Rookie Zimmerman gives Rangers a lift
Not bad for guy who had to beg for a tryout

Quick. Who's been the top rookie in the American League so far?

He has more wins than Roger Clemens, an ERA that's a run lower than Pedro Martinez's and needed to send faxes to all 30 teams just for a tryout.The Texas Rangers were the only team that responded, and Jeff Zimmerman is a major reason why they're in first place in the AL West. He was 7-0 with a 1.10 ERA entering the weekend.

"I've never had a rookie pitcher do what he's done," Rangers manager Johnny Oates said.

All the preseason hype went to Oakland's Eric Chavez, Kansas City's pair of Carloses -- Beltran and Febles -- and Toronto's Roy Halladay. But playing better than all of them is a pitcher who spent the early part of his career in France, a Canadian beer league and Winnipeg.

"I wish I could have seen him pitch five years ago to see if he had a 93 mph fastball and a devastating slider," Rangers pitching coach Dick Bosman said. "I would want to see why no one took a chance on him."

Zimmerman admits he didn't have the pitches he has now. His focus was on his education and other off-field activities.

"Early in my career I doubted myself," he said. "I quit in 1996 because I wasn't concentrating enough. Once I gave my full attention to baseball I haven't looked back."

He breezed through the minors last year and has been a key component in the AL's best bullpen this year. RHPs Zimmerman, Tim Crabtree and Danny Patterson and LHPs Mike Munoz and Mike Venafro have given Oates a wealth of options.

"We call ourselves the bottom feeders," Zimmerman said. "The whole world under-appreciates middle relievers. Everyone looks at the lineup, the starting pitchers and maybe the closer. We pride ourselves on being the plankton of the baseball world."

STUFFING THE BALLOT BOX: New York Yankees manager Joe Torre, listening to nightly chants of "M-V-P! M-V-P!" at Yankee Stadium, wants New York fans to vote for Derek Jeter to start at shortstop in next month's All-Star game at Fenway Park.

In the latest count, Jeter led Boston's Nomar Garciaparra by about 15,000 votes, 247,020 to 232,056.

"If all these people, instead of being vocal, started punching (ballots)," Torre said. "If they go 'M-V-P' they can punch three of them at one time."