Welcome to Dodgertown

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, April 4, 2001 | 10:52 a.m.

The 51s' probable lineup:

1b -- Phil Hiatt

2b -- Jeff Branson or Andy Stankiewicz

ss -- Shawn Gilbert

3b -- Keith Johnson

lf -- Bruce Aven

cf -- Chris Prieto

rf -- Jeff Barry or Tony Mota

dh -- Brent Cookson

c -- Geronimo Gil or Brian Johnson

It will be the dawn of a new era of baseball in Las Vegas on Thursday afternoon at Cashman Field.

Gone are the Stars and their two decade-long major league affiliation with the San Diego Padres. They have been replaced by a new nickname, the 51s (for Area 51), and a new affliation with the storied Los Angeles Dodgers franchise.

But when the Stars, er, 51s hit the field for Thursday afternoon's season-opener against the Tacoma Rainiers, the names and uniforms may be different, but the objective of the team won't be.

"Our main goal is to support L.A.," 51s manager Rick Sofield said. "My focus and daily energy is to make sure each one of our players is focused on what they need to do to be ready when the phone rings."

So as much as Sofield would like to make a splashy debut in Las Vegas and win a triple-A title, he knows his first order of business is to supply players to the parent Dodgers when needed.

Las Vegans are all too familiar with how that works. Last year's Stars squad, led by promising prospects Ben Davis and Mike Darr, started strongly out of the gate before fading badly at mid-year when the Padres depleted their roster with numerous call-ups.

"Our club is a triple-A club which is clearly the most important in an organization because it has such an immediate impact on the L.A. scenario," Sofield said. "We plan on winning the National League West pennant and we plan on helping to do that here in Las Vegas. Our emphasis as a staff and a club is going to be to force L.A. to make some (player) decisions. We're not going to wait for the phone to ring. We're going to make the phone ring."

Sofield, a former first-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins who has a 175-158 record (.526) as a minor league manager, believes the 51s will be a very competitive team.

"This is the best team I've ever had the privilege to manage," Sofield said. "We have a chance to put a solid product on the field."

Here's a look at how the 51s shape up:

Infield

First baseman Phil Hiatt, 31, led the Pacific Coast League in home runs (36) and also had 109 RBIs last year at Colorado Springs. He's played parts of three seasons in the big leagues with the Royals and Tigers.

Shawn Gilbert, an alternate on the gold medal U.S. Olympic team, will play shortstop. He hit .333 with 14 home runs in just 86 games at Albuquerque last year and also played 15 games with the Dodgers.

Jeff Branson, 34, who played eight years in the majors with the Reds, Indians and Dodgers, will play second base where another former big-leaguer, Andy Stankiewicz, 36, will also see action.

Third base will be manned by Keith Johnson, who appeared in six games with the Angels last year after hitting .307 at Edmonton, and Trent Durrington.

Geronimo Gil, 25, who hit .380 in 15 games at Albuquerque after starring at double-A San Antonio, and ex-Star Brian Johnson, 33, who played seven years in the big leagues and was the Royals' opening day starter a year ago, will be the catchers.

Outfield

Several familiar names dot the roster here for the 51s.

Chris Prieto, a popular member of the Stars in 1998 and 1999, will start in center.

Tony Mota, son of all-time major league pinch hit leader and Dodger coach Manny Mota, will also see action in the outfield.

Bruce Aven, 29, will start in left. He has a lifetime .275 major league average in 568 at-bats.

Jeff Barry, 32, returns to the PCL after hitting .262 with three home runs in 48 games last season with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan.

Another PCL veteran, Brent Cookson, will DH and play outfield.

Pitching

The Dodgers' No. 1 pitching prospect, 23-year-old Aussie Luke Prokopec, was expected to start in Las Vegas this year but will make a couple of big league starts in Los Angeles in place of injured Kevin Brown instead.

The 51s' opening day pitcher will be major league veteran Carlos Perez, who is trying to get back into big league form after undergoing surgery last September to have a bone spur removed from the back of his left (throwing) shoulder.

Veteran right-hander Giovanni Carrara, 33, who split time last year between Colorado Springs and the Rockies, will follow Perez in the rotation followed by another Australian, lefty Jeff Williams. Left-hander Onan Masaoka, 23, who started last season with the Dodgers, will be next with ex-Star Matt Whisenant rounding out the rotation.

Right-handers Jim Dougherty and Kip Gross and lefty Todd Rizzo will be closers.