They Used to be Called the Robins

In 1916 the Brooklyn Baseball Club, known as the Robins, lost the World Series to Babe Ruth and the Boston Red Sox 4 games to 1. In the years that followed, The Brooklyn team would change its name to Dodgers, frequently finish near the bottom of the eight-team National League, return to the World Series 5 times only to lose to the Yankees each time, shock those same Yankees in 1955, and then, before the 50s were over, bolt New York City for Southern California and win the 1959 World Series as the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 2010 incarnation of the Dodgers likely has much more in common with those World Series teams than with the frustrated cellar dwellers who earned the team the pejorative-turned-loving moniker "Bums." The Dodgers of 2010 are anything but bums. In fact, in a National League which appears short on elite teams, Joe Torre's squad may once again find itself with a fighting chance in October to thwart the growing dynastic ambitions of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Why the high praise? The 2010 Dodgers field a lineup which boasts with an exciting mix of homegrown stars on the verge of national superstardom and veteran mercenaries who have the potential every season to hit like all-stars. The Dodgers' front office has been smart enough to sign the young talent nucleus, James Loney, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, and Russell Martin to rich contracts, ensuring they will remain in Dodger Blue until, at least, the time when the current crop of veterans is ready to retire.

The pitching is no slouch either. Young prospects turning into stars paired with veteran arms who still have at least a few more seasons in them. The starting rotation is anchored by Chad Billingsley, who had an All-Star season last year at age 24 before suffering a second-half collapse. Clayton Kershaw, who turns 22 later this month, posted a sub-3.00 ERA last year, and could be this season's breakout lefty in the Senior Circuit. Jonathan Broxton, Vin Scully's biggest man crush, throws smoke at the back end of the bullpen and George Sherrill has All-Star closer stuff but serves as Joe Torre's primary setup man.

They will pitch well. They will hit well. By most measurements they will field well. That generally translates into wins. Almost always.

The Lineup

C-- Russell Martin .250 BA, 7 HR, 53 RBI
1B-- James Loney .281 BA, 13 HR, 90 RBI
2B-- Ronnie Belliard .277 BA, 10 HR, 39 RBI
SS-- Rafael Furcal .269 BA, 9 HR, 47 RBI, 12 SB
3B-- Casey Blake .280 BA, 18 HR, 79 RBI
LF-- Manny Ramirez .290 BA, 19 HR, 63 RBI, 50 Games Suspended
CF-- Matt Kemp .297 BA, 26 HR, 101 RBI, 34 SB
RF-- Andre Ethier .272 BA, 31 HR, 106 RBI

Any discussion of the Dodger lineup must begin with the two budding stars who make things go: Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. Kemp is one of those rare 5-tool mega-athletes who is actually turning extraordinary athletic ability into production on the baseball field. Though he struggled against lefties in 2009, Ethier set career highs in every important offensive stat and by all accounts, should put up similar numbers in 2010. Martin and Furcal had disappointing 2009 campaigns. Martin's woeful season calls into question the gaudy numbers the catcher put up for the first few seasons of his career while Furcal mixed occasional flashes of brilliance last year into an otherwise unmemorable season. Manny Ramirez missed 50 games last year because, it turns out, he has some issues with abiding by Baseball's drug testing policy, but, ask any NL pitcher: Manny is still Manny. Ronnie Belliard and Casey Blake are the likely 2nd and 3rd basemen respectively, but, they are each in the back half of their 30s and, between injury and inconsistency, both may lose at-bats over the course of the season to other veterans (Jamie Carroll) or youngsters still looking for a steady job (Blake DeWitt).

Reserves

Brian Giles
Garret Anderson
Doug Mientkiewicz
Jamie Carroll
Blake Dewitt
Brad Ausmus
Reed Johnson

Not all of the above will be Dodgers on Opening Day. In fact, in this era of 11 and 12 man pitching staffs, 2 of the above may be on the golf course or in other uniforms as the Dodgers start their run towards the postseason. Garret Anderson signed a minor league deal with the team and is probably in competition with 39-year-old Brian Giles for the role of primary pinch-hitter. Mientkiewicz, still a slick fielder, and Ausmus, still said to be one of the brightest and best handlers of pitchers in the game likely have almost guaranteed jobs in LA. Reed Johnson will spell Manny in left field whenever the situation calls for actual defense. Blake Dewitt and Jamie Carroll will compete with Ronnie Belliard and Casey Blake for infield time. The always bi-polar Belliard will almost certainly lose his hold on 2nd base temporarily a few times this season, allowing the veteran Carroll and the still unproven DeWitt a chance at semi-regular playing time. This is a potentially stellar bench. One of the best in the NL.

Starting Rotation

Chad Billingsley 12-11, 4.03 ERA
Clayton Kershaw 8-8, 2.79 ERA
Hiroki Kuroda 8-7, 3.76 ERA
Vicente Padilla 12-6, 4.46 ERA
James McDonald 5-5, 4.00 ERA

Billingsley was an All-Star in 2009 before going into a pretty severe second-half tailspin which bottomed out with his getting passed over for a postseason start. He's still only 25 and, prior to last fall's funk, had demonstrated a superior talent for getting hitters out, a rebound this year is likely. Clayton Kershaw, though also of tender years, has devastating stuff, including a mid-90s fastball, wicked curveball, and way-above-average changeup. Hiroki Kuroda took a linedrive off of the head last year, but, still managed a respectable stat line. Vicente Padilla pitched like a man possessed after coming over to the Dodgers from texas last season, back for more in 2010, if he can provide a performance that even vaguely resembles his 2009 campaign, Joe Torre will have 4 very consistent starters upon whom he can rely and rest easy. According to most accounts, James McDonald, who required more seasoning in the minors for much of last year after getting tenderized in some early season starts, has the inside track on LA's final rotation spot. He pitched well in the 2nd half of last season, almost exclusively coming out of the bullpen.

The Relief Corps

Jonathan Broxton
George Sherrill
Ramon Troncoso
Ronald Belisario
Eric Gagne
Hong-Chih Kuo

Just listen to a Dodger broadcast. Hear how Vin Scully swoons as he describes the pitching arsenal and physical prowess of Jonathan Broxton. At 1 and 1/2 strikeouts per inning, I imagine Scully is not the only member of the Dodger organization whose heart leaps whenever they see the imposing LA closer. George Sherrill cost the Dodgers 2 top prospects (everyone in Baltimore would like to offer a "Thank you, Hun" to the LA front office for that late season gift) but pitched up to his All-Star form upon arrival in LA. He is murder on lefties, and no slouch against righties. In a full season as the primary setup man, he should thrive. Troncoso and Belisario had virtually no big league experience under their belts prior to 2009 but both posted sub-3.00 ERAs and throw smoke. Watch out Dodger fans, Eric Gagne is back in Dodger camp this spring. He was once LA's unhittable end of game force. If he rediscovers any of his previous velocity and movement, he will make a valuable addition to Torre's pen, otherwise, the big Canadian may have reached the end of his baseball road.


There is clearly alot to like about the 2010 Dodgers. Its also easy to like that they play in a division in which the talent pool, though rapidly rising, is still pretty shallow. Put the Dodgers in, oh, lets say the AL East, and the certainty of their making an appearance in October would have to go down considerably. But they don't play in the AL East. They are the most talented and deepest team in the NL West, one of the best teams, on paper, in the entire National League, and more than 50 years after moving to sunny southern California, the 2010 Dodgers are a far cry from so many of their bottom-feeding ancestors.