How Dodgers Became Dodgers: Where Pedro Astacio Becomes Blake DeWitt

by Eric Stephen on Nov 23, 2009 9:00 AM PST in Los Angeles Dodgers Roster

Major league 40-man rosters were set last Friday in preparation for the upcoming Rule 5 draft in two weeks. With the free agency period just starting, there are many open spots on rosters throughout baseball. The Dodgers, for instance, have 33 players on their 40-man roster. Over the next few weeks, free agents will be signed and some players will be non-tendered, so rosters will change, but for now let's look at the 33 Dodgers and how they became Dodgers.

Almost half of the Dodgers currently on the 40-man roster -- 16 of 33 -- were drafted by the team with their own draft pick:

Draft(ed) Dodgers
Player	Year	Round	Pick

James Loney	2002	1	19
Jonathan Broxton	2002	2	60
James McDonald	2002	11	331
Eric Stults	2002	15	451
Russell Martin	2002	17	511

Chad Billingsley	2003	1	24
Xavier Paul	2003	4	121
Matt Kemp	2003	6	181
Lucas May	2003	8	241
A.J. Ellis	2003	18	541

Scott Elbert	2004	1	17
Javy Guerra	2004	4	118
Cory Wade	2004	10	298

Brent Leach	2005	6	196
Trayvon Robinson	2005	10	316

Clayton Kershaw	2006	1	7

These are pretty straight forward original transactions, as are these other four amateur free agents:

Amateur Free Agents
Player	Date	Origin
Hong-Chih Kuo	6/19/99	Taiwan
Ramon Troncoso	6/20/02	Dominican Republic
Chin-Lung Hu	1/31/03	Taiwan
Kenley Jansen	11/17/04	Curacao

That makes 20 of 33 Dodgers who are with are with their original club. In addition to them, there are six more Dodgers that joined the club independent of other players. That is, their acquisitions aren't linked to anyone else:

Free Agents
Player	Date
Rafael Furcal	12/19/05
Juan Pierre	11/22/06
Travis Schlichting*	10/7/07
Hiroki Kuroda	12/16/07
Ronald Belisario*	1/13/09
Charlie Haeger*	1/17/09
*minor league free agents

This is where we get to the fun part of this exercise, as reminded by Rocknjosie in her excellent Fan Post last month. There are seven Dodgers left that were acquired as the result, directly or indirectly, of previous transactions. These are listed in chronological order based on the earliest transaction.

Andre Ethier
Date	Transaction
6/1/88	drafted Mike Piazza in the 62nd round (#1390 overall)
8/4/96	signed Luke Allen as an undrafted free agent
12/8/96	signed Todd Zeile as a free agent
5/14/98	traded Piazza and Zeile to Marlins for Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, Jim Eisenreich, Charles Johnson, and Manuel Barrios
11/18/00	signed Franklin Gutierrez as an amateur free agent
1/15/02	traded Sheffield to Braves for Odalis Perez, Brian Jordan, and Andrew Brown
1/17/03	traded Allen to Colorado for Jason Romano
4/3/04	traded Romano to Tampa Bay for Antonio Perez
4/3/04	traded Gutierrez and Brown to Cleveland for Milton Bradley
12/13/05	traded Bradley and Perez to Oakland for Ethier
Total Related Players: 9

Blake DeWitt
Date	Transaction
11/21/87	signed Pedro Astacio as an amateur free agent
6/14/91	signed Ismael Valdez as an amateur free agent
8/28/94	signed Luke Prokopec as an amateur free agent
8/19/97	traded Astacio to Rockies for Eric Young
12/12/99	traded Young and Valdez to Cubs for Terry Adams, Brian Stephenson, and Chad Ricketts
12/31/01	traded Prokopec and Ricketts to Toronto for Cesar Izturis and Paul Quantrill
12/17/03	Quantrill signed as a free agent with the Yankees
6/7/04	drafted DeWitt with a compensation first round pick (#28 overall)
Total Related Players: 6

Ivan DeJesus
Date	Transaction
7/7/94	signed Adrian Beltre as an amateur free agent
12/17/04	Beltre signed as a free agent with Seattle
6/7/05	drafted DeJesus with a compensation second round pick (#51 overall)
Total Related Players: 1

Jason Repko
Date	Transaction
1/16/96	signed Scott Radinsky as a free agent
11/23/98	Radinsky signed as a free agent with St. Louis
6/2/99	drafted Repko with a compensation supplemental pick (#37 overall)
Total Related Players: 1

Manny Ramirez
Date	Transaction
12/12/98	signed Kevin Brown as a free agent
6/3/03	drafted Andy LaRoche in the 39th round (#1171 overall)
12/13/03	traded Brown to Yankees for Jeff Weaver, Yhency Brazoban, Brandon Weeden, and cash
2/23/06	Weaver signed as a free agent with the Angels
6/6/06	drafted Bryan Morris with a compensation first round pick (#26 overall)
7/31/08	traded LaRoche and Morris to Pittsburgh in a 3-team trade; received Manny and cash from Boston
Total Related Players: 4

Casey Blake
Date	Transaction
8/13/04	signed Carlos Santana as an amateur free agent
6/7/05	drafted Jon Meloan in fifth round (#166 overall)
7/26/08	traded Santana and Meloan to Cleveland for Blake, and cash
Total Related Players: 2

George Sherrill
Date	Transaction
6/7/05	drafted Josh Bell in the second round (#74 overall)
6/7/05	drafted Steven Johnson in the 13th round (#406 overall)
7/30/09	traded Bell and Johnson to Baltimore for Sherrill
Total Related Players: 2

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Excellent

and fun post. Would be interesting to see which player in MLB could be traced back the furthest. Could turn out that Bengie Molina was traded for Willie Mays, or something. :)
vr, Xei

by Xeifrank on Nov 23, 2009 9:20 AM PST reply actions

Someone did that once

it went back much further then Willie Mays as I recall. Not Bengi in particular but a certain player.

Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen

by Phil Gurnee on Nov 23, 2009 9:22 AM PST up reply actions

Before 2009

the Braves could trace John Smoltz back to Duane Ward in 1982:

1982 – Braves draft Ward with 1st round pick (#9)
1986 – Braves trade Ward to Toronto for Doyle Alexander
1987 – Braves trade Alexander to Detroit for Smoltz

Doing it a different way, almost Kevin Bacon style, you can trace Smoltz to Frank Robinson:

1971 – Dodgers traded Alexander, et al, for Frank Robinson
1987 – Alexander for Smoltz

by Eric Stephen on Nov 23, 2009 9:33 AM PST up reply actions

Fun stuff

My first comment is that we are well represented by our number one picks but not by our number two picks and not a 3rd round or supplemental 1st round pick to be found.

Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen

by Phil Gurnee on Nov 23, 2009 9:21 AM PST reply actions

We need to sign Andrew Brown

as a FA and then you would have quite a post.

Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen

by Phil Gurnee on Nov 23, 2009 9:22 AM PST reply actions

Mauer got 27 of 28 1st place votes

I wonder if the lone Miguel Cabrera voter will face the same scrutiny as Law & Carroll for a far more ridiculous pick

http://bbwaa.com/

by Eric Stephen on Nov 23, 2009 11:01 AM PST reply actions

Twins fans not as entitled as Cards fans.

by delias man on Nov 23, 2009 11:03 AM PST up reply actions

i agree with the 3 people who left carpenter and then mauer out..

or in mauer case not first..

mauer missed the first month of the season and i prefer my MVP winner play a full year..

same with carpenter..

by matthewmafa on Nov 23, 2009 11:12 AM PST up reply actions

What if they provided more value in those 5 months than anyone else did in 6 months?

Mauer did end up playing 138 games, a high total for a catcher. He ended up 5th in the AL in innings caught at 939 innings. Outside of the top 3 (Suzuki, Pierzynski, and Laird), that’s about as regular a catcher as you’re going to get.

by Eric Stephen on Nov 23, 2009 11:20 AM PST up reply actions

yeah but for 1 month of the season

he didnt help out his team at all… while cabera was there everyday.. and i dont like the 138 game stat cause even if he pinch hit 1 time and was out the game or something, its not really a good stat.. the big thing is he was out for 1 month and didnt help his team win those games..

by matthewmafa on Nov 23, 2009 11:22 AM PST up reply actions

No doubt Cabrera played more (79 more plate appearances), but you seem to be placing too much weight on what didn’t happen than what did happen.

Mauer, in the games he played, provided more total value to his team than Cabrera did.

Mauer also didn’t get drunk during the season’s final weekend as his team was fighting for the AL Central title. A division title won by Mauer’s team, BTW

by Eric Stephen on Nov 23, 2009 11:28 AM PST up reply actions

my vote would go to mauer ALso...

but i would see why Someone would not vote him first…

just like not voting carpenter at all..

they both missed a month of the season and didnt help out there team at all while the other candidates where there the whole year trying to help their teams get to the playoffs..

by matthewmafa on Nov 23, 2009 11:32 AM PST up reply actions

I get that, but I expected any of the non-Mauer 1st place votes to go to Jeter or Tex, more deserving than Cabrera IMO (at least Jeter).

Zobrist should have finished higher too, but his lack of support is not surprising.

by Eric Stephen on Nov 23, 2009 11:36 AM PST up reply actions

yeah zobrist was 2nd for me..

after mauer..

where can we see the whole entire ballot and who got points and how many?? like a spread sheet?

by matthewmafa on Nov 23, 2009 11:38 AM PST up reply actions

The link above (BBWAA)

by Eric Stephen on Nov 23, 2009 11:40 AM PST up reply actions

alright thanks

by matthewmafa on Nov 23, 2009 11:41 AM PST up reply actions

I voted for Mauer because of his age. :)

by silverwidow on Nov 23, 2009 11:19 AM PST up reply actions

now I get it…..

by delias man on Nov 23, 2009 11:42 AM PST up reply actions

i dont get it..

by matthewmafa on Nov 23, 2009 11:45 AM PST up reply actions

It’s a joke referring back to my King Felix vote from last week.

by silverwidow on Nov 23, 2009 11:50 AM PST up reply actions

oh alright..

by matthewmafa on Nov 23, 2009 11:52 AM PST up reply actions

from Ken Davidoff:

Keizo Konishi of Kyodo News, based in Seattle, voted Miguel Cabrera first

by Eric Stephen on Nov 23, 2009 11:21 AM PST up reply actions

lol maybe because of caberras stat line vs his team this year..

.471 .538 .676 1.215 ave/obp/slugging/OPS

by matthewmafa on Nov 23, 2009 11:24 AM PST up reply actions

Great point

That’s the problem with basing your vote on your personal observations of these players.

by Michael White on Nov 23, 2009 11:35 AM PST up reply actions

Players/mgrs do a crappy job with GG also. Who should vote for any of these awards?

by delias man on Nov 23, 2009 11:37 AM PST up reply actions

Me.

by Tripon on Nov 23, 2009 11:42 AM PST up reply actions

I'm fine with writers

so long as it’s not based on, “I saw that kid pitch once, and boy does he have fire in his eyes.”

by Michael White on Nov 23, 2009 11:44 AM PST up reply actions

Diamond Lueng points to an article that says the Dodgers entered a developmental agreement with a Latin American team

The Dodgers have reportedly entered into a development agreement with Tiburones de La Guaira, according to a report out of Venezuela that quotes two Dodgers executives.

http://diamondleung.tumblr.com/post/254581198/dodgers-look-to-venezuela

by Tripon on Nov 23, 2009 11:46 AM PST reply actions

I wonder what it is these things actually accomplish

Didn’t the Dodgers do one of thee several years back with a Japanese team? Did anything ever come of it, in any way?

by EMDarrow on Nov 23, 2009 11:55 AM PST up reply actions

Who the hell voted for Placido polanco????

wow what a joke…

by matthewmafa on Nov 23, 2009 12:00 PM PST reply actions

In DeWitt’s "tree", it’s also interesting to note that Eric Young was a Dodger draft signee and for the Rockies to be able to trade him to L.A., it required the following:

6/5/89: Drafted Eric Young in the 43rd round (1123 overall).
11/17/92: Lost Eric Young to the Colorado Rockies as the 11th pick in the 1992 expansion draft.

The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.

by David Young on Nov 23, 2009 3:22 PM PST reply actions

I thought about including that, but since Young left the link was broken.

by Eric Stephen on Nov 23, 2009 3:54 PM PST up reply actions

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Pos	No	Player	2012 Salary
C	17	Ellis	$490,000
1B	7	Loney	$6,375,000
2B	37	Herrera	$375,082
3B	6	Hairston	$2,250,000
SS	9	Gordon	$485,000
LF	23	Abreu	$401,311
CF	10	Gwynn	$850,000
RF	16	Ethier	$10,950,000

OF/1B	33	Van Slyke	$388,197
2B/3B	3	Kennedy	$800,000
OF/1B	30	Sands	$375,175
IF	13	DeJesus	$448,992
C	18	Treanor	$850,000

SP	22	Kershaw	$6,000,000
SP	58	Billingsley	$9,000,000
SP	29	Lilly	$12,000,000
SP	44	Harang	$3,000,000
SP	35	Capuano	$3,000,000

CL	74	Jansen	$491,000
RHP	52	Lindblom	$483,000
RHP	51	Belisario	$414,426
RHP	54	Guerra	$488,000
RHP	28	Wright	$900,000
LHP	57	Elbert	$488,500
RHP	60	Coffey	$1,000,000

DL	27	Kemp	$10,000,000
DL	21	Rivera	$4,000,000
DL	12	Sellers	$481,000
DL	5	Uribe	$8,000,000
DL	55	Guerrier	$4,750,000
DL	14	Ellis	$2,500,000
60DL	36	Hawksworth	$495,000
60DL	41	De La Rosa	$485,000

AA	50	Eovaldi	$7,885
AAA	56	Antonini	$7,869

		Manny	$8,087,432	deferred
		Andruw	$3,375,000	deferred
		Pierre	$3,050,000	deferred
		Furcal	$3,000,000	deferred
		Kuroda	$2,000,000	deferred
		Garland	$1,500,000	option buyout
		Blake	$1,250,000	option buyout
DFA	66	MacDougal	$650,000

Totals			$115,942,869
For more detailed information, click here.
Current 40-man roster count: 42 (incl. De La Rosa & Hawksworth)

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How Dodgers Became Dodgers: Where Pedro Astacio Becomes Blake DeWitt

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