Pitching, pitching, pitching...

 

So what's next/ The Dodgers are picking up spare parts here and there to fill the roster but nothing is happening that will move the needle.

Down the 5 in Anaheim, the Angels have had a fairly uneventful winter; which is just how the Dodgers want it. They don't want to feel pressured in to making a signing to take the headlines away from the Angels.

As I see it, the Dodgers still need a starting arm. Pedro is still out there. Granted, he's not the same guy he was 15 years ago but his performance against the Dodgers in the playoffs showed he still has something in the tank. I don't know if he can last a full season, but the last time that was said in Los Angeles, we ended up with Delino DeShields. He's probably good for 10 to 12 wins but more importantly, he will be a good teammate to Kershaw and Billingsley. The need some veteran leadership they can converse with. (No offense, Hiroki.) Kershaw seems to have it in him, but doesn't know how to draw on it when he needs to.The fire appears to be there but controlling it may be a problem. For Billingsely, I've got mixed feelings. At times, he's got great stuff. Mows 'em down. Other times, he's like a lost puppy looking for someone to take him home and tuck him in. Pedro would be a especially good for him. Teach him to fight through, not get to flustered or upset when things go wrong. In short, get a little more ego. He needs to believe he's as good as he is.

Pedro's not the only one who help with this but he would be my choice. There's a lot of guys out there but nobody that leaps out. Pedro would also be a good marketing campaign. Regardless, Colletti and McCourt should think about it. They still need more pitching. (Doesn't everyone?) The choices are limited but not dire. Ned's done a good job for the most part by being patient. Maybe he can work a trade for a respectable 2 or 3.

Dodger Lineup for 2010

The dust is settling and the picture of what the Dodgers will be this summer is starting to take shape. Their defense is still solid. Not lock-down or overwhelming but good enough. Their lineup will be nearly identical to last year. The lingering question will be pitching.

Loney at first base will anchor the corner for the next ten years. He's good for average and drives in a lot of runs. If he could hit about 10 more home runs a year he'd be in an elite class and  would make up for the lack of production at third.

Second base it looks like will be by committee until somebody steps up. blake Dewitt will get another year in the minors and the recently signed Belliard will compete with Jamie Carroll. If Belliard is as productive as the end of last season, the Dodgers will be pleased with his production. Carrol could be relegated to this year's Mark Lorretta.

Third base will be solidly held by Casey Blake. He's no Aramis Ramirez but very reliable. If he gets hurt, they can shuffle the infield with  Ronnie Belliard or they can call up Dewitt. He's average with the bat but is clutch at times. 

With Rafael Furcal at shortstop there will be some questions. Number one is his health. can he stay healthy for the whole year. Number two, his OBP was 0.335 last year. He needs to get on base more, get moreManny with was over 80 points higer, hitting in the three and four spot. He needs to be that spark. Walk more, be a threat to steal. 12 steals just doesn't do it. Now the Pierre is gone, he need to be more productive. Otherwise, they need to put Kemp in the leadoff but that will negate his power a bit.

In the outfield, the Dodgers are in great shape. Top to bottum, arguably, the best in the League, if not baseball. Three 30 homerun hitters, one Gold Glove, respectable D in right and Manny in left.  Ethier was clutch last year but needs to be a bit more consistent. He was a bit up and down. I expect Manny to have a great year since this is a contract year. He's got his goals and may need one or two seasons to reach those after this year. Kemp should just be getting better. He's got nowhere to go but up. He could be a bit more patient. But with maturity he should.

The resigning of Brad Ausmus will be a good, mature insurance policy. Russell Martin needs to stop overswinging this season and start getting on base more. He needs walk more as well.  Ausmus will hopefully get Martin to relax and stop regressing. Otherwise, the Dodgers will have to start looking at him and decide whether he's going to be in there future. He will be too expensive for his average production.

Finally, a look at their batting or should look something like this.

1. Rafael Furcal
2. Matt Kemp
3. Andre Ethier
4. Manny
5. James Loney
6.Casey Blake
7. Ronnie Belliard
8. Russell Martin

At first glance, it looks OK. Dodgers need to make sure the lead off is solid or they're going to be behind the eight ball.

Will There Be Pitching In 2010?

There's an interesting article on the Dodger website that puts out there many of the key issues for the upcoming season.
Some of the keys have to be Kershaw and Billingsley. Obvious I know but the fact that the let Wolf go only exacerbates the problem. They could really be a formidable 1-2 punch or a real grease fire not knowing where they're going or what they're throwing. While I think that Kershaw can and will be the eventual ace, he's got a ways to go before he's the next Sandy Koufax. As for Bills, I've heard 29 different excuses on what happened the second half of last season and I'm still coming down on the side of mental. He seem to have been rattled and was not able to get himself back on track. If you tell me it was physical, I'll tell you that the medical staff and coaches need to wake up then. You don't nose dive so severely with a physical ailment and not have anything to show for it. Let's get the story straight whatever it is. He's got too much talent to be an average pitcher. I think he could be an Andy Petite type, a really good number two,  if he can get his head on straight and get a more aggressive.
It's hard to have much to say about the rest of the starting staff as we don't know who it will be yet but I'm sure there will be plenty to say once they get it. Hopefully, Colletti has a plan.
The other pitching issue has to be the bullpen. The article asks who will be the next Bellasario. That's an important question as Torre has a quick hook with his younger pitchers and needs horses in the bullben to bail him out. We'll have to see. It might be someone in there already, if not, they better find him. Equally important and somewhat overlooked is big Jon Broxton. He's shaping up to be a great April to August guy but come playoff time, look out! He may need to se a hypnotist or psychologist. He needs something because to successive breakdowns and he might be relegated to Trevor Hoffman status. Great for regular season, blowing it in the clutch. We'll have to see. I wouldn't have a problem with Sherrill competing  for the job. A shake up might be good.
Next time I'll discuss the field and offense. That could be short and mildly frustrating.

Hey Ned, what's happening? Absolutely nothing!

Last day of the year and where are the Dodgers. They picked up nine nobody's and Jamey Carroll. Not exactly an excitement generator. Not even in Cleveland. We already have Blake DeWitt. What's the upgrade? 
Be prepared Dodger fan to sit around and watch the world go by as far as improving the team. I wonder what Joe Torre is saying to himself as all of nothing is going on. He's got to be rolling his eye's and looking at Joe Girardi and thinking that could have been me. That could be me for then next three years. He probably won't say anything. Not in his nature. He never gets truly upset in a game. Why should he now? 
Next week I'll post my predictions for the year. Some should be easier than others. Some I hope I'm wrong about.

Sigh...where are they going and what are they doing?

As the year comes to an end, I can see that following and cheering for the Dodgers in 2010 is probably going to be frustrating. The McCourt divorce has ground the wheels of baseball aperations to a halt. They use terms like "waiting on the sidelines" and "being patient" as code for sitting on their hands and not spending more money so Frank McCourt can say to Jamie McCourt's lawyers, "we have no money, see, we've frozen payroll.". 're
That's all well and good for them but for me, I've decided not to go forward with my mini season ticket plan. It's a lot of money to me, 4 tickets, about $3400. I'll be honest, it's not like I won't go to games. It's something I like doing with my son and family. They got me.
They Dodgers got an outstanding core with Kemp, Manny, Ethier Russell and Loney. They're going to competitve. The Padres will suck. (Sorry San Diego.) The D-backs' pitching may come back for awhile and make them competitive for the first half but they just won't score enough runs by the end of the year. The Giant's are the only team with a chance for the West and compete with the Dodgers.  Their pitching is far superior on top right now. The Dodgers should score more runs but so will their opponents. We'll see, it  should end up being a two horse race, barring a major injury.
As for the rest, the folks in Philadelphia and the Bronx can probably get their hotel reservations for the World Series. There probably will be surprise but in the end the money will be there when the playoffs start.
I'll stop now. I will try not to whine too much in the future. Next time, let's talk baseball!

The WBC

The World Baseball Classic is riveting. I watched that Netherlands v DR game last night and could not believe it. The mighty Dominican Republic falling to the pot-smoking, chocolate-eating, tulip-growing, windmill spinning Dutch. Twice! I know that if they played 100 times, DR would probably win 75 to 80 percent of the time but that's what makes it so fascinating. It's like March Madness. Kinda. They could be this year's George Mason.
Has anybody been watching the Cubans? It looks like there's probably half a dozen big league- ready players on that team. Steinbrenner would give that kid pitcher, Chapman, at least Burnett money. They're just a good all around team. They'll be tough to beat. I haven't been able to see any of the Asian teams yet so I'm not picking a winner yet but look out here comes Austrailia and the Dutch. The two new powers of baseball.

Manny is a Dodger...Really!

The drama is over. I say this with a slight hesitation but all signs point to Manny being a Dodger. At least for now. We're more or less back to where we started in November but it is now done. (In principal.) I hope for everyone's sake that all parties swallow their ego's and move on. I hope Boras doesn't pull a JD Drew and opt out next year but for now it is what it is.
Heck, I might even go out and buy tickets to a few games now. I got to tell you, without him I would be hard pressed to pay $15 to park, $23 for upper level (x4) and dogs, sodas and snacks (roughly $45) more than once or twice. Even if the pitching collapses, I would still go and see him. McCourt's not an idiot...even if I may have said so earlier. I'm sure I'm not alone in my thinking for the number of times I will go to see the Dodgers. Tickets for single games go on sale Saturday. Coincidence?