Thanks largely to the re-signing of Manny Ramirez, which not only bolstered their lineup but lengthened it, the Dodgers head into the season with one of the National League's most feared offenses. But in a direct clash with Dodgers tradition, it is that offense that will have to carry the club, because the team appears to be short on pitching.
The batting order is deep and versatile, with switch-hitting speedsters Rafael Furcal and Orlando Hudson in the top two spots and Ramirez and a host of now fully developed young stars stacked up behind them. The addition of Hudson also makes the Dodgers must better defensively than they were with Jeff Kent at second base. As for the pitching, the rotation doesn't have a true ace, although Opening Day starter Hiroki Kuroda did pitch a couple of shutouts last year and displayed the ability to dominate when healthy. He is followed by Randy Wolf, Chad Billingsley and a still-developing Clayton Kershaw, all of whom are solid but none of whom is dominating.
The fifth spot has been a spring-long free-for-all, with rookie James McDonald a slight favorite as spring training entered its final week.
The bullpen is, to put it mildly, a question mark. Jonathan Broxton, who historically has been inconsistent, takes over as the closer after the departure of Takashi Saito. Hong-Chih Kuo, who underwent Tommy John surgery twice while he was still in the minors and who is always an injury risk, takes over Broxton's eighth-inning role.
Second-year big-leaguer Cory Wade and newcomer Guillermo Mota will fill the seventh-inning role, with veterans Claudio Vargas, Jeff Weaver and possibly Shawn Estes or Eric Milton rounding out the group. Will Ohman, a situational lefty who signed with the Dodgers on March 30, will join the group at some point early in the season.
Depth could be an issue, especially given the number of players the Dodgers have who possess injury histories. The club is expected to carry only four outfielders out of the gate. That's partly because the Dodgers have several infielders with the ability to play in the outfield and partly because both Furcal and Hudson are coming off injury-plagued seasons, so the team needs as many infielders as it can afford to keep.
Newly signed backup catcher Brad Ausmus and backup infielders Mark Loretta, Juan Castro and Doug Mientkiewicz are all veterans who are expected to be leaders in the clubhouse.
THE DODGERS WILL CONTEND IF ...: Their front four starters not only stay healthy, but pitch better than their own track records suggest they will. RHP Hiroki Kuroda had shoulder problems last year that now appear to be behind him. LHP Randy Wolf is a year further removed from Tommy John surgery than he was in his last stint with the Dodgers in 2007. RHP Chad Billingsley led the team with 16 wins last year and has to continue to throw strikes and pitch deep into games.
PRIMED FOR A BIG SEASON: OF Andre Ethier finally overcame his tendency to fade down the stretch, hitting .462 last September. This year, he has a good chance to step into the cleanup role that was vacated when 2B Jeff Kent retired. With SS Rafael Furcal, 2B Orlando Hudson and LF Manny Ramirez hitting in front of him, Ethier should have endless RBI opportunities. He also matured last season, cutting back on his legendary on-field temper displays after making outs.
ON THE DECLINE: RHP Jason Schmidt is entering the final season of his infamous three-year, $47 million contract and still has made only six starts during that time. Although he allegedly is healthy now and competed early in camp for the fifth spot in the rotation, he appears tentative about letting loose with his surgically repaired shoulder. Because of that, he is expected to begin the season on a rehabilitation assignment.
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