Dodger Dish

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a plentiful payroll. LA is expected to defend their division winning crown this season. A return to the playoffs, with better results anticipated, would be the ideal situation for Southern California fans of the blue and white. The pitching staff and the bat of Manny Ramirez will dictate the direction of the Dodgers in 2009. An upbeat attitude and confident approach are necessary for second year skipper, Joe Torre, and his National league team. The Dodgers are a professional and proud organization and their players are a well-disciplined squad.
The Dodgers are imploring the idea of signing Pedro Martinez, who the Mets released. I don’t think Martinez would make a difference on the mound. However, his biggest influence would come in the clubhouse, where the Dodgers made an off-season overhaul. Gone are Jeff Kent, Andruw Jones, Brad Penny and Derek Lowe. Kent was not a good teammate and the Dodgers will be a closer team without him there. LA made an effort to sign good clubhouse guys in Orlando Hudson, Mark Loretta, and even Ramirez. Pedro would add an additional veteran view and he probably would not cost the team a heavy penny. It would be quite fascinating to see him play under Joe Torre’s company. Pedro would be less productive than the now-retired Greg Maddux was last year. LA lost several of their bullpen pitcher when Jason Johnson, Chan Ho Park, Scott Proctor, Takashi Soto, and Joe Beimel all departed. Most of the position players are already decided and the rotation is pretty much set too. Here is the shape and scope of the snappy Dodgers:
The starters are understood to be Chad Billingsly, Clayton Kershaw, Hiroki Kuroda and Randy Wolf. Claudio Vargas is Torre’s favorite to win the fifth man job but the injured righty, Jason Schmidt, will also figure into it. Two left-handers, Shawn Estes and Eric Stults, are hoping for a chance at inclusion in the Dodgers rotation as well. Estes has bounced around from team to team but he brings a heavy workload and is an intense competitor. If he doesn’t make the team, he will probably call his career quits. While not great, the 36 year old California native does have a just under 5 career ERA. Stults is a slightly younger version of Estes but with a little less character issues. He has a similar ERA but less experience on the mound. Billingsly and Kershaw are the one-two punch and heart of the staff. Billingsly is beckoned the ace and took leaps forward in 2008. Torre expressed faith in his starter, who was a 16 game winner a year ago. He strikes out more hitters than your average pitcher and his ERA is terrific. Billingsly’s focus this season is keeping runs to a minimum and establishing himself as the team pitching leader. Kershaw’s potential to one day be a 20 game winner is good. Odds are this youngster will benefit from the addition of the veteran, Wolf Clayton was only 5-5 in 2008 but wiffed 100 batters. He is one of the better lefty prospects in the National League. The 20 year old starter needs to work on his control because he does walk a lot of people. Kuroda is also an inexperienced pitcher looking to make a name for himself out West. Hiroki had a losing season in 2008 but already has experience in the playoffs. He pitched six innings for the win against the Phillies during last year’s post-season. He is capable of shutting teams out but must maintain command on the mound. Wolf was a nice addition to a club in need of a back-end of the rotation lefty. Randy’s consistency is his forte. He is very even-keeled but not equally productive on the road and at home. Wolf is better suited to pitch at home, with a 2.9 ERA compared to 5.7 on the road. He does have a high ERA and has to be healthy to be effective. Wolf is somewhat of a slow starter, but I think he will be great down the stretch.
Torre is well-known for his overuse of the bullpen, and that was LA’s downfall late last year. The Dodgers will field a respectable relief section again but could probably benefit from adding at least one more pitcher. Closer Jonathan Broxton has exceptional velocity and an overpowering fastball that tops out in the high 90s. Control is the issue for the 24 year old righty who saved 14 games for Torre’s club last season. He becomes LA’s full time closer now. Left-handed reliever, Hong-Chih Kuo, is good enough to close too but has an injured past. Kuo has had four elbow surgeries and the Dodgers will use him cautiously. Other bullpen stars are right-handers, Guillermo Mota, James McDonald, Cory Wade and Ramon Troncoso. Mota was signed as a free agent from the Brewers and will factor into a long relief role. Mota was a security blanket about five years ago but now he isn’t quite as reliable. McDonald is unproven, appearing in only six innings in 2008. He did strike out two batters in those innings. Troncoso and Wade won’t shut down teams because they both walk a lot of batters. Wade is the better of the two and boasted and 2.2 ERA last year in 71 innings of work. Therefore, Stults’ emergence in the pen is key for LA.
The starting lineup is not your prototypical National League one. Before Ramirez’s arrival, the Dodgers were already an offensive juggernaut. He is in an exclusive class of powerful sluggers and perhaps the game’s most exceptional clutch hitter. Table-setting shortstop, Rafael Furcal had an incredible .357 average before being sidelined last year. His power at the leadoff spot is good but Furcal doesn’t score enough runs. His run productions has decreased every year since joining LA in 2006. The second and third hitters are the recently-acquired and high profile free agent 2B, Orlando Hudson and the aforementioned Ramirez. Hudson was signed because his defense is stupendous. Orlando can also crush the ball as he proved with a .305 average in 2008. He is a workhorse who likes to play everyday. With Manny hitting behind him, Orlando should reap the rewards run-wise too.
Ramirez we know can compile the four-baggers no matter where or when he hits. LA showed trepidation in signing the malignant player but his influence and affect after the All-Star break last year cannot go unnoticed. Manny’s only knock is his less than stellar left field play. He is guaranteed to drive in over 100 runs again. Clean-up man, Russell Martin, is one of the best offensive catchers in the game. Martin shows leadership qualities to complement his 42 career homers. Russell could also hit second, in front of Ramirez. I expect Torre to mix up this lineup several times, as he usually does, throughout the year. CF Matt Kemp, 1B James Loney, RF Andre Ethier, and 3B Casey Blake are the other position players. Blake seemed to easily hit 21 Hrs and drive in over 80 last year. Casey’s crisp corner fielding gives the Dodgers a definable defense. Kemp and Ethier join Manny in the outfield. Ethier had a post-season to remember and ended 2008 with a .305 batting average. For a 26 year old, that is good news. Kemp is well-respected throughout baseball and plays a solid centerfield. He is a speedy runner and might get the chance to leadoff. Kemp is capable of stealing 40 bases, although that estimate might be a bit high. Loney should be the benefactor of having Don Mattingly as a hitting coach. The former first baseman can aid young James in becoming better all around at his position.
Reserve catcher, Brad Ausmus was signed this off-season to backup Martin. I suspect he won’t see a lot of time behind the plate, but Brad is still a mentor to Russell. Infielder Juan Castro and outfielder Juan Pierre are also on the bench. Castro won’t have to compete with Tony Abreu or Chin-lung Hu for the utility role, but both are options heading into the season. Loretta is a great infield reserve signee for LA. Mark’s got great credentials and is a swift and smooth contact hitter. There are still a few minor league candidates hoping for a big league call up. Outfielder, Andrew Lambo is a top rookie prospect but is probably still a year away. Xavier Paul also plays the outfield but the team might trade him during the year.
One player doesn’t often make a real difference. But with Manny Ramirez, the NL West is no longer a neutral division. He is an integral part of the team and his contributions are well documented. The 2008 Dodgers were overachievers. Many accolades go out to the coaching staff, including Mattingly, and the players who were inspired to achieve at a lofty level. Their diligence and structure paid off mightily and that should be enough for LA to make a repeat post-season appearance this October.
Parting points: I don’t take these things (sports) lightly. I was ecstatic when Ohio State clobbered Michigan State to reach the Big 10 Championship game today. Those three-point shots were out of this world.

One kickin’ tune- “How the West Was Won (And Where It Got Us)”-R.E.M.
Movie- The Karate Kid