Dodgers continue makeover with Finley

By Will Lingo
July 31, 2004

The Dodgers and Diamondbacks weren't able to work out their blockbuster deal involving Randy Johnson, but they made a major trade on Saturday nonetheless. Los Angeles upgraded its outfield with Steve Finley and filled its hole at catcher (created by six-player trade with the Marlins on Friday) with Brent Mayne. Arizona tried to salvage a lost season by bringing in three prospects: Triple-A catcher Koyie Hill, Double-A lefthander Bill Murphy and high Class A outfielder Reggie Abercrombie. Both Hill and Murphy played in the 2004 Futures Game and could help the Diamondbacks in the very near future.

First-year general manager Paul DePodesta continued his significant makeover of the Dodgers, even though they already were atop the National League West. In the past two days, Los Angeles has changed catchers (a Mayne/David Ross combo in place of Paul LoDuca), first basemen (Hee Seop Choi moves Shawn Green back to the outfield) and two of its three outfielders (Finley and Green in place of Juan Encarnacion and Dave Roberts). The Dodgers also have added Brad Penny to their rotation in place of Wilson Alvarez, who will fill the lefty setup role vacated by the trade of Tom Martin. The bullpen will miss power righty Guillermo Mota.

Finley will take over in center field for the Dodgers, pushing Milton Bradley to one of the corners. Finley remains consistent at age 39, continuing to produce at the plate with .275/.338/.490 numbers to go with 23 homers and 48 RBIs in 104 games. He's not the prolific basestealer (just eight in 2004) and Gold Glove center fielder (he owns four) he once was, but he still gets around pretty well. Making $6.75 million in the final year of a two-year, $11.25 million contract, Finley will be a free agent at season's end. Arizona has expressed interest in trying to re-sign him. He has hit .276/.337/.449 with 272 homers, 1,025 RBIs and 304 steals in 2,231 career games.

Mayne, 36, got only 94 at-bats this year in Arizona but will play more while sharing the Dodgers' catching job with Ross. He was a fallback for Los Angeles, which worked out a deal for Rockies catcher Charles Johnson only to have Johnson exercise his no-trade clause. A slap hitter who offers little in the way of offense, Mayne has batted .255/.343/.340 with no homers and 10 RBIs in 36 games this years. He still moves well behind the plate and has thrown out 36 percent of basestealers. Another pending free agent, he's a career .265/.333/.353 hitter with 38 homers and 398 RBIs in 1,232 games.

Hill, 25, was a third baseman at Wichita State but immediately moved behind the plate after signing as a fourth-round pick in 2000. He quickly became regarded as the Dodgers' catcher of the future and reached the big leagues briefly last September, going 1-for-3. While he has good hands, athleticism and arm strength, Hill has had to work to improve his receiving, release and throwing accuracy. A line-drive hitter with a level swing from both sides of the plate, he makes consistent contact and sprays the ball to all fields, showing enough power to carry the alleys. He was batting .286/.339/.471 with 13 home runs and 54 RBIs in 91 games at Triple-A Las Vegas, where he had erased 25 percent of basestealers, the lowest mark among Pacific Coast League regulars. In 529 minor league games, he has hit .284/.349/.399 with 37 homers and 269 RBIs.

Murphy, 23, has been traded twice in the last two days. A 2002 third-round pick by the Athletics out of Cal State Northridge, Murphy joined the Marlins as part of the Mark Redman trade last December and then the Dodgers in the six-player deal on Friday. Hitters have trouble making contact against his lively, deceptive 89-91 mph fastball. He ranks second in the Double-A Southern League with 113 strikeouts in 104 innings, but needs to work on his location because he tops the SL with 59 walks and has allowed 17 homers, second-most in the league. He has a 6-4, 4.08 record in 20 starts, with opponents batting .215 against him. Murphy, who also throws a curveball and changeup, pitched a scoreless inning in the Futures Game at Minute Maid Park. He has a career 17-15, 3.58 mark in 58 minor league games.

Abercrombie, 23, signed as a draft-and-follow in 2000 out of Lake City (Fla.) CC after the Dodgers took him in the 23rd round the year before. He's the ultimate tools player but has struggled with plate discipline and injuries. His speed, center-field range and arm strength all earn 70 grades on the 20-80 scouting scale. He has tremendous bat speed and the strength to drive pitches out of any park to all fields. But Abercrombie entered the season with a 543-84 strikeout-walk ratio and a .306 on-base percentage in 428 pro games. His development was set back further when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the Arizona Fall League least year. He worked hard with weights during his rehabilitation, adding 15 pounds of muscle and putting him at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds. He was able to come back sooner than expected, making his 2004 debut in May, but batted just .173/.193/.327 with four homers, 20 RBIs and three steals in 41 games at Double-A Jacksonville. He was demoted to high Class A Vero Beach, where he hit .271/.305/.489 with five homers, 12 RBIs and 16 steals in 34 contests. His plate discipline isn't improving, as he has struck out 99 times versus just 10 walks in 320 plate appearances this year.