The portly little lefty starting pitcher Fernando Valenzuela took L.A. by storm when he arrived for good in 1981. Valenzuela won the Rookie of the Year Award and the Cy Young Award in 1981 at the age of 20. He pitched in 25 games (all starts) for the Dodgers in 1981 and he was 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. He had 11 complete games that season including 8 of which that were shutouts. The Dodgers worked Valenzuela hard which probably led his arm to be shot before his time should have been up. Valenzuela pitched in 331 games (320 starts) in 11 years for the Dodgers and he was 141-116 with 2 saves, a 3.31 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. Valenzuela’s name is all over the record books for the Dodgers. He is #6 all-time in Dodgers’ history in games started (320), #8 in wins (141), tied for #6 in shutouts (29), #9 in innings pitched (2,348 2/3) and #5 in strikeouts (1,759). Fernando Valenzuela will always have a place in Dodgers’ fans hearts as he was truly a sight to see and a reason to come to the ballpark.

25-year old lefty swinging James Loney had held down the first base job for the Dodgers the last couple of years. But, he doesn’t have the power needed for a corner infielder in the majors. He played in 158 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 162 for 576 (.281 avg, .756 OPS) with 73 runs scored, 13 homers, 90 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. He reminds me a bit of Mark Grace minus the .300 batting average and the stellar defense. Loney made 7 errors in 155 games at 1B last season for the Dodgers which is also an area he can improve on in 2010.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 1B IN 2010: C

The Dodgers have signed 29-year old lefty starting pitcher John Koronka and 34-year old lefty swinging outfielder Timo Perez to minor league deals. Koronka pitched in 2 games (both starts) for the Marlins last season and he was 0-2 with a 11.05 ERA and a 2.46 WHIP. He has now pitched in 31 games (30 starts) in his major league career and he is 8-13 with a 6.25 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. It’s a longshot to expect Koronka to be able to help the Dodgers at any point in 2010 because he’s just not much of a pitcher. He keeps getting chances because he throws with his left arm. Timo Perez will have a chance to earn a spot on the bench with the Dodgers in 2010. He played in 77 games last season for Veracruz out of the Mexican League and he was 93 for 288 (.323 avg, .882 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 8 homers, 37 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Perez last played in the majors in 2007 with the Tigers. Perez has played in 603 games in his 8 years in the majors and he is 449 for 1,671 (.269 avg, .690 OPS) with 187 runs scored, 26 homers, 185 RBIs and 23 stolen bases. The Dodgers had nothing to lose by bringing Koronka and Perez to spring training.

The Dodgers have re-signed 34-year old righty swinging 2B Ronnie Belliard to a 1-year deal worth $825,000 bucks plus incentives. Belliard played in 24 games after coming over from the Nationals in a trade last season and he was 27 for 77 (.351 avg, 1.034 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 5 homers and 17 RBIs. Belliard played in 110 games overall for the Nationals & Dodgers last season and he was 73 for 264 (.277 avg, .776 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 10 homers, 39 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Belliard has now played in 1,402 games in his major league career and he is 1,342 for 4,883 (.275 avg, .757 OPS) with 661 runs scored, 112 homers, 582 RBIs and 41 stolen bases. I really like this move for the Dodgers as Belliard should be able to win the starting 2B for them in 2010.

The Dodgers have re-signed 40-year old righty swinging Brad Ausmus to a 1-year deal with a mutual option for the 2011 season. Ausmus played in 36 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 28 for 95 (.295 avg, .712 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 1 homer, 9 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Ausmus has now played in 1,950 games in his major league career and he is 1,565 for 6,216 (.252 avg, .670 OPS) with 714 runs scored, 80 homers, 605 RBIs and 102 stolen bases. It was smart for the Dodgers to bring back Ausmus to back up Russell Martin.