Montreal Expos Information
To say the Montreal Expos are a team in a state of confusion would be an understatement. They have two “home” ball parks, one in Montreal and one in San Juan, almost 2,000 miles away. In Montreal, they play in Olympic Stadium, a ballpark built for the 1976 Olympics. Although the stadium can hold more than 46,000 people, it rarely seats more than 15,000 on a given night. The Expos will also play 22 designated home games in Hiram Bithorn Stadium in the heart of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Expos are owned by Major League Baseball, so their available resources are shrinking by the day, since they don’t have the capabilities to go out and sign a big name player. They rank in the bottom quarter of payroll, and with an ever-shrinking fan base, it’s difficult to fathom revenue increasing anytime soon. Frank Robinson has done wonders with this team in his two seasons there, but his third season is likely to be much more difficult. He’s lost his two best players to free agency, outfielder Vladimir Guerrero to Anaheim and starting pitcher Javier Vasquez to the Yankees. In their 35 years of existence, the Expos have only made the playoffs once, in 1981, losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It will be difficult losing pitcher Javier Vasquez, but the
pitching in Montreal is definitely above average and still rising.
Livan Hernandez has already won one ring with the 1997 Florida
Marlins, and he still has plenty left in his tank. He’s
expected to step up as the new ace of this staff. Zach Day, Tomo
Ohka, and Claudio Vargas will fall in line as the 2, 3, and 4,
and John Patterson and Sun-Woo Kim will each receive starts as
the 5th man. Chad Cordero and Luis Ayala will work middle relief,
and established closer Rocky Biddle will finish games off for
the Expos.
As big as the loss of Vasquez is sure to be, the
loss of Guerrero could hurt the team even more.
Guerrero was the proto-typical five-tool player,
and he could do anything, and do it all well. The
added responsibility at the plate will no doubt
fall on the shoulders of the double-play tandem
of Jose Vidro and Orlando Cabrera. One big signing
the Expos were able to complete last year was with
outfielder Carl Everett. Everett is known for his
awkward batting stance, where he crowds the plate
with everything he can. Part of it is a ploy to
get on base anyway possible, but another part of
the strategy is to play mind games with the pitcher
on the mound. He’ll team up with third baseman
Tony Batista, who is also known for a different
stance at the plate. Batista is notorious for his
very open stance during the pitcher’s delivery
to the plate, but he is sure to close up on contact.
Although it is quite unconventional, it has been
very effective for Batista over the years, even
though he’s one of the most extreme fly ball
hitters.