DEPODESTA'S STOCK SLIPPING DODGERS GM IS NO LONGER THOUGHT OF AS THE WHIZ KID.

Byline: Tony Jackson Staff Writer

Paul DePodesta isn't new anymore, having occupied the Dodgers' general manager's office for almost 18 months. There are some who would say the Harvard product isn't a genius anymore, either.

The club is headed for its first losing season in five years under manager Jim Tracy, with a roster that is more than 60-percent comprised of players DePodesta has acquired since being named to the position in February 2004. Throw in the two players who were here before DePodesta whom he chose to re-sign as free agents last winter, and 18 of the players on the 25-man roster were put there by him. That doesn't even count the three players on the disabled list - J.D. Drew, Paul Bako and Kelly Wunsch - and Jose Valentin whom DePodesta signed as free agents from other clubs.

He has been through two trading deadlines, one full offseason and almost two full seasons. That means the criteria by which DePodesta can be fairly judged is in place now.

With a hard look at the facts it can be argued DePodesta hasn't done as bad a job as conventional wisdom, and talk-radio callers, would appear to suggest.

Since taking over, DePodesta has added 33 players at the major-league level, either by trade, free-agent signing or re-signing, with 14 of them having at least some impact. At the same time, he has lost 23 players, either by trade, free agency or release. Of those, only four - Shawn Green, Paul Lo Duca, Juan Encarnacion and Dave Roberts (UCLA) - have had any impact on their new clubs. That jumps to six if you count Adrian Beltre and Steve Finley, who have been disappointments for Seattle and the Angels, respectively.

DePodesta's best pickup thus far has been Finley, whom he got from Arizona at last year's deadline and whose 13 homers included the walkoff job that gave the Dodgers a division title. But Finley was allowed to walk after the season.

The best of the ones that remain is second baseman Jeff Kent, who is hitting .299 with 21 homers and 74 RBI and probably is the Dodgers' most valuable player. A case also could be made for catcher Jason Phillips, among the major-league leaders in RBI by a catcher; outfielder Milton Bradley, who in two years since joining the club has slugged 30 homers; infielder Antonio Perez, who has developed into a big-time hitter and even pitcher Brad Penny, who since overcoming arm problems has a 3.63 ERA this season.

There's a down side for each of those players, too. The sullen Kent, whose take-no-prisoners style on the field has earned his teammates' undying respect, nonetheless is seen as the poster boy for the team's less-than-congenial clubhouse atmosphere. Phillips' inability to throw out runners allowed opposing clubs to run wild until DePodesta finally called up catching prospect Dioner Navarro on July 29 so manager Jim Tracy could move Phillips to first base. Bradley's anger-management problem is legendary, and there are whispers it is beginning to wear thin on his teammates. Perez can't play any of his three positions well enough to stay in the lineup. And Penny has a sub-.500 record, due mostly to a lack of run support.

Then there are DePodesta's mistakes.

Last winter, when it first began to appear that the Dodgers would have trouble re-signing Beltre - who finished second to San Francisco's Barry Bonds in National League Most Valuable Player balloting - DePodesta said Beltre couldn't be replaced with any one player and that the goal would be to replace what Beltre provided with his bat by adding enough players to make up the difference. So far, that hasn't happened. The Dodgers this season have been about what they would have been last year without Beltre in the middle of the order.

Hee-Seop Choi, whom DePodesta acquired from Florida to be the Dodgers' power-hitting first baseman of the future, is maddeningly inconsistent and has been largely relegated to a pinch-hitting role. Derek Lowe, despite a 3.95 ERA, has shown a tendency to crumble in difficult situations, a big reason why he is 8-11.

The biggest bust of all, though, has been Drew, who has missed the past month with a broken left wrist. Even before that, he was far too passive at the plate for a No. 3 hitter. He remains the runaway team leader with 51 walks and he is hitting just .218 with runners in scoring position.

Tony Jackson,[phone]

tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com

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- Tony Jackson