With rookie manager Don Mattingly at the helm the Dodgers’ days of spending money like they’re the Yankees of the west appear to be over, at least for now. Mattingly has his hands full in his first season as the Dodgers try to move on from their disappointing 2010 campaign, but with limited newly acquired talent, and no help coming from the minor league ranks it doesn’t appear likely for the Dodgers to make a run in the underrated NL West.
No. 19 Los Angeles Dodgers
Projected Rotation
- Clayton Kershaw-LHP
- Chad Billingsley-RHP
- Ted Lilly-LHP
- Hiroki Kuroda-RHP
- Jon Garland-RHP
Projected Bullpen
- Jonathon Broxton-RHP
- Hong-Chih Kuo-LHP
- Matt Guerrier-RHP
- Kenley Jansen-RHP
- Blake Hawksworth-RHP
- Ron Mahay-LHP
- Ramon Troncoso-RHP
Projected Lineup
- SS Rafael Furcal
- 3B Casey Blake
- CF Matt Kemp
- RF Andre Ethier
- 2B Juan Uribe
- 1B James Loney
- LF Marcus Thames
- C Rod Barajas
Analysis
With Mattingly in his first season as manager it’s unclear how the former Yankee great will stack his lineup. Overall questions and injuries plague the early projection and odds are the lineup will change several times through the course of the season.
Furcal is the early favorite for the leadoff spot as he’s been a consistent hitter when healthy. Healthy is the key word here, Furcal has missed 201 ball games over the past three seasons and it’s unlikely he’ll break that unfortunate tradition anytime soon.
Blake, Kemp, and Ethier form a capable top of the order on paper, but on the field they were laced with problems in 2010. Blake hit under .250 and the slugging third basemen is definitely out of his prime. Ethier carried this team almost single-handedly last season with an average of .292 and 23 bombs. Ethier’s going to need a lot more help from his teammates this season if the Dodgers want to accomplish anything higher than fourth place in the NL West.
The biggest disappointment for L.A. was Matt Kemp. A late season surge raised his average to an ineffective .249, far and away the lowest total of his career. He managed 28 homers and 89 RBI but the Dodgers’ wins and losses are directly related to how well Kemp is hitting. He is the face of the franchise and the club will go only as far as Kemp can carry them.
The news gets better for the blue and white in the rotation. This is the first time in a long time the Dodgers already have their five starters set going into spring training. They lack a true ace but it’s easy to make the argument that the Dodgers have the deepest rotation in the division. Kershaw is poised to become an elite starter in this league after his 13 win and 2.91 ERA season of a year ago. Billingsley rebounded from a disastrous 2009 to establish himself as a reliable starter, and the 2nd tier of Lilly, Kuroda, and Garland won’t be dominant but will be able to keep the team in games and turn in plenty of quality starts.
No one had a tougher second half of the season than Dodger closer Jonathan Broxton. The closer job is still his heading into this season but he’s on thin ice. The old adage a bullpen is only as good as its closer will apply more than ever for the 2011 Dodgers.
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