some work.”