Returning the Dodgers to Prominence (1989)

[CBeisbol]

Cardinals say Plesac

Former Dodger Dan Plesac signs with the Cardinals. He had a 2.84 FIP (2.34 ERA) in 41 innings with the Dodgers before being traded to the Pirates last year for AAA CF Scott Bullett. With Pittsburgh he had a 3.96 FIP (4.55 ERA) in 28 innings.


18 Million Reasons to Smile

The KC Royals will give John Smiley $18,700,000 over 4 years. He's coming off a 5.7 WAR season split between the Pirates and Cardinals.

Bruce Hurst also went from the nemesis Padres to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Montreal go Bass Fishing

Kevin Bass signs with the Expos for 4 years and almost 10 million. He had a 3.3 WAR 119 wRC+ season for the Tigers last year.

Expos Roster Continues to Evolve

Danny Darwin signs for 1 year and $2.4 million with Montreal. Darwin made 32 starts of 3.87 FIP ball for Canada's other major league team last season.

No Chile Reception for New York Catcher

Benito Santiago signs with the Yankees for 2 seasons at $2.5 million a year. Santiago was the Padres' starting catcher, and put up 3 WAR seaons in both 1990 and 1991 before being surplanted by Brian Downing last year. Santago still managed 1.7 WAR in 147 plate appearances on the strength of a 149 wRC+ and 43% CS rate.

Franco-phone

Julio Franco will join the roughly 8% of Torontans who speak French as he signed a 2-year deal with the Blue Jays.

The Jays also land CF Otis Nixon for 5 years and $15 million.


The Butler Will Do it in Houston

The Dodgers ended speculation surrounding CF Brett Butler when they traded him to the Houston Astros. Butler spent two seasons in LA putting up a .397/.046/124 (OBP/ISO/wRC+) line and 8.8 WAR. He had one year and a player option remaining on the contract he signed with the Giants prior to the October 1990 trade that brought him to LA along with William VanLandingham and Clay Bellinger for Henry Rodriguez, Fausto Tatis and JJ Munoz.

The Dodgers receive AAA OF Willie Ansley and A OF Gary Hurst. Ansley had a .374/.109/110 line in AAA last season. He also has above average range and speed. Hurst hit .399/.238/181 at the BC Level and .295/.181/88 after being promoted to A ball. Hurst profiles in RF with average range and a strong arm.

Wizard of Tx

Surprisingly, Ozzie, The Wizard of Oz, Smith did not re-sign with the Cardinals, but is going west to Texas. Smith has won four consecutive Gold Gloves for his play at SS (+64 ZR). He's coming of a typical Ozzie Smith season - .341/.044/89 and 4.3 WAR. He's signed for just 2 seasons at $6.6 million.

He replaces Rey Sanchez who had a +6 ZR in 83 games at SS, but hit just .286/.046/68.

Montreal Expects Chili Four Years

Chili Davis who spent last year hitting .362/.164/125 with the Giants and Mets signed a 4-year $14.5 million deal with the Expos.


HALL OF FAME

Phil Neikro and Reggie Jackson were inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame on their first tries.
Rollie Fingers and Joe Torre come close with about 70% of the vote.


Twins get to the Kruk of the Matter

John Kruk who's spent the last 4 seasons terrorizing the Dodgers with the Padres is now a Twin. Kruk, a three-time All-Star, has produced 21.7 WAR in the OOTP era for the Padres. Including a .408/.151/150 5.2 WAR season last year. He's signed for 5 years and $25 million.

Cubs add to Rotation

The Cubs signed ace SP Greg Swindel to a 6 year $27 million contract. Swindel bounced back from an injury plagued 1991 season to post a 14-11 2.72 5.4 WAR, 161 ERA+. 77 FIP- season in 1992.


A's and Dodgers Make Minor Trade

Oakland and Los Angeles completed a deal for two minor league players. Oakland sends left-handed pitcher John O'Donoghue to LA for OF Braulio Castillo. Donoghue did appear in the majors last season making 10 relief appearances and 7 starts with a 6.60 ERA and 5.87 FIP. Castillo managed a 98 wRC+ in 245 PA's with AAA Albuquerque.

(Note: the randomizer chose O'Donoghue for us out of a group including Angel Miranda and Doug Brocail).

[CBeisbol]

Guzman to Houston

Jose Guzman who went 7-0 with a 2.83 ERA down the stretch for the Padres after a July trade from Cleveland signed a huge 7-year $37 million deal to pitch for the Astros. Guzman has 12 WAR in 6 seasons and is 29 years old.

Closer Jeff Russell signed with the Cardinals for a year and $1.5 million.

Reliever Rob Murphy signs with Baltimore for $900,000.


Much needed Raines in California

The Oakland A's signed LFer Tim Raines to a 2-year $4 million deal. Raines is coming off a .367/.097/124 (OBP/ISO/wRC+) season with Montreal in which his defense and baserunning helped him rack up 5.8 WAR

Giants-Angels

The Angels and Giants completed a trade of 2 young players. 3B Charlie Hayes (2.5 WAR in 1992) goes to California in exchange for OF Dante Bichette (1.6 WAR in 1992)

[CBeisbol]

Here's a look at the catchers were are bringing to Spring Training

We're short on experience after Scioscia's retirement. But, we think we have some talent. We considered bringing in some veteren depth, but with our organizational depth at catcher, we decided against it.

Piazza rocketed up the organizational depth chart. A 134 wRC+ across 2000+ minor league plate appearances will do that. He's also above average behind the plate. We have high hopes for Lasorda's godson's brother ('s roomate's best friend's ex-petsitter's sister's boyfriend). He's got 6 years on team control and 3 options left.

We hope Darren Fletcher will be able to back him up so we have the right-handed/left-handed combination. We think Fletcher will have be an above average hitter for a catcher as he's posted a 112 wRC+ in 1500 AAA plate apperances. He's also received praise for his defense. And might be a starting catcher in his own right. Fletcher has just 93 days of MLB service time and 1 option left.

Carlos Hernandez was the backup in 1991 and started out last year as the backup to Scioscia, before Piazza's promotion. Hernandez has a 111 wRC+ in 240 MLB PA's but we don't expect him to be that kind of hitter. We also like his abilities behind the plate. Hernandez has 1 year and 78 days on the big league roster and 2 options remaining.

Also joining the team in Spring Training are Pete Gonzalez and Garrett Beard. Both have better than average plate discipline but limited other offensive skills and solid defensive skills

Note: Because of how OOTP scouting works (in OOTPXX), I'm trying to ignore any changes to players since the end of last season as I wouldn't know about them until having a chance to see players this spring.

Note 2: I didn't grab the screen shots for players until after spring had started. So, when we get to the pitchers, some of them will show as fatigued.

[majormet]

Originally Posted by CBeisbol

Guzman to Houston

Jose Guzman who went 7-0 with a 2.83 ERA down the stretch for the Padres after a July trade from Cleveland signed a huge 7-year $37 million deal to pitch for the Astros. Guzman has 12 WAR in 6 seasons and is 29 years old.

Closer Jeff Russell signed with the Cardinals for a year and $1.5 million.

Reliever Rob Murphy signs with Baltimore for $900,000.


Much needed Raines in California



The Oakland A's signed LFer Tim Raines to a 2-year $4 million deal. Raines is coming off a .367/.097/124 (OBP/ISO/wRC+) season with Montreal in which his defense and baserunning helped him rack up 5.8 WAR

Giants-Angels

The Angels and Giants completed a trade of 2 young players. 3B Charlie Hayes (2.5 WAR in 1992) goes to Oakland in exchange for OF Dante Bichette (1.6 WAR in 1992)

Wonder if Dante Bichette becomes the same player without the Coors effect in your simulation. Did he got to Oakland or Angels?

[CBeisbol]

Originally Posted by majormet

Wonder if Dante Bichette becomes the same player without the Coors effect in your simulation. Did he got to Oakland or Angels?

Bichette is a Giant

Thanks for alerting me to the mistake.

Since he's a division rival, I hope he does not.

[CBeisbol]

We're expecting the infield to lineup like this
1B Hollins
2B Offerman
3B Gaetti
SS Valentin

Hollins didn't quite live up to expectations last year after mashing the ball (171 wRC+) in almost 300 post-All-Star Break PA's in 1991. His 127 wRC+ was still excellent for a third baseman as he combines solid power with an above average eye. His 29 errors and -10 ZR last year though, prompted us to move him to 1B this year. We still expect him to get some games at third. Hollins has 5 years of team control left, and 2 options.

Offerman is expected to get the majority of the time at second base. If we believed in filling shoes, he'd have big shoes to fill replacing the retired Willie Randolph. We expect Offerman to provide above average hitting for 2B. He had a 130 wRC+ in 2200 AAA PA's. We hope the move from SS to 2B will smooth out some of the defensive issues he had (56 errors, -7 ZR in 2300 AAA innings at SS). He looked good in 234 major league PA's last year with a 112 wRC+. Offerman has 115 service days and 1 remaining option.

We brought aboard Gary Gaetti to man third base. Gaetti is coming off a down year (66 wRC+) in 1992 but was still a plus defender at 3B. We'll hope for something more like his 86 wRC+ in 1991 or 81 wRC+ in 1990.

The SS should be John Valentin. Shortstop has been a difficult position for us since I took over. We hope having Valentin under team control for 5 more seasons will end that problem. We don't expect him to compete for any platinum slugger awards, but he's solid in all areas with the bat. Similarly, he looks like an average defensive SS more than he looks like a gold glover. But, an average defensive SS who can hit a little, is a valuable player. Valentin has all his options remaining.


Chris Donnels was brought in to replace Dave Hansen who was drafted in the expansion draft (as was Donnels). Donnels put up a solid season as a regular for the Cubs last year (107 wRC+ and 2.4 WAR). He played both 2B and 3B, but is better at 3B. We like his plate discipline and extra base power as left-handed bat off the bench. Donnels is in his first arbitration year and has all 3 options left.

The last infield spot is expected to be filled by either Rafael Bournigal or Mike Benjamin. They are similar players. Both are glove first players who can handle SS and the other infield positions. Benjamin is more athletic with better range and arm, but Bournigal is extremely sure-handed. Offensively, both are lacking. Bournigal makes a lot of contact (7/8 avoid K), but doesn't drive the ball with much authority. Benjamin has a little more pop, but K's a lot more. Neither add much value by getting on base via the walk. Neither are much on the bases. Bournigal has 153 days of service and 2 options left. Benjamin was just added to the 40-man. Both guys are known to rally their teammates around them.

Other infielders of note
Eddie Pye-a sparkplug who can hit a little, but is limited a bit defensively.
Clay Bellinger-solid infield defense but not at Bournigal's nor Benjamin's level and similarly offensively limited.
Mike Bush-a Dave Hollins lite. Good power but is pushed defensively at 3B.
Brian Traxler-one of those professional hitter types, but limited to 1B
Roberto Mejia-looked like a solid defensive SS earlier. Now, he's going to have to hit to have a major league career.

[CBeisbol]

Now the Outfield.
LF Henderson
CF White
RF Bonilla

Rickey Henderson. Alamost certainly a Hall of Famer – sitting at 78.9 carrer WAR coming into the season. We expect him to continue adding huge chucks to that each season. Possibly getting to 100 WAR before his current contract expires. There isn't much he doesn't do well. Hits for power (.153 ISO) as a Dodger. Hits for average (.295 as a Dodger). Gets on base (.414 as a Dodger). Provides value on the bases (19.2 BSR as a Dodger). Plays defense (26.8 ZR as a Dodger). Creating monster value (24.2 WAR as a Dodger).

Devon White. Perhaps the best defensive OFer in baseball. He's +99 runs in CF over the last 4 seasons. At 34 we hope that elite performance will continue. He's more average with the bat, a 100 wRC+ over the last 2 seasons. Also provides value on the bases with 12.7 BSR the last 2 seasons. Again, an incredibly valuable packge (12.9 WAR the last 2 years).

Bobby Bonilla has played 3B, 1B, and RF with the Dodgers. This year, we expect him to largely play in the OF. He's not a great defender anywhere (-7.5 runs over 2 and a half seasons in LA in RF, -6 in a half season at 3B, and +.5 last year at 1B). But he can hit (158 wRC+ as a Dodger) for both power (.211 ISO in LA) and not making outs (.361 OBP).

Mike Huff has been a role player during this run. He has a 119 wRC+ and 1.5 WAR in 322 PA's the last 4 seasons. This is largely on the strength of an above average batting eye (.358 OBP). He used to be able to handle CF but looks to be more of a corner guy now. Also solid on the base paths. Can play infield in a pinch. Huff reached arbitration for the first time in the off-season and does not have any options left.

Bill Bean is the left-handed compliment to Huff. Hasn't been as good with an 82 wRC+ and .4 WAR in 250 PA's with the Dodgers. He has a knack for getting extra base hits (18 of 47 hits). Is a good enough defensive player to play CF and is decent on the bases. Also a leader in the club house. Bean is also in his first arbitration year and has 2 option years remaining.

JT Bruett is a fleet defensive OFer who was acquired for former backup catcher Tim McIntosh. Bruett caught our attention with a 128 wRC+ year in AAA last year based largely on a .429 OBP and more walks than K's and +10 defense while playing all 3 defensive positions. Bruett spent last September on the 40 man and has all 3 options left.

Billy Ashley might be next years' starter in RF. He's huge (6'7”) with huge power. He's also got enough range for CF but is prone to make errors. Despite his power and athleticism, his offensive performances in the minors have left us wanting a bit more (119 wRC+). He homered in his first MLB PA. He'll challenge for a bench spot. But, more likely he'll be playing everyday in Albuquerque. Ashley was added to the 40-man last September has has all his options remaining.

If Ashley isn't next year's RFer Raul Mondesi might be. Mondesi has exploded through the system. Starting 1991 in low A and finishing 1992 in AAA Albuquerque. He might be able to hold down CF while he's young, but he have White there so we won't need him to. He's got an above average arm for RF. Offensively, he's a bit raw, and doesn't walk as much as we'd like, but still has a .120 wRC+ across 4 minor league stops in 2 years. Mondesi was added to the 40 man this winter.

Bruce Dostal has a 135 wRC+ in the majors. Of course, that's in just 15 plate appearances. He's not that type of hitter. He's 103 wRC+ in 500 AAA PA's is more indicative. But, good on him for taking advantage of his MLB opportunities. He was called up in 1990 and 1991 as a defensive stalwart and pinch runner. He's slowed down a bit since then and was removed from the 40 man.

Willie Ansley was acquired in the Brett Butler trade. He's a plus defensive OFer and has an outstanding eye. He's spent most of his time at AA where he has a 130 wRC+ based on a .402 OBP.

[CBeisbol]

Tim Belcher. Belcher has become the staff ace. Nearly 17 WAR over the last 3 seasons. He takes the ball every day and almost always gives us a lot of good innings. He has 2 years and a bit over $4 million left on his contract.

Orel Hershiser. The previous ace. Orel was on a Hall of Fame course before his 1990 injury. A decent half a season in 1991 (92 FIP- and 1.6 WAR in 92 innings) earned him a 2 year contract with a team option. He put up a solid 1992 (87 FIP-, 3.6 WAR, 181 innings). And we expect similar this year.

Mark Langston. Acquired this off-season from Boston. He had 2 excellent seasons with the Red Sox putting up 9.6 combined WAR in 513 innings. Looking forward to continued success from Langston.

Ramon Martinez. Looked like another ace in the making. 5.5 WAR in 1990 and 7.1 WAR and a Cy Young award in 1991. Then 2.4 WAR before succumbing to injury last season. We hope he'll return to his pre-injury form.

Nolan Ryan. The Express. The Hall of Famer. He looked like he was wearing down with just 7 games in 1989, 0 games in 1990 and 20 starts in 1991. But, his 1991 performance accounted for 3.2 WAR in 99 innings. Last season, with LA, he reached 200 innings, 200 strikeouts and 6.3 WAR. He also struck out his 5000th career hitter and got his 300th career win. Ryan was one of the bright spots in a down year for the Dodgers.

Pedro Astacio. The other Pedro we hope will have a big big league career. He's soft-spoken and goes about his business. Last year his business was 135 innings of 2 WAR ball for AAA Albuquerque then 28 innings with a 130 FIP-. He'll compete for the long reliever spot.

Pedro Martinez. Ramon's little brother (and Jesus' older brother). Pedro has some excellent minor league K rates (9.5 K/9 across 573 minor league innings). Those K's have helped him to a 87 minor league FIP-. He uses a devastating (7/8) circle change. Just 21 this season, we have to decide if we want him pitching out of LA's bullpen or Albuquerque's rotation.

David Nied. Nied was acquired last off-season (for IF Mike Sharperson) to give us major league ready minor league depth. He was a good acquisition. He ended up pitching 112 innings with the Dodgers filling in for Ryan and Martinez when they were injured. He ended up with 1.2 WAR but really faded down the stretch. He's a talented arm and probably the leader for the long reliever role.

Jim Neidlinger. Neidlinger was a savior in 1990. After Hershiser went down, Neidlinger did his best Hershiser impression giving us 18 starts (119 innings) of 129 ERA+ (112 FIP-) ball. He's struggled since then though (106 FIP- in AAA) and only pitched 45 major league innings.

John O'Donoghue. O'Donoghue was acquired this off-season to give us a left-handed option.

A's and Dodgers Make Minor Trade

Oakland and Los Angeles completed a deal for two minor league players. Oakland sends left-handed pitcher John O'Donoghue to LA for OF Braulio Castillo. Donoghue did appear in the majors last season making 10 relief appearances and 7 starts with a 6.60 ERA and 5.87 FIP. Castillo managed a 98 wRC+ in 245 PA's with AAA Albuquerque.

The rotation is pretty well set with Belcher, Ramon Martinez, Langston, Ryan and Hershiser. One of the other 5 starters will make the team as the long reliever and the others will wait their turns in AAA Albuquerque.

[CBeisbol]

John Wetteland. Wetteland was supposed to be another great starter. That didn't work out. It almost didn't work out that he'd have a career in LA. He managed 37 innings from 1989 to 1991. Then just got a spot in the bullpen last year. He responded throwing fire. Ten K's per 9 and an 80 FIP- and our scouts think he has more in him than that.

Rod Beck. Earned himself a bullpen spot in spring training last year and showed he deserved it with a 44 FIP in 64 innings. Not the same pure stuff as Wetteland, but impeccible control (1.7 walks per 9).

Jim Gott. Underrated veteran who put up 2.3 WAR combined in 1991 and 1992 for St. Louis. Above average stuff, control and movement. A very good pitcher we got on a great deal.

Tom Bolton. A mediocre starter turned reliever. He struggled with Texas last year 101 FIP- before going on the DL and missing most of the season. We acquired him mostly to clear a roster spot by putting him on the 60-day DL. We'll give him a chance to earn a bullpen role.

Tony Fossas. Another left-handed releiver we grabbed on the cheap last season. His fantastic slider especially serves him vs left-handed hitters. He had a solid 1991 in Atlanta (77 FIP-) but was struggling last year (112 FIP-) when we acquired him. He pitched better for us (93 FIP-) and he's got a chance to make the bullpen this year.

Mike Munoz. A home-grown left-hander in the mix for a bullpen role. He struggled in his debut last year (20 innings, 64 ERA+, 148 FIP-) but a 70 FIP- over the last 2 AAA seasons are more indicative of his abilities, we feel.

Mike Christopher. Solid AAA performer. Might pitch some innings in the majors this year.

Darren Holmes. 13 major league innings with a 69 FIP-. That certainly overestimates his abilities. Just as his 94 FIP- in 160 AAA innings underestimates it.

Jose Melendez. Melendez has been on the cusp of the majors the last few seasons. But has failed to run with his opportunites with 36 innings of 137 FIP- performance.

Jim Poole. The last lefty under serious consideration for a spot. Poole had 36 innings with a 1.98 ERA with the Dodgers in 1991. However, his 115 FIP- reflect the struggles he had throwing strikes (5.7 BB/9).

The others, Pyc, Springer and Williams are very much longshots to make the Dodgers.

[CBeisbol]

Melendez injured
3/1 RP Jose Melendez was removed from the game today after walking Ced Landrum on 5 pitches with tightness in his back. It's not expected to be serious, but he'll miss some time decreasing his chances of making the opening day roster.

Hershiser leaves start in 2nd inning.
Orel Hershiser who didn't have a great first spring start (10 batters faced, 1 BB, 0 K's, 3 hits allowed) didn't have a much better second one. After sandwiching K's to Cecil Fielder and Brett Barberie around a walk to Mike Aldrete Hershisher had to come out of the game with hamstring tightness.

Assenmacher to Cardinals
Paul Assenmacher signs a one-year $2 million deal with the Cardinals. Assenmacher has been one of the league's better relievers with over 7 WAR in the OOTP era. Last year he was traded from Atlanta to Cleveland.

Fletcher to Red Sox
Underrated infielder Scott Fletcher signed with the Red Sox for 1 year and $1.7 million. Fletcher is an excellent defender (8.1 ZR at 2B last year) who plays all 3 non-1B positions. His ability to get the bat on the ball has allowed him to put of league average offense the last two years.

Puckett re-ups with Padres
Kirby Puckett will stay on in Sunny San Diego. Puckett was acquired by the Padres prior to the 1992 for season for SS Jose Valentin, OF Tom Goodwin, OF Vince Harris, 2B Matt Witkowski and LF Dave Staton. Puckett had a resergence with the Padres with a 5.8 WAR season which was more than what he had his in previous two seasons combined in Minnesota. The deal takes him through the 1998 season and will pay him $22 million.

Mike Benjamin to Miss Time
Mike Benjamin was pulled from the game after hitting a triple. He was diagnosed with a thigh bruise. Benjamin (hitting .300/.222/114) is competing for the backup SS role this season. Missing time isn't going to help his cause.

Eckersley to be a Father
Dennis Eckersley signes a one-year $3.9 million deal to save games for the Padres. Eckersley is coming off a 59 FIP- season worth 3.7 WAR

Padres Further Fortify Pen
After signing closer Dennis Eckersley, the Padres also sign Duane Ward. Ward has averaged 2 WAR per season in the OOTP era. He's coming off 67 innings of 69 FIP- ball in 1992.

Clay Bellinger Removed From Game
Clay Bellinger was removed in the 5th inning of the Dodgers' spring game against the Marlins. Bellinger was trying to complete a double play when he came out. He was later diagnosed with a bone marrow lesion resulting from an earlier injury. He's espected to miss significant time with the condition.

Dodgers Get Teuf
The Dodgers sign infielder Tim Teufel to a one-year minor league contract.

With expected starters 2B Jose Offerman and 3B Gary Gaetti putting up -4 and 53 spring wRC+'s, the Dodgers bring in the veteran Teufel. Teufel had a .336/.094/96 line in 134 PA's with the Mets last year and a .300/.139/94 line the year before. He played mostly second, but also third and short.

Teufel will earn $250,000 if promoted to the majors and can elect free agency on the 30th day of the season if not in the majors.

[CBeisbol]

No surprises here.

Piazza shows the above average offense we expect him to provide out of the catcher spot. Combined with above average catcher defense we expect Piazza to be an invaluable player for us for the foreseeable future.

We were hoping that Darrin Fletcher would win the backup catcher spot to have a left-handed hitting option. And we saw what we needed to see out of him. An ability to put the bat on the ball and a bit of pop when he does so. The defense has regressed, but he's still a capable backstop.

Hernandez was the primary backup in 1991 and last year until being replaced by Piazza. He'll be ready at AAA should he be needed.

[CBeisbol]

A couple of the performances were not quite where we wanted them to be.

1B Dave Hollins looks ready to build on his solid year and a half in the bigs. Avoiding strike outs, taking walks, and hitting for power.

2B Jose Offerman. The 40 wRC+ and .000 ISO don't look good. But, the 17% BB rate compared to a 11% K rate we think are more indicative of what type of hitter he is. Still, we are concerned about his inability to get hits this spring.

3B Gary Gaetti did not have a good spring with the bat with just a 38 wRC+. Unlike with Offerman, Gaetti's BB and K rates don't inspire confidence. Gaetti did look strong defensively at 3B.

SS John Valentin was one of the biggest surprises of the spring. He was about an average SS last year (-1.5 ZR) but he looked much better than that this spring. We also expect his bat to improve over last year's 83 wRC+

Chris Donnels becomes more important with Gaetti's struggles. Donnels was brought in to be a left-handed pinch hitter and backup infielder. Donnels isn't near the defender that Gaetti is, does have a strong batting eye and gap power.

Mike Benjamin is a superb defender. The question is his bat. The .258 ISO he put up this spring doesn't reflect his true abilities. Neitehr does the 11% walk rate. Benjamin missed about a week of spring training, we might prefer to start him in AAA to let him make up those plate apperances.

Rafael Bournigal. Similar to Benjamin in that defense is his calling card. But, whereas Benjamin if flashy and athletic, Bournigal is steady almost never making an error (3 errors in 386 innings at SS last year).

Eddie Pye caught some eyes this spring. Pye isn't has strong defensively as Benjamin or Bournigal, but he can play every position in the infield. He's a high energy player and his bat (116 wRC+ in AAA) is much more developed than either Benjamin or Bournigal's.

Tim Teufel was brought in late in spring training and just had a few plate appearances. He won't make the team out of spring, but he'll continue getting ready in AAA if he's needed.

[CBeisbol]

Looking good for 1993

LF Rickey Henderson. The veteran looks ready for another season of getting on base, hitting for power, and wreaking havoc on the bases.

CF Free Agent acquisition Devon White looked like everything that was advertised in the outfield – making rangey plays look routine. Offensively, he doesn't have any standout skills, other than his speed, but doesn't have any defeciencies.

RF Bobby Bonilla takes his big bat back to the OF after playing 1B last season and looked immediately comfortable there. We expect another 140 wRC+ season from Bonilla this year.

OF Left-handed hitter Bill Bean has some offensive skills and looked quicker in the OF this spring.

OF Mike Huff has always had a good eye and drawn walks to improve his OBP. He's also a good base runner. Also a solid defender in the corner OF positions.

We would have liked to see OF Billy Ashley display more of his prodigious power (and less of his swing and miss) this spring, but he didn't in his 42 PA's.

JT Bruett is fleet in the field and on the bases. He above average eye will help him get on base to use those wheels.

Raul Mondesi impressed this spring. He's solid offensively with good pop, a fast and smart base runner, and enough defense to be able to play in CF.

Willie Ansley walked in 25% of his spring plate apperances. Consistent with his 16% career minor league rate. Defensively, he's got enough range for CF.

[CBeisbol]

No real surprises with the expected rotation.

Tim Belcher. No issues in spring, and looks like he's throwing the ball as well as he did last season. But, the results weren't really there with almost as many BB's (4.7/9) as K's (5.1/9). That said, it's spring and we expect Belcher to lead the rotation this year.

Mark Langston. Was the spring ace. Completed all his scheduled innings without incident and had very good results. Look forward to having him in the rotation this season.

Ramon Martinez. Also completed his spring schedule. Didn't look as sharp as before his late season injury last year. We hope he'll shake it off and get back to his pre-injuy performance.

Nolan Ryan. Missed one spring inning due to a high pitch count. Also struggled this spring (4.9 BB/9 and just 2.9 K/9). His velocity is also down compared to last year. Hoping it's just taking him a while to get going.

Orel Hershiser. A few innings short due to a minor spring injury. Outside of that he looked good and had good results. Ready to go for 1993.

David Nied. Didn't finish all his spring innings and never got his control where it needs to be. Though, he only walked 1 in his last 3 inning outing. The K's were there but the stuff looks diminised compared to last season. Didn't help in securing his spot on the opening day roster.

Pedro Astacio. Astacio looked very good this spring (0.9 BB/9 and 9.0 K/9) and didn't allow a run. Didn't steal a rotation spot from anyone, but made a case for starting the year in LA.

Pedro Martinez. Used his devastating change up to good effect (11.2 K/9) but struggled with control (5.6 BB/9). Definitely the highest ceiling of anyone vying for a spot. Would we rather have him in AAA making starts or pitching out of the big league bullpen?

John O'Donoghue. Definitely caught some eyes with his .9 BB/9 and 11.7 K/9 this spring, including striking out 9 of his last 15 hitters faced.

[CBeisbol]

John Wetteland was throwing flames. Control looks a little bitter than last year. We expect big things from him this year.

Rod Beck. Doesn't throw as hard as Wetteland, but his command makes him nearly as effective. Looking forward to having these two in the bullpen for a while.

Jim Gott. The solid performer we signed in the off season.

Tom Bolton. The left-hander's stuff looked good, but the results weren't quite there. Especially in regards to control. We think he'll get that worked out pretty quickly.

Tony Fossas. Didn't allow a run in 10 apperances. Again, didn't have his control worked out yet, but the stuff looked good.

Mike Munoz. Had a good spring. Came in ready and competed for a spot on the roster.

Mike Christopher. Also had a good spring. But displacing Wetteland, Beck or Gott is a tall order.

Darren Holmes. Also impressed. The stuff looked better than last season. But, again, the guys in front of him are pretty darn good.

Jose Melendez. Missing a week didn't help his cause. But, had excellent spring results. Doesn't have the pure stuff of some other guys and did it against lesser opponents. Out of options so that'll factor into his future.

Jim Poole. Lefty continues to struggle with control. Blew some guys away though.

[CBeisbol]

A few decisions to make for opening day

The first is the Backup SS Position.
Mike Benjamin, Rafael Bournigal and Eddie Pye were the names we were considering.

Unfortunately, starting SS John Valentin was diagnosed with a minor injury and will begin the year on the IL (NOTE: Valentin missed the beginning of the IRL 1993 season). So, now we have 2 positions. We decide that Eddie Pye and Mike Benjamin will start the season with the Dodgers. Congratulations to both who will be on the major league roster for the first time.


Next the Backup Outfielders
Billy Bean, JT Bruett, Mike Huff and Billy Ashley

Bean makes it as the left-handed pinch hitter. Bruett makes it as the back up CF, pinch runner, and defensive replacement. Who's the right-handed pinch hitter? Mike Huff who excells in drawing walks and getting on base? Or Billy Ashley's raw power? We decide on Huff as we prefer to have Ashley playing every day in AAA.


Right-Handed Relievers
Jim Gott, John Wetteland and Rod Beck hold off Jose Melendez.


Left-Handed relievers
Two of: Tom Bolton, Tony Fossas, Mike Munoz, and Jim Poole will make the roster.

No surprises. Bolton and Fossas who have the most MLB experience will start the season in LA.


Long Releiver
The most difficult decision
Pedro Astacio, David Nied, Pedro Martinez and John O'Donoghue

Pedro Martinez is the youngest and most talented. He'll go to AAA to continue as a regular starter.

O'Donoghue probably looked the best in spring. But, he goes to AAA to show that he can maintain that peformance.

David Nied. We had hoped that he'd be ready for a rotation spot this season when we traded Mike Sharperson for him. He's regressed since then. We think that having him get regular work in AAA is more likely to get him straightened out than pitching sporadically in LA

Congratulations to Pedro Astacio for making his first opening day roster.

[CBeisbol]

Relief Pitcher Jose Melendez was out of options and didn't make the opending day roster. He and RP Zak Shinall were shipped to Cleveland for C Steve Bieser.

Bieser is very vesatile, playing C, 2B, 3B and all the OF positions. This hints at his athleticism, he's also fast and good on the bases. Hitting is a problem, though. He has just a 96 wRC+ through 1700 minor league plate apperances which he did, however, equal at AAA last season. He is on the 40 man roster, but his versatility, we think, makes him a useful player.

[CBeisbol]

The Dodgers continue to shape the edges of their 40-man roster. Add left-handed pitcher Angel Miranda. Miranda gets some strike outs with his slider but walks a few batters and gives up some home runs. In exchange the Brewers get C Pete Gonzalez and P William Wengert. Miranda is on the 40-man roster.

[CBeisbol]

The #1 Prospect in baseball is C Carlos Delgado of the Blue Jays

The Dodgers place RSP Pedro Martinez in the top 10

Also
#16 OF Raul Mondesi
#29 RSP Pedro Astacio
#53 OF Todd Hollandsworth
#54 C Paul LoDuca
#55 RSP Ismael Valdez
#99 OF Chris Latham

[CBeisbol]

Our first game of 1993 is the Florida Marlins' first ever game

Here's the opening lineups.