Faces of the franchise: Young stars cast as leading men

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2009-04-21-young-stars_N.htm


By Paul White, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — It was one of those brief conversations between opponents in
the middle of a baseball game. Hanley Ramirez stood on the base next to
Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman last May.
Ramirez, the Florida Marlins shortstop, had some news. The Marlins had
offered him — at 24, with less than three years in the major leagues — a
six-year, $70 million contract. He wanted to know what Zimmerman thought.


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The answer was simple: Go for it.

"Hanley deserves it," Zimmerman says. "He's one of the most exciting players
in the game."

Ramirez was about to become the face of the Florida franchise, a role
Zimmerman wondered if he'd ever attain. Zimmerman would watch again last
winter as friend Nick Markakis, who like Zimmerman and Ramirez came to the
major leagues between late 2005 and early 2006, got a six-year contract worth
$66 million from the Baltimore Orioles — plus the accompanying
responsibility.

And Zimmerman finally got his this week, a five-year, $45 million agreement
that the club and his agent say had been negotiated in varying lengths and
dollar figures for several years.

Face of the franchise: It can be a veteran bordering on icon such as New York
Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. But more often, especially for teams trying to
develop a winning attitude, it's one of these young, emerging stars.

More than just stats

Face of the franchise means more than money. For player and team, it's a
cross between making a commitment and doing business. It's a message from a
team to its fans but also an important economic strategy. And it's usually a
player who already has developed a bond locally.

In Baltimore, it's the quiet Markakis, who would just as soon drive to work
in his pickup wearing a T-shirt, jeans and a baseball cap — and that plays
well with the Orioles' blue-collar fan base.

"Just being myself," says Markakis, 25, who grew up in Georgia and is
arguably Baltimore's best homegrown player since Cal Ripken Jr. "I think you
get more respect that way."

Washington is turning to Zimmerman, who grew up in Virginia Beach and
attended the University of Virginia.

"I was the first draft pick of the team," said Zimmerman, 24, who drove in
110 runs as a rookie in 2006. "I was born right around the corner. I went to
school right around the corner. So there's a lot of luck and chance involved.
If I got drafted by, say, Seattle, it wouldn't be the same thing."

In Florida, Ramirez has a chance to be the first star the Marlins keep. The
expected increase in revenue from a new stadium, scheduled to open in 2012,
could mean an end to the franchise's practice of trading stars to keep
payroll low.

The players say they're determined to not let the money be a factor in their
play.

"Nothing changed," says Ramirez, who came to the Marlins in November 2005
when the team sent pitcher Josh Beckett and third baseman Mike Lowell to the
Boston Red Sox. "The only difference is that my family is secure. But you've
got to be happy. It's a dream come true."

What is going to change is each player's job description.

"We've had frank discussions about the different roles he can perform,"
Nationals President Stan Kasten says of Zimmerman, who has been featured in
the team's marketing almost from the day he arrived in town. "This wasn't
simply about years and dollars. He's going to assume the role of more of a
leader."

Zimmerman's contract calls for him to contribute money and host events for
the team's Dream Foundation. He also will hold events at the ballpark for the
ZiMS Foundation he started, dedicated to research and treatment of multiple
sclerosis, a disease his mother, Cheryl, has.

"It's part of my obligation," Zimmerman says. "This is 2009. You've got to do
other things than play baseball. I think most athletes understand that now. I
embrace it. You've got to want to be that kind of guy."

Still, Zimmerman says he doesn't like the "face of the franchise" label
because he thinks it's disrespectful to his teammates, but he's gotten used
to hearing it, even from manager Manny Acta and new teammate Adam Dunn.

Plenty of players are signed to multiyear contracts early in their careers,
deals that often extend a season or two into their potential free agency. If
the players turn out to be as good as expected, the team usually ends up with
a relative bargain. The player gets financial security early.

"There's risk and reward," Zimmerman says. "I've sure gotten a crash course
in baseball IQ the last couple of years. Hey, it's a business. I know that."

The multiyear contracts are a trend that took hold in the 1990s when the
Cleveland Indians, looking for cost certainty, signed nearly one-third of the
core of their five consecutive playoff teams to long-term deals. Some, such
as Kenny Lofton, Jim Thome and Albert Belle, paid off, while others,
including Paul Sorrento and Charles Nagy, did not provide the return on the
investment.

More recently, the Colorado Rockies gave a six-year, $31 million deal to
shortstop Troy Tulowitzki after his first full season in 2007. While the jury
is out on that deal, Tulowitzki hit .263 last season.

"You still have to pick and choose," Kasten says. "I think most teams take
more care in that now."

The evaluation extends beyond statistics.

"He's the type of player it's important to commit to," Orioles President Andy
MacPhail says of Markakis, who like Zimmerman and Ramirez has charitable
contributions included in his contract. "Character's important. He's already
established as one of the premier outfielders. Most of all, he's young. He's
going to get better."

Timing is important, too, and not just for contract purposes.

Markakis' deal coincides with a maturation process off the field. He and wife
Christina had their first child last month. And though MacPhail says, "I
don't think I got three paragraphs out of him in the time I've been here,"
Markakis is becoming more prominent and vocal in the clubhouse.

When new Oriole Ryan Freel showed up this spring, he said he was immediately
taken with Markakis.

"The way he carries himself, he doesn't have to flaunt his ability," Freel
says. "You watch how he goes about his business, and you say, 'Man, this
guy's a professional.' He's a leader. They're picking the right people here."

Selling players on the team

Since last season, American League MVP Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox
signed a six-year contract; last April, the Tampa Bay Rays' Evan Longoria
signed a six-year deal days into his eventual rookie of the year season. It's
no coincidence second baseman Pedroia emerged as one of the leaders of Team
USA in the World Baseball Classic last month. Third baseman Longoria was
compared to Jeter last season by teammate and 16-year veteran Cliff Floyd for
his ability and willingness to handle stardom.

But the Red Sox and Rays are playoff teams.

The Orioles haven't had a winning season since 1997. The Nationals'
high-water mark was .500 in 2005, their first season after moving from
Montreal. The Marlins have a couple of World Series championships in their
first 16 years and have baseball's best record (11-2) this year, but they
have been among the bottom three in NL attendance for 10 consecutive years.

In these environments, players must be convinced there's more reasons than
money to stay.

"Players are pretty savvy," MacPhail says. "Just like any franchise, you can
count on them to act in their own best interest, and they should."

Markakis is sold on the Orioles' future, especially after they signed second
baseman Brian Roberts to a four-year contract extension about a month after
completing Markakis' deal.

"I see it starting to turn in the right direction," Markakis says. "The way
Andy is doing things makes you want to be a part of it."

With a 2-10 start this year, the Nationals seem further from respectability
than the 6-7 Orioles. But Zimmerman says his contract is his statement that
he's in it for the long haul.

"Once we finally get the things we need, I'd like to be part of it," he says.
"To be able to be here when we start winning would be a great feeling. My
goal is to help the team become a winner. I want that kind of sense of