Shawn Green has a lot on his shoulders. He has a huge contract, and was instantly inserted into the lineup as the Dodgers’ cleanup batter.
More than anything else, however, Green is a part of a new-look team that wants to distance itself from last year’s disaster that saw too much infighting and too few victories.
And Los Angeles’ new right-fielder believes the Dodgers are on their way.
“This is a good situation for me,” Green said before last night’s game at Shea Stadium. “We’ve got a good bunch of guys here. Real good chemistry.”
Green knows that is not something that could have been said about the Dodgers last season.
“What I’ve heard about last year was that wasn’t really the case,” Green said. “There was a little more turmoil.”
There was lots of turmoil, and not much else.
“We’re a better club this year,” manager Davey Johnson said. “We had some problems that we addressed, but we have a ways to go yet. Shawn was a big part of that.”
The November trade that sent Green from Toronto to Los Angeles with Jorge Nunez for Raul Mondesi and Pedro Borbon was a significant step in altering the team’s attitude.
While Mondesi pouted and complained, Green appears to be more of a team player.
“I’m not concerned with what happened last year,” Green said. “That’s history. This organization is dedicated to winning. I’m looking forward to helping bring them back to where they were.”
To do that, Green will have to have the type of season that a year ago made him one of the league’s best players. In addition to a .309 batting average, he also set career marks for home runs with 42 and RBIs with 123.
But expectations have risen as the result of those numbers.
“It’s definitely different,” Green said. “There is more pressure. Any time you go through a change, there’s more pressure.
“I know a lot is on me to perform well, but that’s good. As a player, you’ve got to go through that at some point to prove what kind of player you are.”
There are still things that he isn’t willing to do just yet. Specifically, he’s not interested in running the clubhouse … for now.
“That’s not my place yet,” Green said. “Gary [Sheffield], Brownie [Kevin Brown] and [Eric] Karros are really the guys who talk. For now, I’m just trying to fit in.”