Who’s on First--Also Second, Third, Short? : Dodgers: Entire infield is unsettled, but Offerman could be the key.

Shortly before the Dodgers’ charter plane touched down here Thursday evening, that renowned duo of Tom Lasorda and Vic Damone warmed up the empty Dodgertown clubhouse with a rendition of “You’re Breaking My Heart.”

Lasorda hopes it was not prophecy.

The flight from Los Angeles carried not only players, but more questions than Lasorda has famous friends.

“A spring of evaluations,” said Fred Claire, Dodger vice president. “The most important spring of evaluations that we’ve had in some time.”

Even Lasorda, who usually has decided on nine-tenths of his team before camp opens, agreed.

“We’re going to be dealing with a lot of ‘ifs,’ ” he said.

Such as:

--If Kal Daniels learns to play first base, can he also learn to live with Darryl Strawberry?

--If Daniels cannot learn to play first base, where will he be traded? And will Strawberry then learn to play first base as he has promised?

--If Jose Offerman plays during the spring as he has played during the past two regular seasons, will he still be the starting shortstop?

--If Offerman is not the starting shortstop, then who?

--If the Dodgers think Offerman will be improved from last year, then why did they trade for one of baseball’s most agile defensive first baseman, Todd Benzinger?

--If Benzinger is going to be the starter at first, then what about the much-ballyhooed Eric Karros?

--If Karros does not make the team, does this mean the Dodgers should have kept Eddie Murray?

--If Juan Samuel did not want to return to the Dodgers for a second consecutive year--and the feeling was somewhat mutual--then why is he still here?

--If Jeff Hamilton is sound enough to become the full-time third baseman . . . well, is he?

--If they are going to carry six relief pitchers on the final roster, which of the seven competitors will be traded? What must Jim Gott be thinking?

--If Rudy Seanez really throws 95 m.p.h., why does he have a 6.75 earned-run average for his career?

“I know a couple of things,” Lasorda said. “My outfield is set. My catching is set. My pitching is practically set.”

And everything else?

“Our biggest keys this season are going to be defense and bullpen,” Lasorda said. “The big question marks are my infield and my relief pitchers.”

Lasorda agreed that all questions start with the man once thought to be the answer to everything, Offerman.

“We are just hoping the kid at shortstop can do the job like he is capable,” Lasorda said.

After batting .181 in parts of two major league seasons with 14 errors in 77 games, Offerman did little to improve his stock this winter. He batted .205 for two teams in the Dominican League.

Lasorda described his other problems around the infield.

“Third base will be a battle between (Mike) Sharperson, (Lenny) Harris, (Dave) Hansen and Hamilton,” he said. “Who is going to play second base? Well, we have Samuel there. And first base is a battle between Benzinger and Karros.”

And Daniels, right?

“Oh yeah, and Daniels, sure, we’re going to give him a look there.”

It is still expected that the Dodgers will try to trade Daniels after other teams have time to evaluate their talent. Somebody, they figure, will need a left-handed hitter who has averaged 22 home runs and 83 runs batted in during the last two seasons.

“But right now, trades are not where my attention is,” Claire said. “We will look at Kal at first base and see where he fits into the ballclub.”

Benzinger, who has a fielding percentage of .996 for his career, has the edge over Karros with five more years of experience.

Karros is not thrilled about the idea of returning to Albuquerque, where he batted .316 with 22 home runs and 101 RBIs during his first season there last year.

“If I go back, I don’t know how I will benefit,” he said. “If they think I can get work on my fielding in that league, are you kidding me? And my hitting? In those parks?

“I will not complain, but I would like them to tell me how going back there helps me.”

The third base job belongs to the platoon of Harris and Sharperson, who have combined to bat .288 since they started sharing jobs in late 1989.

Their only major competitor is Hamilton, who probably is being given his last chance here after five erratic and injury-filled seasons. Hamilton’s injured left knee apparently has healed after a winter of rehabilitation. Now the Dodgers want to see a return of the swing that accounted for 35 doubles in 1989.

The Dodgers agree it would be a nice story if Hansen became the starting third baseman after collecting 10 pinch-hits last year, but Lasorda cannot afford another full-time left-handed bat in his lineup. Hansen probably will fill the reserve role vacated by left-handed hitting Chris Gwynn, who was traded to the Kansas City Royals.

All of this could change if Samuel agrees to be traded.

“But no matter what happens, we need the bullpen to do the job,” Lasorda said. “That is something we will be looking at very carefully.”

During a winter luncheon in Atlanta, Jay Howell convinced Lasorda that his elbow was sound and that he could regain the form that helped him get a club-record 28 saves in 1989.

“But we also have Roger McDowell and Steve Wilson back to help,” Lasorda said. “After getting a couple of months with us under their belts, they should be even better than last year.”

Wilson was helped this winter by getting seven saves in eight opportunities in Puerto Rico.

This leaves Gott, Tim Crews and Seanez in a battle for the final three positions. Seanez, acquired from the Cleveland Indians during the winter after the Dodgers were persuaded they solved his wildness during winter baseball in Mexico, is the wild card here.

“The thing I sense is, this team feels it has something to prove,” Claire said.