Can the Boys in Blue Win the NL West? Los Angeles Dodgers 2007 Season Preview...

The Los Angeles Dodgers in 2006 grabbed the National League Wild card, but were quickly disposed by the powerful New York Mets. Once again, the City of Angels is once again ready for west coast baseball in Chavez Ravine and the Dodgers once again will be gunning for a division title. The team had great starting pitching last season, but was devoid of power throughout the year, and they in turn at times suffered.

Back at the helm of the team is Grady Little and the Dodgers hope to improve from last season. The team has had quite a few new additions, including longtime San Francisco pitcher Jason Schmidt, veterans Luis Gonzalez, Mike Leiberthal, Randy Wolf and the speedy Juan Pierre. However, during the winter, the team lost several players including Jose Cruz Jr., J.D. Drew, Eric Gagne, Toby Hall, Kenny Lofton, Julio Lugo, Jayson Werth and the ageless Greg Maddux.

In light of losing Greg Maddux, the Dodgers have once again put the focus on the upgrading their pitching, as they acquired Jason Schmidt from the rival Giants. Schmidt was one of the premier free agents on the market, as he’s parlayed a successful career in into a 3 year, 47 million dollar contract. In 2006, Schmidt was 11-9 with a 3.59, and his track record shows nothing success, and with Dodger Stadium being a pitcher’s ballpark, he’ll do well. He won 17 games in ’03 with a 2.34 ERA in ’03 and was an 18 game winner in ’04 with a 3.20 ERA. He’ll be 34 when the season starts, he should be reliable for the life of the contract unless he regresses.

Following Schmidt in the rotation is sturdy workhorse, Derek Lowe who had a 3.63 ERA to go with 16 wins. He had a great year in ’06 and the Dodgers should expect him to be a reliable innings eater this upcoming season. Brad Penny is coming off a 16-9 year, and although the record looks good – he struggled badly after the All-Star Game. He’s still young with room to improve, but the Dodgers will really need for him to be on for most of the year, as they play in a wide open, competitive division.

The wild card in the starting rotation is Randy Wolf. He’s been injured for much of the past two seasons, and missed most of ’06 with arm surgery. He’ll be 30 when the season begins, but his best year was in ’03 as he went 16-10 with a 4.23 ERA. The Dodgers hope that Wolf can turn it around and be productive next season. The fifth spot in the rotation will most likely go to Chad Billingsley who had a good rookie going 7-4 with a 3.80 ERA. If Wolf and Billingsley can anchor the rotation, the Dodgers may have one the best starting corps in the National League.

The bullpen has a mix of young and veteran arms, and will look to help the starting pitching out of jams and close out games this upcoming season. 36 year-old rookie, Takashi Saito was a source of strength, as he had a 2.07 ERA to go with 24 saves. Although his age is a factor and there might be a chance he’ll regress, he should remain the close in ’07.

Young fireballer Jonathan Broxton struck out well more than a batter per inning in ’06, and he’s only probably going to get better. Only 22, he’ll be the bridge to Saito and he may be the closer sooner rather than later. The bullpen will also have longtime veteran Brett Tomko in the fold, Joe Beimel, Hong-Chih Kuo.

The offense for the Los Angeles Dodgers was an area of concern in ’06, and will be so next season. The Dodgers did not hit very many home runs; however, they are a disciplined team at the plate and led the league in batting. The Dodgers tried to add a few marquee free agents to the mix, but failed, and with J.D. Drew, a productive Kenny Lofton, along with Julio Lugo leaving, the offense once again is devoid of power in comparison to their rivals.

At the top of the order will be Juan Pierre, who’s got plenty of speed, but has career-wise had a poor on-base percentage and discipline at the plate. As well, he does not draw many walks at all - however, he does not strike out much and hits for average. He may or may not have deserved his contract he signed with Los Angeles, but the Dodgers hope he can live up to his potential and be a demon on the base paths.

Sharing the outfield with Pierre will be Andre Ethier and Luis Gonzalez as they are projected to be the starters.

In his second year, Ethier will be counted on following up his successful rookie campaign where he hit .308 with 11 homers and 55 runs driven in & he’ll be in right field. Long time veteran Luis Gonzalez will see quite a bit of playing time. He’s remained in the NL West after a successful run in Arizona, & while he’s remained a productive player, Luis is not the same player he was in the late 90’s and early part of this decade. Gonzalez is good for 10-20 homers, a .270-.290 average and 60 to 80 RBIs, and will probably be a complimentary piece to the lineup. Also sharing the outfield duties and backing up will be highly touted rookie Shawn Kemp, Delwyn Young, veteran Marlon Anderson who came in big during pinch hit and clutch situations in late ’06 and possibly Jason Repko.

The infield situation remains the same a last year with Nomar Garciaparra at first base, Jeff Kent at second, Rafael Furcal at shortstop, and Wilson Betemit at third base.

The wild card in the infield is Nomar Garciaparra. Once a sure bet for the Hall of Fame, he’s struggled the past several years with injuries, but he helped the Dodgers in a big way in ‘06. He’ll be at first base for the second year in a row as well as hit in the middle of the lineup. He hit 20 home runs to lead the team and drove in 93 RBI with a .303 batting average. At this point in his career, he might be injured or need a rest day here and there, but he’s productive when healthy.

Longtime veteran Jeff Kent will once again play second base and he hit 14 homers and 68 RBIs in 115 games. Los Angeles may be the last stop in a Hall of Fame career for Kent, and he should be productive once again in ’07.

At shortstop will be Rafael Furcal. A fairly complete player, he hit .300 with 37 steals and showed some pop with 15 homers. Always a consistent player, the Dodgers hope to see the same production or better in ’07. At third, will be Wilson Betemit who came to the Dodgers via a trade with Atlanta, and hit 18 homers with 53 RBI to go along with a .263 average.

Backing up the infield will be James Loney at first, Olmedo Seanz at third, with Ramon Martinez playing the middle infield.

The regular catcher will be Russell Martin who hit 10 homers and 65 RBI with a .282 average. Backing him up will be longtime veteran Mike Leiberthal.

In the end, the Dodgers should be counted on being contenders once again in 2007. With a good starting corps on paper, and a bullpen with reliable arms, the Dodgers should be the class along with the Padres of the National West. The glaring weakness is the offense with its lack of power, but overall, the team should be in fine shape for a division run.

Time will tell if the Dodgers do win the National League West, or if they end up short.