Baseball Prospectus 1996
The playoff defeat was predictable for two reasons: the Dodgers' teamwide problem with left-handed pitching and Tommy Lasorda's willful handicapping of what could have been a very good offense.
The problem with left-handed pitching is surprising. You might think that an offense built around the right-handed power of Mike Piazza, Raul Mondesi and Eric Karros would have no problem with southpaws. You'd be wrong. Here's what the team did during the season against the two types of pitching:
AVG OBP SLG vs. LHPs: .250/.311/.379 vs. RHPs: .268/.335/.407Dodger Stadium didn't do that, and it wasn't the product of all those Sandy Koufax clones in the National League either. No other team in the NL lost as much offense against lefties as the Dodgers.
The Dodgers simply don't hit left-handers. For their careers, both Mondesi and Karros have done relatively poorly against them; Mondesi by a lot, while Karros loses power while picking up a few singles:
AVG OBP SLG Karros vs. LHP: .288/.339/.451 (1 HR/32 PA) Karros vs. RHP: .256/.308/.446 (1 HR/24 PA) Mondesi vs. LHP: .267/.304/.465 Mondesi vs. RHP: .305/.339/.518So having to face Schourek and Smiley in a short series, they were not in a comfortable position. They were the only team in the playoffs with a losing record in games started by left-handers.
What is frustrating about this is that it could have been avoided. Finding a Benny Ayala or Steve Balboni clone (or the original Rob Deer) isn't hard, and sparing a roster spot for this kind of player is easy. But instead of a role player to pick up the slack created by the dropoffs of Karros and Mondesi, the Dodgers carried two light-hitters (Mitch Webster and Chris Gwynn), who at their best hit a few mean singles, and none of the regulars after Piazza frightened southpaws.
Things might have changed once Brett Butler was acquired for the stretch drive, except for an old habit Lasorda can't shake: his distrust of young players. After acquiring Butler, the Dodgers had a choice to make in left field: either Billy Ashley or Roberto Kelly would go to the bench. Following the book, the Dodgers went with the weak-hitting veteran.
Roberto Kelly did what you'd expect a 31-year-old outfielder with no real power to do. But Ashley's potential upside was much greater. Ashley has hit for a ton of power in the minors. If he's capable of doing anything like he's done there, he's easily a better player than Kelly. The only was to find out was to give him playing time, and Lasorda failed to do that, preferring the safety of guaranteed mediocrity.
This was also unfortunate because Kelly is the kind of player who at this point can help a team off the bench as a fourth outfielder and pinch-hitter, while Ashley is the type a manager loses confidence in the less he sees of him. Ashley will strike out a lot, play left badly and is slow, so if he isn't getting the benefit of regular play and thumping a tater or two, he isn't being useful, which can often irritate the manager.
So acquiring Butler led to one self-inflicted injury to the lineup, as Tommy Lasorda chose the wrong left fielder. But the other effect of the trade was even more devastating: the benching of Jose Offerman.
In what has become an annual game between the error-prone shortstop and the Pastaman, Lasorda benched Offerman. The Dodgers were fretting about their defense, which is poor in the best of times, but became a cause celebre entering the stretch. Prior to Butler's arrival, the Dodgers had been willing to live with Offerman's defensive shortcomings to benefit from his ability to get on base. With Butler's arrival in the leadoff slot, the Dodgers forgot about what Offerman can do (get on and score), and focused on what he can't ("that's another e-six...").
The Dodgers substituted Chad Fonville for Offerman. Fonville had already made a good impression on Lasorda with a scrappy little man's offensive game, and he hit reasonably well against right-handed pitching (.282, with a .348 OBP) in his rookie season. But hitting righties wasn't what the Dodgers needed, and Fonville and Delino DeShields were both awful against lefties this year. As he had with Kelly, Lasorda took a player who would have been an asset off the bench and made him an everyday player.
With Offerman in the lineup, the Dodgers' strength was the offense: a one-two punch of Butler and Offerman would score runs by the truckload. Without him, they had a doubtfully "improved" defense (Fonville did not put up good defensive numbers at short) and a weakened offense. Against a Reds team that matched up extremely well with the Dodgers, the result of the series wasn't surprising.
THE FRONT OFFICE: Fred Claire runs a very interesting organization. Dodger scouting has great success south of the border, but their domestic drafting record is awful. Ryan Luzinski was supposed to be a sure thing, and he's struggled. A string of first-round selections, including Dan Opperman, Kiki Jones and the inexplicable Bill Bene, all "can't-miss" pitching prospects who did, haunts the team.
Some decisions are simply baffling, like last winter's idea to give perpetually injured non-prospect Rudy Seanez a two-year contract, or the waiver wire screwup that cost them pitching prospect Ben VanRyn.
Veteran pickups over the years have been ghastly: Darryl Strawberry, Eric Davis, Eddie Murray, Tim Wallach. Albuquerque seems to be where managers of the future go to die, as first Bill Russell and now Rick Dempsey have wasted their time there. The organization has brought back "a prodigal son," the spectacularly incompetent Phil Regan, and moved him to the front of the line to replace Lasorda, probably in 1997. Regan has the reputation as a good pitching teacher, but was a disaster as the Oriole manager. He's a personal favorite of Fred Claire.
The Dodger system does have some creative strengths. If a young player shows promise early, he's pushed to the higher levels of the system. The risk of burnout is there, but recent examples like Mondesi or Roger Cedeno haven't been discouraging.
The weakness of the Dodger farm system is its defensive instruction, which perpetuates the long-term trend of fielding ineptitude on the big league club. Dodger prospects seem to be particularly raw defensively when they make the majors: Steve Sax, Mariano Duncan, Jose Offerman, Eric Karros, Mike Piazza and Billy Ashley all came up with bad reputations. Some, like Karros, have worked hard to improve their defense; others, like Sax, Duncan and Offerman, never improved their glovework.
THE PASTAMAN: Tommy Lasorda still slags pitchers' arms, runs a shallow bullpen and distrusts players born since the Johnson administration, so he hasn't changed much. He does give good interview, which allows him to issue his usual complaints: "exposing" the conspiracies of the National League to stack rotations against the Dodgers in 1984 and 1991; ripping young players like Offerman, Ashley and even Mike Piazza for shortcomings, and reminding us all of his passion for linguine. He's an entertainer, and he's good at it.
BILLY ASHLEY 1971 LF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 VRO 206 49 4 1 8 4 5 1 .238 .252 .383 .225 46 19 1992 SAN 386 107 10 1 21 15 13 5 .277 .304 .472 .269 104 53 1992 ABQ 94 17 4 0 2 4 1 0 .181 .214 .287 .167 16 4 1992 LAD 96 24 4 0 3 6 0 0 .250 .294 .385 .238 23 10 1993 ABQ 457 107 12 1 17 26 5 3 .234 .275 .376 .227 104 43 1993 LAD 37 9 0 0 0 2 0 0 .243 .282 .243 .181 7 2 1994 ABQ 366 109 11 2 23 43 6 3 .298 .372 .527 .305 112 67 1995 LAD 217 55 6 0 7 25 0 0 .253 .331 .378 .250 54 25 1996 PRJ 350 93 10 1 17 19 5 3 .266 .304 .446 .260 91 45The new Ron Kittle: bad defense, lots of power, few walks. Like Kittle, he could really break through somewhere other than the Dodgers. Comparisons to Dave Kingman are unfair; at this age, Kingman had a better looking future than this. Plans to move him to first seem stillborn.
HENRY BLANCO 1972 3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 BAK 402 77 12 1 4 31 5 3 .192 .249 .256 .169 68 19 1993 SAN 380 70 12 1 7 25 3 2 .184 .235 .276 .169 64 18 1994 SAN 415 93 15 1 6 44 5 4 .224 .298 .308 .214 89 34 1995 SAN 304 75 10 2 11 24 1 1 .247 .302 .401 .245 74 34 1995 ABQ 95 19 3 1 1 8 0 0 .200 .262 .284 .186 18 6He must be responsible for half of the season ticket sales in San Antonio, because he's a hack. Keep in mind that he's held the third base job in AA for three straight years despite being awful, and the Dodgers haven't been able to come up with anything better than Henry Blanco to play in San Antonio for three years. That's a problem, because the Dodgers have needed and will need a third baseman.
MIKE BLOWERS 1965 3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CLG 318 77 10 1 7 30 2 1 .242 .307 .346 .231 73 31 1991 NYY 35 8 0 0 1 4 0 0 .229 .308 .314 .220 8 3 1992 CLG 287 78 15 1 9 39 2 1 .272 .359 .425 .275 79 42 1992 SEA 73 15 3 0 1 6 0 0 .205 .266 .288 .190 14 5 1993 SEA 377 109 20 3 15 41 2 5 .289 .359 .477 .285 107 59 1994 SEA 265 75 7 1 7 22 2 2 .283 .338 .396 .259 69 33 1995 SEA 434 114 22 1 20 48 3 1 .263 .336 .456 .274 119 63 1996 PRJ 519 139 22 1 19 58 2 2 .268 .341 .424 .268 139 71Acquired from the Mariners. Fred Claire seems to think Blowers is a long-term solution, but he's 31, and his season is really glossy from the eight games in which he had almost half of his RBI. What he does best is crush left-handed pitchers. He's one of the worst gloves at the hot corner you'll find, with poor anticipation. It seems like he almost never fields a ball cleanly; when he was younger and his arm was stronger he could make up for his slow glovework, but his arm's getting weaker with age. A step up from the decrepitude of Wallach or the shortcomings of Jeff Hamilton, but a short-term solution.
MIKE BUSCH 1969 3B/1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 BAK 73 17 0 1 3 7 0 0 .233 .300 .384 .238 17 8 1992 SAN 425 99 8 1 16 33 3 1 .233 .288 .369 .230 98 42 1993 ABQ 408 90 14 1 14 42 1 1 .221 .293 .363 .228 93 40 1994 ABQ 443 99 12 2 17 41 2 2 .223 .289 .375 .230 102 44 1995 ABQ 430 101 15 1 15 36 2 2 .235 .294 .379 .234 101 44Now famous for being a scab who was called up and for the controversy that provoked, he shut up many of the complainants by poking a few important homers, including one on the next-to-last day of the season that clinched the division title for the Dodgers. He can play both corners of the infield, although he can't play third particularly well. Despite being the PCL's All-Star first baseman, he doesn't really have much of a future: he's old, not really much of a power hitter, and doesn't get on base at all. He might still stick in the organization for his display of loyalty last spring.
BRETT BUTLER 1957 CF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 LAD 631 199 13 4 3 109 37 23 .315 .416 .363 .283 179 97 1992 LAD 574 199 19 11 5 102 44 20 .347 .445 .444 .318 182 112 1993 LAD 611 185 16 8 2 86 42 19 .303 .389 .365 .276 168 89 1994 LAD 421 140 13 7 7 69 32 9 .333 .427 .447 .315 133 81 1995 LAD 148 43 3 2 0 24 12 1 .291 .390 .338 .279 41 22 1995 NYM 370 121 10 6 1 43 22 8 .327 .397 .395 .289 107 57 1996 PRJ 562 158 14 3 2 79 16 8 .281 .370 .327 .256 144 68Brett Butler probably won't make the Hall of Fame, and that's a damn shame. He's never won a Gold Glove, despite deserving one from time to time, and now he's lost more than a step in center, so he'll never win one. Brett's never going to win popularity contests, between his being a staunch union supporter and a plainspoken Christian. He seems like a humorless man of conviction and talent, and sadly, that doesn't make good copy.
JUAN CASTRO 1972 2B/SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 BAK 445 94 9 1 4 18 7 5 .211 .242 .263 .170 75 21 1993 SAN 431 110 15 4 6 26 11 6 .255 .298 .350 .230 99 42 1994 SAN 453 124 19 2 4 24 4 4 .274 .310 .351 .234 106 44 1995 ABQ 331 75 12 2 3 17 4 3 .227 .264 .302 .197 65 22The Dodgers have a stockpile of these minor league infielders who don't hit much, don't run much and don't do much. Certainly, Chad Fonville isn't going to lose sleep wondering about these guys next spring, and Fonville's only a year removed from A-ball. Castro has been a shortstop, and was moved to second in the past year to make room for Wilton Guerrero.
ROGER CEDENO 1975 CF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 SAN 475 124 8 4 4 39 22 11 .261 .317 .320 .231 110 46 1994 ABQ 364 94 11 2 2 42 26 10 .258 .335 .316 .241 88 40 1995 ABQ 353 91 13 5 2 45 23 14 .258 .342 .340 .245 87 41 1995 LAD 42 11 1 0 0 3 1 0 .262 .311 .286 .219 9 3 1996 PRJ 401 101 15 3 5 46 32 20 .252 .329 .342 .241 97 46I really like Cedeno's future. He's a good hitter; his patience and speed make him an ideal leadoff hitter; he can fly in center, and he's ready for the majors at 20. If the Dodgers had really wanted to go with a pitching and defense formula last fall, they would have handed Cedeno centerfield, moved Butler to left, and planted Roberto Kelly's hollow veteran bat on the bench.
CHRIS DEMETRAL 1970 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 YAK 230 46 3 0 2 18 2 1 .200 .258 .239 .166 38 10 1992 BAK 304 67 7 1 3 19 4 3 .220 .266 .280 .189 57 19 1993 VRO 435 118 14 1 6 53 4 3 .271 .350 .349 .251 109 50 1994 SAN 375 95 17 2 6 28 4 1 .253 .305 .357 .235 88 38 1995 ABQ 181 42 4 1 2 21 2 5 .232 .312 .298 .211 38 15Career minor league middle infielder, with no calling card that draws notice. Doug Flynn, though lousy, could still gain notoriety as "the best bunter in baseball." Steve Lyons could make a fool out of himself. Chris Demetral needs to do something to draw attention to himself, or he'll be out of baseball in fairly short order. As you can see, he did well with full-time play at Vero Beach, but he was also one of the older players in the league.
DELINO DESHIELDS 1969 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 MON 584 161 17 4 12 97 56 20 .276 .379 .380 .278 162 90 1992 MON 535 165 19 7 10 57 46 13 .308 .375 .426 .290 155 87 1993 MON 484 145 14 6 2 72 45 10 .300 .390 .366 .284 137 75 1994 LAD 323 86 9 2 2 54 32 8 .266 .371 .325 .265 86 44 1995 LAD 430 118 17 3 7 62 41 15 .274 .366 .377 .272 117 63 1996 PRJ 491 152 30 8 5 73 29 10 .310 .399 .434 .299 147 85He's a very good second baseman, but leave it to the Dodgers to diddle around with playing him at short two years ago. I think his LA slump is the product of both the ballpark and his trying to do too much; he did hit .300 on the road this year. He could be Comeback Player of the Year in 1996, even with the Dodgers, because I think he'll break out and have a great season at 27.
CHAD FONVILLE 1971 SS/2B/OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 EVE 263 50 5 1 0 18 13 6 .190 .242 .217 .156 41 11 1994 SJO 286 77 4 3 1 24 14 5 .269 .326 .315 .236 67 29 1995 LAD 311 90 2 1 0 23 22 6 .289 .338 .302 .243 75 33 1996 PRJ 352 86 7 7 0 26 25 5 .244 .296 .304 .226 80 33One of last season's fun "A-Ball to the Majors" success stories. Probably best-suited to play second base, Fonville's a good spare part. If he's pressed into a full-time role, he may not be as useful, unless he gets better at short or learns to hit lefties or starts taking more walks with age.
GREG GAGNE 1962 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 MIN 408 111 21 3 8 25 15 9 .272 .314 .397 .251 102 48 1992 MIN 441 114 17 1 9 18 8 7 .259 .288 .363 .228 101 41 1993 KCR 535 151 28 3 9 29 13 11 .282 .319 .396 .251 134 62 1994 KCR 369 92 17 3 5 22 12 18 .249 .292 .352 .219 81 33 1995 KCR 429 116 22 3 5 33 4 6 .270 .323 .371 .243 104 46 1996 PRJ 530 136 25 1 9 26 8 15 .257 .291 .358 .224 119 49Signed to a one-year contract, at which point Tommy Lasorda will retire, and Wilton Guerrero get a shot at the shortstop job, or Lasorda will to manage until he dies, and they'll keep Gagne around as long as they did Alfredo Griffin, with Guerrero getting a raw deal just like Offerman did. Gagne's reliable in the field, and depends on positioning. With age and a new league, he may look bad at times for the Dodgers until he adjusts. He should stop running, because he doesn't do it well.
The Gagne signing, in company with the Blowers trade, has the Dodgers talking about how they're better than Atlanta. This is ludicrous, but no one ever accused the Dodgers of being anything other than optimistic.
KARIM GARCIA 1976 RF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 BAK 462 98 11 4 13 17 3 2 .212 .240 .338 .198 92 32 1994 VRO 451 109 15 4 19 29 6 2 .242 .287 .419 .246 111 52 1995 ABQ 456 127 15 4 17 32 12 5 .279 .326 .441 .268 122 62 1996 PRJ 609 163 19 6 23 46 14 6 .268 .319 .432 .263 160 80Garcia is an example of how the Dodgers handle their genuine prospects: he's progressed quickly, he's 20, and he's nearly ready. A left-handed hitting rightfielder, he'll be in the majors to stay soon. At the least, he should have Chris Gwynn's job. Big platoon differential in the minors, can't hit lefties so far. This can help him in his attempt to get a job this spring, in that he can worked into a limited role, and with some success, expand that role at someone else's expense (probably Ashley). In the field, Garcia is known for spotty defensive work and a very strong arm.
WILTON GUERRERO 1975 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1994 VRO 400 98 8 3 2 22 16 11 .245 .284 .295 .206 82 30 1995 SAN 382 119 8 4 1 20 22 13 .312 .346 .361 .255 97 45 1995 ABQ 47 13 1 0 0 1 2 2 .277 .292 .298 .207 10 4 1996 PRJ 548 144 14 8 1 26 29 18 .263 .296 .323 .223 122 50Guerrero is on everyone's list of top shortstop prospects, but be warned: he's an Alfredo Griffin-style basepath commando (55% SB rate for his career, and it's going down each year), he won't take a walk, and as you can see, he doesn't have any power. If he doesn't hit .300, and if he fields anything like the other Dodger prospects of late, he could be stuck in Albuquerque for a while. After all, this is the organization that took a good, long look at Rafael Bournigal in '94, who probably couldn't beat Mark Belanger out for a job if the union man hung up his briefcase.
DAVE HANSEN 1969 3B/PH YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 ABQ 243 59 7 1 3 38 3 2 .243 .345 .317 .238 58 26 1991 LAD 57 16 2 0 2 2 1 0 .281 .305 .421 .258 15 7 1992 LAD 347 84 8 1 8 37 0 2 .242 .315 .340 .230 80 34 1993 LAD 106 39 2 0 4 21 0 1 .368 .472 .500 .341 36 23 1994 LAD 44 16 2 0 0 6 0 0 .364 .440 .409 .309 14 7 1995 LAD 183 56 4 0 2 28 0 0 .306 .398 .361 .276 51 25 1996 PRJ 192 54 9 1 5 24 0 0 .281 .361 .417 .275 53 27A wasted talent. Lasorda didn't let him take the third base job from Wallach, when he clearly outplayed him, because in the Pastaman's mind Hansen's been pigeonholed as a pinch-hitter, and never mind that he's simply a very good offensive player. He could wind up having a Denny Walling-like career, where he finally gets a couple of years to really show what he can do before he fades away. I certainly hope so.
CARLOS HERNANDEZ 1967 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 ABQ 328 93 13 1 6 17 4 3 .284 .319 .384 .248 82 37 1992 LAD 177 51 4 0 4 12 0 1 .288 .333 .379 .251 44 20 1993 LAD 99 26 3 0 2 2 0 0 .263 .277 .354 .222 22 8 1994 LAD 64 15 1 0 2 1 0 0 .234 .246 .344 .204 13 5 1995 LAD 95 16 0 0 2 6 0 0 .168 .218 .232 .133 13 3He's not this bad, but spotty playing time hasn't helped him any. His career with the Dodgers could be over, if only because Ken Huckaby made the All-Star team in the PCL this year. Carlos had a lousy season, and did not rise to the occasion when Piazza went down early and the Dodgers needed something inspiring from their backup catcher. Altogether, these things probably make him extremely available, and he'd be a useful part-time catcher for anybody.
TODD HOLLANDSWORTH 1973 CF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 YAK 208 38 1 1 4 14 4 1 .183 .234 .255 .164 34 9 1992 BAK 429 93 11 2 10 29 14 6 .217 .266 .322 .208 89 34 1993 SAN 480 114 14 4 14 26 20 8 .237 .277 .371 .230 111 48 1994 ABQ 484 115 17 2 12 38 14 7 .238 .293 .355 .230 111 47 1995 ABQ 37 8 2 0 1 5 1 0 .216 .310 .351 .238 9 4 1995 LAD 104 26 4 0 4 10 2 1 .250 .316 .404 .252 26 13 1996 PRJ 276 67 9 1 8 18 11 4 .243 .289 .370 .236 65 29Hollandsworth, like so many Dodgers prospects, came up through the system with a lousy defensive reputation. Last winter, he was put in centerfield to learn, and it seems to have done some good. Still a sloppy fielder, he can throw a little, and he's got good left-handed power. When he went down with an injury in July, he was close to winning the everyday centerfield job (this was long before the Butler trade). Apparently the Pastaman had forgotten when Todd was back in September that the guy who was good enough to beat out Roberto Kelly in July should probably get his job back, what with Roberto still not playing at all well. Hopefully, he'll got a shot at some playing time in 1996, along with Cedeno and possibly Garcia.
KEN HUCKABY 1971 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 VRO 262 51 6 0 1 7 1 0 .195 .216 .229 .134 35 7 1993 VRO 278 62 7 1 4 8 1 1 .223 .245 .299 .185 51 16 1993 SAN 82 16 0 0 0 2 0 0 .195 .214 .195 .104 8 1 1994 BAK 267 66 11 1 1 5 1 2 .247 .261 .307 .196 52 17 1994 SAN 41 10 1 0 1 1 1 0 .244 .262 .341 .217 9 3 1995 ABQ 267 75 11 1 1 10 3 1 .281 .307 .341 .232 62 25He was in the PCL All-Star game, which says something about either the state of catching in the PCL or the Dodger publicity machine. Spray hitter, absolutely no power. Assuming the Dodgers bring up several pitchers from the minors next year (which they should), they may bring Huckaby with them, since he's familiar with them, and has "proven" his success. Although he's been rated the best defensive catcher in the Dodger's minor league system, he's made a ton of errors and committed a lot of passed balls; much of that could be being Chan Ho Park's battery mate, but mostly its a sign that Paul Konerko and Ryan Luzinski aren't playing catcher well.
GAREY INGRAM 1971 2B/3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 BAK 446 109 9 1 7 29 15 7 .244 .291 .316 .217 97 38 1992 SAN 205 57 9 3 2 25 9 4 .278 .357 .380 .265 54 27 1993 SAN 311 79 8 3 5 27 14 4 .254 .314 .347 .240 75 33 1994 LAD 79 24 3 0 2 7 0 0 .304 .360 .418 .276 22 11 1995 ABQ 226 47 8 2 1 18 10 3 .208 .266 .274 .195 44 15 1995 LAD 56 12 2 0 0 8 3 0 .214 .312 .250 .214 12 5 1996 PRJ 298 76 9 4 3 29 16 6 .255 .321 .342 .242 72 33Essentially positionless, he could turn out to be the new Mike Sharperson: a utility infielder who can hit lefties a little. This is not a rare skill. I'll take this time to say that Mike Sharperson's invitation to the 1992 All-Star Game as the Dodger's representative instead of Brett Butler was a travesty.
ERIC KARROS 1968 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 ABQ 467 123 16 3 17 43 2 1 .263 .325 .420 .260 122 60 1992 LAD 556 159 26 1 27 41 2 4 .286 .335 .482 .279 155 83 1993 LAD 620 157 24 2 21 36 0 1 .253 .294 .400 .242 150 67 1994 LAD 408 115 18 1 13 30 2 0 .282 .331 .426 .266 109 54 1995 LAD 557 176 29 3 30 61 4 4 .316 .383 .540 .313 174 105 1996 PRJ 562 158 31 2 26 54 2 1 .281 .344 .482 .285 160 88Well, he turned 27 and right on schedule, he had his best year, going from a replacement level first baseman to an All-Star. He still won't turn out to be the next Steve Garvey, but he has turned out about as well as Greg Brock and better than Franklin Stubbs, so he's a success. He seems to have worked hard on his defense, to the point that he's now a good defensive first baseman. He probably wouldn't get better outside of Chavez Ravine: 19 of his home runs this season were at home, and he slugged better at home.
ROBERTO KELLY 1965 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 NYY 487 136 21 2 20 44 40 9 .279 .339 .454 .283 138 77 1992 NYY 580 164 28 3 11 39 30 5 .283 .328 .398 .264 153 75 1993 CIN 320 103 13 2 9 18 23 5 .322 .358 .459 .293 94 52 1994 ATL 254 74 13 3 5 24 12 3 .291 .353 .425 .278 71 37 1994 CIN 178 55 4 0 3 11 11 9 .309 .349 .382 .257 46 22 1995 LAD 412 122 16 2 5 15 17 8 .296 .321 .381 .252 104 47 1995 MON 95 27 2 0 1 7 4 3 .284 .333 .337 .240 23 10 1996 PRJ 445 125 17 2 10 27 23 4 .281 .322 .396 .262 116 57Going into the postseason, published reports were calling him "the best #8 hitter in baseball," which was neither true nor impressive in itself. If your left fielder is hitting eighth, either you have a lot of great players at the other more difficult positions, which the Dodgers didn't, or you've got a lousy left fielder. At any rate, the statement wasn't even true, because the best #8 hitter was in a Cleveland uniform (see Paul Sorrento). Kelly's definitely lost a step in the outfield: his defensive numbers in center were well below league average. He's a free agent this winter, and he could be a useful fourth outfielder, but if his agent asks for starting player money, it might be time to export Roberto to Japan. Signed with Minnesota.
TITO LANDRUM 1971 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 YAK 230 43 1 1 4 13 2 2 .187 .230 .252 .155 36 9 1993 VRO 396 77 6 1 8 31 5 3 .194 .253 .275 .180 71 22 1994 BAK 326 68 7 1 9 13 7 5 .209 .239 .319 .192 63 21 1995 SAN 262 59 9 1 6 21 6 4 .225 .283 .336 .217 57 23Has no chance of being as good a player as his namesake, the ace pinch-hitter who haunted a few postseasons in the 80s.
PAUL LoDUCA 1972 C/1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 VRO 133 34 3 0 1 10 0 0 .256 .308 .301 .216 29 11 1994 BAK 452 116 16 1 4 37 10 5 .257 .313 .323 .228 103 42 1995 SAN 201 45 3 0 2 22 5 3 .224 .300 .269 .203 41 15He was converted to catcher this season, after primarily being a first baseman and DH, and between Piazza, Huckaby, and eventually Ryan Luzinski, he has no future in the organization.
BILLY LOTT 1971 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 BAK 318 59 6 1 3 11 5 2 .186 .213 .239 .141 45 10 1992 VRO 439 91 12 1 4 20 7 3 .207 .242 .267 .172 76 22 1993 SAN 423 99 10 1 11 21 6 6 .234 .270 .340 .212 90 34 1994 SAN 456 129 16 2 11 24 17 7 .283 .319 .399 .256 117 55 1995 ABQ 140 38 5 1 4 12 1 2 .271 .329 .407 .255 36 17Hurt himself this past year, Lott's older than the up-and-comers in the organization (like Cedeno or Garcia). He may turn up as a spare part somewhere, but corner outfielders who don't hit for lots of power, don't get on base, and don't hit for high averages in the PCL either need an inspiring debut or too much luck to get a real shot.
ORESTE MARRERO 1970 1B/DH YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 STO 444 94 7 1 9 33 2 2 .212 .266 .293 .192 85 28 1992 STO 243 57 6 0 6 29 2 1 .235 .316 .333 .230 56 24 1992 ELP 54 9 2 1 0 4 1 0 .167 .224 .241 .151 8 2 1993 HAR 256 80 10 1 8 17 2 2 .312 .355 .453 .282 72 38 1993 MON 82 18 4 1 1 13 1 3 .220 .326 .329 .224 18 8 1994 OTT 258 63 10 5 6 25 1 1 .244 .311 .391 .245 63 29 1995 SAN 450 113 15 1 18 53 5 1 .251 .330 .409 .260 117 58A minor league Greg Gross: some power, some patience, will fiddle around at first or left but essentially is just around to hit (he was the Texas League's all-star DH). A competitive minor league team almost always has an Oreste Marrero or two on the team. Marrero's a flyball hitter, so if he went to Coors, he'd probably be an ace pinch-hitter; he could wind up being that for anybody.
JIM MARTIN 1971 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 BAK 442 97 8 1 9 24 15 7 .219 .260 .303 .199 88 31 1994 BAK 359 81 10 4 7 25 23 10 .226 .276 .334 .220 79 33 1994 SAN 103 21 6 0 1 6 3 3 .204 .248 .291 .183 19 6 1995 SAN 330 72 13 2 4 30 17 7 .218 .283 .306 .213 70 28 1995 ABQ 73 15 1 1 1 7 3 2 .205 .275 .288 .198 14 5When he was drafted, he was supposed to be an exciting power and speed combo. Instead, he's this. Despite being a complete stiff, the Dodgers decided to challenge Martin with an AFL assignment; he took the opportunity to show that his previous seasons were what you really can expect from him.
RON MAURER 1968 2B/UTIL YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 BAK 444 105 11 2 6 37 4 4 .236 .295 .311 .213 95 36 1992 SAN 228 58 7 1 1 14 3 2 .254 .298 .307 .215 49 18 1993 SAN 38 7 2 0 0 6 0 0 .184 .295 .237 .183 7 2 1993 ABQ 110 25 3 0 2 8 1 1 .227 .280 .309 .205 23 8 1994 ABQ 120 28 4 1 1 3 1 0 .233 .252 .308 .196 23 8 1995 ABQ 180 41 9 1 4 16 1 2 .228 .291 .356 .224 40 17Maurer played all nine positions in Albuquerque's last game this year, including pitching a perfect ninth inning in a 4-2 loss. A gimmick like this should tell you how seriously to take his future. He seems to be pretty sure about his limitations, since he scabbed.
DAN MELENDEZ 1971 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 BAK 146 32 5 1 1 14 1 0 .219 .287 .288 .203 30 11 1994 SAN 161 39 4 0 7 8 0 0 .242 .278 .398 .235 38 16 1995 SAN 468 115 15 1 7 42 1 2 .246 .308 .327 .224 105 42Left-handed first baseman who hasn't hit well yet. No reason for hope so far, and the inevitable power surge when he goes to Albuquerque will be a park illusion. Definitely not a prospect, yet he got a coveted Arizona Fall League assignment, and he didn't impress anybody.
RAUL MONDESI 1971 RF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 BAK 106 25 4 1 2 1 5 2 .236 .243 .349 .212 22 9 1991 SAN 213 53 6 2 5 3 5 2 .249 .259 .366 .221 47 19 1992 SAN 69 18 1 1 2 1 3 1 .261 .271 .391 .237 16 7 1992 ABQ 134 37 2 3 5 6 2 2 .276 .307 .448 .260 35 17 1993 ABQ 405 87 11 2 8 13 10 6 .215 .239 .311 .191 77 26 1993 LAD 86 26 4 1 3 4 4 1 .302 .333 .477 .284 24 13 1994 LAD 436 141 23 7 16 17 14 9 .323 .349 .518 .295 129 72 1995 LAD 541 164 22 5 25 32 29 5 .303 .342 .501 .295 160 90 1996 PRJ 665 188 27 9 28 26 36 8 .283 .310 .477 .277 184 98His injury hurt the Dodgers in the postseason, but not as much as you'd think since he doesn't do much damage vs. LHPs. He flubbed his chance to become the regular center fielder early in the season, leading to the acquisition of Roberto Kelly, which in turn lead to the pickup of Brett Butler. He's got alot of the same problems Sammy Sosa has as a defensive player: error prone, the occasional dumb mistake, but a well-regarded throwing arm. Really improved his running game.
NOE "Bat" MUNOZ 1971 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1994 SAN 138 30 3 1 2 2 1 1 .217 .229 .297 .177 24 7 1995 ABQ 57 11 1 0 0 1 0 0 .193 .207 .211 .111 6 1Backup catcher who can't hit. Playing until he gets his shot at being a bullpen coach.
RICK PARKER 1963 UTIL YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PHX 290 76 6 4 6 19 12 3 .262 .307 .372 .246 71 32 1992 TUC 311 91 9 6 5 20 15 2 .293 .335 .408 .270 84 42 1993 TUC 115 29 5 1 2 11 4 1 .252 .317 .365 .246 28 13 1993 HOU 45 15 3 0 0 3 1 2 .333 .375 .400 .267 12 6 1994 NOR 233 62 4 0 2 25 8 4 .266 .337 .309 .235 55 24 1995 ABQ 169 39 5 1 1 23 2 4 .231 .323 .290 .214 36 14 1995 LAD 29 8 0 0 0 2 1 1 .276 .323 .276 .214 6 2A career utility man and AAA spare part.
MIKE PIAZZA 1969 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 BAK 451 110 13 1 18 24 0 1 .244 .282 .397 .235 106 46 1992 SAN 118 44 5 0 7 12 0 0 .373 .431 .593 .347 41 26 1992 ABQ 344 104 11 2 15 28 1 2 .302 .355 .477 .287 99 53 1992 LAD 70 18 1 0 2 5 0 0 .257 .307 .357 .234 16 7 1993 LAD 549 179 23 2 32 47 3 4 .326 .379 .550 .314 172 103 1994 LAD 408 137 16 1 22 34 1 3 .336 .387 .542 .315 128 76 1995 LAD 439 160 17 1 29 39 1 0 .364 .416 .606 .344 151 97 1996 PRJ 508 166 23 1 37 53 1 1 .327 .390 .594 .329 167 107Simply a great player, Piazza was the victim of obnoxious bleating to the media by some members of the pitching staff. Essentially, there were complaints about his defensive work. When this happened (in August), you would have thought there more important things for the Dodgers' pitchers to worry about, but apparently not. To be fair, Piazza does make more errors than you'd like, and he doesn't throw particularly well, but he's not really hurting the team that much with his glovework.
When Eric Karros was being a disappointment, speculating about moving Piazza might have made sense if the Dodgers could have found a catcher who could hit better than Eric Karros (so that they could move Piazza to first). Now Karros is looking pretty good, so the argument is even more pointless. Like Ted Simmons before him, with Mike Piazza you take the bad with the good, because the good is great. Hit .384 on the road, and slugged .734.
TOM PRINCE 1965 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 BUF 225 47 5 2 6 31 4 3 .209 .305 .329 .222 50 21 1991 PIT 35 10 4 0 1 7 0 0 .286 .405 .486 .308 11 7 1992 BUF 245 64 9 1 8 18 3 1 .261 .312 .404 .252 62 29 1992 PIT 44 4 3 0 0 7 1 1 .091 .216 .159 .067 3 0 1993 PIT 179 36 8 0 3 13 1 1 .201 .255 .296 .188 34 11 1994 ABQ 315 76 17 1 13 43 2 2 .241 .332 .425 .262 83 42 1995 ABQ 184 51 7 0 6 23 0 0 .277 .357 .413 .272 50 26 1995 LAD 40 9 1 1 1 4 0 0 .225 .295 .375 .233 9 4Stupid sports journalism, again: last year, Tom Prince was touted by one baseball publication as a prospect who had resurrected his career in Albuquerque. As if those previous years of failure with the Pirates had never happened... To be fair, Prince is a pretty good choice as a backup catcher, but he's no prospect, and he barely deserves regular playing time in AAA. Just because he can sock'em in the Albuquerque bandbox does not make him any better than he is.
EDDIE PYE 1967 INF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 ABQ 28 10 2 0 0 3 1 1 .357 .419 .429 .298 8 5 1992 ABQ 216 57 9 1 1 8 4 3 .264 .290 .329 .219 47 18 1993 ABQ 342 85 11 2 5 25 4 5 .249 .300 .336 .223 76 31 1994 ABQ 341 93 10 2 2 40 10 5 .273 .349 .331 .247 84 38 1995 ABQ 292 74 11 1 3 25 10 2 .253 .312 .329 .234 68 29He's old, and not really useful as a third baseman; can also play second and short.
SCOTT RICHARDSON 1971 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 BLT 476 107 16 3 2 27 24 7 .225 .266 .284 .200 95 34 1994 STO 501 115 17 2 1 55 30 8 .230 .306 .277 .217 109 43 1995 ELP 251 52 5 4 1 12 7 3 .207 .243 .271 .178 45 13A Brewers farmer who apparently suffered leg injuries last season, which took away his chief skill, his speed. I have no idea why the Dodgers picked him in the Rule V draft.
EDUARDO RIOS 1973 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 BAK 113 28 3 0 4 3 1 1 .248 .267 .381 .224 25 10 1994 VRO 526 121 15 4 13 18 2 3 .230 .256 .348 .208 110 40 1995 SAN 366 98 15 2 5 15 3 3 .268 .297 .361 .231 85 35He's a year removed from hitting well at Vero Beach, and he's young enough to put together a good career. One of the better prospects (not a good one, mind you) among the Dodgers' hoard of scrappy infielders.
WILFREDO ROMERO 1975 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 YAK 51 10 1 0 0 0 1 0 .196 .196 .216 .120 6 1 1993 BAK 76 22 3 0 1 2 2 1 .289 .308 .368 .242 18 8 1994 BAK 259 60 8 1 5 12 10 3 .232 .266 .328 .213 55 21 1994 VRO 126 25 3 0 2 7 0 1 .198 .241 .270 .166 21 6 1995 SAN 379 93 12 1 6 33 11 8 .245 .306 .330 .226 85 35Like the better stripe of Dodgers OF prospects, he's very young, and relative to older competitors in AA, did pretty well. He probably won't be a great player, but he could wind up as a major league outfielder.
VERNON SPEARMAN 1970 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 YAK 254 55 3 0 1 29 21 6 .217 .297 .240 .204 52 19 1992 VRO 282 72 10 1 1 22 19 7 .255 .309 .309 .229 64 27 1992 SAN 189 50 1 2 1 14 14 6 .265 .315 .307 .230 44 18 1993 SAN 164 39 3 1 0 10 9 2 .238 .282 .268 .204 33 12 1993 ABQ 177 33 5 2 0 13 7 2 .186 .242 .237 .166 29 8 1994 SAN 339 85 8 2 1 32 17 9 .251 .315 .295 .222 75 31 1995 SBR 359 79 8 3 2 40 20 7 .220 .298 .276 .211 76 29 1995 ABQ 28 3 0 0 1 10 2 1 .107 .342 .214 .208 6 3His big season in the California League this season isn't shown here, but it needs some qualifying statements: Spearman was older than almost everyone else in the league, and he isn't really a good prospect. He may make the majors as a pinch-runner, a la Rodney McCray, but he doesn't have a future as a regular leadoff hitter.
MILT THOMPSON 1959 PH/OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 STL 336 113 18 4 7 33 16 8 .336 .396 .476 .304 102 59 1992 STL 212 67 10 1 5 17 18 5 .316 .367 .443 .291 62 34 1993 PHI 340 89 14 2 3 40 9 4 .262 .339 .341 .246 83 38 1994 PHI 220 62 3 0 3 23 8 2 .282 .350 .336 .252 56 26 1995 HOU 134 32 8 0 2 14 4 2 .239 .311 .343 .233 31 14With Mitch Webster finished and Chris Gwynn mercifully gone, do you think the Dodgers would let a combination of rookies hold down the top pinch-hitting jobs? Neither did I. Count on Milt to get more playing time than anyone thinks reasonable if he makes the team.
BRIAN TRAXLER 1968 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SAN 382 89 10 1 7 38 1 0 .233 .302 .319 .220 84 33 1991 ABQ 27 8 1 1 1 2 0 0 .296 .345 .519 .294 8 4 1992 ABQ 381 102 14 2 11 27 1 0 .268 .316 .402 .252 96 45 1993 ABQ 412 107 15 1 11 36 0 0 .260 .319 .381 .247 102 46 1995 ABQ 342 85 12 1 9 20 1 3 .249 .290 .368 .229 78 32The rice cake-diet version of the Albuquerque slugger. Nevertheless, probably more useful than Chris Gwynn. Given that, Traxler must ask himself why he couldn't have a famous brother...
MITCH WEBSTER 1959 PH/OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CLE 32 4 0 0 0 3 3 2 .125 .200 .125 .062 2 0 1991 LAD 174 42 8 4 3 18 0 1 .241 .312 .385 .242 42 19 1992 LAD 269 81 13 5 8 29 12 5 .301 .369 .476 .294 79 45 1993 LAD 172 43 4 2 2 12 5 6 .250 .299 .331 .219 38 15 1994 LAD 85 25 3 0 4 8 1 2 .294 .355 .471 .280 24 13 1995 LAD 56 11 0 1 1 4 0 0 .196 .250 .286 .181 10 3His career is probably over. A long-time favorite of mine, and a true professional. When he was being trashed repeatedly in the papers by the Cubs during his short time there, he just went out and did his job, and put up with it. When he was benched in Cleveland, he didn't complain to beat reporters, he worked on becoming a useful role player. Chicago mediots who pine for the mythical good old days when all players were professionals and gamers should remember that all major leaguers are professionals, and some of them are certainly more so than some members of the press.
REGGIE WILLIAMS 1966 LF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PSP 45 10 0 0 1 15 3 2 .222 .417 .289 .263 12 7 1991 MID 309 75 7 2 1 45 12 5 .243 .339 .288 .230 71 30 1992 EDM 504 118 20 5 4 71 32 10 .234 .329 .317 .239 120 55 1993 VAN 476 115 11 3 2 73 37 12 .242 .342 .290 .238 114 52 1994 ABQ 274 70 10 4 2 27 19 8 .255 .322 .343 .243 66 31 1995 ABQ 225 61 8 2 6 26 6 3 .271 .347 .404 .265 60 30Just a PCL hitter, ie, one of a hundred guys who won't get a shot at a major league job. Williams could have been a useful bench player in the majors, but to get a shot now one of his minor league managers who really liked him would have to get a major league job, and then ask for Reggie Williams, and that just isn't going to happen.
Organizational Pitching Report
OPR Points: 32 Rank in MLB: 10th (T) Rank in NL West: 1st
Name Lvl Age IP Work H/G K/BB K/G ERA Adj Ttl Grade Chan Ho Park 8 5 5 0 5 0 6 0 +3 32 B K. Pincavitch 3 -1 6 0 8 4 5 6 -1 30 C+ Tom Price 3 0 7 0 3 10 0 5 +1 29 C Felix Rodriguez 8 5 1 0 2 2 6 1 +3 28 C Jody Treadwell 8 -1 6 0 3 6 1 2 +3 28 C Gary Rath 6 4 8 0 4 1 2 3 0 28 C Roberto Duran 3 1 5 0 6 2 9 3 -1 28 C Hugo Pivaral 3 7 5 0 2 4 5 0 +1 27 C- Mike Iglesias 3 1 8 0 3 6 3 2 +1 27 C- Joe LaGarde 3 5 7 0 1 1 5 1 +1 24 D Kym Ashworth 3 7 5 0 3 1 4 2 -1 24 D Jesus Martinez 6 5 7 0 3 0 1 2 -1 23 D- Eric Weaver 6 5 7 0 1 1 3 1 -1 23 D- Julio Parra 3 5 5 0 1 2 6 1 0 23 D- Best Prospect in 1994: Greg Hansell & Ismael Valdes (A-) Best Rookie Starter in 1995: Hideo Nomo (NR) Best Rookie Starter in 1995 who pitched in the Western Hemisphere in 1994: Ismael Valdes (A-)
As you can see, the Dodgers are deep. The disastrous drafts of the late '80s have been mitigated to some extent by the number of useful pitchers the Dodgers have been developing in the minors for the last few years. However, there are valid questions about how much of a future most of these guys have. On this list, only two pitchers have a realistic shot at helping the Dodgers in 1996: Park should get an opportunity at a spot in the rotation this spring, and Felix Rodriguez a chance at a job in the pen.
As for the rest, Pincavitch has essentially come from nowhere, and been used primarily as a swingman; he'll be 26 by the All-Star break, and has never escaped A-Ball, so he doesn't really have a great future ahead of him. Price has superb control (14 walks in 152 IP), but again is a swingman who isn't fooling a lot of California League batters. Treadwell and Rath could help a team right now, but are unlikely to get a shot in the spring, and will have to survive the dangers of pitching in Albuquerque in 1996. Duran and Ashworth are wild, power-pitching lefties, so you'll hear more about them in the next year if you haven't already; and Pivaral was 18 while getting knocked around in the California League; still, he showed promise. Weaver, Lagarde, and Jesus Martinez aren't really considered prospects, and Parra had to go back to the Florida State League to work in relief after getting pasted in the California League.
Touted prospects of the recent past missing from this list are Rick Gorecki and Darren Dreifort, highly regarded prospects who lost most of the season to injury, and Todd Williams, who was traded to Oakland for Dave Kingman's mouse-in-a-box. Notably missing, but currently getting attention in Baseball America's prospect lists, are Onan Masaoka and David Yocum, both lefties, but of very different types: Yocum is the Dodgers' 1995 first rounder from Florida State, and is expected to progress quickly because of his poise and college experience, while Masaoka is wild with a dominating fastball, walking 47 in 49 innings while striking out 75. They're just at the beginning of their careers, so flameouts, talent evaporation, or just plain old bad pitching could be in their futures just as easily as kudos and greatness.
PEDRO ASTACIO 1970 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 VRO 56.3 52 25 3 7 35 3.99 3 3 8.31 1.12 5.59 1991 SAN 102.7 154 64 12 35 51 5.61 4 7 13.50 3.07 4.47 1992 ABQ 92.3 112 58 13 41 65 5.65 3 7 10.92 4.00 6.34 1992 LAD 82.0 76 20 3 22 47 2.20 7 2 8.34 2.41 5.16 1993 LAD 183.7 169 74 16 74 130 3.63 11 9 8.28 3.63 6.37 1994 LAD 148.3 135 62 18 48 110 3.76 8 8 8.19 2.91 6.67 1995 LAD 103.7 108 49 13 30 80 4.25 6 6 9.38 2.60 6.95He completely flamed out in the rotation early in the season, and had to regroup in middle relief. He'd done well mixing his assortment of sinking fastball, curve and changeup in the past, but he lost control of the curve, and the change is really more of a developmental pitch. Relying on his fastball, he got hammered, but confidence in only one pitch can work in the pen. Whether he bounces back as a starter or not depends on getting his curveball working again. Locked up the Dodgers' #5 spot.
BILLY BREWER 1968 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 ROK 35.3 43 20 3 29 28 5.09 2 2 10.95 7.39 7.13 1992 WPB 32.3 39 18 1 19 30 5.01 2 2 10.86 5.29 8.35 1992 HAR 21.0 31 18 3 21 16 7.71 0 2 13.29 9.00 6.86 1993 KCR 38.7 33 14 6 19 32 3.26 2 2 7.68 4.42 7.45 1994 KCR 38.3 29 9 3 15 27 2.11 3 1 6.81 3.52 6.34 1995 KCR 44.7 56 25 6 18 34 5.04 2 3 11.28 3.63 6.85Brewer works his fastball high in the strike zone, producing flyballs that he prays stay in the park. He can probably regain some lost ground in the NL in comfortable Chavez Ravine, but giving up Offerman to get waiver-wire bait like this was simply dumb.
JASON BROSNAN 1968 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 VRO 33.7 37 31 9 24 19 8.29 1 3 9.89 6.42 5.08 1992 VRO 50.7 84 41 7 35 40 7.28 1 5 14.92 6.22 7.11 1992 SAN 29.3 50 37 14 25 21 11.35 0 3 15.34 7.67 6.44 1993 BAK 33.3 39 20 4 13 26 5.40 1 3 10.53 3.51 7.02 1993 VRO 23.0 31 23 4 21 27 9.00 0 3 12.13 8.22 10.57 1993 SAN 18.7 23 12 2 9 8 5.79 1 1 11.09 4.34 3.86 1994 SAN 28.0 39 17 3 13 23 5.46 1 2 12.54 4.18 7.39 1994 ABQ 57.3 69 28 4 30 40 4.40 3 3 10.83 4.71 6.28 1995 SAN 20.7 27 10 2 4 20 4.35 1 1 11.76 1.74 8.71 1995 ABQ 29.7 29 14 4 9 18 4.25 1 2 8.80 2.73 5.46The organization loses patience with him quickly, as he gets shuttled around to get hammered at any level; at least he's gotten better at San Antonio each of the last four years.
WILLIAM BRUNSON 1970 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 CWV 110.0 148 87 25 58 67 7.12 3 9 12.11 4.75 5.48 1994 WNS 151.7 191 91 27 64 96 5.40 6 11 11.33 3.80 5.70 1995 SBR 76.0 81 30 8 22 50 3.55 4 4 9.59 2.61 5.92 1995 SAN 72.3 115 47 7 22 41 5.85 3 5 14.31 2.74 5.10Big soft-tosser who zoomed to a 10-0 start this year in the California League. Nevertheless, like most of his species, he won't get a shot unless there's a system-wide breakdown of pitching prospects; basically an Telgheder or Otto clone.
JIM BRUSKE 1965 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CAN 74.3 90 46 7 25 30 5.57 3 5 10.90 3.03 3.63 1991 CSP 24.3 20 9 4 8 13 3.33 2 1 7.40 2.96 4.81 1992 JAC 57.7 63 28 5 18 38 4.37 3 3 9.83 2.81 5.93 1992 CSP 16.3 23 10 2 6 8 5.51 1 1 12.67 3.31 4.41 1993 JAC 90.0 97 39 9 28 65 3.90 5 5 9.70 2.80 6.50 1993 TUC 62.3 73 30 5 18 37 4.33 3 4 10.54 2.60 5.34 1994 TUC 37.0 44 17 2 8 23 4.14 2 2 10.70 1.95 5.59 1995 ABQ 107.3 125 46 7 43 99 3.86 6 6 10.48 3.61 8.30 1995 LAD 10.0 12 7 0 5 5 6.30 0 1 10.80 4.50 4.50He's pitched decently in the PCL for three years, with no job opportunities. He's had good control, and can probably help some team as a spot starter and swingman.
TOM CANDIOTTI 1958 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CLE 107.3 84 26 6 26 97 2.18 9 3 7.04 2.18 8.13 1991 TOR 127.3 135 50 6 45 95 3.53 8 6 9.54 3.18 6.71 1992 LAD 203.3 169 66 18 67 166 2.92 15 8 7.48 2.97 7.35 1993 LAD 210.7 197 80 14 78 165 3.42 13 10 8.42 3.33 7.05 1994 LAD 152.3 142 62 9 55 103 3.66 9 8 8.39 3.25 6.09 1995 LAD 189.3 197 86 19 59 140 4.09 10 11 9.36 2.80 6.65Unlike most Dodger pitchers, Candiotti doesn't do badly on the road; however, he puts up mediocre W-L records because of consistently lousy run support. He mixes in a hanging curve and a batting practice fastball with the knuckler, to change pace and confuse hitters, but he has to "challenge" them with the floater to succeed. Candiotti seems to be one of the guys frequently griping about the Dodger defense, complaining about Piazza and Offerman in particular; if he wants runs scored for him, he'd probably be better off not asking for glove men in the lineup.
NELSON CASTRO 1972 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 BAK 76.3 112 47 7 33 41 5.54 3 5 13.21 3.89 4.83 1993 SAN 24.7 40 17 4 5 12 6.20 1 2 14.59 1.82 4.38 1994 BAK 82.3 114 64 13 50 54 7.00 2 7 12.46 5.47 5.90 1994 SAN 32.3 41 23 5 24 11 6.40 1 3 11.41 6.68 3.06 1995 SAN 74.3 105 52 8 32 48 6.30 2 6 12.71 3.87 5.81A flop so far; he and Jason Brosnan probably spend a lot of time at all of San Antonio's cool hangouts.
JOHN CUMMINGS 1969 LBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SBR 111.0 147 86 16 57 84 6.97 3 9 11.92 4.62 6.81 1992 PEN 151.7 186 89 19 76 105 5.28 6 11 11.04 4.51 6.23 1993 JAX 42.3 59 28 3 9 29 5.95 2 3 12.54 1.91 6.17 1993 CLG 61.3 67 35 9 22 37 5.14 3 4 9.83 3.23 5.43 1993 SEA 45.3 60 28 6 15 22 5.56 2 3 11.91 2.98 4.37 1994 SEA 62.7 60 29 5 33 35 4.16 3 4 8.62 4.74 5.03 1995 SAN 25.3 30 14 1 7 12 4.97 1 2 10.66 2.49 4.26 1995 LAD 39.0 40 15 4 10 21 3.46 2 2 9.23 2.31 4.85Picked up from the Mariners after not really failing there, Cummings did a good job as a garbageman and middle reliever. He's got four pitches, but lives on a big curveball that he only throws effectively with no one on base. Not really suited to come in and face face single lefty batters since he's worse against lefties. With his starting experience, he could be a good middle reliever.
JOEY EISCHEN 1970 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 PCH 98.3 118 73 17 62 62 6.68 3 8 10.80 5.67 5.67 1991 WPB 35.3 44 40 13 28 21 10.19 1 3 11.21 7.13 5.35 1992 WPB 154.3 176 114 18 112 134 6.65 5 12 10.26 6.53 7.81 1993 HAR 109.7 143 69 16 66 93 5.66 4 8 11.74 5.42 7.63 1993 OTT 38.7 38 19 4 18 26 4.42 2 2 8.84 4.19 6.05 1994 OTT 59.0 56 36 9 42 52 5.49 2 5 8.54 6.41 7.93 1995 ABQ 15.7 9 0 0 3 14 .00 2 0 5.17 1.72 8.04 1995 OTT 15.0 11 5 0 9 12 3.00 1 1 6.60 5.40 7.20 1995 LAD 20.0 20 8 1 12 15 3.60 1 1 9.00 5.40 6.75Picked up from the Expos, Eischen is a solid pitching prospect as a reliever; as a starter, he wears down. With LHPs who can pop the glove being a valuable commodity, he'll be around.
JOSE GARCIA 1972 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 YAK 39.3 51 19 2 15 12 4.35 2 2 11.67 3.43 2.75 1993 BAK 25.7 50 26 7 9 19 9.12 0 3 17.53 3.16 6.66 1994 VRO 30.3 39 11 0 2 20 3.26 2 1 11.57 .59 5.93 1994 SAN 10.0 9 3 0 6 6 2.70 1 0 8.10 5.40 5.40 1994 ABQ 54.3 59 29 7 27 35 4.80 2 4 9.77 4.47 5.80 1995 SAN 54.3 52 36 8 26 34 5.96 2 4 8.61 4.31 5.63 1995 ABQ 15.0 18 9 3 7 10 5.40 1 1 10.80 4.20 6.00So far not a prospect; very wild, without fooling many batters.
MARK GUTHRIE 1966 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 MIN 96.3 130 53 8 41 84 4.95 4 7 12.15 3.83 7.85 1992 MIN 73.3 65 27 8 23 92 3.31 5 3 7.98 2.82 11.29 1993 MIN 20.7 19 8 1 15 17 3.48 1 1 8.27 6.53 7.40 1994 MIN 50.3 61 29 6 15 40 5.19 2 4 10.91 2.68 7.15 1995 MIN 41.7 46 16 3 13 52 3.46 3 2 9.94 2.81 11.23 1995 LAD 19.0 20 10 1 10 19 4.74 1 1 9.47 4.74 9.00Still recovering from the blood clot in his shoulder that derailed his '93 season, an injury which seems to have sapped his forkball of its bite. Nevertheless, he fools a lot of batters with a deceptive delivery and a mix of curves, changes and the forkball. Since Lasorda usually puts a heavier load on his top two or three relievers, Guthrie may get a lot of time in '96.
DARREN HALL 1965 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 KNX 64.0 72 31 9 29 63 4.36 3 4 10.12 4.08 8.86 1992 SYR 65.3 64 34 7 37 44 4.68 3 4 8.82 5.10 6.06 1993 SYR 75.7 80 51 14 35 61 6.07 2 6 9.52 4.16 7.26 1994 TOR 31.3 25 9 3 13 30 2.59 2 1 7.18 3.73 8.62 1995 TOR 16.0 21 8 1 8 12 4.50 1 1 11.81 4.50 6.75After being a nice success story in '94, Hall collapsed in '95 with a serious elbow injury. Whether or not he can bounce back isn't certain, and even at his best, he's a mediocre reliever. Has locked up a spot in the Dodger bullpen.
SHAWN HOLMAN 1965 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 RIC 146.7 180 80 14 52 89 4.91 6 10 11.05 3.19 5.46 1994 OTT 65.3 70 27 1 37 40 3.72 4 3 9.64 5.10 5.51 1995 ABQ 73.3 103 47 4 40 59 5.77 3 5 12.64 4.91 7.24He's very good at avoiding the long ball, and he had 31 saves in Ottawa in '94. Still, just a journeyman.
DEREK LILLIQUIST 1966 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 LVG 98.3 127 58 14 30 82 5.31 4 7 11.62 2.75 7.51 1991 SDP 14.3 27 14 4 4 8 8.79 0 2 16.95 2.51 5.02 1992 CLE 60.7 41 12 5 17 56 1.78 6 1 6.08 2.52 8.31 1993 CLE 63.3 61 18 3 17 45 2.56 5 2 8.67 2.42 6.39 1994 CLE 29.0 32 12 4 7 16 3.72 2 1 9.93 2.17 4.97 1995 ABQ 12.3 18 6 1 3 9 4.38 0 1 13.14 2.19 6.57 1995 BOS 23.0 26 13 5 7 10 5.09 1 2 10.17 2.74 3.91An example of the kind of lefty who shouldn't be a one-out role player in a bullpen. Lilliquist needs a heavier workload to keep sharp, and when he was limited to the spot duty role in '94 he faltered, resuming the wandering gypsy lifestyle of the professional left-hander.
JESUS MARTINEZ 1974 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 BAK 133.3 152 94 21 71 83 6.35 4 11 10.26 4.79 5.60 1994 VRO 81.3 102 73 17 49 58 8.08 2 7 11.29 5.42 6.42 1995 SAN 128.0 139 68 10 77 78 4.78 6 8 9.77 5.41 5.48It might be a fair observation to say that most #3 or #4 starters on a AA team need to improve if they're going to impress.
RAMON MARTINEZ 1968 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 LAD 219.0 206 88 23 72 163 3.62 13 11 8.47 2.96 6.70 1992 LAD 150.7 135 69 15 71 110 4.12 8 9 8.06 4.24 6.57 1993 LAD 208.3 208 82 16 112 135 3.54 13 10 8.99 4.84 5.83 1994 LAD 169.0 152 66 18 58 121 3.51 11 8 8.09 3.09 6.44 1995 LAD 205.3 186 88 20 83 137 3.86 12 11 8.15 3.64 6.00Tommy Lasorda did his worst at the beginning of the decade, and although it set Ramon back, it didn't ruin him. He survives on mixing his fastball and his three-finger changeup; his assortment and approach are interesting in that he's noticeably wild against left-handed hitters, but doesn't let them pound the long ball. If he was really 16 when he pitched in the Olympics in 1984, I'm the man in the moon.
TOM MCCARTHY 1962 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 RIC 80.0 85 41 5 31 49 4.61 4 5 9.56 3.49 5.51 1992 RIC 88.7 98 45 3 23 47 4.57 4 6 9.95 2.33 4.77 1993 CHR 99.7 121 61 18 31 55 5.51 4 7 10.93 2.80 4.97 1995 ABQ 45.3 58 33 6 22 28 6.55 1 4 11.51 4.37 5.56Journeyman; probably the end of the line.
MIKE MILCHIN 1968 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 ARK 34.0 29 14 3 6 32 3.71 2 2 7.68 1.59 8.47 1991 LOU 87.3 135 55 6 37 44 5.67 3 7 13.91 3.81 4.53 1992 LOU 62.0 72 43 10 32 38 6.24 2 5 10.45 4.65 5.52 1993 LOU 106.7 114 52 17 46 73 4.39 5 7 9.62 3.88 6.16 1995 ABQ 78.3 92 36 3 31 50 4.14 4 5 10.57 3.56 5.74
RAFAEL MONTALVO 1964 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 MID 52.3 88 34 5 10 24 5.85 2 4 15.13 1.72 4.13 1991 EDM 24.3 37 21 2 12 14 7.77 1 2 13.68 4.44 5.18 1995 ABQ 92.7 103 38 6 35 65 3.69 5 5 10.00 3.40 6.31Returning from a four year absence, Montalvo did a solid job as a long reliever for Albuquerque. He put in seven straight years in the PCL up through 1991; not a prospect.
HIDEO NOMO 1969 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1995 LAD 190.3 131 59 15 80 234 2.79 14 7 6.19 3.78 11.06So much has been said already that the only addition should be to point out that for entertainment value, baseball could use more big windups. He's almost a one-pitch pitcher, but what he can do with his forkball is more than most pitchers can do with an assortment.
JOHN O'DONOGHUE 1969 LBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 FRD 120.0 158 66 13 50 90 4.95 5 8 11.85 3.75 6.75 1992 HAG 106.7 88 44 13 46 74 3.71 6 6 7.43 3.88 6.24 1992 ROC 67.0 66 33 7 21 43 4.43 3 4 8.87 2.82 5.78 1993 ROC 121.0 135 62 13 47 99 4.61 6 7 10.04 3.50 7.36 1993 BAL 19.0 24 11 3 10 18 5.21 1 1 11.37 4.74 8.53 1994 ROC 97.7 146 66 11 57 70 6.08 3 8 13.45 5.25 6.45 1995 ABQ 88.0 93 48 14 26 59 4.91 4 6 9.51 2.66 6.03Surrendered nearly 20 unearned runs, which is why he looks as bad as does here as opposed to a standard stat line. No future as a major leaguer.
ANTONIO OSUNA 1973 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 YAK 23.7 23 15 4 7 21 5.70 1 2 8.75 2.66 7.99 1993 BAK 17.0 21 10 3 4 16 5.29 1 1 11.12 2.12 8.47 1994 SAN 43.7 22 9 1 20 42 1.85 4 1 4.53 4.12 8.66 1995 ABQ 17.7 14 8 3 9 19 4.08 1 1 7.13 4.58 9.68 1995 LAD 44.0 41 21 5 21 46 4.30 2 3 8.39 4.30 9.41He's got a great fastball, unfortunately without a lot of movement. Had one particularly long, bad outing at the beginning of the season, which trashed his first half; he bounced back nicely to have a strong second half, and should be the main setup man in the pen in '96. He had an especially great winter in the Mexican League as a closer, not allowing an earned run all season.
CHAN HO PARK 1973 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1994 SAN 93.3 101 55 8 64 80 5.30 4 6 9.74 6.17 7.71 1995 ABQ 103.7 87 54 13 80 101 4.69 5 7 7.55 6.95 8.77He's a wild and crazy guy, and a terror for his own catcher. He was handled carefully last season and then turned loose on the Arizona Fall League, where he was dominating and named the #5 prospect. The fast gun had him throwing 99 mph in one game, and his major task was to work on his changeup and tighten his curve, and he's definitely improved. Park has an excellent chance to win the #5 spot in the rotation from Pedro Astacio this spring.
JOSE PRADO 1972 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 VRO 51.0 48 36 7 33 26 6.35 2 4 8.47 5.82 4.59 1994 BAK 148.7 194 88 13 59 105 5.33 6 11 11.74 3.57 6.36 1995 SAN 134.0 134 74 15 70 88 4.97 6 9 9.00 4.70 5.91A solid talent, he was temporarily demoted to the pen in San Antonio to work on his control; young enough to have a future.
DAVE PYC 1971 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 VRO 102.0 111 50 4 53 67 4.41 5 6 9.79 4.68 5.91 1994 SAN 142.3 187 81 5 51 96 5.12 6 10 11.82 3.22 6.07 1995 SAN 143.7 186 76 10 52 74 4.76 7 9 11.65 3.26 4.64He's a beefy guy, but a soft-tossing groundballer. He went 12-6 with 3.38 ERA in San Antonio, but isn't being touted, and has no chance of working his way into the Dodgers' rotation anytime in the future. He scabbed.
SCOTT RADINSKY 1968 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CWS 70.0 66 21 4 23 58 2.70 5 3 8.49 2.96 7.46 1992 CWS 58.0 61 23 2 34 58 3.57 3 3 9.47 5.28 9.00 1993 CWS 53.7 65 30 3 18 51 5.03 2 4 10.90 3.02 8.55 1995 CWS 37.7 44 18 4 15 15 4.30 2 2 10.51 3.58 3.58Radinsky was placed right onto the White Sox roster while recovering from Hodgkins Disease, and pitched poorly. Apparently, he fought tooth and nail to avoid a demotion, and argued with Terry Bevington. Since the front office thought he made for a good human interest story, the team put up with his whining until he got hammered badly enough to finally force the team to demote him. His fastball hasn't put in an appearance since the illness. His troubles are no longer those of the Sox, since he was signed by the Dodgers.
GARY RATH 1973 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1994 VRO 58.0 65 31 7 26 42 4.81 2 4 10.09 4.03 6.52 1995 SAN 108.0 105 46 9 52 77 3.83 6 6 8.75 4.33 6.42 1995 ABQ 36.7 44 25 5 20 23 6.14 1 3 10.80 4.91 5.65Led the Texas League in ERA, and was named the #7 prospect in the circuit. His pitches aren't dominating, but have a lot of movement; he's only 23 and he's already being called crafty. He got knocked around in the Arizona Fall League, so he'll probably have to suffer through a season in Albuquerque in '96.
FELIX RODRIGUEZ 1973 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 VRO 120.7 117 81 33 81 68 6.04 4 9 8.73 6.04 5.07 1994 SAN 126.3 117 75 15 98 100 5.34 5 9 8.34 6.98 7.12 1995 ABQ 48.0 50 24 6 27 46 4.50 2 3 9.38 5.06 8.62 1995 LAD 10.0 12 6 2 5 5 5.40 0 1 10.80 4.50 4.50A converted catcher who just completed his third season as a pitcher. As such, he's heavily reliant on his fastball, and hasn't yet developed a reliable breaking pitch. If the Dodgers want to develop him as a starter, he'll be in Albuquerque in '96; if they decide they need bullpen help now, where he can survive with his heater alone, he'll make the team. He's being used as a closer in the Dominican winter league.
RUDY SEANEZ 1969 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CAN 36.0 21 17 5 33 63 4.25 2 2 5.25 8.25 15.75 1991 CSP 15.3 17 12 3 22 18 7.04 0 2 9.98 12.91 10.57 1993 LVG 18.0 21 11 3 11 12 5.50 1 1 10.50 5.50 6.00 1994 ABQ 20.3 25 12 2 14 24 5.31 1 1 11.07 6.20 10.62 1994 LAD 23.3 23 8 1 9 18 3.09 2 1 8.87 3.47 6.94 1995 LAD 34.0 41 25 5 19 29 6.62 1 3 10.85 5.03 7.68Another one of Fred Claire's bad ideas: giving Rudy Seanez a two-year contract. He's never been healthy because of a chronic back problem, he's never had control anywhere for any period of time, but he's got that big heater so he gets a shot without proving he knows how to pitch. When he flopped last season, the Dodgers questioned his makeup, which is a smokescreen for being surprised that he can't pitch well consistently.
KEVIN TAPANI 1964 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 MIN 239.7 253 83 23 37 157 3.12 17 10 9.50 1.39 5.90 1992 MIN 215.7 247 100 19 46 167 4.17 11 13 10.31 1.92 6.97 1993 MIN 222.3 233 92 20 50 168 3.72 13 12 9.43 2.02 6.80 1994 MIN 154.0 171 60 9 32 96 3.51 10 7 9.99 1.87 5.61 1995 MIN 131.7 152 58 17 27 96 3.96 8 7 10.39 1.85 6.56 1995 LAD 56.7 76 34 8 14 43 5.40 2 4 12.07 2.22 6.83Released in December, he's a superb control pitcher who needs a competent defense to win; going to the Dodgers wasn't exactly a good match. He's bad at holding runners, and he's consistently had horrible problems with right-handed batters. Usually, Tapani has a mediocre first half and comes around after the All-Star break; that didn't happen this year. He pitched badly in the Hump Dome this year, but posted a respectable 4.23 ERA overall on the road; for a team in a pitcher's park, he could turn out to be a cheap and useful pickup. No longer the workhorse he once was; by the sixth inning, he starts to lose it. White Sox #4 starter.
JODY TREADWELL 1969 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 BAK 82.0 110 52 16 28 59 5.71 3 6 12.07 3.07 6.48 1991 SAN 56.3 78 38 11 19 35 6.07 2 4 12.46 3.04 5.59 1992 SAN 70.0 87 48 7 48 54 6.17 2 6 11.19 6.17 6.94 1993 ABQ 96.7 114 49 8 55 89 4.56 5 6 10.61 5.12 8.29 1994 ABQ 150.7 138 61 12 61 106 3.64 9 8 8.24 3.64 6.33 1995 ABQ 119.7 117 52 19 34 79 3.91 7 6 8.80 2.56 5.94You don't hear a thing about this guy, yet he's been increasingly trusted with larger workloads as other more highly touted people either falter or move on, and he's done the job. He's gotten better in the PCL three consecutive seasons. Feeling unappreciated, he scabbed.
ISMAEL VALDES 1974 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 SAN 11.7 15 4 0 0 9 3.09 1 0 11.57 .00 6.94 1994 SAN 49.3 62 24 7 9 44 4.38 2 3 11.31 1.64 8.03 1994 ABQ 42.7 41 17 1 13 36 3.59 3 2 8.65 2.74 7.59 1994 LAD 28.3 20 8 2 10 28 2.54 2 1 6.35 3.18 8.89 1995 LAD 196.3 177 71 18 52 149 3.25 13 9 8.11 2.38 6.83Posted a 3.79 ERA on the road, 2.30 in Chavez Ravine, and 13 of the 17 homers he allowed were to left-handed batters, but those aren't really major weaknesses. Throws four pitches, all of them from the same delivery; he's not a fireballer, but a guy knows how to pitch, and that's what shot him through the system so quickly. He's murder when he gets ahead in the count, and he got better as the season went on. If Lasorda doesn't overuse him, he'll be something special, but that's the big if, as with all young Dodger pitchers.
ERIC WEAVER 1974 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 VRO 81.7 84 68 20 73 57 7.49 2 7 9.26 8.04 6.28 1993 BAK 140.7 142 89 17 121 84 5.69 5 11 9.09 7.74 5.37 1994 VRO 22.3 31 22 7 10 19 8.87 0 2 12.49 4.03 7.66 1995 SAN 129.7 156 85 16 78 99 5.90 4 10 10.83 5.41 6.87An undrafted free agent coming out of high school, he's grown into being a huge man, wild with power, works high in the strikezone alot. He was given a middle relief slot in the AFL, where he did well, but almost anyone used in the middle relief role seems to do well in the AFL.
TODD WORRELL 1960 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 STL 63.7 51 16 5 27 72 2.26 5 2 7.21 3.82 10.18 1993 LAD 38.3 47 26 7 12 33 6.10 1 3 11.03 2.82 7.75 1994 LAD 42.0 35 17 4 12 45 3.64 3 2 7.50 2.57 9.64 1995 LAD 61.7 53 15 3 20 61 2.19 5 2 7.74 2.92 8.90He's given up on his slider, and that may be the reason he stayed healthy last year. For a change of pace, he started relying on curves and changeups, which he probably hadn't used since he days as a starter low in the Cardinals' chain. The new assortment made him more effective and gave Lasorda the confidence to use Worrell on consecutive days, which considering his injury history, was a major concern going in to '95. He re-signed, and should continue to be effective.