SECOND BASE
TONY WOMACK VS. MARK BELLHORN

Kathy Willens / AP Tony Womack

The St. Louis Cardinals wanted to re-sign Tony Womack and keep him out of free agency, but when the Yankees swooped in with a guaranteed two-year offer, Womack jumped at it.

That should mean an upgrade over Miguel Cairo’s 2004 season in pinstripes, as Womack, 35, went 30-plus points over his career average to hit .304, along with 24 steals in 2004. And he did it despite being less than six months removed from Tommy John surgery when camp opened. He has another year of recovery time under his belt, but expecting another .300 season may be asking too much — although he was red-hot halfway through camp. He is expected to hit ninth in the order.

Mark Bellhorn is a statistical freak of a second baseman. He hit 17 homers and drove in 82 runs, but struck out a league-leading 177 times. With 82 walks, his on-base percentage swelled to .373, more than 100 points above his batting average. But his defense is average at best, and his all-or-nothing tendencies at the plate force him to be at or near the bottom of the order.

SHORTSTOP
DEREK JETER VS. EDGAR RENTERIA

Kathy Willens / AP Derek Jeter

The Derek Jeter-Nomar Garciaparra comparisons are a thing of the past. In fact, Garciaparra is the Red Sox shortstop twice removed, as they chose to sign free-agent Edgar Renteria away from the Cardinals rather than hang onto Orlando Cabrera, who was acquired before the trade deadline, and has moved onto the Angels.

Renteria is an All-Star-caliber player, but 2004 wasn’t one of his better seasons. He slipped to .287 with 10 homers, 72 RBI and 17 steals, and lost the NL Gold Glove to the Dodgers’ Cesar Izturis. Contract uncertainty may have caused a bit of the decline, but that won’t be a problem anymore, as the Red Sox gave the 30-year-old Colombian a four-year, $40-million deal. It also won’t hurt to be hitting second between Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez in the order. Look for a boost in Renteria’s numbers this season.

Jeter, questioned in the past defensively, won his first Gold Glove in 2004. But he fell below his career .315 batting average with a .293 mark, due in part to an 0-for-32 slump in April and a sub .200 average into May. Still, his role as leader of the Yankees is unquestioned, and his 10-year run in pinstripes can only be viewed as the first half of a Hall of Fame career.

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