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Yesterday we looked at the best 19 and 20 year old season for a position player and Adrian Beltre was clearly the winner.  Today we are going to look at the pitchers. Joe Moeller wasn't very good but he was the only 19 year old to qualify and he did have some interesting numbers so we should give him his credit. On the other hand the 20 year old season by Fernando was one for the ages, and stuff that legends are made of. If you were lucky enough to be cognizant in 1981 you enjoyed one of the greatest Dodger seasons ever, not just for the team but for the individual performance by Fernando. I'm not here to rank his season against the best seasons ever by a Dodger pitcher but Fernando Valenzuela was clearly the best 20 year old the Dodgers ever had, and quite possibly the greatest 20 year old anyone has ever seen this side of Bob Feller and Dwight Gooden. Couldn't help myself, I had to peak, using ERA+ as a guide it was the fourth best 20 year old season since the Dodgers moved west. Based on OPS against, I'd rank him 2nd.

                                                                                            
Rk                Player ERA+ Year Age  Tm GS CG SHO  W L W-L%    IP   H ER BB  SO  ERA  OPS
1          Dwight Gooden  229 1985  20 NYM 35 16   8 24 4 .857 276.2 198 47 69 268 1.53 .524
2       Dennis Eckersley  144 1975  20 CLE 24  6   2 13 7 .650 186.2 147 54 90 152 2.60 .631
3            Dave Rozema  139 1977  20 DET 28 16   1 15 7 .682 218.1 222 75 34  92 3.09 .700
4    Fernando Valenzuela  135 1981  20 LAD 25 11   8 13 7 .650 192.1 140 53 61 180 2.48 .549
5            Rick Ankiel  134 2000  20 STL 30  0   0 11 7 .611 175.0 137 68 90 194 3.50 .685

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Generated 10/6/2011.

Dodger 19 and 20 year old seasons with at least 10 starts or 30 games.

                                                                                                   
Rk                Player  WAR GS Year Age  G CG SHO  W L SV    IP   H ER BB  SO  ERA ERA+  OPS OPS+
1    Fernando Valenzuela  5.4 25 1981  20 25 11   8 13 7  0 192.1 140 53 61 180 2.48  135      .549
2        Clayton Kershaw  1.2 21 2008  20 22  0   0  5 5  0 107.2 109 51 52 100 4.26   98      .756
3        Doyle Alexander -0.5 12 1971  20 17  4   0  6 6  0  92.1 105 39 18  30 3.80   85      .689
4            Joe Moeller -1.1 15 1962  19 19  1   0  6 5  1  85.2  87 50 58  46 5.25   69      .777

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Generated 10/5/2011.

Tidbits:

Fernando led the league in starts with only 25 because of the strike shortened season. Led the league in CG, Shutouts, Innings Pitched, and Strikeouts at the age of 20 garnering the Cy Young, ROY, and placing fifth in the MVP voting. He also threw in a Silver Slugger award to cap off the greatest 20 year old season in LA Dodger History. How did he manage to win all those awards?

• Game 1 -  Have to start at the beginning, opening day shutout as he replaced the injured Jerry Ruess. He only struck out five, looked like a fluky start to be sure.
• Game 2 - Complete game, one earned run, 10 K's
• Game 3 - Complete game shutout, 10 K's
• Game 4 - Complete game shutout, 11 K's
• Game 5 - Complete game shutout, seven hits, four walks, seven K's
• That makes four his first five major leagues starts were four shutouts, he wasn't done yet
• Game 6 - Complete game, gave up one earned run, no walks, seven K's
• Game 7 - Complete game shutout, seven hits, five walks, 11 K's
• Game 8 - Complete game, three hitter, gave up two earned runs for the first time in his career.
• So let's add that up. Eight straight complete games to start the year. Five of them were shutouts. He gave up a total of four runs in those seventy two innings. At the age of 20. In his first eight major league starts.
• He would only go 5 - 7 from that point on but what he did in the postseason would cement his legacy.
• He started Game One of the NLDS and matched HOF Nolan Ryan 1 - 1 for eight innings. Dave Stewart would lose the game in the ninth by giving up two runs.
• He started Game Four with the Dodgers down 2 games to 1 in a must win scenario and pitched the Dodgers to a 2 -1 victory going all nine innings and not giving up a run until the 9th. Houston scored once in the 9th but Tommy left Fernando in to finish up the game with the tying run on base.
• Editor Note - Jerry Reuss would throw a shutout in gave five as the Dodgers won 3 games in a row after being down two games to advance to the NLCS. Reuss beat Nolan Ryan.
• After losing Game Two of the NLCS, Fernando was called upon to pitch the deciding game. The series was tied 2 games to 2 and many consider this one of the greatest games in Dodger history. The 20 year old went 8 2/3 innings with Bob Welch getting the last out of the game after Fernando had put the tying and go a head runs on base via a walk. You had to watch this game to understand how big a game it was. The Expos had scored in the first inning but would never score again. The Dodgers were headed to NY.
  
• Because Fernando had pitched the last game of the NLCS he was not able to pitch in the World Series until game three. The Dodgers had lost both games in NY and were down 2 - 0. Once again Fernando put the team on his back and pitched a complete game, but it was not easy. The Yankees scored twice in the second and third negating a three run first inning by the Dodgers. Headed into the bottom of the 3rd the Dodgers were down 4 - 3 and it looked like the hated Yankees would sweep us. Fernando would not let the Yankees score again. The Dodger hitters took care of the rest as they scored two in the fifth. Once again Fernando shook hands with Scoscia as the Dodgers won their first game of the series. They would not lose again.

Their is a very real reason why Fernando is the most beloved Dodger alive today. You simply can't make up what he did in 1981.

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Joe Moeller was the best 19 year old pitcher we have had but he wasn't very good. You could also point your finger at Moeller as a big reason why the Dodgers did not advance to the World Series in 1962. They ended the season tied with Giants and lost a playoff series. The 19 year old Moeller was forced to make 15 starts, which was one start too many. He had some solid games but in a period in June he was waxed five straight times. The lowlight of his season had to be June 29th, 1962 when the awful Mets pasted him for four runs in the first. He walked four of the first five hitters he faced. Ron Perranoski replaced him and did him no favors by walking three of the four hitters he faced. Perry was replaced by Phil Ortega who finally got the last out of the inning. The Dodgers ended up walking seven hitters that inning. Moeller's best game had to be April 23rd, a complete game 5 - 2 victory over a loaded Milwaukee Bravse team in front of all of 7600 fans.  I suspect Dodger fans expected big things from Moeller after seeing him make 15 starts as a 19 year old but it was not to be. He would have some success in 1964 but was out of baseball by the age of 28 even though in his last three years his ERA was never higher then 3.92.

Doyle Alexander was drafted in the ninth round of the legendary 1968 draft as an 18 year old and made his debut on June 26th, 1971.  Doyle would go onto pitch 19 seasons and be involved in one of the more interesting trades in the history of baseball, but in 1971 he was a Dodger.  He got off to a great start by pitching eight innings in his first game as the Dodgers beat the Padres 4 - 3. Doyle followed that up with a complete game victory 9 -2 for his first major league win. He gave up 12 hits in those nine innings and struck out only four. If you take a look at his game logs you will notice that the strikeout was not really in his repertoire.  Doyle would throw three complete games in August, winning all three games, while only giving up one run in each game. For a twenty year old he sure seemed to know how to pitch. Yet the Dodgers said good bye to Doyle and traded him during the off season for a HOF. I can remember being sad to see the young pitcher go, but Frank Robinson was one of my favorite players so I was not very upset. Frank Robinson was coming to town.

December 2, 1971: Traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers with Bob O'Brien, Sergio Robles and Royle Stillman to the Baltimore Orioles for Pete Richert and Frank Robinson

Clayton Kershaw surprised many by forcing his way into the rotation at the age of 20 but it was no surprise that he was solid in his debut season. While Kershaw was showing Vin Scully Uncle Charley in the spring and dominating the men in AA, my niece was in Mexico for a college class and one of her classmates had been a high school classmate of Clayton's so she had asked me about him. I was more then happy to let her know that Mr. Kershaw was the greatest thing since sliced bread and hopefully would be pitching for us soon.  Little did we know that a few weeks later he'd be making his debut and as luck would have it, Kalia was staying with us in a brief stopover in Los Angeles before heading home.  As with the other 127,000 plus Dodger fans who watched Clayton make his debut, we fell in love with him and have never stopped. Clayton may not be the best 20 year old in this series but I have a feeling he is going to find himself at the top of some future ones. It will be interesting to see who wins a few of the battles between Fernando and Clayton from age 21 - 23. 

I'm starting a series looking for the best season by age for our Los Angeles Dodgers.  Rules are simple for offensive players the player must have garnered at least 200 plate appearances.  The pitcher must have made 10 starts or 30 relief appearances. Using BRef as the focal point for this search because of the ability to do searches and post the data I've found.

                                                                                                                               
Rk          Player WAR/pos  PA Year Age  Tm Lg  G  AB  R  H 2B 3B HR RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS   BA  OBP  SLG  OPS  Pos
                                                                                                                               
1    Adrian Beltre     0.1 214 1998  19 LAD NL 77 195 18 42  9  0  7  22 14   0 37   3  2  0   4  3  1 .215 .278 .369 .648 *5/6

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Generated 10/5/2011.

                                                                                                
Player             WAR/pos  PA Year Age  AB  R   H 2B 3B HR RBI BB  SO   BA  OBP  SLG  OPS   Pos
Adrian Beltre          3.7 614 1999  20 538 84 148 27  5 15  67 61 105 .275 .352 .428 .780    *5
Bill Russell           1.6 238 1969  20 212 35  48  6  2  5  15 22  45 .226 .301 .344 .645 *98/7
Derrell Griffith       0.3 254 1964  20 238 27  69 16  2  4  23  5  21 .290 .307 .424 .732  59/7
Ron Fairly            -1.1 284 1959  20 244 27  58 12  1  4  23 31  29 .238 .324 .344 .668 *98/7

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Generated 10/5/2011.

Not surprisingly the list is small and is led by Adrian Beltre for both 19 and 20 year old seasons.

Tidbits:

Adrian Beltre - When you look at the current franchise you wouldn't think the Dodgers have a storied history of great young Dominican ballplayers but we do. From the pitching side, Martinez brothers (Ramon and Pedro), Pedro Astacio, and Alejandro Pena. From the offensive side Raul Mondesi, and Adrian Beltre. No one came faster then Adrian Beltre who was in the major leagues by age 19.  Beltre's age 20 season was the greatest ever in the National League for a Dominican.

                                                                                                                                  
Rk           Player WAR/pos Year Age  Tm Lg  PA  R   H 2B 3B HR RBI BB  SO SB   BA  OBP  SLG  OPS                              Pos
1     Adrian Beltre     3.7 1999  20 LAD NL 614 84 148 27  5 15  67 61 105 18 .275 .352 .428 .780     *5        Santo Domingo D.R.
2        Jose Reyes     1.8 2003  20 NYM NL 292 47  84 12  4  5  32 13  36 13 .307 .334 .434 .769     *6       Villa Gonzalez D.R.
3      Cesar Cedeno     1.7 1971  20 HOU NL 649 85 161 40  6 10  81 25 102 20 .264 .293 .398 .690 *897/3        Santo Domingo D.R.
4     Luis Castillo     1.0 1996  20 FLA NL 180 26  43  2  1  1   8 14  46 17 .262 .320 .305 .625     *4 San Pedro de Macoris D.R.
5    Starlin Castro     0.4 2010  20 CHC NL 506 53 139 31  5  3  41 29  71 10 .300 .347 .408 .755     *6         Monte Cristi D.R.
6     Jose Gonzalez     0.2 1985  20 LAD NL  12  6   3  2  0  0   0  1   3  1 .273 .333 .455 .788   /987         Puerto Plata D.R.

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Generated 10/5/2011.

Based on his age 20 season you'd have expected Beltre to have the career he had, you just would not have expected for him to take so long to get it going. He was doing it all at age 20, power, average, plate discipline, and of course the spectacular defense at the hot corner. Easily the greatest age 20 season any offensive Dodgers has had, but it will pale compared to the best 20-year old season any Los Angeles Dodger has ever had. Beltre's 20 year old season ranks as the 7th best in the majors since the Los Angeles Dodgers came into existence.

Editors Note: Adrian was considered to be 20 when he first joined the Dodgers not 19. Age gate would end up knocking a year off his age while putting the Dodgers in front of the commissioner for signing someone before they were 16.

                                                                                                        
Rk                Player WAR/pos Year Age  Tm Lg  PA   R   H 2B HR RBI BB  SO   BA  OBP  SLG   OPS   Pos
1         Alex Rodriguez     9.4 1996  20 SEA AL 677 141 215 54 36 123 59 104 .358 .414 .631 1.045    *6
2            Vada Pinson     6.3 1959  20 CIN NL 706 131 205 47 20  84 55  98 .316 .371 .509  .880    *8
3           Johnny Bench     4.7 1968  20 CIN NL 607  67 155 40 15  82 31  96 .275 .311 .433  .743    *2
4            Ken Griffey     4.6 1990  20 SEA AL 666  91 179 28 22  80 63  81 .300 .366 .481  .847  *8/D
5    Claudell Washington     4.6 1975  20 OAK AL 635  86 182 24 10  77 32  80 .308 .345 .424  .769  *789
6          Jason Heyward     4.4 2010  20 ATL NL 623  83 144 29 18  72 91 128 .277 .393 .456  .849    *9
7         Roberto Alomar     3.8 1988  20 SDP NL 611  84 145 24  9  41 47  83 .266 .328 .382  .709    *4
8          Adrian Beltre     3.7 1999  20 LAD NL 614  84 148 27 15  67 61 105 .275 .352 .428  .780    *5
9           Andruw Jones     3.2 1997  20 ATL NL 467  60  92 18 18  70 56 107 .231 .329 .416  .745 *98/7
10         Butch Wynegar     3.2 1976  20 MIN AL 622  58 139 21 10  69 79  63 .260 .356 .363  .719   *2D
11          Mike Stanton     2.8 2010  20 FLA NL 396  45  93 21 22  59 34 123 .259 .326 .507  .833    *9
12             Joe Torre     2.7 1961  20 MLN NL 441  40 113 21 10  42 28  60 .278 .330 .424  .754    *2
13        Orlando Cepeda     2.5 1958  20 SFG NL 644  88 188 38 25  96 29  84 .312 .342 .512  .854    *3
14          Elvis Andrus     2.4 2009  20 TEX AL 541  72 128 17  6  40 40  77 .267 .329 .373  .702    *6
15       Tony Conigliaro     2.4 1965  20 BOS AL 586  82 140 21 32  82 51 116 .269 .338 .512  .850  *9/8

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Generated 10/5/2011.

Bill Russell was drafted in the 9th round, in 1966 at the tender age of 17 and was in the major leagues three short years later. The fleet footed Russell was strictly an outfielder in 1969 doing most of his work in right field though he was better suited for center field. He did get into 16 games in CF but with Willie Davis patrolling that spot, there was not much time for Russell. Interesting thing about Bill's 20 year old season, and I can remember this as clear as can be: He hit five home runs in only 212 at bats. I thought he was going to be the Dodger version of Bobby Murcer but Russell would play another 17 years and only manage to match or best the meager five home runs total twice. He also walked 22 times in 238 plate appearances for a walk rate of 9.2%. So while the batting average of .226 was disheartening, he still had a plus .300 OB% and those five home runs. He would end his career with a walk rate of 5.3%. So the home run power, the plate discipline in 1969 were simply mirages and what looked like the beginning of a storied career was simply the beginning of a long career of mediocrity. 

Derrell Griffith was brought upto the team in June of 1964 and banged out seven multiple hit games out his first 16 and was hitting a robust .346 on July 2nd.. He also had an OB% of .346. That can't end well and it didn't. He did manage to end the year with a .290 batting average in 254 plate appearances but those five walks might have been the chink in his armor. He played just about every game in Sept/Oct,  but in the outfield, not as the 3rd baseman he came up as.  In 1965 he didn't make the team, played sparingly in the middle of the summer and in Sept call up time. By 1967 his career was over with only 315 plate appearances and 254 came in his 20-year old season.

Ron Fairly came up at the age of 20 in 1959 16 games into the season to play some outfield. He stuck around all year and showed some of the skills he'd own the rest of his long and storied career.  Fairly is one of few players to have a walk rate > 11% and a K rate below 13.5%.  He would end up being sent back down in 1960 but I bet we see him again on this list at age 22.

In full uniform the 78-year old 1962 MVP slowly ambled up the dugout steps making his way onto the hallowed  grounds he knew better then anyone else. No one ushered in Chavez Ravine like Maury Wills did 49 year ago when he set the baseball world asunder with his record setting 104 stolen bases.

If you read any of the biographies from the Dodgers who played in 1962 one constant theme stays true from book to book. Maury Wills paid a price for those 104 stolen bases. Maury was a small man but he was built like a bull, and he needed that strength to see him through the 1962 season.  Abrasion after abrasion followed him that year but he did not relent in his quest to help the Dodgers score runs, and score runs they did, putting up 842 runs.

Watching Maury hop out onto the field, I was struck how much I loved it when Dodgers from our past get to work with the Dodgers of our present and future. Nothing much was happening so I lingered close enough to Maury to over hear a conversation he started with another coach and media person. I heard him say Marichal and I was hooked.

This is the story that Maury layed out for his audience, the day before Marichal clobbered Roseboro over the head the Dodgers were facing Gaylord Perry who was setting the Dodgers down with no problem. Late in the game Maury decided he couldn't hit Perry on this day so he leaned his bat back and then swung with the idea of drawing a catchers interference and it worked. He then stole 2nd, and 3rd and scored the run they needed to win the game. The Giants were very upset with how Maury got on base and that is why Marichal was pitching inside to the Dodgers the following day when the incident happened.

That is what I heard, and while some of it may have gotten lost in the translation between the air and my old ears, I'm pretty sure I got the gist of  it. When I got home I was curious to see how much of this had in fact happened because it was 45 years ago, so I hit  Baseball Reference to see how much could be verified.

While the story does not quite ring true what I did uncover was a beauty of a baseball game.  Gaylord Perry did not pitch on Aug 21st, he pitched on Aug 19 in relief. Maury was right that Perry was setting the team down, Perry came in the top of the 9th of 5 -3 game and hit Maury Wills with a pitch. Maury did not score,  and in the bottom of the 9th Big D gave up a two run home run to ex - Dodger Tom Haller with ex - Dodger and future team home run leader Len Gabrielson on base to tie the game. Perry shut out the Dodgers from the 9th until 14th, but in the 15th inning Sweet Lou Johnson belted a two run home run as the Dodgers went on to win 8 - 5. Maury did not factor in any of the scoring after the 9th inning.  

This game was full of the greatest players in Dodger / Giant history. HOF Don Drysdale matched up against HOF Warren Spahn, Perranoski matched up in relief against HOF Gaylord Perry, HOF Willie Mays, HOF Willie McCovey, HOF, and HOF Orlando Cepeda were in the impressive Giant lineup.  Don Drysdale blasted a home run his sixth of the year off of Warren Spahn who hit 35 home runs as a pitcher besting Big D's mark of 29.

In today's game of baseball Joe Torre would have emptied his bullpen to fulfill the requirements of a 15 inning game. In 1962, Don Drysdale went the first eleven innings, and Ron Perranoski finished up the final four. Of course in 1965 it made no sense to pinch hit for Big D since he really was the best hitter on the team that year. 

While Maury's memory may not have it right, the game he was talking about might have been the game of the year for the Dodgers, and I'm glad I overhead his conversation or I would not have had inclination to look up this game. The Dodgers would need every win that year as they only won the pennant by two games over a brilliant San Francisco Giant team on their way to their third Wold Championship as the Los Angeles Dodgers.

via i.a.cnn.net

The news of Jose Lima dying at the age of 37 today should have shocked all of us. I expect to write about Dodgers dying but not guys who are 14 years my junior. He only pitched for us for one year but man oh man, what a year it was.

Until Jose Lima joined the Dodgers I considered him a showboating fool, who was all about public relations. In 2004 with the change in ownership I delved into buying season tickets, and ended up right next to the Dodger bullpen staring down into that strange world of hierarchies.

I wasn't happy that Lima had made the team in the spring of 2004, he was to me someone who should be pitching for a losing program not the Dodger program. I also have never been a fan of fake showmanship, and at the beginning Lima  seemed all about fake showmanship. Later as I settled in to my season tickets Lima would prove me wrong in every which way.

First off, in 2004 the man could pitch, in fact as I wait for Ely to fall to earth,  I should take note of what Lima accomplished with less. 

Second, the man loved this game and the fans. No Dodger before or since Jose Lima, interacted on a daily basis with such enthusiasm. His love of the game was contagious and since he loved the fans, they loved him back. Lima Time was not just some bullshit term, Jose Lima earned it by using every trick in the book to fool the hitters, and genuine enthusiasm  to make the fans feel like someone actually cared about them.

When Jose was first used in the bullpen he would be the first guy to show up, and shower the stands from the field box to the reserve with free baseballs.   Later when he became a fixture in the rotation he still would come down to the bullpen area to chat with the fans. He's the only starter who has ever done that on a consistent basis.

He sang the national anthem and to be honest I have no idea if he was any good or not, because most of Dodger Stadium was ogling his gorgeous wife.

via www.murrayinthemorning.com

However without something to cap off the season, he would simply have been remembered as just another interesting Dodgers, but in October he did something completely unexpected. He pitched the game of his career, and he did it in style. It was the greatest game I've ever witnessed at Dodgers Stadium. From the time Jose Lima was warming up until the last out, Chavez Ravine was buzzing. I've been to a game like that before but the buzz stops when the pitching fails, this time the pitching did not fail.

It wouldn't have been the same if someone like Orel or Fernando had pitched the gem. The greatest part of the game was the complete surprise that someone like Jose Lima could pitch the greatest Dodger playoff game in the last 16 years.

Jose Lima shut out the prodigious St Louis lineup for the first playoff victory for the Dodgers since 1988. He shut down Albert Pujols. He shut down the critics.

He won our hearts forever.

Nomar wasn't a Dodger very long but he had a huge impact on the team in the three years he spent with us. In 2006 he was one of Ned's first FA signings,  and at the time it looked like a huge risk. Nomar was coming off of multiple injuries and had barely totaled 100 games combined in 2004/2005. Even stranger Ned signed him to play 1st base a position he had never played before.

Prior to 2004 Nomar had been one of the most deadly hitters in the game but his game seem long removed from those glory days. Things did not start out well. In Nomar's first opening day, he hurt himself in the batting cage, and missed the first 17 games. All the cynics of the signing were doing plenty of "I told you so's" but once Nomar got healthy he shut the cynics down in fast order. From April 22nd to July 13th Nomar maintained an OPS over 1.000 and quickly became the fan favorite at The Ravine.  Things went south for Nomar after that as his OPS fell from over 1.000 to .872 by the end of the year. However that trajectory does not tell the entire story.  Nomar was the + 1 in the most famous regular season game in LA Dodger History , and he followed up those dramatics with a walk off grand slam  six days later. He wasn't done yet, hitting a three run home the following day. In the heat of the pennant race Nomar drove in 9 runs in three games helping the Dodgers win two key games very late in the season.

In 2007 Nomar was brought back to play 1st base and the blogging crowd howled with the horror of keeping James Loney in AAA. The same crowd by the way who would replace James Loney in the blink of an eye today. The daily Dodger fan however was thrilled to see their favorite player coming back. The Dodgers even built a marketing campaign around Nomar featuring him in a super hero like Van Mural. Luckily for the Dodgers they didn't have faith in Wilson Betemit as the 3rd baseman, and after Nomar had started at first base from opening day until June 21st they moved Nomar from 1st base to make room for James Loney.  We have talked about Loney's road/home splits but in 2007 Loney had nothing on Nomar. Nomar had some of the largest Home/Road splits I'd ever seen. No wonder the Dodger fans liked him, when he was home he hit, on the road he may have been the worst hitter in baseball. Home - .325/.385/450                            Road - .243/.272/297

The naysayers of course focused on his dismal road numbers and said he was done, others pointed to his home numbers and said he still had something in the tank.  Either way his 2007 season was a huge disappointment but he had signed a two year deal in the winter of 2007 so he was coming back in 2008 no matter what.

In the spring of 2008 Nomar was the de facto 3rd baseman getting nominal competition from Andy LaRoche the highly touted minor league prospect. Just like Loney the Nomar detractors felt that Nomar was holding back Andy LaRoche. No one was a bigger Andy LaRoche supporter than the prior manager of TBLA. He hung his hat on the wrong guy. He may have been right about Nomar being done, but he turned out to be dead wrong on the capabilities of Andy LaRoche. However to the dismay of Dodger fans neither one was the Dodger 3rd baseman to start the year due to a freak accident that saw both Nomar and LaRoche get sidelined in the same spring training game. This game had huge future ramifications for the Dodgers. With the veteran sideline, and the hot prospect sidelined the Dodgers turned to Blake DeWitt to play 3rd base.   Nomar was only sideline for the first two weeks of the year and came back by April 18th. Of course this was the brittle Nomar and he only lasted a week before going down for 10 weeks. In those 10 weeks he was gone DeWitt had some ups and downs and ultimately was sent back to AAA when LaRoche was ready on June 11th. Nomar was activated on July 4th and instead of playing 3rd base actually saw time at SS. LaRoche did nothing to impress and with Nomar being so brittle the Dodger felt they needed a real 3rd baseman. Thus they traded Carlos Santana for Casey Blake and parlayed Andy LaRoche into Manny Ramirez.  Nomar saw alot of time at SS in Aug but with injuries plaguing him became a part timer in Sept.  In the 2008 playoffs he had three singles in seven at bats and that was the end of the Nomar era here in Los Angeles.

He was never as bad as his critics claimed, he was never as good as the Dodger faithful thought. He was however a good Dodger, and if only he had been able to stay healthy just a bit longer in 2008 we might still have the one player we have traded who I miss everyday even though he has yet to play one single major league game. I just wanted to write about the Guitar.

Thanks for 2006 Nomar, it was a hell of a ride. We might have been off letting you walk after that and who knows what the future would have been if we had done so but for that one year, you gave us our money's worth.

The 3 Dog holds so many Los Angeles Dodger records:

Individual:

Triples (16) , Longest hitting streak (31)

Career:

At Bats (7,495), Runs (1,004), Hits (2,091), Triples (116), Total Bases (3,094), XBH (585), PA (8,035)

From 1960 - 1973 Willie Davis put together one hell of a career. He was considered a chronic underachiever, and for most Dodger fans in the 1960's will be forever remembered as the center fielder who made three errors in a row

The Orioles were the first to break through with three unearned runs in a terrible inning for the Dodgers' Willie Davis. First, the centerfielder dropped consecutive fly balls (after losing both in the sun). Then he threw a wild ball past third base after the second drop.

in game two of the 1966 World Series,  but he was much more than that.

As the numbers above show he was Mr. Los Angeles Dodger, a constant in Chavez Ravine as his team changed about him over and over. He saw the highs of the great teams from 62-66, then stuck around to see the wretched teams of 67, 68, followed by the slow youth movement that was capped just after he was finally traded to the Expo's for the final piece of the puzzle in Iron Man Mike Marshal.

Through it all Willie Davis did his thing never quite reaching stardom but certainly putting his stamp on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Willie was one of those ballplayers who did things easily so lazy got pinned to him. There was no kinetic energy to Willie, he simply flowed through a baseball game.  I've always found that the more graceful the player the easier it is to pin a tag that they are lazy or don't care, when truth is, things just come easy to them.

The first time I saw Willie Davis, Mr. Ed was giving him hitting advice, the next time I saw him was at the Ravine in 1970. He quickly became one of my favorite and most exasperating  Dodgers. At times he could do it all, other times average was all we got. His speed allowed him to patrol CF well enough to win three straight six gold gloves between 1971 - 1973.  He hit well enough to become the only LA Dodger to eclipse 2,000 hits.

Mister Ed and the Dodgers (via georgecf)

I was lucky enough to see Willie Davis play, more importantly I was able to see WIllie Davis run. Boy could the 3-Dog run. Who needs home runs when the 3-Dog is sliding into 3rd comfortably a head of the throw.

In 2006 he was honored by his high school alma mater Roosevelt High. In the video Willie explains exactly the roots of his 3-Dog nickname. Lot of great photo's in this video from his high school track star days and his Dodger baseball cards. Also some nice video of Willie playing Dodger baseball. This is a cool video I really recommend you take a look at it.

Willie Davis - Alumni Roosevelt HS Hall of Fame (via calteknet)

Willie Davis just a few months ago:

Willie Davis Legendary Baseball Player and Golfing - WTF Golf Episode 14 (via wtfgolf)

Run Willie Run

via farm3.static.flickr.com

While perusing the HOF eligible group for 2010 I stumbled upon the fact that Eric Karros is on the ballot. Can we make a case for Eric? No question about it, not even Robert Downey's Sherlock Holmes could uncover enough clues to make a case for Eric Karros to be a HOF. That said does he have any attributes that would help his case?

1. Great Hair - in fact what is it about LA Dodger first baseman and their hair. Wes Parker parlayed his hair into a failed TV career, Steve Garvey used his hair to father one of the great Dodger blogs, Karros used his to become an annoying but successful baseball TV analyst.  Does anyone on the 2010 HOF List have better hair then Eric Karros?

2. Most home runs by a LA Dodger first baseman with 270 eclipsing Garvery by 59 home runs.

3. Most cliches per minute then any other color analyst. "No Question" is his trademark answer when his play by play man throws him something to enlighten the baseball world with.

4. Never won ONE playoff game while a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Okay, not much of a case, not even as good a case as Robin Ventura who also played a little first base for the Dodgers in 2003/2004.  Still for many Dodgers fans who came of age in the early 90's  Eric Karros was their favorite Dodger. Local boy who went to UCLA he was the guy who was never considered a real prospect.  Drafted in the sixth round at the age of 20 in 1988 he climbed the minor league ladder every year and made his debut in Sept of 1991. 

The team had finished in 2nd place in 1991 and they had acquired Eric Davis that winter, so the outfield looked to be one of the best in baseball with Davis/Butler/Strawberry. Sweet swinging Kal Daniels was expected to play 1st base. Everything went wrong that year except for one thing.  Two games into the season and Daniels was hurt so Karros got the nod on April 9th. He hit a home run in the 1st inning against Craig Lefferts  in his first start in 1992 and never looked back winning the 1992 ROY Award by a landslide over such notables as Moises Alou, Reggie Sanders, and Tim Wakefield.  

That rookie season would start a run where Karros was the Dodger 1st baseman from 1992 - 2002, a span that was longer then any other LA Dodger 1st baseman. He had a series of  thoroughly  mediocre years  but once in a while he'd kick in an excellent season such 1995, 1998, and 1999.  If Eric Karros had left the Dodgers in 1999 he would be remembered much more fondly then he is but as happens with anyone who sticks around to long the downslope years of his career are now remembered more then his good years probably because he was getting a large contract and was not delivering the goods.  During the last few years of his career I can remember him barely running to 1st base on any ground ball because of the pain in his knees,.or getting off to slow starts and telling everyone not to worry as though the games in April don't count as much as the games in Sept.

Eric Karros has no HOF case. He is not even the best LA Dodger first baseman, and more then likely is not even the 2nd best or 3rd best LA Dodger first baseman. However he did give the Dodgers plenty of great memories during his long reign. Mine was his home run in his first start of 1992 that started his career but along the way he must have given you some memories,  good or bad. What were they?

via sfgate.com

"When I decided to come back and play, I wasn't going to go into it unless I felt I could contribute, and a day like today makes me feel like I am. No one ever comes to the ballpark thinking they're going to hit three home runs, least of all me, but it sure feels good to do this on a day like today."

-Kevin Elster

On April 11, 2000, the archrival Giants unveiled their brand new, $319 million dollar stadium, Pacific Bell Park.  I've since been to this stadium, and I must say it's an outstanding park.  The stadium is located right on the water, has breathtaking views, wide concourses, and an unbelievable variety of food choices.  But on this day, the Giants were to play their first game in their new park, and it would come against the Dodgers.

Kevin Elster had been out of baseball since being released by the Rangers in July 1998.  Elster retired to build a bar in Las Vegas.  According to Jeff Pearlman of Sports Illustrated, the bar, to be named Hootie, was going to be different:

"The city needs a place where people can play live music and just jam," says Elster, an amateur drummer. Elster hopes to open Hootie within two years. "My place," he says, "is going to be very different."

Elster seemed happy to be retired, but a call from the Dodgers rekindled his passion for the game, especially to play for his old manager, Davey Johnson.  Said Elster:

I just felt like staying home, sitting by the pool and not playing baseball. I was living a normal life.

Rather than sit by the pool, Elster's destiny was to play baseball next to the Pacific Ocean.  After signing a $300,000, non-guaranteed deal, the 35-year old Elster beat out Alex Cora for the starting shortstop position to start the 2000 season.  After starting the season with games in Montreal and New York, the Dodgers headed to San Francisco to help christen the Giants' brand new toy.

Kirk Reuter started the game for the Giants, and he was staked to a 1-0, which held up until the number eight hitter, the new Dodger shortstop came to the plate in the third inning.  Elster took the first five pitches from Reuter, then slammed the full count pitch over the center field wall for the first official home run in Pacific Bell Park.

A Barry Bonds home run -- the first at the park for the Giants -- in the bottom of the inning put the Giants up 2-1, a lead that would hold up until the top of the fifth.  Dodger catcher Todd Hundley led off the fifth with a single, to bring up Elster for his second at bat of the day.  Again Elster let some pitches go by, but pulled a 2-1 pitch by Reuter over the left field wall to recapture the lead for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers' lead was 4-2 when Elster stepped into the batter's box for his third plate appearance, in the top of the sixth.  With Adrian Beltre on first base and pitcher Chan Ho Park on deck, Kirk Reuter pitched carefully to Elster, walking him on five pitches.  However, no rubber chicken was hung from the brick wall in right field.

Elster got another at-bat with one out in the top of the eighth, with the Dodgers nursing a 5-4 lead.  After working former Dodger prospect Felix Rodriguez for a full count, Elster drove a pitch deep to left centerfield, and it cleared the fence to complete perhaps the most unlikely three homer day in Dodger history.

The Dodgers held on to win 6-5, spoiling the first game in the Giants' new home.

Johnson told Jason Reid of the LA Times Elster was a key addition to the club:

Everyone talked about we'd be losing defense [with Elster starting], and I love defense, but you need someone who can swing the bat in the eight hole. This is going to open a lot of eyes around this league. Teams are going to see they can't pitch around our Nos. 6 and 7 hitters to get to our eight hole.

Elster went on to have a nice season playing semi-regularly, splitting time at the position with Alex Cora.  In 259 plate appearances, Elster hit .227/.341/.455 with 14 homers, good enough for a 104 OPS+.

Over the long haul, it's probably not a huge deal that the Dodgers won the first game at Pac Bell Park.  After all, does anyone remember that the Reds won the first game at Dodger Stadium?  Still, there's a small measure of satisfaction in spoiling the party of an archrival, and thanks to Kevin Elster, most Dodger fans can have fond memories of the Giants' current stadium.