Brock Loses in Arbitration and Perhaps at First Base

As salary arbitration losers go, Greg Brock was more gracious than Pedro Guerrero was three years ago, when Guerrero said he hoped his arbitrator would die.

But that doesn’t mean Brock was any happier, especially after being told by Dodger attorney Bob Walker in his arbitration hearing that he may not be the Dodger first baseman this season.

Brock bears no malice toward Tom Roberts, the arbitrator who decided Thursday that Brock would be paid $325,000--the figure submitted by the Dodgers--rather than the $440,000 sought by Brock and his agent, Tony Attanasio, for the 1986 season.

But he is upset with the Dodgers. First, he said, for failing to make an effort to negotiate a settlement before Wednesday’s hearing. And, more importantly, for suggesting that his future is as uncertain now as it was when he broke into the lineup in 1983.

“I had to listen to a guy (Walker) who doesn’t know a thing about baseball telling me I have to make the team this spring and prove that I can hit left-handers,” said Brock, who might have won a bigger raise over the $150,000 he made in 1985 had he been able to hit higher than .178 against left-handers last season.

Overall, Brock hit .266, with 21 home runs, and had 66 runs batted in. The homer and RBI totals were third on the club behind Guerrero, who is the highest-paid Dodger--he has a $7-million, five-year contract--and Marshall, who earlier this winter signed a one-year contract for $655,000.

Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda, as he did a year ago, has insisted all winter that Brock is his first baseman. But Dodger Vice President Al Campanis, in an interview the day before Brock’s hearing, said that the position will be contested by Brock and Franklin Stubbs, who hit .280, with 32 home runs, at Albuquerque last season.

“Both have power, and Brock is the incumbent, he’s going to get the first shot,” Campanis said. “I wish he was just a little more consistent in his hitting. He hit .228 the last part of the season. He was hitting .278 before his slump.

” . . . I like Stubbs. I think he’ll become a pretty good first baseman, and should play in the major leagues.”

Another possibility is that Brock will be platooned with the right-handed hitting Enos Cabell, as he was periodically in the last two months of 1985. Attanasio has said that Brock would rather be traded than platooned.

“We tried to work something out,” Campanis said. “We talked to clubs. . . . A player comes to us and he says he wants to be traded, we’ll try to accommodate him unless we have a specific reason for feeling . . . he should not be traded.”

Brock said he is coming to spring training with the intention of not being platooned.

“Obviously I don’t want to play every other day,” Brock said. “I want to be the first baseman. I’m going to be the first baseman.

“The only way I’m not going to be is if they made up their mind that Stubbs will be the first baseman. If so, I just want them to treat me fairly. If they’ve made the decision, I want them to let me know.”

Brock said that “feelings wouldn’t have been as bad” had the Dodgers attempted to negotiate after the figures had been submitted for arbitration. Attanasio said that the Dodgers’ initial offer was $250,000, but that he got only one phone call from Walker once a hearing had been set.

“Walker suggested that they might be willing to go up a little bit, but they never gave a dollar figure,” Attanasio said.

Brock also was disturbed that comments he made during a meeting with Campanis at the end of last season were used against him by Walker during Wednesday’s hearing. Walker and Attanasio also attended that meeting.

“If I’d known that would happen, I wouldn’t have set up that meeting with Al,” Brock said.

It was also clear, from Brock’s comments, that he believes the Dodgers compare him unfavorably to Marshall, who broke in at the same time.

“It’s obvious from the start, that $325,000 is what they wanted to pay me,” he said. “I guess they think I contributed half of what Marshall did last season.

“They talk about the terrible season I had last season and the two good years Marshall had. Well, if you look at Marshall’s ‘good’ year in 1984 and my ‘terrible year,’ they’re no different.”

Marshall hit .257, with 21 home runs and 65 RBIs, in ’84.

The Dodgers have three arbitration hearings pending--with Fernando Valenzuela Saturday, with catcher Mike Scioscia Monday and with pitcher Orel Hershiser Wednesday. The Dodger pitchers and catchers are due to report to training camp in Vero Beach, Fla., next Thursday.

Valenzuela, who is eligible for free agency after the ’86 season, is seeking $1.7 million, the highest figure ever sought by a National League player, although Tim Raines of Montreal is asking for the same amount. The Dodgers have countered with an offer of $1.35 million, $150,000 more than Valenzuela made in ’85.

Valenzuela’s agent, Tony DeMarco, said he spoke with Dodger officials Thursday, but the sides remained far apart.