Bream Dream Comes True in Pittsburgh : Traded Away by the Dodgers, First Baseman Finds Happiness and Success With Pirates

The feelings of neglect, real or imagined, that dogged Sid Bream during his stifling Dodger career have been replaced by the unmistakable serenity and security that come with a steady job at first base in Pittsburgh.

But, yeah, there still are times when Bream, in his second full season as a regular for the Pirates, reflects on why he never was able to make it with the Dodgers, who open a two-game series against Pittsburgh tonight at Dodger Stadium.

Only now, having established himself as a viable major league first baseman, can Bream sort through the nagging doubts and frustrations with some certainty.

Bream’s conclusion, which contributes greatly to his peace of mind and healthy batting average, is that some players are just never destined to play for the teams that drafted and developed them.

That may be why he says the turning point in his career was the day in August, 1985, that the Dodgers traded Bream and R. J. Reynolds to the Pirates for Bill Madlock.

“I realize now that I was never supposed to be there,” Bream said. “I was supposed to be here. And there were times when the Dodgers made me feel like I wasn’t supposed to play there.

“That’s what the Dodgers are known for. They’ve gotten rid of a lot of players, and they have turned out to be pretty good ones with somebody else. There are 26 big league teams. L.A. is only one. Maybe it’s better to go somewhere else.”

Just as San Francisco Giant outfielder Candy Maldonado, another Dodger cast-off, has flourished in his new environment, and Greg Brock seems to have found a home in Milwaukee, so, too, has Bream become another thriving former Dodger.

Last season, his first full year in the major leagues, Bream hit .268 with 16 home runs and 77 runs batted in. And, as of Monday, Bream is hitting .338 with 5 home runs and 11 RBIs this season.

He has become so established as a quality major league player, if not yet a star, that the Dodgers have used his name to help promote the series with the Pirates. The recent attention he has been getting may be the most attention the Dodgers ever paid him.

Bream said he was confused and frustrated by his lack of upward mobility in the Dodger organization. He still is, actually, but he said it no longer bothers him, now that his career has taken off in Pittsburgh.

Try as he might to hold back self-evaluation and let his performance do the convincing, Bream wondered just what he would have to do to become the reliable post-Garvey first baseman that the Dodgers’ sought.

“I would sit back in my chair at night sometimes and ask my wife, ‘What’s going on? What are they doing to me?’ ” Bream said. “Being a Christian, you try not to think things like that. But you can’t help it sometimes. I’d say, ‘They’ve got Brock, Stubbs and they even played Guerrero there. What am I supposed to do?’ ”

The Dodgers, of course, say that Bream was given more than a fair shot at winning the first-base job but failed to hit well enough to sustain even a spot on the roster.

Statistics support the Dodgers. In both 1983 and ‘84, Bream was called up from Triple-A ball at Albuquerque but hit .182 and .184, respectively.

Of course, he played a total of only 42 games with Los Angeles in those seasons. What Bream needed was a break, and he got it just before the 1985 season when Brock was put on the disabled list with injuries to both elbows.

First base, at least temporarily, belonged to Bream, who figured he could make it permanent if given the time and support. But Bream again failed to hit and, as a result, he got neither from the Dodgers. Fifteen games into the season, Bream had just five hits and was dispatched to Albuquerque when Brock’s injuries healed.

The Dodgers consider that a fair chance, but Bream does not.

“I was never given the opportunity to win the first base job,” he says, matter of factly. “In 1985, with the spring training I had (he hit .409) I was given just 15 games and as soon as Greg got back, I’m gone. They didn’t give me the time. “I progressed pretty fast through the minors and I never hit under .300. But when I got to Albuquerque, I kind of got stuck there. That’s when it got to me. It was like they only wanted me as an insurance policy.”

Soon, Bream found himself not only behind Brock in the organization but also behind Stubbs, who has outlasted both Bream and Brock and become the Dodgers’ first baseman.

“In 1984, Franklin went up ahead of me,” Bream said. “They told me it was to play left field, but as soon as he got there they put him at first base. That offended me. Nothing against Franklin, but I felt I was next in line. After a while, you realize some things.”

So, what to do?

In Bream’s case, the only alternative was to request a trade, preferably to a team that needed a first baseman. But the way Bream tells it, the Dodgers sort of ignored him there, too.

“What I heard was that (the Dodgers) still didn’t bring up my name in the trade for Madlock until some people from the Pirate organization brought my name up,” Bream said. “It wasn’t (the Dodgers’) idea to trade me at all, I think. Maybe they wanted to bury me in the organization.”

Being wanted was a new sensation for Bream and he took to it favorably. In the final 26 games with Pittsburgh in 1985, he hit .284 and had a 10-game hitting streak.

Bream proved his worth over a full season in 1986. His statistics were better overall than either Brock or Stubbs have produced so far.

“I really feel that I want to have another good year to prove last year wasn’t a fluke,” Bream said. “But that’s just what I want. I’m not pressuring myself.”

And, he adds with a smile: “I don’t feel pressure from anyone.”