READY TO HAIL CESAR DODGERS' IZTURIS NOW RANKS WITH BEST SHORTSTOPS.

Byline: Nathan Kurz Special to the Daily News

Many questioned the move when Cesar Izturis was handed the Dodgers' starting shortstop job by former general manager Dan Evans.

After all, Izturis, who then was 21 shortly after being acquired from Toronto at the 2001 winter meetings, mostly played second base for the Blue Jays. He also lacked discipline at the plate.

And when Dodgers pitcher Giovanni Carrara, who had played with Izturis in the Venezuelan Winter League since 1996, told teammates the unknown kid might surprise them, he got a few funny looks.

But these days, perhaps Evans' vision is being validated and Carrara's ability to predict the future is proving to be uncanny because Izturis has developed into one of the major leagues' best all-around shortstops.

The Dodgers acquired Izturis, along with Paul Quantrill, from the Blue Jays for Luke Prokopec and Chad Ricketts in December 2001, primarily because of his defensive skills. Baseball Prospectus went even so far as to rank Izturis, a career .246 hitter, as the second-worst offensive shortstop in the majors behind Neifi Perez in 2002.

Now, he's tied for sixth in the National League in hits (161), tied for fourth in triples (seven) and is the only player in the major leagues with four hitting streaks of at least 10 games. He is batting .336 with runners in scoring position.

Izturis' 15-game hitting streak between May 22 and June 8 was the longest such streak by a Dodgers shortstop since Maury Wills hit in 20 consecutive games in 1965.

``Looking back, I kind of have to chuckle a little because there were a lot of people who gave us a hard time for playing this kid (right away) at shortstop,'' said Evans, now a scout for the Seattle Mariners. ``What I saw was a work in progress, a young player with defensive skills who could turn out to be a good offensive player with time.''

Izturis already has set career highs in hits, runs (70), RBI (50), walks (36) and stolen bases (22) during his breakout season.

``When you play pretty much every day for three years, you learn something,'' Izturis said.

The baseball talent seems to be running in the family. Izturis' younger brother Maicer, 23, recently was called up by the Monreal Expos to play shortstop and hit his first career home run off the Chicago Cubs' Mark Prior.

Izturis' emergence as a leadoff hitter - he usually batted eighth until this season - made it easier for new Dodgers GM Paul DePodesta to deal away Dave Roberts and acquire the power-hitting Steve Finley at the non-waiver trading deadline.

``He's becoming a force for us,'' Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said of his shortstop. ``Cesar has a chance to become one of the best.''

Izturis' marked improvement from the left side of the plate perhaps has been the most unexpected development this season.

He batted only .195 and .246, respectively, from that side in his first two full years in the majors. Many in the Dodgers organization, and even some inside his own clubhouse, wanted Izturis to give up switch-hitting.

But this season, he has found his stroke left-handed, batting .283 (113 for 399).

``Sometimes people are just too worried about the short term,'' Evans said. ``Patience is usually rewarded a great deal, but the people who aren't involved in the decision-making process, especially the media and fans, don't usually exhibit that same personality trait.''

Last winter, Izturis - frustrated by his lack of success from the left side - sought the advice of several Venezuelan major leaguers, including Philadelphia's Bobby Abreu.

``Now I'm staying inside the ball and hitting it the other way more than I've ever done in my career,'' Izturis said.

In each of his first three full seasons in the majors, including this one, Izturis has taken more pitches per at-bat, drawn more walks and increased his OPS (on-base plus slugging percentages) every year.

``Offensively, he's made huge strides every year,'' DePodesta said. ``He got thrust into a big-league environment at a young age, and pitchers didn't shy away from him. But the more he established himself, the more mature he became at the plate. And it has started affecting the way pitchers have tried to pitch him, too.''

Before Izturis' arrival in spring 2002, the Dodgers had a different opening-day shortstop in six of seven years.

But Izturis has settled in nicely and has been a steadying influence up the middle since taking over the position. This season, he leads the NL in fielding percentage with just seven errors in 132 games.

``There's nothing defensively he can't do,'' said Glenn Hoffman, the Dodgers' infield coach and a former major-league shortstop. ``(The key is) that Izzy gets his feet in position all the time to be able to throw.''

Since 2002, Izturis is fifth among major-league shortstops - and first in the NL - in fielding.

During that span, the NL Gold Glove winner the past two seasons, St. Louis' Edgar Renteria, ranks 10th in fielding percentage.

``Baseball is a game of reputation,'' Evans said. ``Cesar is early in his career, has played in the unbalanced schedule and hasn't been seen by many of the East Coast voters. Now that he's putting up (offensive) numbers, it's only a matter of time before he gets the proper notice.''

Carrara added: ``There are a lot of good shortstops in this league, but when you see him play, you just say, `Wow.' ''

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) The Dodgers' Cesar Izturis is the only player in the major leagues with four hitting streaks of at least 10 games.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer

(2 -- 3 -- color) no caption (Cesar Izturis) (4) At first, Cesar Izturis, top, was thought to be solely a strong defensive shortstop, but he has improved steadily at the plate.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) IN THE FIELD

(2) AT THE PLATE