Originally Posted by
Dan Druff
Lasorda was a good manager for the '70s and '80s.
He was not good at evaluating talent.
His biggest mistake involved Pedro Martinez. After Pedro had a great first season pitching out of the bullpen in 1993, Lasorda was repeatedly telling the front office that Pedro had no future as a starting pitcher.
"He's way too small", said Lasorda. Indeed, listed as 5'10", but actually even shorter, Pedro was one of the few Major League pitchers who wasn't tall, and his small body just didn't seem destined for pitching greatness.
However, he performed damn well in 1993, and was the brother of the highly-touted (but ultimately mediocre) Ramon Martinez, so they should have given him more of a chance. Instead, they shipped him out for the lolbad Delino Deshields, in one really was one of the worst trades of all time.
Had Pedro been a few inches taller, the '90s and '00s Dodgers would have been a far different story.