1998 Post-Season Review -- Los Angeles Dodgers

By Tom Ruane
January 21, 1999

This article takes a look at how the Los Angeles Dodgers did in the 1998 season relative to pre-season expectations. For an overview of the approach used in this review, and a definition of some of the key terms and statistics, please see the overview page called 1998 Team-by-Team Performance Reviews.

Capsule Summary

                 Projected  Actual
Runs for            785      669
Runs allowed        669      678
Run Margin          116       -9
Wins                 93       83
Pythagorean wins     94       80
Placement           1st      3rd

The Dodgers didn't do anything too dramatic during the last off-season. They lost Greg Gagne, Otis Nixon and Tom Candiotti to free agency and Brett Butler and Todd Worrell to retirement, but except for signing Jose Vizcaino to replace Gagne, began 1998 with the same key players they had in 1997. Much of this inactivity was caused by the pending sale of the team to Rupert Murdoch, and most of the attention prior to the start of the season was on Mike Piazza's contract negotiations.

Once the sale went through and the season began, however, the quiet was ended by one of the biggest trades in baseball history. Convinced that they would be unable to meet Piazza's contract demands, the Dodgers sent him and third baseman Todd Zeile to the Marlins on May 15th for Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, Charles Johnson and two other players. It was an awful trade for the Dodgers. Both Bonilla and Johnson had miserable years and while Sheffield hit well when he was in the lineup, he didn't come close to doing as well as Piazza did in New York. It seems curious that the Dodgers, who had criticized Piazza's leadership skills in the past, would have chosen to replace him with players like Bonilla and Sheffield.

A little more than a month after "The Trade" both GM Fred Claire (who had little to do with the Piazza deal) and manager Bill Russell were fired and replaced with Tommy Lasorda (GM) and Glenn Hoffman. The team played about .500 ball all season, which was much worse than we had anticipated. Of course, the players taking the field in Dodgers uniforms by the end of season weren't quite the ones we had expected to see either.

Key Position Players

Los Angeles scored 116 fewer runs than we thought they would in 1998. Much of this was caused by exchanging Charles Johnson for Mike Piazza behind the plate and Bobby Bonilla/Adrian Beltre for Todd Zeile at third. The poor early season hitting of Konerko also hurt, as did the injury to Vizcaino and Mondesi's late season slump. There were very few pleasant surprises to offset the unpleasant ones, but Karros did hit a little better than anticipated as did Eric Young.

Mike Piazza, C, age 29 (as of July 1, 1998)

                AB   H 2B 3B HR   R RBI HP   W IW   K SB CS   AVG   OBP   SPC   OPS  RC
Projection LA  607 210 27  0 41 108 125  2  82 16  95  2  1  .346  .424  .593 1.017 150
Prorated   LA  141  49  6  0 10  25  29  0  19  4  22  0  0  .346  .424  .593 1.017  35
Actual     LA  149  42  5  0  9  20  30  0  11  4  27  0  0  .282  .329  .497  .826  24
Actual     FLO  18   5  0  1  0   1   5  0   0  0   0  0  0  .278  .263  .389  .652   2
Actual     NYN 394 137 33  0 23  67  76  2  47 10  53  1  0  .348  .417  .607 1.024  98
Actual     TOT 561 184 38  1 32  88 111  2  58 14  80  1  0  .328  .390  .570  .960 123

Despite hitting three grand-slams and winning two NL Player of the Week awards in April, Piazza was off to a slow start (for him) when he was dealt to the Marlins in the middle of May. As expected, he eventually started to hit and continued to stake his claim as the greatest hitting catcher in major league history. Considering the size of the salary obligations assumed by the Dodgers when they picked up Bonilla and Sheffield (over $16 million for each of the next three years), it's a wonder that Los Angeles didn't simply give Piazza the money he wanted.

Charles Johnson, C, age 26

                AB   H 2B 3B HR   R RBI HP   W IW   K SB CS   AVG   OBP   SPC   OPS  RC
Projection FLO 524 126 27  1 22  54  69  4  68  7 128  0  1  .240  .330  .422  .752  71
Prorated   FLO 113  27  6  0  5  12  15  1  15  2  28  0  0  .240  .330  .422  .752  15
Actual     FLO 113  25  5  0  7  13  23  0  16  0  30  0  1  .221  .315  .451  .767  16
Actual     LA  346  75 13  0 12  31  35  1  29  1  99  0  1  .217  .279  .358  .638  33
Actual     TOT 459 100 18  0 19  44  58  1  45  1 129  0  2  .218  .289  .381  .670  49

Johnson, who was doing about as well as expected prior to his trade, hit much worse after coming to Los Angeles. He basically returned to the way he had hit prior to his All-Star campaign in 1997. His road stats with the Dodgers were terrible: 3 HRs, 14 RBIs and a .182 batting average.

Eric Karros, 1B, age 30

                AB   H 2B 3B HR   R RBI HP   W IW   K SB CS   AVG   OBP   SPC   OPS  RC
Projection LA  485 126 22  1 24  66  82  2  49  2  95  8  2  .260  .327  .458  .784  72
Prorated   LA  505 131 23  1 25  69  85  2  51  2  99  8  2  .260  .327  .458  .784  75
Actual     LA  507 150 20  1 23  59  87  3  47  1  93  7  2  .296  .355  .475  .830  88

Karros missed the first four weeks of the season after having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. He started slowly and near the end of May was hitting only .253 with a single home run. He caught fire after that and finished with the second best season of his career.

Paul Konerko, 1B/3B/LF, age 22

                AB   H 2B 3B HR   R RBI HP   W IW   K SB CS   AVG   OBP   SPC   OPS  RC
Projection LA  156  39  7  0  9  21  28  2  16  0  23  0  0  .250  .324  .468  .792  23
Prorated   LA  140  35  6  0  8  19  25  2  14  0  21  0  0  .250  .324  .468  .792  21
Actual     LA  144  31  1  0  4  14  16  2  10  0  30  0  1  .215  .272  .306  .578  11
Actual     CIN  73  16  3  0  3   7  13  1   6  0  10  0  0  .219  .284  .384  .668   7
Actual     TOT 217  47  4  0  7  21  29  3  16  0  40  0  1  .217  .276  .332  .608  18

We expected Konerko to hit well in very limited duty in 1998. A pre-season injury to Karros gave him an opportunity to play, but Konerko struggled and was sent to the minors as soon as Karros was ready to go. The Dodgers recalled him a month later and he continued to slump until new-GM Lasorda sent him and pitcher Dennis Reyes to the Reds for closer Jeff Shaw. It was, to say the least, a surprising move, in that the Dodgers seemed to be giving up on one of the top prospects in baseball after only a brief trial. In return, they got an all-star reliever to replace Osuna, who had a 1.59 ERA at the time of the deal.

Eric Young, 2B, age 31

                AB   H 2B 3B HR   R RBI HP   W IW   K SB CS   AVG   OBP   SPC   OPS  RC
Projection LA  582 146 23  4  4  83  48 13  64  1  48 42 15  .251  .336  .325  .661  69
Prorated   LA  446 112 18  3  3  64  37 10  49  1  37 32 12  .251  .336  .325  .661  53
Actual     LA  452 129 24  1  8  78  43  5  45  0  32 42 13  .285  .355  .396  .751  69

Despite missing two and a half weeks at the end of July with a strained quadricep, Young had a productive season for the Dodgers. He had always hit much better at home than on the road and this trend continued last year. His previous success at home made sense--prior to his trade to the Los Angeles, he had spent nearly five years in Colorado--but Dodger Stadium is a pitchers park and Young still hit nearly 60 points higher (along with seven of his eight home runs) at home in 1998.

Wilton Guerrero, 2B/SS, age 23

                AB   H 2B 3B HR   R RBI HP   W IW   K SB CS   AVG   OBP   SPC   OPS  RC
Projection LA   90  26  3  1  1  11   6  0   3  0  13  3  3  .289  .312  .378  .690  10
Prorated   LA  178  51  6  2  2  22  12  0   6  0  26  6  6  .289  .312  .378  .690  20
Actual     LA  180  51  4  3  0  21   7  1   4  0  33  5  2  .283  .299  .339  .638  18
Actual     MON 222  63 10  6  2  29  20  0  10  0  30  3  0  .284  .313  .410  .723  30
Actual     TOT 402 114 14  9  2  50  27  1  14  0  63  8  2  .284  .307  .378  .685  48

Guerrero lost his second base job at the end of 1997 when the Dodgers picked up Young from the Rockies. He attempted to learn the outfield in spring training, and was a backup at second, short and left field before being demoted to the minors following the Piazza deal. He was recalled when Vizcaino went on the DL at the end of June and was traded to the Expos a month later.

Jose Vizcaino, SS, age 30

                AB   H 2B 3B HR   R RBI HP   W IW   K SB CS   AVG   OBP   SPC   OPS  RC
Projection LA  638 169 19  7  2  78  52  1  46  1  96 11  8  .265  .314  .326  .640  65
Prorated   LA  243  64  7  3  1  30  20  0  18  0  37  4  3  .265  .314  .326  .640  25
Actual     LA  237  62  9  0  3  30  29  1  17  0  35  7  3  .262  .311  .338  .649  26

Signed as a free agent to replace Gagne at short, he went on the disabled list the third week in June with a sprained ankle and was through for the season.

Juan Castro, SS/2B/3B, age 26

                AB   H 2B 3B HR   R RBI HP   W IW   K SB CS   AVG   OBP   SPC   OPS  RC
Projection LA   70  14  3  1  0   6   5  0   4  0  14  0  0  .200  .243  .271  .515   4
Prorated   LA  230  46 10  3  0  20  16  0  13  0  46  0  0  .200  .243  .271  .515  14
Actual     LA  220  43  7  0  2  25  14  0  15  0  37  0  0  .195  .245  .255  .499  14

Castro got an opportunity to play when Vizcaino was injured but didn't hit. He had done pretty well at the AAA level, but has yet to do anything with the bat in the major leagues.

Mark Grudzielanek, SS, age 28

                AB   H 2B 3B HR   R RBI HP   W IW   K SB CS   AVG   OBP   SPC   OPS  RC
Projection MON 639 177 43  3  4  80  48 10  24  2  80 26  8  .277  .312  .372  .685  74
Prorated   MON 410 114 28  2  3  51  31  6  15  1  51 17  5  .277  .312  .372  .685  47
Actual     MON 396 109 15  1  8  51  41  9  21  1  50 11  5  .275  .323  .379  .702  47
Actual     LA  193  51  6  0  2  11  21  2   5  1  23  7  0  .264  .286  .326  .612  18
Actual     TOT 589 160 21  1 10  62  62 11  26  2  73 18  5  .272  .311  .362  .673  65

He was obtained in a trade with the Expos at the end of July and was the Dodgers regular shortstop for the last two months. I'm willing to give the Dodgers the benefit of the doubt and assume that Carlos Perez (who also came from the Expos in the trade) was the principal motivation behind the transaction. Grudzielanek did a lot of complaining in 1998 about the Expos' inability to field a playoff-caliber team. What he apparently didn't realize was that most top echelon teams aren't forced to carry shortstops as poor as Mark. The plan is to move him to third when Vizcaino returns in 1999. Grudzielanek is a poor fielding shortstop, and while he might be able to handle the defensive demands of his new position, playing third might further highlight his offensive shortcomings.

Todd Zeile, 3B, age 32

                AB   H 2B 3B HR   R RBI HP   W IW   K SB CS   AVG   OBP   SPC   OPS  RC
Projection LA  536 134 19  0 23  70  76  4  74  5 100  3  4  .250  .342  .414  .757  76
Prorated   LA  147  37  5  0  6  19  21  1  20  1  27  1  1  .250  .342  .414  .757  21
Actual     LA  158  40  6  1  7  22  27  1  10  0  24  1  1  .253  .300  .437  .737  19
Actual     FLO 234  68 12  1  6  37  39  2  31  2  34  2  3  .291  .374  .427  .801  39
Actual     TEX 180  47 14  1  6  26  28  1  28  0  32  1  0  .261  .358  .450  .808  31
Actual     TOT 572 155 32  3 19  85  84  4  69  2  90  4  4  .271  .350  .437  .787  89

He hit slightly better than we expected (and for a lot more teams too). He has now played for seven teams in the last four years.

Adrian Beltre, 3B, age 20

                AB   H 2B 3B HR   R RBI HP   W IW   K SB CS   AVG   OBP   SPC   OPS  RC
Actual     LA  195  42  9  0  7  18  22  3  14  0  37  3  1  .215  .278  .369  .648  20

The top prospect in the Dodgers' farm system, Beltre had never played above class A prior to 1998 and we didn't think he'd see any action last season. The trade of Konerko and Zeile, as well as the injury to Bonilla, opened up a roster spot for him in late June. He seemed overmatched at times, but hit extremely well (1.094 OPS) at AA last year and should improve quite a bit in 1999.

Bobby Bonilla, 3B/LF, age 35

                AB   H 2B 3B HR   R RBI HP   W IW   K SB CS   AVG   OBP   SPC   OPS  RC
Projection FLO 518 149 30  4 18  77  88  4  60  7  82  2  4  .288  .360  .465  .825  86
Prorated   FLO  96  28  6  1  3  14  16  1  11  1  15  0  1  .288  .360  .465  .825  16
Actual     FLO  97  27  5  0  4  11  15  0  12  1  22  0  1  .278  .355  .454  .808  14
Actual     LA  236  56  6  1  7  28  30  0  29  3  37  1  1  .237  .315  .360  .675  26
Actual     TOT 333  83 11  1 11  39  45  0  41  4  59  1  2  .249  .326  .387  .714  40

Bonilla came to the Dodgers in "The Trade" during May but missed a lot of time due to wrist, shoulder and Achilles tendon problems. He ended up with his worst year at the plate since his 1986 rookie campaign.

Roger Cedeno, LF/CF/RF, age 23

                AB   H 2B 3B HR   R RBI HP   W IW   K SB CS   AVG   OBP   SPC   OPS  RC
Projection LA  481 120 19  5  5  65  38  5  64  3  96 22  7  .249  .342  .341  .683  63
Prorated   LA  234  58  9  2  2  32  18  2  31  1  47 11  3  .249  .342  .341  .683  31
Actual     LA  240  58 11  1  2  33  17  0  27  2  57  8  2  .242  .317  .321  .638  27

Cedeno was expected to take the centerfield job following Butler's retirement, but he started the season on the DL with a strained right hamstring and didn't play until April 24th. A couple of weeks later he lost his job in the wake of the Piazza deal, and ended up hitting worse than we thought. Despite his age, Cedeno is fast running out of opportunities to prove himself in the major leagues.

Todd Hollandsworth, LF/CF, age 25

                AB   H 2B 3B HR   R RBI HP   W IW   K SB CS   AVG   OBP   SPC   OPS  RC
Projection LA  559 153 32  5 12  78  68  2  44  3 109 17  9  .274  .327  .413  .741  76
Prorated   LA  171  47 10  2  4  24  21  1  13  1  33  5  3  .274  .327  .413  .741  23
Actual     LA  175  47  6  4  3  23  20  1   9  0  42  4  3  .269  .308  .400  .708  21

Team officials chalked up Hollandsworth's poor 1997 season to injuries and the sophomore jinx. Well, 1998 was even worse and at this point the days might be numbered for this ex-Rookie of the Year. He was the regular left-fielder at the start of the season and was in the process of playing his way out of the lineup when he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery at the beginning of June.

Matt Luke, LF/1B/RF, age 27

                AB   H 2B 3B HR   R RBI HP   W IW   K SB CS   AVG   OBP   SPC   OPS  RC
Actual     LA  237  56 12  1 12  34  34  1  17  2  60  2  1  .236  .289  .447  .736  30
Actual     CLE   2   0  0  0  0   0   0  0   0  0   0  0  0  .000  .000  .000  .000   0

No projection. He was picked up on waivers from the Yankees in the off-season and, after hitting .228 (with 8 home runs) at AAA in 1997, did not look like a good bet to make the Dodgers in 1998. He hit well in spring training and his hot hitting through the first six weeks of the season got him a lot of playing time alongside the disappointing Hollandsworth. He was waived to Cleveland in June, sold back to the Dodgers two weeks later, and spent the rest of the year spot starting at three positions.

Raul Mondesi, CF/RF, age 27

                AB   H 2B 3B HR   R RBI HP   W IW   K SB CS   AVG   OBP   SPC   OPS  RC
Projection LA  554 167 35  5 25  88  80  5  38  7 100 23 10  .301  .350  .518  .868  99
Prorated   LA  570 172 36  5 26  90  82  5  39  7 103 24 10  .301  .350  .518  .868 102
Actual     LA  580 162 26  5 30  85  90  3  30  4 112 16 10  .279  .316  .497  .813  88

He started the season in right, but moved to center when Sheffield arrived from Florida. Mondesi possesses an outstanding arm and decent range for a right fielder, but he's not in the same league as the better defensive CFs in baseball. After suffering from back pain in early August, Mondesi hit only .231 down the stretch. He blamed the shift to center on his late-season slump and made it clear that he wanted to return to right field in 1999. Of course, right field is usually where Gary Sheffield is standing while the rest of his teammates are on defense.

Trenidad Hubbard, CF/LF, age 32

                AB   H 2B 3B HR   R RBI HP   W IW   K SB CS   AVG   OBP   SPC   OPS  RC
Projection LA   67  18  3  1  2  10   7  1   8  0  10  3  2  .269  .351  .433  .783  10
Prorated   LA  204  55  9  3  6  31  21  3  24  0  31  9  6  .269  .351  .433  .783  30
Actual     LA  208  62  9  1  7  29  18  3  18  0  46  9  5  .298  .358  .452  .810  33

He got a chance to play when Cedeno was injured. Hubbard went on the DL in the middle of May with knee problems, but came back toward the end of June and played quite a bit during the second half of the season, putting up the best numbers of his career.

Gary Sheffield, RF, age 29

                AB   H 2B 3B HR   R RBI HP   W IW   K SB CS   AVG   OBP   SPC   OPS  RC
Projection FLO 444 124 24  1 27  94  85 12 117 13  71 13  8  .279  .438  .520  .959 110
Prorated   FLO 128  36  7  0  8  27  24  3  34  4  20  4  2  .279  .438  .520  .959  32
Actual     FLO 136  37 11  1  6  21  28  2  26  1  16  4  2  .272  .392  .500  .892  28
Actual     LA  301  95 16  1 16  52  57  6  69 11  30 18  5  .316  .444  .535  .979  80
Actual     TOT 437 132 27  2 22  73  85  8  95 12  46 22  7  .302  .428  .524  .952 108

Sheffield was the only player picked up in the Piazza deal who hit well for the Dodgers, but his season ended early when he sprained his ankle at the end of August. Word is that Sheffield will be moved to LF so Mondesi can have his old position back.

Key Pitchers

The Dodgers' pitching staff did about what we expected in 1998 but with a different cast of characters. Except for Martinez, every member of their opening-day rotation pitched worse than we thought, and Martinez would miss more than half the season following rotator cuff surgery. On the other hand, newcomers Bohanon, Mlicki and Perez all came in and pitched well. The bullpen did as well as anticipated, but once again a newcomer (Jeff Shaw) played the key role.

Ramon Martinez, Starter, age 30 (as of July 1, 1998)

           Tm    ERA   G GS   W  L  S  INN   H HR  BB   K   AVG
Projection LA   3.87  32 32  12 10  0  191 175 18  97 156  .246
Prorated   LA   3.87  16 16   6  5  0   96  88  9  49  78  .246
Actual     LA   2.83  15 15   7  3  0  102  76  8  41  91  .206

Rotator-cuff problems had hindered Martinez for much of the previous two seasons, but he was in the process of putting together one of the best years of his career when shoulder surgery put him on the shelf again in the middle of June. At this point, it is not clear when he will be able to pitch effectively again.

Chan Ho Park, Starter, age 25

           Tm    ERA   G GS   W  L  S  INN   H HR  BB   K   AVG
Projection LA   3.04  32 32  14  8  0  199 150 19  97 188  .211
Prorated   LA   3.04  36 36  16  9  0  226 171 22 110 214  .211
Actual     LA   3.71  34 34  15  9  0  221 199 16  97 191  .244

Park pitched with back problems early in the year, and despite his 15 wins, failed to improve upon his record of 1996. The South Korean government has reportedly waived Park's two-year military commitment, so he should be the number two starter (behind Kevin Brown) on the Los Angeles' staff next season.

Darren Dreifort, Starter, age 26

           Tm    ERA   G GS   W  L  S  INN   H HR  BB   K   AVG
Projection LA   3.22  27 27  10  5  0  165 134 10  92 159  .226
Prorated   LA   3.22  29 29  11  5  0  176 144 11  99 170  .226
Actual     LA   4.00  32 26   8 12  0  180 171 12  57 168  .256

Dreifort won the fifth starting job in spring training. He had pitched out of the bullpen in his three previous years, and struggled down the stretch before ending his season in early September with a sore arm.

Hideo Nomo, Starter, age 29

           Tm    ERA   G GS   W  L  S  INN   H HR  BB   K   AVG
Projection LA   3.49  32 32  13  9  0  211 179 22  93 237  .229
Prorated   LA   3.49  11 11   4  3  0   70  59  7  31  78  .229
Actual     LA   5.05  12 12   2  7  0   68  57  8  38  73  .228
Actual     NYN  4.82  17 16   4  5  0   90  73 11  56  94  .224
Prorated   TOT  3.49  25 25  10  7  0  162 137 17  71 182  .229
Actual     TOT  4.92  29 28   6 12  0  157 130 19  94 167  .226

Another former Rookie of the Year to see his career go downhill in a hurry. Nomo started the season poorly and, along with Brad Clontz, was traded to the Mets for Dave Mlicki and Greg McMichaels in early June. But he's still tough to hit, and if he can get his walks back under control, he should be effective again in the future.

Ismael Valdes, Starter, age 24

           Tm    ERA   G GS   W  L  S  INN   H HR  BB   K   AVG
Projection LA   2.92  32 32  14  8  0  207 179 15  49 153  .234
Prorated   LA   2.92  29 29  13  7  0  185 160 13  44 137  .234
Actual     LA   3.98  27 27  11 10  0  174 171 17  66 122  .256

Valdes missed all of August with a strained rib cage and finished with the highest ERA of his career. He has always done well in Dodger Stadium and the disparity between his home and road record was even more extreme in 1998, as he went 8-2 (2.05 ERA) at home and only 3-8 (5.59 ERA) on the road.

Carlos Perez, Starter, age 27

           Tm    ERA   G GS   W  L  S  INN   H HR  BB   K   AVG
Projection MON  3.81  32 32  11 10  0  203 194 20  45 115  .253
Prorated   MON  3.81  27 27   9  8  0  169 161 17  37  95  .253
Actual     MON  3.75  23 23   7 10  0  163 177 12  33  82  .277
Actual     LA   3.24  11 11   4  4  0   78  67  9  30  46  .234
Actual     TOT  3.59  34 34  11 14  0  241 244 21  63 128  .264

Perez came over in the Guerrero/Grudzielanek trade at the end of July and was winless in his first six starts with the Dodgers (with a 5.91 ERA). Rumored to be heading to the bullpen when Valdes returned from the DL, Perez responded by going 4-1, with a 1.05 ERA over his last five starts.

Dave Mlicki, Starter, age 30

           Tm    ERA   G GS   W  L  S  INN   H HR  BB   K   AVG
Projection NYN  4.50  27 27   8  9  0  162 168 20  59 133  .269
Prorated   NYN  4.50  10 10   3  3  0   61  63  8  22  50  .269
Actual     NYN  5.68  10 10   1  4  0   57  68  8  25  39  .297
Actual     LA   4.05  20 20   7  3  0  124 120 15  38  78  .253
Actual     TOT  4.57  30 30   8  7  0  181 188 23  63 117  .267

He came over from the Mets in the Nomo deal. Off to a poor start in New York, he pitched reasonably well for the Dodgers and his overall record was about what we had expected for him.

Brian Bohanon, Starter/Middle Relief, age 29

           Tm    ERA   G GS   W  L  S  INN   H HR  BB   K   AVG
Projection NYN  4.49  32 32  10 12  0  206 215 22  77 152  .271
Prorated   NYN  4.49   8  8   3  3  0   53  55  6  20  39  .271
Actual     NYN  3.15  25  4   2  4  0   54  47  4  21  39  .234
Actual     LA   2.40  14 14   5  7  0   97  74  9  36  72  .213
Actual     TOT  2.67  39 18   7 11  0  152 121 13  57 111  .220

Bohanon was picked from the Mets in a trade for Greg McMichael after the all-star break. Although he had been working out of the bullpen in New York, Bohanon was immediately inserted into the Dodger rotation and responded by pitching the best ball of his career. Recently signed as a free agent with the Rockies. If you're wondering about Bohanon's projected stats for 1999, you might want to look at the Darryl Kile comment in our Rockies review.

Antonio Osuna, Closer/Middle Relief, age 29

           Tm    ERA   G GS   W  L  S  INN   H HR  BB   K   AVG
Projection LA   2.54  70  0   5  2 38   78  59  6  25  89  .210
Prorated   LA   2.54  60  0   4  2 33   67  51  5  22  77  .210
Actual     LA   3.06  54  0   7  1  6   65  50  8  32  72  .214

Osuna was pushed from closer to setup man when the Dodgers picked up Jeff Shaw in July. He had an 1.59 ERA at the time of the trade, but slumped after his demotion, posting a 5.40 the rest of the way. He had elbow pain in mid-August and surgery ended his season two weeks later.

Scott Radinsky, Closer/Middle Relief, age 30

           Tm    ERA   G GS   W  L  S  INN   H HR  BB   K   AVG
Projection LA   3.62  70  0   3  2  6   50  48  3  16  38  .254
Prorated   LA   3.62  88  0   4  3  8   62  60  4  20  48  .254
Actual     LA   2.63  62  0   6  6 13   62  63  5  20  45  .272

He posted his third straight sub-3.00 ERA season. Radinsky split the closer's role with Osuna at the start of the 1998, but was already the setup man by the time of the Shaw trade.

Jeff Shaw, Closer, age 31

           Tm    ERA   G GS   W  L  S  INN   H HR  BB   K   AVG
Projection CIN  3.23  70  0   5  5 31   78  72  6  15  58  .247
Prorated   CIN  3.23  43  0   3  3 19   48  44  4   9  35  .247
Actual     CIN  1.81  39  0   2  4 23   50  40  2  12  29  .231
Actual     LA   2.55  34  0   1  4 25   35  35  6   7  26  .252
Actual     TOT  2.12  73  0   3  8 48   85  75  8  19  55  .240

Arrived right before the All-Star game in the trade for Konerko and Reyes. At the time, GM Lasorda didn't realize that Shaw had the right to force a trade following the season. Fortunately for Los Angeles, a sizeable raise persuaded Shaw to stay put. A late-bloomer, Shaw had only 7 saves prior to the age of thirty, and has had 92 since.

Outlook

After the end of last season, the Dodgers lost Bohanon, a surprisingly good starter for them over the second half of the season, and Scott Radinsky, a valuable left-handed setup man, to free agency. They added relief pitchers Alan Mills and Mel Rojas, but unless Rojas can turn his career around in Los Angeles, the Dodgers pitching staff was shaping up to be much worse in 1999, especially with the loss of Ramon Martinez. This made signing Kevin Brown a necessity and, with the resources of the large television network behind them, the Dodgers were not going to let a measly $100 million or so stand in their way. Even with Kevin Brown, it's not clear how much LA has improved their pitching staff during the off-season. You could argue that he will do little more than replace Martinez and Bohanon (who posted a combined 2.62 ERA in 199 innings) in the rotation, and that real improvement will depend upon the performance of players like Park, Valdes and Mlicki.

In addition to picking up Brown, another positive move for LA was bringing in Dave Johnson and Kevin Malone to be their new manager and GM. These two have got to be a significant improvement over the men they replaced. Los Angeles also persuaded the Mets to take Bonilla off their hands and signed Devon White to play center. White will be 36 by April and is unlikely to repeat his 1997 performance. Still, an outfield of Sheffield, White and Mondesi should be better than one of Sheffield, Mondesi and Hollandsworth (or Luke or Cedeno or Bonilla). Malone made a risky move that may pay off when he sent Johnson and Cedeno to the Mets for Todd Hundley. Even if Hundley isn't able to bounce back after losing almost all of 1998 to shoulder surgery, the Dodgers have one of the best catching prospects in baseball in Angel Pena, who hit .335 with power in AA last season.