GaryMrMets
02-11-2003, 01:37 AM
Dodgers Revamp Lineup With Collection of Lefties
By JOHN NADEL
.c The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (Feb. 10) -- In search of their first playoff berth since 1996, the Los Angeles Dodgers have taken a left turn.
General manager Dan Evans believes that's the right way to go.
"We had trouble with right-handers last year,'' Evans said. "Considering as many as three-fourths of the starters are right-handed, we just felt we were too right-handed a club.''
The Dodgers made a major move to the left when Evans traded first baseman Eric Karros and second baseman Mark Grudzielanek -- both right-handed batters -- to the Chicago Cubs during the offseason.
Their replacements figure to be free-agent signee Fred McGriff at first and rookie Joe Thurston or returnee Alex Cora at second. All hit left-handed.
"We wanted to be more left-handed and we achieved that,'' Evans said. "We just didn't have much on offense aside from Shawn Green on that side of the plate. This is a left-handed game in many ways.''
Green had 42 of the 54 homers hit by left-handed Los Angeles batters last season.
Besides becoming more left-handed by adding McGriff, Daryle Ward and the switch-hitting Todd Hundley, the Dodgers enter spring training with fewer uncertainties than last year. And, Evans believes, more options.
"We had all sorts of questions,'' he said. "Who's going to play center field? Who will hit leadoff? Who will play shortstop? Who will be the closer? Who will start? I think we got most of them answered. And now, we have more choices.
"These are baseball decisions now and we're really excited about that. We don't have a patchwork situation here. This is a club that's coming off 92 wins with very few defections.''
It all begins Wednesday for the Dodgers when pitchers and catchers report to Vero Beach, Fla. The first workout will be Thursday and the remainder of the squad reports Monday.
Under second-year manager Jim Tracy, the Dodgers had a 92-70 record last season -- their best since 1991 and six games better than 2001. But it wasn't enough to make the playoffs.
"You really never know how many wins it's going to take to get in, so that's not a way to set your goal,'' Evans said. "You can only control one of the 30 clubs, and that's your own.''
The Dodgers' lineup appears reasonably set with Paul Lo Duca at catcher, McGriff at first, Cora or Thurston at second, Cora or Cesar Izturis at shortstop, Adrian Beltre at third and Brian Jordan, Dave Roberts and Green in the outfield.
Roberts provided a positive answer to the center field and leadoff questions last year; Izturis and Cora gave the Dodgers excellent defensive work at shortstop, and Cora was surprisingly effective on offense, too.
Evans is high on the 23-year-old Thurston, a fourth-round draft pick in 1999 who hit .334 with 12 homers, 55 RBI and 22 stolen bases for Triple-A Las Vegas last year.
The Dodgers were in contention last season until the next-to-last day despite being 15th in the NL in on-base percentage and having high-priced pitchers Kevin Brown and Darren Dreifort limited by injury to 10 starts -- all by Brown.
"The reports on both are good,'' Evans said.
Dreifort, who signed a $55 million, five-year contract two years ago, hasn't pitched since elbow surgery on July 9, 2001.
Brown, who turns 38 next month, made only 19 starts in 2001 and 10 last year because of various injuries. He signed a $105 million, seven-year contract in December 1998.
"Luckily we've got four guys coming back who we don't have any concerns about,'' Evans said, a reference to Hideo Nomo (16-6), Odalis Perez (15-10), Kazuhisa Ishii (14-10) and Andy Ashby (9-13).
The bullpen seems strong with closer Eric Gagne and setup man Paul Quantrill. Gagne had 52 saves last year in his first season, the fifth-most in any season.
"I'm excited about the start of spring training and for all the right reasons,'' Tracy said. "I'm also cautiously optimistic. I say that for the fact that we're not certain as to the status of a couple of our starting pitchers.
"You certainly don't want to try and reinvent the wheel when you're coming off a season where you won 92 games. (But) I do think we improved during the offseason.''
02/10/03 14:11 EST
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
By JOHN NADEL
.c The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (Feb. 10) -- In search of their first playoff berth since 1996, the Los Angeles Dodgers have taken a left turn.
General manager Dan Evans believes that's the right way to go.
"We had trouble with right-handers last year,'' Evans said. "Considering as many as three-fourths of the starters are right-handed, we just felt we were too right-handed a club.''
The Dodgers made a major move to the left when Evans traded first baseman Eric Karros and second baseman Mark Grudzielanek -- both right-handed batters -- to the Chicago Cubs during the offseason.
Their replacements figure to be free-agent signee Fred McGriff at first and rookie Joe Thurston or returnee Alex Cora at second. All hit left-handed.
"We wanted to be more left-handed and we achieved that,'' Evans said. "We just didn't have much on offense aside from Shawn Green on that side of the plate. This is a left-handed game in many ways.''
Green had 42 of the 54 homers hit by left-handed Los Angeles batters last season.
Besides becoming more left-handed by adding McGriff, Daryle Ward and the switch-hitting Todd Hundley, the Dodgers enter spring training with fewer uncertainties than last year. And, Evans believes, more options.
"We had all sorts of questions,'' he said. "Who's going to play center field? Who will hit leadoff? Who will play shortstop? Who will be the closer? Who will start? I think we got most of them answered. And now, we have more choices.
"These are baseball decisions now and we're really excited about that. We don't have a patchwork situation here. This is a club that's coming off 92 wins with very few defections.''
It all begins Wednesday for the Dodgers when pitchers and catchers report to Vero Beach, Fla. The first workout will be Thursday and the remainder of the squad reports Monday.
Under second-year manager Jim Tracy, the Dodgers had a 92-70 record last season -- their best since 1991 and six games better than 2001. But it wasn't enough to make the playoffs.
"You really never know how many wins it's going to take to get in, so that's not a way to set your goal,'' Evans said. "You can only control one of the 30 clubs, and that's your own.''
The Dodgers' lineup appears reasonably set with Paul Lo Duca at catcher, McGriff at first, Cora or Thurston at second, Cora or Cesar Izturis at shortstop, Adrian Beltre at third and Brian Jordan, Dave Roberts and Green in the outfield.
Roberts provided a positive answer to the center field and leadoff questions last year; Izturis and Cora gave the Dodgers excellent defensive work at shortstop, and Cora was surprisingly effective on offense, too.
Evans is high on the 23-year-old Thurston, a fourth-round draft pick in 1999 who hit .334 with 12 homers, 55 RBI and 22 stolen bases for Triple-A Las Vegas last year.
The Dodgers were in contention last season until the next-to-last day despite being 15th in the NL in on-base percentage and having high-priced pitchers Kevin Brown and Darren Dreifort limited by injury to 10 starts -- all by Brown.
"The reports on both are good,'' Evans said.
Dreifort, who signed a $55 million, five-year contract two years ago, hasn't pitched since elbow surgery on July 9, 2001.
Brown, who turns 38 next month, made only 19 starts in 2001 and 10 last year because of various injuries. He signed a $105 million, seven-year contract in December 1998.
"Luckily we've got four guys coming back who we don't have any concerns about,'' Evans said, a reference to Hideo Nomo (16-6), Odalis Perez (15-10), Kazuhisa Ishii (14-10) and Andy Ashby (9-13).
The bullpen seems strong with closer Eric Gagne and setup man Paul Quantrill. Gagne had 52 saves last year in his first season, the fifth-most in any season.
"I'm excited about the start of spring training and for all the right reasons,'' Tracy said. "I'm also cautiously optimistic. I say that for the fact that we're not certain as to the status of a couple of our starting pitchers.
"You certainly don't want to try and reinvent the wheel when you're coming off a season where you won 92 games. (But) I do think we improved during the offseason.''
02/10/03 14:11 EST
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.