Dodger Hopes Spring Eternal

By Jason Reid

Feb. 19, 2004 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

VERO BEACH, Fla. —

Under new direction again, the Dodgers open spring training today hoping to finally get it right.

Chairman Frank McCourt and his wife, Jamie, the vice chairman, quickly changed course after taking control of the club from News Corp., replacing former general manager Dan Evans with Paul DePodesta.

The innovative but unproven 31-year-old is in a hurry as well, inheriting a team that scored the fewest runs in the major leagues last season while missing the playoffs for the seventh consecutive year.

As pitchers and catchers begin workouts at Dodgertown, the Dodgers still seemingly have big problems on offense and a rookie owner and general manager who are under the microscope.

“I’m not going to go do something where I’m the Lone Ranger; I want input from the staff,” said DePodesta, the second-youngest general manager in baseball, behind 30-year-old Boston Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein. “I’m also ready to pull the trigger [on a trade] if it’s presented, because I’ve been thrust into this position, so I feel I have to be.

“There aren’t as many options to things you can do with your club now; the players that were out there in November and December might not be out there now. That being said, I’m not going to throw my hands up in the air, saying it’s so late in the year that I’m not doing anything.”

Evans’ hands were tied after the winter meetings as McCourt moved to complete his purchase of the club from News Corp., preventing Evans from acquiring a major run-producer. Evans could have made a big move earlier in the winter but refused to part with the club’s top prospects.

One doesn’t require DePodesta’s strong background in statistical analysis to determine that a team that scored 574 runs last season -- 17 fewer than the Detroit Tigers -- would need help on offense. Here comes DePodesta’s first test.

“I’d love to pull something off tomorrow,” the former Oakland Athletic assistant general manager said. “But I also don’t have a sense of urgency that it has to be done next week.”

The sooner the better for Manager Jim Tracy, who returns but without an extension entering the final season of his contract. Tracy again accentuated the positive after a lengthy meeting with DePodesta and other baseball-operation officials, saying the Dodgers will find a way.

“We have a group of people in here,” he said. “We’re going to survey the land.”

The focus remains on right fielder Shawn Green, who is recovering from arthroscopic shoulder surgery in October and coming off a 19-homer, 85-RBI season after totaling 91 homers and 239 RBIs combined the previous two seasons. The Dodgers will experiment with Green at first base during Grapefruit League play.

“As of right now, Robin Ventura is our first baseman, but I’ve said I’m willing to try it if that’s what the team thinks is best,” Green said. “I’ve been hitting for about a month, and it’s getting better and better.

“I’m seeing progress. It’s not going to be perfect all of a sudden, because I’m still working through the surgery. With all the rehab, I’m hoping it should be 100% by the time the season starts.”

But Green needs help.

“Let’s put it this way: It would be nice to add more offense,” he said. “It would be nice to add some more offense so everything doesn’t have to go perfectly for us to go to the playoffs. You don’t want to go into the season saying everyone has to have career years for us to get there.”

At least most of baseball’s top pitching staff returns.

The Dodgers lost ace Kevin Brown and setup man Paul Quantrill to the New York Yankees, but starter Hideo Nomo and All-Star closer Eric Gagne lead a group that’s talented and deep.

“Just because you take somebody out doesn’t mean it’s automatically going to be less,” pitching coach Jim Colborn said. “I don’t think the subtractions are as big a factor as some people might.

“There are pitchers who could take those guys’ places. That’s the fun part of it, seeing who is going to step up.”

Although the foundation might be a little weaker, Tracy believes it’s strong enough.

“Do we still have a good pitching staff here? Yes, we do,” Tracy said. “We can still pitch, and we catch the ball.”

But putting too much pressure on the pitching staff didn’t work last season.

“It was very frustrating to the hitters that we didn’t do what we were capable of as a group, and it would be totally unfair to put that type of pressure on our pitching staff again,” center fielder Dave Roberts said. “Regardless of what happens with trades, we as a group know we have to take on more responsibility to do a better job.”

(Begin Text of Infobox)

Dodgers at a Glance

WHO’S NEW

* OF Juan Encarnacion, 1B/OF Jeremy Giambi, OF/1B Bubba Trammell, P Jeff Weaver, INF Jose Hernandez.

WHO’S GONE

* P Kevin Brown, OF Jeromy Burnitz, OF Brian Jordan, PH Mike Kinkade, 1B Fred McGriff, P Paul Quantrill, OF Rickey Henderson, 1B/OF Daryle Ward.

BIGGEST QUESTION OF SPRING

* Will Paul DePodesta acquire a hitter? All eyes are on the 31-year-old rookie general manager, who faces a big test in trying to bolster the woeful Dodger offense in spring training. The Dodgers need a major run-producer, and DePodesta is on the spot despite only four days on the job. It’s not fair, but such is life when you accept the reins at Chavez Ravine.

JOB SEEKERS

* P Jose Lima, P Steve Colyer. The flamboyant Lima -- a 21-game winner with Houston in 1999 -- showed signs of reverting to form last season with Kansas City after a big career downturn. The Dodgers are high on Colyer, 24, and the hard-throwing left-hander could provide bullpen and rotation depth.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON

* P Edwin Jackson. The 20-year-old rookie was so impressive in three starts last season that giddy Manager Jim Tracy compared Jackson to Dwight Gooden -- the 1985 National League Cy Young Award winner. That might be a stretch, but the kid definitely has talent, and Tracy said a rotation spot is his to lose.

REASONS TO BE EXCITED

* Eric Gagne and Guillermo Mota. Not only do the Dodgers have baseball’s top closer in Gagne, many scouts believe Mota is the National League’s second-best closer. If the Dodgers have the lead after the seventh inning, it’s lights out.

REASON TO BE WORRIED

* The offense. The Dodgers’ .303 on-base percentage was the worst in the NL and better only than that of Detroit (.300). No matter how DePodesta crunches the numbers, they add up the same: new players. Manager Tracy outlasted former general manager Dan Evans but might not be around much longer, being labeled a lame duck when new owner Frank McCourt declined to give him a contract extension in the final year of his deal. Tracy’s in-game moves were a source of frustration in the clubhouse as the team faded down the stretch, and veterans again grumbled about Tracy’s approach as they walked out the door.

*--* PROJECTED LINEUP

*--*

CF Dave Roberts

LF Juan Encarnacion

RF Shawn Green

3B Adrian Beltre

C Paul Lo Duca

2B Jolbert Cabrera

1B Robin Ventura

SS Cesar Izturis

*--* PROJECTED ROTATION

*--*