Fans get right to be stuffed

You won’t be able to buy a ticket for under $10 on game day at Dodger Stadium next season, but you will be able to pay $40 for a bleacher seat and an endless supply of Dodger Dogs.

The Dodgers are converting the right-field pavilion into an all-you-can-eat section. They also are raising the price of the cheapest game-day ticket, in the top deck, from $6 to $10, matching the price in the left-field pavilion.

A ticket to the right-field pavilion -- at $35 in advance and $40 on game day -- will entitle fans to an endless supply of ballpark staples, including hot dogs, peanuts and soda but excluding beer, which hasn’t been sold in the pavilion for years. The Dodgers tested the concept several times last season.

“The fans really liked it,” spokeswoman Camille Johnston said. “We know it’s a good option for groups.”

Fans spend an average of $12.30 on food and drink per game, a major league executive said. The all-in-one package affords fans the opportunity to “spend a few extra dollars and have everything taken care of,” said David Carter, executive director of the USC Sports Business Institute. “Most people probably believe they’re into a ballgame for $40, even if they’re just in general admission.”

The Dodgers raised other game-day prices by $3 to $25 per ticket, with increases ranging from 11% to 36%.

With the right-field pavilion no longer an option, the number of seats with a game-day price no higher than $10 fell from about 9,500 to about 6,200.

The Dodgers advanced to the playoffs last season and sold a record 3.76 million tickets along the way. But the team should be wary of raising the price of the cheapest tickets and limiting their supply for fear of losing families, particularly at a time children might prefer to play video games or extreme sports, said Cal State Fullerton marketing professor Thomas Boyd.

“The lowest-priced ticket should be about introducing your next generation of fans to the game, not just about filling seats,” Boyd said.

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Veteran utility player Damian Jackson is one of six non-roster invitees signed by the Dodgers, a number that could grow before pitchers and catchers report to Vero Beach, Fla., on Feb. 16.

Jackson, 33, a .243 hitter in 11 seasons, possesses the versatility General Manager Ned Colletti admires, playing second base, shortstop, third base and all three outfield positions last season for the Washington Nationals.

Pitchers Travis Smith, Dario Veras and Matt White, and catchers Sandy Martinez and Ken Huckaby also have been invited to spring training.

Smith, 28, is 6-6 with a 6.56 earned-run average for three teams the last four years. Veras, 33, was 5-3 in 53 appearances for San Diego and Boston from 1996-1998 and pitched in the Dominican League this winter. White, a 29-year-old left-hander, has a 16.76 ERA in 9 2/3 innings.

Martinez, 36, was a backup for six teams but hasn’t played in the major leagues since 2004. Huckaby, 35, had eight at-bats with the Red Sox last season.

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Times staff writer Steve Henson contributed to this report.

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