Dodgers in tough NL West fight
Despite entering the season with question marks in the rotation and in the field, the Dodgers are the consensus favorites in the NL West. Can new manager Joe Torre get it done?
Lost in the Mets’ monumental collapse in the NL East last season was a slightly smaller fold job during the second half by the Dodgers. Los Angeles’ slide down to fourth in the NL West, after sitting at or near the top of the division much of the first four months, didn’t get as much publicity for several reasons.
One reason is they didn’t blow as large of a lead as late in the season as the Metropolitans. Another reason is that while New York really only had Philadelphia to worry about in their division last year, there were three additional quality teams in the NL West fighting for superiority. And lastly, with Grady Little at the helm, most fans have come to understand that disappointment will be the norm.
Little won’t be around to blame for any of the Dodgers’ shortcomings this year after the McCourt Family and GM Ned Colletti were quick to snag Joe Torre to be their field boss when the Yankees cut their skipper of 12 seasons loose. The same results Torre got in his dozen seasons in New York will be expected from him in LA. And there’s not doubt that Torre’s run of 12 consecutive play appearances is playing a large role in the Dodgers being the consensus favorite to win the NL West this year.
But it won’t be as easy for Joe as it was in the Big Apple where the deepest pockets in the majors kept a steady stream of talent, the best that money could buy, at his disposal. And instead of just having the Red Sox to worry about for all intents and purposes, Torre is going to have a very deep division battling to keep him from a 13th-straight October appearance.
PITCHING
Without a doubt, losing Jason Schmidt for practically the entire season after inking the right-hander to a lucrative contract in the offseason played a big role in the Dodgers’ disappointing ’07 season. Los Angeles got just six starts and a 6.31 ERA from the guy who was expected to be their ace, and it looks like he will not be ready to start the season this year as he recovers from shoulder surgery.
Barring unforeseen injuries this spring, the Dodgers still have a good rotation to open the season minus Schmidt. Brady Penny and Derek Lowe come out in the 1-2 slots, with Penny the most likely to get the ball on Opening Day. Chad Billingsley should be slotted in the three-hole of the order and is coming off an excellent season in which he made 20 starts, 23 relief appearances and finished 12-5 with a 3.31 ERA.
Colletti looked east to find another arm for his West Coast club this winter, inking Hiroki Kuroda from Japan. The 33-year-old right-hander signed a three-year deal in the offseason had a very strong career in Japan with the Hiroshima Carp, leading the JBL with a 1.85 ERA in 2006. It should be noted, however, that he has had some elbow issues lately.
With Schmidt ailing still, it looks like Esteban Loaiza will begin the 2008 season as the fifth starter for Los Angeles. Loaiza, who was a waiver claim from the A’s last year, missed the majority of last season with knee trouble.
Down in the bullpen from where pitching coach Rick Honeycutt made more than 500 of his nearly 800 trips to a major league mound as a player, the Dodgers have most of a decent group returning this season led by closer Takashi Saito. After a strong 39-save, 1.40 ERA season a year ago, Saito is reportedly nursing some leg trouble early in spring camp, and we do need to remember his right arm is 38-years-old now.
Setting him up will be right-handers Jonathan Broxton and Scott Proctor plus lefty Joe Beimel. Broxton will be the closer if Saito can’t go at some point in the season.
Hoping to fill out the rest of the relief corps is a list that includes veteran left-handers Tom Martin and Mike Myers. Assuming either of them shows much this spring, one of them will likely make it since this is a southpaw-starved club, especially now that Hong-Chih Kuo has been slowed by health concerns this spring. Tanyon Sturtze and Mike Koplove are two right-handers looking to catch on. And keep an eye on Yhency Brazoban who is trying to come back from elbow and shoulder surgeries that have sidelined him most of the last two seasons.
OFFENSE/DEFENSE
Los Angeles finished second in the NL with a .275 batting average and third with 137 steals last year, but all of that translated to just 735 runs, good enough only for 10th in the Senior Circuit. And one need only look at the puny 129 HR (15th) to understand why. Torre and hitting coach Mike Easler are hoping that three players will go a long way to solving the power shortage this time.
The Dodgers spent over $36 million to add Andruw Jones to the roster this season after the longtime Brave suffered through his worst season as a pro in 2007 with Atlanta. Jones, who hit 51 and 41 homers in 2005-06, saw that number decline to 26 a year ago while his batting average plummeted to .222. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported recently that Jones arrived at LA’s training camp carrying 240 pounds on a frame that carried much less in his younger days. Doesn’t sound like someone out to prove last year was a fluke to me, but only time will tell.
Jones’ arrival in center field will shift Juan Pierre to left, with Pierre coming off a 64-SB, .293 season mostly hitting in the No. 2 spot. Over in right should be Matt Kemp, the second of the three bats the Dodgers hope will boost their power numbers. Several minor injuries limited Kemp to just over 300 plate appearances last season when he batted .342 with 10 homers and an equal number of steals.
Right now it appears that Andre Ethier, who has averaged almost 140 games the past two seasons for LA while batting .295, is the odd man out in this outfield group. Jason Repko and Delwyn Young will battle for the fifth and final OF job.
The third stick LA is looking forward to providing more pop in the lineup is first baseman James Loney. The former first-round pick (2002) out of the Houston ‘burbs didn’t make the Dodger scene until early June last year and finished the season with 15 homers, 67 RBI and a very nice .919 OPS. Jeff Kent, who led the team with 20 HR in 2007, is back as the starting second baseman. He’ll be 40 this week and he was never a defensive whiz to begin with, so while his bat is still strong, his overall defensive prowess in the middle of the diamond is not.
Rafael Furcal had a disappointing second season with the Dodgers last year, due in part to hamstring trouble. It was the first time in four seasons that Furcal didn’t hit triple digits in runs scored.
Third base would seem to hold the only real decision for Torre and his staff. Veteran Nomar Garciaparra is one option and young Andy LaRoche is the other option. LaRoche is the better defender of the two, but Torre loves his veterans. I’m guessing that Garciaparra will eventually settle into a reserve role at both infield corners and possibly also get time in at short occasionally.
There will be no battle for the starting catcher’s job as Russell Martin has that spot sewn up. Regarded as one of the top young catchers in the game today, Martin missed a rare 20-20 season among backstops, swiping 21 bags and coming up just short with 19 homers.
Assuming Garciaparra is one super-sub on the diamond, look for Tony Abreu and Ramon Martinez along with Chin-Lung Hu to fight for the other two infield backup roles. Gary Bennett will draw once-a-week duties backing up Martin behind the plate.
Key Player(s): With Schmidt still hurting, Kuroda an unknown and Loaiza having not been the same since his one big season in 2003, it’s going to put extra pressure on Penny, Lowe and Billingsley in the rotation. And Andruw Jones will kill this lineup if he bats .222 again.
Futures: My sims indicate this team is a bit overrated with 84-85 wins consistently coming up. Anything over that number means Schmidt does come back at just about full strength. The numbers at 5Dimes listed LA at +195 to win the NL West (with three other teams just behind them up to +400). +750 to take the NL and +1600 to win their first World Series in 20 years.
The Greek set their win total at 87½, pricing -110 on both sides while BetCris was half a dubya lower at 87 with -115 on both sides.
Despite entering the season with question marks in the rotation and in the field, the Dodgers are the consensus favorites in the NL West. Can new manager Joe Torre get it done?
Lost in the Mets’ monumental collapse in the NL East last season was a slightly smaller fold job during the second half by the Dodgers. Los Angeles’ slide down to fourth in the NL West, after sitting at or near the top of the division much of the first four months, didn’t get as much publicity for several reasons.
One reason is they didn’t blow as large of a lead as late in the season as the Metropolitans. Another reason is that while New York really only had Philadelphia to worry about in their division last year, there were three additional quality teams in the NL West fighting for superiority. And lastly, with Grady Little at the helm, most fans have come to understand that disappointment will be the norm.
Little won’t be around to blame for any of the Dodgers’ shortcomings this year after the McCourt Family and GM Ned Colletti were quick to snag Joe Torre to be their field boss when the Yankees cut their skipper of 12 seasons loose. The same results Torre got in his dozen seasons in New York will be expected from him in LA. And there’s not doubt that Torre’s run of 12 consecutive play appearances is playing a large role in the Dodgers being the consensus favorite to win the NL West this year.
But it won’t be as easy for Joe as it was in the Big Apple where the deepest pockets in the majors kept a steady stream of talent, the best that money could buy, at his disposal. And instead of just having the Red Sox to worry about for all intents and purposes, Torre is going to have a very deep division battling to keep him from a 13th-straight October appearance.
PITCHING
Without a doubt, losing Jason Schmidt for practically the entire season after inking the right-hander to a lucrative contract in the offseason played a big role in the Dodgers’ disappointing ’07 season. Los Angeles got just six starts and a 6.31 ERA from the guy who was expected to be their ace, and it looks like he will not be ready to start the season this year as he recovers from shoulder surgery.
Barring unforeseen injuries this spring, the Dodgers still have a good rotation to open the season minus Schmidt. Brady Penny and Derek Lowe come out in the 1-2 slots, with Penny the most likely to get the ball on Opening Day. Chad Billingsley should be slotted in the three-hole of the order and is coming off an excellent season in which he made 20 starts, 23 relief appearances and finished 12-5 with a 3.31 ERA.
Colletti looked east to find another arm for his West Coast club this winter, inking Hiroki Kuroda from Japan. The 33-year-old right-hander signed a three-year deal in the offseason had a very strong career in Japan with the Hiroshima Carp, leading the JBL with a 1.85 ERA in 2006. It should be noted, however, that he has had some elbow issues lately.
With Schmidt ailing still, it looks like Esteban Loaiza will begin the 2008 season as the fifth starter for Los Angeles. Loaiza, who was a waiver claim from the A’s last year, missed the majority of last season with knee trouble.
Down in the bullpen from where pitching coach Rick Honeycutt made more than 500 of his nearly 800 trips to a major league mound as a player, the Dodgers have most of a decent group returning this season led by closer Takashi Saito. After a strong 39-save, 1.40 ERA season a year ago, Saito is reportedly nursing some leg trouble early in spring camp, and we do need to remember his right arm is 38-years-old now.
Setting him up will be right-handers Jonathan Broxton and Scott Proctor plus lefty Joe Beimel. Broxton will be the closer if Saito can’t go at some point in the season.
Hoping to fill out the rest of the relief corps is a list that includes veteran left-handers Tom Martin and Mike Myers. Assuming either of them shows much this spring, one of them will likely make it since this is a southpaw-starved club, especially now that Hong-Chih Kuo has been slowed by health concerns this spring. Tanyon Sturtze and Mike Koplove are two right-handers looking to catch on. And keep an eye on Yhency Brazoban who is trying to come back from elbow and shoulder surgeries that have sidelined him most of the last two seasons.
OFFENSE/DEFENSE
Los Angeles finished second in the NL with a .275 batting average and third with 137 steals last year, but all of that translated to just 735 runs, good enough only for 10th in the Senior Circuit. And one need only look at the puny 129 HR (15th) to understand why. Torre and hitting coach Mike Easler are hoping that three players will go a long way to solving the power shortage this time.
The Dodgers spent over $36 million to add Andruw Jones to the roster this season after the longtime Brave suffered through his worst season as a pro in 2007 with Atlanta. Jones, who hit 51 and 41 homers in 2005-06, saw that number decline to 26 a year ago while his batting average plummeted to .222. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported recently that Jones arrived at LA’s training camp carrying 240 pounds on a frame that carried much less in his younger days. Doesn’t sound like someone out to prove last year was a fluke to me, but only time will tell.
Jones’ arrival in center field will shift Juan Pierre to left, with Pierre coming off a 64-SB, .293 season mostly hitting in the No. 2 spot. Over in right should be Matt Kemp, the second of the three bats the Dodgers hope will boost their power numbers. Several minor injuries limited Kemp to just over 300 plate appearances last season when he batted .342 with 10 homers and an equal number of steals.
Right now it appears that Andre Ethier, who has averaged almost 140 games the past two seasons for LA while batting .295, is the odd man out in this outfield group. Jason Repko and Delwyn Young will battle for the fifth and final OF job.
The third stick LA is looking forward to providing more pop in the lineup is first baseman James Loney. The former first-round pick (2002) out of the Houston ‘burbs didn’t make the Dodger scene until early June last year and finished the season with 15 homers, 67 RBI and a very nice .919 OPS. Jeff Kent, who led the team with 20 HR in 2007, is back as the starting second baseman. He’ll be 40 this week and he was never a defensive whiz to begin with, so while his bat is still strong, his overall defensive prowess in the middle of the diamond is not.
Rafael Furcal had a disappointing second season with the Dodgers last year, due in part to hamstring trouble. It was the first time in four seasons that Furcal didn’t hit triple digits in runs scored.
Third base would seem to hold the only real decision for Torre and his staff. Veteran Nomar Garciaparra is one option and young Andy LaRoche is the other option. LaRoche is the better defender of the two, but Torre loves his veterans. I’m guessing that Garciaparra will eventually settle into a reserve role at both infield corners and possibly also get time in at short occasionally.
There will be no battle for the starting catcher’s job as Russell Martin has that spot sewn up. Regarded as one of the top young catchers in the game today, Martin missed a rare 20-20 season among backstops, swiping 21 bags and coming up just short with 19 homers.
Assuming Garciaparra is one super-sub on the diamond, look for Tony Abreu and Ramon Martinez along with Chin-Lung Hu to fight for the other two infield backup roles. Gary Bennett will draw once-a-week duties backing up Martin behind the plate.
Key Player(s): With Schmidt still hurting, Kuroda an unknown and Loaiza having not been the same since his one big season in 2003, it’s going to put extra pressure on Penny, Lowe and Billingsley in the rotation. And Andruw Jones will kill this lineup if he bats .222 again.
Futures: My sims indicate this team is a bit overrated with 84-85 wins consistently coming up. Anything over that number means Schmidt does come back at just about full strength. The numbers at 5Dimes listed LA at +195 to win the NL West (with three other teams just behind them up to +400). +750 to take the NL and +1600 to win their first World Series in 20 years.
The Greek set their win total at 87½, pricing -110 on both sides while BetCris was half a dubya lower at 87 with -115 on both sides.
