2005 Record: 71-91, 4th in NL West
It wasn’t as bad as 1992 when then-manager Tommy Lasorda was at the helm of an LA squad that came within an eyelash of a 100-loss season. Injuries certainly played a key role in 2005, with outfielders Milton Bradley and JD Drew each missing at least half a season, starting pitchers Brad Penny and Odalis Perez unable to make about 20 starts between them, and closer Eric Gagne shut down after just 14 appearances with a bad elbow on top of a bum knee. Even though it’s hard to blame all of that on a manager, the Dodgers found a way to do just that and canned Jim Tracy.
Enter former Red Sox field boss Grady Little who will have his work cut out for him along with pitching coach Rick Honeycutt and hitting coach Eddie Murray. If LA stays healthy this year, the team could easily rebound from 20 games below .500 to 20 games above. If that happens, Little and his staff will get too much credit just like Tracy and his assistants bore too much blame last year.
Like any other team, success starts with the rotation. Derek Lowe pitched his way into staff ace position with a decent year after coming over from Boston. His strikeouts were up and his walks were down. However, Lowe also surrendered a career-high 28 homers making half his starts in pitcher friendly Chavez Ravine.
Penny and Perez need to stay healthy, and that’s something of a long shot for them both. The club signed Brett Tomko and traded for Jae Seo to fill the back of the rotation. Tomko isn’t going to excite many, but he has stayed healthy the last four years and can chew innings. Seo could really blossom with the Dodgers in his role as the #5 arm. DJ Houlton and Aaron Sele might be the two arms LA turns to when needed to fill a starting role or make a spot start. Houlton will likely leave camp in a middle relief role. Down on the farm is Chad Billingsley who could also get the call by mid-season to show off his mid-90s heater, hard curve and sucker change.
Not being able to close out games was one of the bigger problems last year, so Gagne’s return is just as important to the Dodgers as Barry Bonds’ return is to the Giants. Gagne’s spring has been slowed a bit while he dealt with some personal matters, but he’s looked very good when he has pitched and reports no trouble with his elbow or knee. Los Angeles brought in Danys Baez to serve as the primary setup arm as well as insurance for Gagne. Yhency Brazoban will get more 7th-inning work now with Baez in uniform. Hong-Chih Kuo is a devastating lefty and unknown to many. Just 24, he’s had a pair of Tommy John surgeries while he was being used as a starter, but has really come on as a reliever. Other middle relief candidates include Houlton, Lance Carter, Brian Meadows, Joe Beimel and Takashi Saito.
The Dodgers were looking to hand off catching chores to young Dionner Navarro this year, bringing in veteran Sandy Alomar Jr. as a backup and mentor for Navarro. But with Navarro struggling this spring, Alomar could play more than expected.
The infield is new except for Jeff Kent at second. Nomar Garciaparra was signed to play first with his former 3B partner in Boston, Bill Mueller, brought in for the hot corner. Rafael Furcal was also a free agent acquisition and is expected to provide a spark at the top of the order, something the club has been missing for a few years. Nobody expects Garciaparra to hit for a ton of power. Few even expect him to remain healthy enough to play more than about 100 games.
Infield backups include Olmedo Saenz, Hee Seop Choi, Oscar Robles and, once he returns from injury, Cesar Izturis.
Keeping Garciaparra in the lineup all season isn’t nearly as crucial as keeping JD Drew healthy. One of the game’s best talents, Drew simply hasn’t been able to avoid injury except for his wonderful 2004 campaign. He should be in right with Jose Cruz Jr. in left and Kenny Lofton in center. Look for Jason Repko to spell Lofton in center against southpaws, with Ricky Ledee the backup for the outfield corners.
With the signing of Furcal, the Dodgers decided to move Joel Guzman from shortstop into the outfield. He’s responded pretty well this spring and has a strong stick that could easily push Cruz aside in left plus a strong arm that could take over in right if/when Drew hits the DL once again. With no Triple-A experience, LA would be better off at least starting Guzman in Las Vegas this year. But new dugout commander Little claims he’s still toying with the idea of leaving camp with Guzman on the big league roster.
Coming off their second-worst 162-game season ever, the Dodgers could easily rebound in 2006 since they’re playing in a rather weak NL West. Still, they're a fragile bunch, and one or two bad breaks here and there could plunge the Bums right back down the ranks.
Key Performer(s): Gagne and Drew.
Camp Question(s): Introducing the infield to one another.
My Play: A best case scenario would see the Dodgers improve 15 games or so in the win column. That makes 86-87 wins their optimum performance. I’m seeing mid-80s (84½-85½) for o/u lines, and with the propensity for injuries several key players on this team have, I’m leaning u85½ to place my hard-earned cash.
It wasn’t as bad as 1992 when then-manager Tommy Lasorda was at the helm of an LA squad that came within an eyelash of a 100-loss season. Injuries certainly played a key role in 2005, with outfielders Milton Bradley and JD Drew each missing at least half a season, starting pitchers Brad Penny and Odalis Perez unable to make about 20 starts between them, and closer Eric Gagne shut down after just 14 appearances with a bad elbow on top of a bum knee. Even though it’s hard to blame all of that on a manager, the Dodgers found a way to do just that and canned Jim Tracy.
Enter former Red Sox field boss Grady Little who will have his work cut out for him along with pitching coach Rick Honeycutt and hitting coach Eddie Murray. If LA stays healthy this year, the team could easily rebound from 20 games below .500 to 20 games above. If that happens, Little and his staff will get too much credit just like Tracy and his assistants bore too much blame last year.
Like any other team, success starts with the rotation. Derek Lowe pitched his way into staff ace position with a decent year after coming over from Boston. His strikeouts were up and his walks were down. However, Lowe also surrendered a career-high 28 homers making half his starts in pitcher friendly Chavez Ravine.
Penny and Perez need to stay healthy, and that’s something of a long shot for them both. The club signed Brett Tomko and traded for Jae Seo to fill the back of the rotation. Tomko isn’t going to excite many, but he has stayed healthy the last four years and can chew innings. Seo could really blossom with the Dodgers in his role as the #5 arm. DJ Houlton and Aaron Sele might be the two arms LA turns to when needed to fill a starting role or make a spot start. Houlton will likely leave camp in a middle relief role. Down on the farm is Chad Billingsley who could also get the call by mid-season to show off his mid-90s heater, hard curve and sucker change.
Not being able to close out games was one of the bigger problems last year, so Gagne’s return is just as important to the Dodgers as Barry Bonds’ return is to the Giants. Gagne’s spring has been slowed a bit while he dealt with some personal matters, but he’s looked very good when he has pitched and reports no trouble with his elbow or knee. Los Angeles brought in Danys Baez to serve as the primary setup arm as well as insurance for Gagne. Yhency Brazoban will get more 7th-inning work now with Baez in uniform. Hong-Chih Kuo is a devastating lefty and unknown to many. Just 24, he’s had a pair of Tommy John surgeries while he was being used as a starter, but has really come on as a reliever. Other middle relief candidates include Houlton, Lance Carter, Brian Meadows, Joe Beimel and Takashi Saito.
The Dodgers were looking to hand off catching chores to young Dionner Navarro this year, bringing in veteran Sandy Alomar Jr. as a backup and mentor for Navarro. But with Navarro struggling this spring, Alomar could play more than expected.
The infield is new except for Jeff Kent at second. Nomar Garciaparra was signed to play first with his former 3B partner in Boston, Bill Mueller, brought in for the hot corner. Rafael Furcal was also a free agent acquisition and is expected to provide a spark at the top of the order, something the club has been missing for a few years. Nobody expects Garciaparra to hit for a ton of power. Few even expect him to remain healthy enough to play more than about 100 games.
Infield backups include Olmedo Saenz, Hee Seop Choi, Oscar Robles and, once he returns from injury, Cesar Izturis.
Keeping Garciaparra in the lineup all season isn’t nearly as crucial as keeping JD Drew healthy. One of the game’s best talents, Drew simply hasn’t been able to avoid injury except for his wonderful 2004 campaign. He should be in right with Jose Cruz Jr. in left and Kenny Lofton in center. Look for Jason Repko to spell Lofton in center against southpaws, with Ricky Ledee the backup for the outfield corners.
With the signing of Furcal, the Dodgers decided to move Joel Guzman from shortstop into the outfield. He’s responded pretty well this spring and has a strong stick that could easily push Cruz aside in left plus a strong arm that could take over in right if/when Drew hits the DL once again. With no Triple-A experience, LA would be better off at least starting Guzman in Las Vegas this year. But new dugout commander Little claims he’s still toying with the idea of leaving camp with Guzman on the big league roster.
Coming off their second-worst 162-game season ever, the Dodgers could easily rebound in 2006 since they’re playing in a rather weak NL West. Still, they're a fragile bunch, and one or two bad breaks here and there could plunge the Bums right back down the ranks.
Key Performer(s): Gagne and Drew.
Camp Question(s): Introducing the infield to one another.
My Play: A best case scenario would see the Dodgers improve 15 games or so in the win column. That makes 86-87 wins their optimum performance. I’m seeing mid-80s (84½-85½) for o/u lines, and with the propensity for injuries several key players on this team have, I’m leaning u85½ to place my hard-earned cash.
