My favorite Dodger was traded on this date

Phil Gurnee ♦ August 16, 2017 ♦ 1 Comment

Hat tip to Ernest Reyes at Dodger Blue Heaven for reminding me that Pedro Guerrero was traded on this date in 1988.  At the time of the trade, Pedro was the second best hitter on a fairly anemic offensive team.  He was traded for John Tudor who I already disliked as a Cardinal and nothing he did as a Dodger changed my feelings.  Tudor would make nine starts for the Dodgers and one horrible postseason start. Not like he was a difference maker.

I can’t complain, as it all worked out, but even now I’m now sure how trading Pedro made the Dodgers a better team in 1981 unless it was addition by subtraction.  Maybe they thought Franklyn Stubbs would hit better. Whatever, they won an inconceivable World Championship so they must have known what they were doing.

The Dodgers acquired Pedro at the age of seventeen from the Indians in one of the greatest trades in Dodger history.  Pedro came up in 1980 for good at the age of 24 and never stopped hitting. At the age of 25 he helped lead the old Dodgers to the 1981 World Championship with the second highest OPS+ on the team.

By the time he was traded in 1988, Pedro had put up three of the top five offensive seasons in LAD history.   He was pretty much the greatest offensive LAD until Mike Piazza showed up.

Player           HR OPS+ Year Age  PA   OPS      Pos
Pedro Guerrero   33  182 1985  29 581  .999 *7538/H9
Reggie Smith     32  168 1977  32 603 1.003    *9/8H
Reggie Smith     29  162 1978  33 531  .942    *9/H8
Pedro Guerrero   32  156 1982  26 652  .914     *985
Pedro Guerrero   27  154 1987  31 630  .955    *73/H
Jim Wynn         32  151 1974  32 656  .884     *8/H
Dick Allen       23  151 1971  29 649  .863    573/H

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 8/16/2017.

From 1981 – 1987 he was the best hitter on the Dodgers and it wasn’t close. Using 1,000 plate appearances as a minimum requirement which seems decent given we are looking at a seven-year span.

Player           OPS+   PA From   To  HR   BA  OBP  SLG  OPS
Pedro Guerrero    150 3818 1981 1988 162 .309 .384 .514 .898
Dusty Baker       122 1694 1981 1983  47 .291 .356 .432 .788
Mike Marshall     118 3127 1981 1988 126 .273 .325 .455 .780
Greg Brock        108 1737 1982 1986  71 .233 .326 .412 .739
John Shelby       106 1063 1987 1988  31 .270 .319 .429 .747
Steve Garvey      105 1121 1981 1982  26 .282 .309 .415 .724
Mike Scioscia     100 3143 1981 1988  34 .263 .352 .354 .705

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 8/16/2017.