Pierre gives pitchers less to dread, but he could help

Watching Juan Pierre sit on the Dodgers’ bench through the first five weeks of the season, it was obvious the hyperkinetic outfielder wanted to play in the worst way.

Boy, talk about being careful what you wish for.

Because while Pierre is once again the Dodgers’ regular left fielder, it’s a position he inherited in just about the worst way imaginable -- through Manny Ramirez’s 50-game suspension for violating baseball’s drug policy.

“Of course no one would want it to be under these circumstances,” said Xavier Paul, who was promoted from the minors to take Ramirez’s place on the roster and to back up Pierre in the outfield. “But it is what it is.”

As for what Pierre thinks about it . . . well, you’ll have to guess.

“I ain’t got nothing to say,” Pierre offered as he walked to the outfield alone to stretch nearly four hours before Friday’s game. “I’m in enough trouble already.”

Left unanswered, then, is whether Pierre believes the next eight weeks offer an opportunity for redemption. Three seasons ago he came to Los Angeles to plug a gaping hole in center field, only to get off to a tempestuous start with the fans and wind up taking a spot on the bench.

Now with Ramirez dealing with the embarrassment of suspension and the suspicion he used performance-enhancing drugs, Pierre finds himself filling in for the team’s most popular, and valuable, player.

Talk about a contrast. Where Ramirez is flamboyant and goofy, Pierre is sullen and serious. Where everything about Ramirez, from his dreadlocks to his moon shots, attracts attention, the soft-spoken Pierre could go unnoticed in an empty room.

But with just 13 home runs in 10 major league seasons, it’s unlikely anyone will accuse the slap-hitting, base-stealing Pierre of taking steroids. So while no one expects Pierre to replace Ramirez, the Dodgers say they’re confident they will win with him.

“I’ve never seen anybody work as hard,” said center fielder Matt Kemp, who has the locker to Pierre’s left in the clubhouse and the position to Pierre’s left on the field. “And he’s going to play the same game he’s always played: get base hits, get on base and steal bases and score runs for us.”

Added Manager Joe Torre: “Juan P. is a good player, he’s a proven player. He’s still not the same type player” as Ramirez.

So rather than thunder in the middle of their lineup, the Dodgers now have lightning at the top and bottom with Rafael Furcal and Orlando Hudson batting first and second and Pierre hitting ninth. And while Torre conceded the lineup looks different, with an emphasis on speed over power, he said it won’t act differently. The Dodgers entered the weekend leading the National League in slugging categories such as total bases and runs batted in as well as in small-ball categories such as stolen bases and walks.

“It’s really the same mentality. You have just a different type of player,” Torre said. “As far as the approach, it’s no different.”

The fans may be changing their approach though. When the lineups were read before Friday’s game, Pierre received a warm ovation. And a tongue-in-cheek grass-roots campaign has already begun to turn Mannywood, the area of the left-field stands named after Ramirez, into JuanPierreWood.

While civic leaders debate that name change, nearly three dozen underprivileged children from a South Los Angeles after-school program were busy Friday dedicating another field-level section for Pierre. Sitting in seats paid for by the outfielder, the children from the All People’s Christian Center, one of six youth groups Pierre will host this season, were experiencing something that was beyond their families’ means, said leader Gerardo Huicochea.

“These kids will remember this,” he said, “for the rest of their lives.”

Or at least until Ramirez comes back. Because while the chance to watch batting practice from the field and get Pierre’s autograph “was awesome” for shy 13-year-old Cesar Alatorre, it didn’t completely change his mind when it comes to picking his favorite Dodger.

“Manny,” Alatorre answered quickly. “And Juan Pierre.”

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kevin.baxter@latimes.com