On paper, the Dodgers might be the best team in baseball. They have two stud starters and a group of some of the best hitters in baseball as well. Who’s to thank for this collection of talent? The new owners of course. The post-McCourt era has been kind to Dodger fans, the new ownership group seems to be committed to winning, and to doing it by buying as many players as possible. But, is this the right strategy? Yankee fans will tell you that that doesn’t always work; the Yanks have won only one title since 2000 despite having the highest payroll every year. Now the Dodgers are on the verge of eclipsing New York as the league’s biggest spenders as they try to buy their way past the defending champion Giants to the top of the NL West.
Projected Lineup:
- Carl Crawford Lf
- Luis Cruz Ss
- Matt Kemp Cf
- Adrian Gonzalez 1b
- Andre Ethier Rf
- AJ Ellis C
- Mark Ellis 2b
- Nick Punto 3b
* Hanley Ramirez will be a prominent feature of this lineup when healthy.
Projected Rotation:
- Clayton Kershaw
- Zach Greinke
- Chad Billingsley
- Josh Beckett
- Ted Lilly
- Hyun-Jin Ryu
Strengths:
Lineup: Matt Kemp, when healthy, is one of the best offensive weapons in baseball; easily one of the top five hitters in the NL when he’s right. Adrian Gonzalez is an elite offensive player as well, in the same class as Prince Fielder of the Tigers. Together, they make a potent 3-4 combination second only to Detroit. Add in Andre Ethier, a very productive outfielder good enough (sort of) to be making more than $80 million from the Dodgers, as well as Hanley Ramirez, who, when healthy, is a close second to Troy Tulowitzki as the best offensive shortstop in baseball–and pitchers should be very afraid. To add insult to injury, Carl Crawford is potentially one of the most dynamic outfielders in baseball with his blend of power and speed.
Starting Rotation: Clayton Kershaw is the top lefty in baseball. Zach Greinke is a former Cy Young award winner and one of the game’s best. It’s an odd year for Josh Beckett, and Chad Billingsley is a well above average Major League starter. Add in Hyun-Jin Ryu, a guy with a lot of potential who no MLB hitter has ever seen–and the Dodgers could be running out somebody scary every single day. The depth and ceiling of this rotation is very impressive and is probably the strength of the roster, despite the offense. This staff is what separates the Dodgers from most other teams.
Superstar Power: A-Gon, Kemp, Kershaw, HanRam, Beckett, Crawford, Greinke, even Ethier–these are all household names. The marketing department will have visages to spare when deciding which face will adorn tickets, billboards, t-shirts, and the like. We’ve seen this strategy of stockpiling stars before with some success. The Dodgers have to hope they end up closer to the Miami Heat than the LA Lakers.
Weaknesses:
Bullpen: The soft underbelly of the Dodgers is their bullpen. Brandon League is their closer and although he had 37 saves in 2011, I’m not sold that he is in the category of other elite back end guys. The Dodgers paid him a lot of money (too much) and they are counting on him, but I could see closer controversy costing this team some games. Further, Kenley Jansen throws gas but has never been all that consistent, and then after Matt Guerrier, there’s not much to get excited over.
Age and Health: You may have noticed that I keep qualifying things with “when healthy.” That’s because these Dodgers seem to always be hurt. Matt Kemp missed a lot of time last season for this and that hamstring issues, Carl Crawford is likely to miss the start of the season recovering from various arm things (Tommy John), and Hanley Ramirez’s broken finger will keep him out the first two months. The team is old too (A-Gon, Beckett, Uribe, Punto, Lilly) and that might come back to bite them. If they can stay on the field, great, if not, well, watch out for the Giants.
Storylines:
How can this team possibly live up to expectations?
Can Don Mattingly manage all the superstar egos?
Will Josh Beckett continue his weird odd year hot streak?
What will Carl Crawford bring to the table this season?
What about Yasel Puig? The Cuban phenom hit over .500 this spring and is pushing for a spot on the big club? When will we see him in LA and what will he do with the chance?
Prediction:
95-67, 1st Place, NL West. The Dodgers will outlast the Giants but not by much. The rotation is too good and the offense too deep for any extended slumps to derail this team.
Bold Predictions:
- Carl Crawford will finish the season in another uniform
- Matt Kemp and Adrain Gonzalez will both finish in the Top 8 in MVP voting
- Clayton Kershaw will win the NL Cy Young Award
- Yasel Puig will play 51 games and bat .278 with 11 homers
-Max Frankel
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