DODGERS : Piazza Told Work Comes Before Talk

When Tom Lasorda saw catching prospect Mike Piazza behind the batting cage Friday, the Dodger manager asked him about his off-season. But the conversation had barely begun before Piazza changed the subject to that of local Italian restaurants. Lasorda is Piazza’s godfather and a longtime friend of Piazza’s father, Vince, with whom he grew up in Norristown, Pa.

It wasn’t long before Darryl Strawberry, waiting for his turn to hit, came over and broke up the conversation. “You can talk with the manager later,” he said to Piazza. “Now it’s time to go to work.”

Piazza is competing with Carlos Hernandez and Lance Parrish for the starting job. He started last season at double-A San Antonio where he batted .377 with seven home runs in 31 games. He was promoted to Albuquerque, where he hit .341 and was named the organization’s top minor league player.

Piazza played in 21 games for the Dodgers at the end of last season and batted .232 with one home run and seven RBIs.

“He can be an impact player,” Lasorda said. “He can be a marquee player. He has power, he is strong and he is handsome. The fans will love him and can attach to him easily.”

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The first workout of the spring was held Friday with 24 players, including pitchers, catchers, nonroster invitees and injured players. The rest of the club is scheduled to report Wednesday, but Eric Davis is scheduled to arrive today. Todd Worrell, who is battling tendinitis in his right shoulder, threw on the side for 10 minutes and showed some improvement. Kevin Gross, Jim Gott, Wally Ritchie and Rod Nichols threw batting practice.