Titles:

Top Dodgers Players of the Eighties

World Champs 1981 (beat Yankees)

Division Champs 1983 (lost to Phillies)

Pitchers:

Division Champs 1985 (lost to Cards)

Fernando Valenzuela (33.25) - 92

World Champs 1988 (beat A's)

Orel Hershiser (32.95) - 72

Bob Welch (28.99) - 68

BallPark:

Jerry Reuss (18.61) - 49

Chavez Ravine

Burt Hooton (7.3) - 25

Alejandro Pena (12.82) - 23

Team Name:

Steve Howe (6.67) - 20

Dodgers

Tom Niedenfuer (9.77) - 18

Tim Belcher (8.1) - 18

Owner:

Rick Honeycutt (5.51) - 14

Peter O'Malley

Tim Leary (4.9) - 14

Jay Howell (5.39) - 13

General Manager:

Don Sutton (6.15) - 8

Al Campanis (1980-1987)

Dave Stewart (1.92) - 5

Fred Claire (1987-1989)

John Wetteland (0.48) - 1

Sid Fernandez (0.04) - 0

Managers:

Tom LaSorda

Catchers:

Mike Scioscia (21.62) - 68

No Hitters:

Steve Yeager (3.07) - 14

Jerry Reuss (1980)

First Basemen:

Hall of Famers:

Greg Brock (5.89) - 23

Tom LaSorda

Steve Garvey (6.92) - 21

Eddie Murray

Eddie Murray (2.02) - 12

Don Sutton

Second Base:

Rookie of the Year

Steve Sax (15.94) - 40

Steve Howe (1980)

Davey Lopes (1.77) - 11

Fernando Valenzuela (1981)

Willie Randolph (4.11) - 5

Steve Sax (1982)

ShortStop:

MVP

Bill Russell (10,1) - 21

Kirk Gibson (1988)

Mariano Duncan (0.94) - 14

Dave Anderson (4.59) - 13

Cy Young

Alfredo Griffin (1) - 7

Fernando Valenzuela (1981)

Orel Hershiser (1988)

Third Base:

Pedro Guerrero (32.67) - 74

Notable Events:

Ron Cey (12.06) - 23

1980 - A bit of a rollercoaster decade for LA. They start off strong with

Outfield:

two first and two second place finishes including a World title in '81.

Mike Marshall (10.17) - 46

in the first four years of the decade. After that, only two more winning

Ken Landreaux (8.49) - 42

seasons, altho' they win the division in '85 and the world series in '88

Dusty Baker (11.44) - 31

in those two seasons.

Kirk Gibson (7.39) - 21

Not their usual dominant selves as in the previous four decades.

John Shelby (2.97) - 16

Franklin Stubbs (0.14) - 13

1980 - The Dodgers develop four conscecutive Rookies of the Year

Reggie Smith (4.24) - 11

starting in 1979 with Rick Sutcliffe, followed by Steve Howe,

Mickey Hatcher (0.25) - 6

Fernando Valenzuela and finally Steve Sax in '82

Rick Monday (4.47) - 6

1980 - Rigthty Steve Howe, 22, is a rookie. He was a 1st round pick

Notable Events:

in '79. Howe would destroy his career with cocaine abuse -

a big time talent gone to waste.

1987 - GM Al Campanis makes some ridiculous racial profiling remarks on

National TV and loses his job. As it is, he was already beginning to lose

1980 - Catcher Mike Scoscia, 21, is a rookie. He was a 1st round pick

his touch as a top notch executive as he was getting a bit long in the tooth

in '80

at age seventy one. It was time to go anyway.

The Dodgers were no longer a well run organization with Walter O'Malley

1980 - Lefty Fernando Valenzuela, 19, is brought up to LA. He was

out of the picture - there was no replacement for Campanis as there

signed out of Yucatan of the Mexican League the previous season.

had been in the Forties when MacPhail left and Rickey replaced him,

or the Fifties when Rickey left and Bavasi replaced him, or the Sixties

1981 - Outfielder Ken Landreaux, 26, is obtained from the Twins

when Bavasi left and Campanis replaced him.

for Mickey Hatcher

The chain was now broken and so were the Dodgers. Peter O'Malley,

who had taken over running the club from his father Walter in 1970,

1981 - Outfielder Mike Marshall, 21, is a rookie.

relied heavily on Campanis to handle player personnel.

He was a 6th round pick in 1978

This arrangement worked great until Campanis began to slip in the Eighties.

O'Malley had no answers after that.

1981 - Second baseman Steve Sax, 21, is a rookie.

He was a 9th round pick in 1978

1988 - Righty reliever Jay Howell, 32, is picked up in a multi player three team

deal with the Mets and the A's

1981 - Led by rookie sensation Fernando Valenzuela, a Mexican star

in LA, the Dodgers take the World title after being down in the World

1988 - Righthander Ramon Martinez, 20, is a rookie. He was signed as

Series to the Yankees 2-0. Its only the third time in eleven tries that the

an IFA in '84

Dodgers beat the Yankees in the World Series. The impact that

Valenzuela had in LA cannot be overstated. He was a rock star.

1988 - Kirk Gibson, 31, comes in as a Free Agent from Detroit, wins the

MVP, and leads the Dodgers to the World title. Injured Kirk, who could

1983 - Veterans Steve Garvey and Ron Cey leave the Dodgers for

barely walk, sets the tone for the Series when he hobbles up to

free agency, thus ending the ten year streak of having the entire starting

the plate in the ninth inning of game one as a pinch hitter against the

infield intact - a record by a lot.

unhittable A's reliever Dennis Eckersley and hits a game winning home run.

Despite the defections, the Dodgers win the Division

1988 - Orel Hershiser goes 23-8 with a 2.26 ERA as he wins the Cy Young and

1983 - Righthander Orel Hershiser, 24, is a rookie.

totally dominates hitters. Orel breaks Don Drysdale's record for consecutive

He was a 17th round pick in the 1979 draft.

scoreless innings by going 59 without giving up a run. Hershiser, at least as

He and Fernando Valenzuela make a nice one-two, righty-lefty,

much as Kirk Gibson, is responsible for the Dodgers World Title in 1988

punch at the top of the LA rotation in the middle of the decade.

Add lefty Jerry Reuss and righty Bob Welch and you had some

1989 - Hall of Fame first baseman Eddie Murray, 33, is acquired from

excellent talent on the mound in LA in those years.

Baltimore in a four player trade

1985 - Fernando Valenzuela sets a record by starting the season

1989 - Righty relief ace John Wetteland, 22, is a rookie.

going 41 innings without yielding an earned run.

He was a 2nd round pick in '85

The Dodgers go on to win the Division that year.

1989 - LA ends the decade on a down note, going 79-83. The beginning

1985 - LA puts it together for one season winning 95 games and the

of a more than two decade slide where they are mostly irrelevent.

division. The season was sandwiched by three under .500 seasons.

Something very un-Dodger-like.

It mostly had to do with the pitching (health and consistency).

In '85 Valenzuela, Hershiser, Welch and Reuss were all healthy and "on".