There Must Have Been Some Talent Somewhere

Former general manager Kevin Malone bemoaned the state of the Dodger farm system he inherited from Fred Claire.

The club had many poor amateur drafts in the 1990s under Claire, and scouts said the Dodgers do not have impact prospects at triple-A Las Vegas or double-A Jacksonville.

But the cupboard apparently was not as bare as some believed.

Twelve players, or almost half the 25-man roster, were drafted or signed as amateur free agents on Claire’s watch.

Moreover, several young players traded after Claire was fired in 1998 have been successful elsewhere, including Todd Hollandsworth with Colorado, Paul Konerko with the Chicago White Sox and Dennys Reyes with Cincinnati.

The Dodgers had two drafts under Malone, forced to resign April 19, and Chairman Bob Daly said he is pleased with the club’s Class-A players.

However, two longtime NL personnel executives said it’s risky to praise players at such an early stage of development.

But it’s clear Claire deserves more credit.

“There’s no question that, right now, there are a lot of young guys who are playing a role on the ballclub,” first baseman Eric Karros said. “Guys like [catcher] Angel Pena, [pitchers] Luke Prokopec, Eric Gagne, [shortstop] Alex Cora and [third baseman] Adrian Beltre, when he comes back.

“All of those guys were drafted in the Fred Claire regime, and made their way here the past few years, so I wouldn’t say that the cupboard was left bare. I don’t know if that’s really an accurate statement, I don’t think that’s really fair, especially when you look at who’s out on the field.”

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X-rays of Gary Sheffield’s sprained left finger did not reveal broken bones, Manager Jim Tracy said. The all-star left fielder sat out his third game in a row Saturday because of the injury he suffered while fielding in the outfield before Wednesday’s 6-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Sheffield, listed as day-to-day, might be available to pinch-hit today. . . . Second baseman Mark Grudzielanek (sprained right thumb) said he was pain-free after swinging a bat, and he hopes to return to the lineup Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds in the first game of a six-game trip. . . . Shortstop Tim Bogar’s strained left hamstring is healing slowly. Although his rehabilitation assignment has ended, he is not expected to be activated soon.

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The Dodgers are facing many pitching decisions. Left-hander Carlos Perez, on a rehabilitation assignment at triple-A Las Vegas, can become a free agent if he is not on the 25-man roster by May 5. Perez went 4 1/3 innings against Edmonton on Saturday, giving up 10 hits and seven runs, six earned.

Prokopec or Gagne are expected to be optioned to Las Vegas when Ashby returns to the rotation and the club also might need room for left-hander Jesse Orosco, who struck out the only batter he faced in his first appearance for Las Vegas.

TODAY

DODGERS’

CHAN HO PARK

(2-2, 4.13 ERA)

vs.

PHILLIES’

RANDY WOLF

(1-3, 6.87 ERA)

Dodger Stadium, 1

TV--Fox Sports Net 2.

Radio--KXTA (1150), KWKW (1330).

* Update--Park is coming off consecutive losses despite having pitched fairly well. The right-hander was 1-1 with a 1.23 earned-run average against the Phillies last season, and is 5-1 with a 2.42 ERA in his career. Wolf is 2-0 with a 2.10 ERA against the Dodgers. The left-hander, a standout at Woodland Hills El Camino Real High and Pepperdine, was the most valuable player of the 1994 City 4-A championship game at Dodger Stadium. Ross Porter, in his 25th season as a Dodger broadcaster, will be honored by the team before the game. Porter joined the club in 1977 after 10 years at KNBC.

* Tickets--(323) 224-1448.