Los Angeles Dodgers 2008 Preview

The Dodgers shored up their two most glaring needs through free agency, adding a solid starting pitcher in Japanese import Hiroki Kuroda and a middle-of-the-order bat in Andruw Jones, all without giving up any of their promising young players. They also added a big-name manager in Joe Torre, who led the Yankees to four World Series titles and six pennants, and now will try to prove he can be just as good in the National League. The Dodgers still need a better option at third base than either Nomar Garciaparra or Andy LaRoche, but this team is primed to contend in what is probably baseball’s deepest division.

Rotation 
The Dodgers boast arguably the deepest rotation in the NL West, a unit so stacked that veteran starter Esteban Loaiza probably will be pushed to the bullpen. Brad Penny, an All-Star each of the past two seasons, will again anchor the starting staff, with Derek Lowe, Kuroda, the promising Chad Billingsley and the hopefully healthy Jason Schmidt lined up behind him. For the second year in a row, Penny faded down the stretch, but his post-All Star decline wasn’t nearly as precipitous in 2007 as it was in 2006. Still, the Dodgers need him to remain consistent all the way to the wire this season. Lowe, meanwhile, pitched much better than his record would indicate, with the Dodgers scoring a total of 30 runs in his 14 losses. By some accounts, Kuroda throws as many as eight different pitches. Billingsley is one of the top young pitchers in the game, and during the second half of the 2007 season, he appeared to have overcome his history of high pitch counts and walk totals. The timetable for Schmidt returning is a bit fuzzy. Competing for the fifth spot until his return are veterans Chan Ho Park and Esteban Loaiza. The 20-year-old Clayton Kershaw was as impressive as any pitcher in camp, but the Dodgers want to give their prize prospect a chance to dominate in the minors before introducing him to the majors later this season.

Statistician
.417	Average with runners in scoring position by rookie first baseman James Loney, second-best in the majors behind Detroit’s Magglio Ordoñez (.429) among players with at least 100 plate appearances.
10	Consecutive Gold Gloves by Andruw Jones.
91.3	Percent of save opportunities converted by Takashi Saito in his two seasons as the Dodgers’ closer, at the ages of 36 and 37.
4-23	Dodgers’ record in interleague road games since the start of 2005.

Bullpen 
Takashi Saito returns for a third season as the Dodgers’ closer. But fireballing setup man Jonathan Broxton, whose stuff makes him more of a classic closer, appears ready to step into that role if Saito falters. Joe Beimel is a situational lefty who also can go multiple innings when needed. Yhency Brazoban and Hong-Chih Kuo are coming off injuries but should be ready early in the season. And the reliable Scott Proctor will be reunited with Torre, the manager who many felt overused him before the Yankees traded him to the Dodgers on July 31.

Middle Infield 
Jeff Kent is back for what probably will be his final major league season, which is good for a Dodgers lineup that desperately needs his power production, but not so good for groundball pitchers like Lowe and Kuroda. Kent, who will turn 40 in spring training, has little to no range at second base, which puts added pressure on shortstop Rafael Furcal. Furcal never quite recovered from the severely sprained ankle he suffered in a Grapefruit League game last spring, and his .270 average was a career low. But he should be much healthier this year, and he also figures to be much happier with close friend and longtime teammate Jones having signed on.

Corners 
First baseman James Loney, long one of the organization’s top prospects, played so well last year that he forced Garciaparra to move across the diamond. Loney showed surprising pop to go with his .331 average. But as he enters what is expected to be his first full season in the majors, it is apparent his future is probably still as a line-drive, gap hitter who could win a batting title or two and maybe a few Gold Gloves. Third base is the Dodgers’ most glaring weakness. Garciaparra and LaRoche both battled injuries in spring training. LaRoche is the third baseman of the future, but Garciaparra is probably the third baseman of the present. LaRoche’s thumb injury will keep him out of the lineup for several weeks. But don’t be surprised, though, if the spot becomes LaRoche’s by midseason.

Outfield 
This is a dicey situation. The addition of Jones means Juan Pierre is moving to left field. Famously fan- and media-friendly, Pierre nevertheless was a favorite target of talk radio and message boards in the first season of his five-year, $44 million contract because he didn’t appear to do anything — except run — especially well. But Pierre did hit .293, and although he was upset that club officials waited so long this winter to talk to him about moving, his history suggests he will go along with it willingly. That leaves right-handed-hitting Matt Kemp in right and lefty-hitting Andre Ethier to split time in right and left. Both Kemp and Ethier are so talented that it’s hard to imagine the arrangement working for very long. Pierre could end up being the fourth outfielder.

Catching 
The Dodgers couldn’t be happier with Russell Martin. He’ll be behind the plate for almost every game, although the addition of Jones lengthens the lineup to the point that Torre won’t be forced to play him in 145 games as former manager Grady Little did a year ago. Martin also provides remarkable offensive production from a position that has grown increasingly defense-oriented recently. Newly signed backup Gary Bennett knew when he agreed to go to Los Angeles that, like Mike Lieberthal last year, he would be doing a lot of watching.

Bench 
The Dodgers don’t have enough positions for all the everyday-caliber players on their roster, so the bench will be deep, with either Garciaparra or LaRoche and either Ethier, Pierre or Kemp available every night. Tony Abreu and Chin-Lung Hu will battle for the utility infield spot, with Abreu the favorite because he has more experience. Delwyn Young, a lightly regarded prospect who has managed to exceed expectations at almost every turn, is a strong bet to make the club as a fifth outfielder.

Statline 2007 NL AVG with Runners in Scoring Position Minimum 100 PAs with RISP
1.	James Loney	.417
2.	Josh Bard	.406
3.	Miguel Cabrera	.378
4.	Nomar Garciaparra	.373
5.	Derrek Lee	.364

Management 
General manager Ned Colletti could be on the hot seat, especially if the team gets off to a slow start. The Dodgers’ ownership is notoriously meddlesome, and it still isn’t entirely clear how much input Colletti had into Torre’s hiring. Little clearly lost the clubhouse last season, and Torre’s approach to managing personalities is similar to Little’s. But Torre will bring a strong coaching staff, including a presumed clubhouse enforcer in fiery third-base coach Larry Bowa.

Final Analysis 
In any other season, this club would be a clear favorite to run away with the National League West. But this division is deep, with four of the five clubs capable of winning it, and there is a good chance it will produce the NL wild card for the third year in a row. The Dodgers must improve dramatically on last year’s 34–38 mark within the division. But the additions of Torre, Jones and Kuroda appear to make the Dodgers solid contenders to play deep into October.

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Difference Maker

Club officials hope Andruw Jones will provide the middle-of-the-order bat this club was so sorely lacking last year. The Dodgers finished 10th in the league in runs scored and next to last in homers, all while Jones was hitting 26 homers and driving in 94 runs for Atlanta. Adding Jones also will lengthen the lineup, allowing Joe Torre to probably drop James Loney to sixth and Russell Martin to seventh and leaving the eight hole — likely Nomar Garciaparra or Andy LaRoche — as the closest thing the Dodgers will have to a weak spot.

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Beyond the Box Score

Chemistry woes The final days of last season were marked by clubhouse acrimony, as Jeff Kent publicly questioned the professionalism of some of the team’s younger players. At least two of those players, James Loney and Matt Kemp, bit back the next day, earning them a closed-door meeting with Ned Colletti and Grady Little. If the resentment between the youngsters and veterans continues unabated, it will be a long summer at Chavez Ravine.

Big bat His lack of defensive range notwithstanding, any speculation that Kent is washed up seems premature. He hit .337 after the All-Star break and .324 in September. He scorched his way to a .447 mark in July.

Breaking point The past two seasons, staff ace Brad Penny is a combined 20–3 with a 2.64 ERA before the All-Star break and 12–10 with a 4.97 after the break.

He’ll be back Andruw Jones’ average dropped to .222, a career low for a full season, with Atlanta last year. But he says he watched a lot of film over the winter and discovered a balance problem in his stance resulting from his feet being too far apart. Even so, his 26 homers and 94 RBIs were far better than any numbers a Dodgers player put up last season in either category.

Revolving door Since Tommy Lasorda’s heart attack forced him into retirement 12 years ago, the Dodgers have employed six managers, including Joe Torre.

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