2008 Los Angeles Dodgers Preview
Joe Torre Takes the Managerial Reins for the New Baseball Season
With a new skipper, a new slugger and an imported starting pitcher, the Dodgers hope their returning stars can stay healthy all year as they try to win the NL West.
The 2007 season was a disappointment for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Their big free agent signee, pitcher Jason Schmidt, spent most of the season on the disabled list or on the operating table. Their offense couldn't score any runs. Their manager didn't inspire confidence in players or fans. At times, they looked lackluster. So in the off-season, owner Frank McCourt made some major changes to the team's management, and brought in some new talent in the hopes of bring the Dodgers back to glory.
2007 Season Record: 82-80 (fourth place in NL West)
New Faces
Joe Torre: After twelve seasons managing the New York Yankees, Joe Torre arrives in Chavez Ravine with high hopes and great expectations. The most successful manager of the past half-century takes over a team that looks more like the Yankees of the 1990s (with good pitching and speed) than the teams Joe guided at the start of the new millenia. Given Joe's NL roots and the greater success he had in the '90s, that may be great news for Dodgers fans.
Andruw Jones: Does anyone have any idea how Jones will play this year? Because if you do, then you must be prescient. Jones comes into 2008 fresh off the worst year of his stellar career. After tearing up baseball in 2005 and 2006, Jones didn't just stumble last year, he crashed, hitting .224 with his lowest home run and RBI totals in years.
That slump probably cost Jones $100 million in free agent money, but please, don't cry for him: he is still getting $18 million a year for the next two seasons under his new deal with the Dodgers.
If he returns to form, which is a distinct possibility given his age (still only 31) and his career averages, Jones will add serious pop to an offense that suffered from a bad case of E.D. in 2007.
Hiroki Kuroda: The Dodgers signed Kuroda to a three-year deal that will pay him $35 million. The righthander was a proven stud in Japan, leading the league in wins in 2005, and then topping all starters in ERA the next year. A lot of Japanese hurlers have struggled in the Major Leagues (see Hideki Irabu and Kei Igawa), while others like Dice-K and Hideo Nomo have found success. Which path will Kuroda follow?
The Returning Strengths
Brad Penny was 16-4 and a legitimate Cy Young candidate in 2004. He really seems to be in his prime and should pitch well again this year. Derek Lowe was just 12-14, but if you look at his other statistics, it's clear that he pitched well but didn't get sufficient run support. Lowe's ERA was a very respectable 3.88, his WHIP was a better than average 1.26, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio was nearly three to one. If he had pitched on a team that hit better than the 1908 Chicago White Sox, Lowe could have won 16-18 games.
Jonathan Broxton resembles a creature out of Greek Mythology. Half-man, half-bull. Seriously, this 24 year old kid is 6-4" and weighs somewhere around 280 pounds, with a neck and traps that look like they belong to a University of Nebraska offensive lineman. He throws hard, and he's got very good control (99 Ks and 25 walks in 82.0 innings), and once again, Broxton will be a top set-up man for Japanese reliever Takashi Saito.
Which is nice, because over the last two seasons, Takashi Saito has been every bit as good as Jonathan Papelbon, Joe Nathan, J.J. Putz, or any of the other consensus "best" closers in the game. In his two major league seasons, Saito is 8-3, with 63 saves and a 1.77 ERA as the Dodgers' closer. He's also struck out 185 hitters and walked just 36 in 142 inings, and his big league WHIP is 0.81. Even though he will be 38 years old this season, you can bet your bottom sheckel that Saito will not disappoint in 2008.
Five Pressing Questions for the 2008 Dodgers
1. Can Jason Schmidt stay heathy? When the Dodgers signed Schmidt prior to the 2007 season, they were hoping they'd landed the guy who'd averaged 30 starts and double-digit wins for a decade. What they got was a fella with a bum shoulder who made just six apperances before undergoing season-ending surgery in July. As of February 28, 2008, Schmidt was in spring training, throwing off a mound and not reporting any pain, although he did speak of a little arm fatigue. If Schmidt can give the Dodgers 150 inning and 10-12 wins, he could the difference maker in what will be a close divisional race.
2. Will Torre Succeeed? Remember, Joe Torre was considered a sub-par manager before he took the helm of the richest team in baseball. Now he has a chance to prove that he can do it without Steinbrenner's war chest.
3. Will James Loney take the next step? The Dodgers are predicting great things for Loney. He had a very good 2007, but can can he make the progression to all-star level player this season?
4. Will the real Andruw Jones please stand up? The team needs the '05-'06 version that hummed like a Corvette, not the 2007 model that clunked like an Edsel.
5. Can Rafael Furcal regain his form? Like Schmidt, Furcal's 2007 season was crippled by injuries. L.A. needs him healthy this year; he provides speed, some power and a great glove.
2008 Los Angeles Dodgers Prediction: 88-74 (second place)
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2008 Philadelphia Phillies Preview
