Rookie Joc Pederson has quietly been the team’s most productive outfielder this season. By Owen Main

If you think the Dodgers are going to be a team who rides any one guy anywhere very long during the regular season, you’re probably wrong. It’s true, the Dodgers will need to have some hot players and great play if they are to make noise in the post season. But getting there will take a lot of guys. In fact, it already has.

Just look at this list of Sunday transactions for the Dodgers and it becomes clear that the big league team’s success thus far has had something to do with guys not named Clayton or Yasiel. Puig and Joel Perralta were put on the disabled list, and the Dodgers have players in their system lined-up to fill their roster spots.

Even with two outfielders hurt, hot-hitting Alex Guerrero is having a hard time finding regular playing time. By Owen Main

Two years ago, a blow like this would have had fans, bloggers, and pundits wondering who the team could get in the trade market if guys are injured long-term. This year, everyone is turning inward toward and organization that has spent the near past making move after move to increase depth at all organizational levels.

One area of “problem” depth was the outfield. Former regular Andre Ethier was out of a starting spot on opening day. Dodger fans were clamoring for the team to trade him and get some asset for him.

Along with Ethier, Scott Van Slyke seemed ready to get more playing time, but with Carl Crawford and Yasiel Puig firmly entrenched in the corner outfield positions, things seemed to be at an impasse.

Fast-forward a few weeks, and things look very different. Puig and Crawford are both hurt as of last night. Van Slyke and Ethier both finished the game in the outfield. And Alex Guerrero — swinging a hot bat lately — is still on the bench, still available to manager Don Mattingly to fill-in where needed.

What seemed like an uncomfortable level of depth just a few weeks ago is now a strength the Dodgers are flexing. Still in first place. Mashing, and sticking to their game plan.

Alex Guerrero has been really good for the Dodgers in limited time so far this season. By Owen Main

Dodgers starter Brandon McCarthy battled through seven innings, despite giving up four home runs. Alex Guerrero and Joc Pederson each had two RBI’s. Andre Ethier doubled in his only at-bat of the game, scoring the winning run on Guerrero’s 10th-inning single, and the Dodgers won a game they probably shouldn’t have, 6-5 over the Mariners.

If the team had old management in place for the better part of the last year, none of those players might have even been in the lineup.

Andrew Friedman went out and spent good money on McCarthy, a guy with some injury history, to bolster the rotation. Despite the four homers he surrendered, McCarthy had really good sixth and seventh innings, giving the team a chance to get back in the game.

Trading Matt Kemp opened a spot for Joc Pederson, who has been generally as-advertised. Pederson will surely go through a rookie slump at some point, but for now he’s a solid contributor to wins. His .877 OPS in his first seven games this season is a nice thing to see after the struggles he had in 18 regular season games last year. Yeah, sample sizes are still small, but I’m encouraged.

Moving on, Alex Guerrero is a player who people made noise about this offseason. He hadn’t developed defensively. People wondered, was he even going to make the big league club?

Andre Ethier’s ability to be effective and willing as a fourth or fifth outfielder will be crucial to the Dodgers’ success this year. By Owen Main

Guerrero has shown that his bat plays in the majors. Whether he ends up at second or third-base in the long term, he’s showing himself as a more-than-adequate replacement for Juan Uribe at third base. He’s not as good defensively, but I wonder what some consistent playing time does for a player like Guerrero.

Guerrero’s ability to play third base gives the Dodgers the option to have other utility guys get maximum value. Justin Turner and Darwin Barney can do what they do — filling in up the middle. Scott Van Slyke can be a fifth outfielder and back-up first baseman. Man, this team is just really nicely balanced.

Lastly, Ethier’s role is probably the most interesting this season. He’s sure to get his share of at-bats. Mattingly has said he doesn’t expect Ethier to be happy in his backup role, and Ethier shouldn’t be. Ethier’s loss in playing time is the Dodgers’ gain in being able to send him up for high-leverage at-bats whenever they want. When he’s dialed-in, Ethier is a dangerous hitter, and the Dodgers can deploy him however they want.

I see a guy like Ethier getting some significant playing time come September and October. Baseball teams always have attrition and having a guy like Ethier to fill a backup role is pretty awesome.

All in all, this was the most encouraging win of the season for me. Last year, with Miguel Rojas or whoever playing third base in Uribe’s absence, I don’t know that the Dodgers could have dug themselves out of the hole a starting pitcher created. It’s great for a team to get wins like this early in the year. After last night’s win, the Dodgers sit at 4-3 on the season, but the combination of confidence and momentum a team gets from a game like last night’s can be a heck of a thing.

Whether it’s Carl Crawford, Scott Van Slyke, or Andre Ethier who spends the most time in left field, that person will be better than Gregor Blanco. By Adam_sk (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

I thought it would be fun to, over the next few weeks, go position by position and compare what personnel the two teams have in preparation for the 2015 season. Technically, we’re not done with the infield, but I wanted to talk about Carl Crawford, so we’re going to go out to left field today.

Position by Position: Catcher

Position by Position: First Base

Position by Position: Second Base

Position by Position: Third Base

Carl Crawford and co.

The Dodgers outfield is kind of a ridiculous log-jam. Despite trading away Matt Kemp, there are at least four, and perhaps five players who are good enough to start regularly. The problem is that only one of those five is really a center fielder. All five are probably best served in corner outfield spots.

So when we start to talk about left field, the log-jam is really between four players and two spots.

Carl Crawford is the presumed starting left fielder — as long as his body will hold up. When he’s played over the past two seasons, the 33 year-old Crawford has posted good numbers.

Crawford has played about 110 games per year in his two seasons in Los Angeles. The farther he gets away from his 2012 Tommy John surgery, the closer to his former numbers he seems to get. Last year he hit .300/.339/.429 and was a solid part of the lineup for about 2/3 of the season.

At this point in his career, having Crawford on the roster almost necessitates other readily available and prepared options. To back Crawford up, the Dodgers currently have both Scott Van Slyke and Andre Ethier. If Crawford were to get hurt, a Van Slyke-Ethier platoon could be one of the best platoon situations in baseball.

If Crawford manages to stay healthy enough to play 120-130 games, he will need consistent days off anyway, and this is where Van Slyke can really make an impact this year.

Van Slyke kills left-handed pitching, posting an OPS of 1.045 in 108 at-bats last year. With Adrian Gonzalez and Crawford in their mid-30’s and left-handed, Van Slyke figures to get some playing time against lefties.

Gregor Blanco and Nori Aoki

Looking at stats from players like Gregor Blanco really makes me question just how the Giants did it last season. Blanco racked-up almsot 400 at-bats last season, hitting .260 and slugging just .374. He did walk 41 times, so maybe he’s an ideal number-eight hitter. Blanco is projected by ZiPS to put up just over a single Win Above Replacement (WAR).

Blanco’s presumed backup, Juan Perez, isn’t burning-up the projections either. Juan Perez hit .170 in 100 at-bats for the Giants last season. Overall, the Giants’ left-field group is going to be pretty light-hitting, it seems.

Nori Aoki, also a left-handed hitter, was going to also factor into the comparison in left field. As the season goes on, he actually may, but with Hunter Pence out of the lineup indefinitely, Aoki will be included in the right-field comparison.

The verdict

The question for the Dodgers is whether having so many capable big leaguers is a good thing. Even though guys like Crawford and Andre Ethier are overpaid for what their production is likely to be, the question of this series is not one of value, but rather one of production. If Giants left fielders are more productive than whoever plays there for the Dodgers, it would be maybe the biggest upset of this whole position-by-position comparison.

Left Field Advantage: Dodgers

With all the recent excitement in the Dodgers front office, people may have forgotten the actual players. Going into the 2014 offseason after what was a very disappointing postseason run for the Dodgers, it seems as if they may not look the same come March. Hanley Ramirez seems a lock to not re-sign and the outfield situation needs to be finally solved. Josh Beckett is retiring and the bullpen needs to get rid of almost everyone. The Dodgers need to have a good off-season in order to reposition themselves as the class of the National League.

New president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has a large task ahead of him with the Dodgers. By Andrew_Friedman_and_Joe_Maddon.jpeg: Jennifer Huber derivative work: Delaywaves talk (Andrew_Friedman_and_Joe_Maddon.jpeg) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

With Beckett gone, starting pitching should also be looked at. The Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw, Zach Greinke, and Hyun-jin Ryu as their front three starters, but the back end of the rotation is the key to winning championships. Like Brian Wilson, Dan Haren will return to the club after picking up his player option. Haren gives them a nice fourth or fifth starter, but they need another.

There are a many options the Dodgers can choose from but I suggest the idea of signing a fourth starter rather than a fifth. Some interesting names are available that include Ervin Santana, Hiroki Kuroda, and Jake Peavy. The Dodgers’ spending habits lately would indicate at least a mild interest in players Jon Lester or Max Scherzer, though new management might not be as excited at the idea of another huge contract.

Finally, the Dodgers need to solve their outfield situation and upgrade a few positions. The Dodgers have too many outfielders and need to do something about it. Who gets the boot?

Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford, Matt Kemp, or Yasiel Puig? Puig is basically untouchable, as he should be. Kemp should be as well after his resurgence last season, which leaves Ethier or Crawford. They both have terrible contracts, which will make it tricky to trade them. Trading Ethier seems the most likely to happen. A team like the Detroit Tigers may be interested, especially with uncertainty surrounding Torii Hunter.

Upgrading at the catcher position would vastly improve the team. AJ Ellis commands the plate as well as any catcher in the league but his hitting isn’t what the Dodgers need to get them over the hump. The only clear option to replacing Ellis for the Dodgers is with Russell Martin. Martin would bring some extra power as well as his control of the plate to the Dodgers, a team he spent a large chunk of his career with.

With Hanley Ramirez half way out the door, the shortstop position is open while they wait for prospect Corey Seager to grow. Some intriguing options in the free agent market, but making a trade with the White Sox for shortstop Alexi Ramirez makes sense. Maybe an Ethier, prospect and money for Ramirez trade would work?

It is essential that the Dodgers have a good and productive offseason in order to repeat as NL West champions and hopefully mirror their Northern California rivals and hoist a World Series trophy for the first time since 1988.

In a season that saw the Los Angeles Dodgers with the highest payroll in MLB history slip down to a 30-42 record to start the season. At that point, if I said that they would end up two wins away from making their first World Series since 1988 nobody would believe me. The 2013 season had many down times but also many positives.

Hopefully Matt Kemp can stay healthy in 2014. By SD Dirk on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as “Matt Kemp”), via Wikimedia Commons

Of all the playoff teams, the Dodgers had the worst record at 92-70. But they met up with the NL East division winner Atlanta Braves in the NLDS and won the series in four games, and drew St. Louis in the NLCS.

The Dodgers knew the Cardinals would be a tough test. It didn’t help that the best hitter on the Dodgers, Hanley Ramirez, had his ribs broken during the first inning of game one. That one pitch defined the entire series as Ramirez was never the same hitter or fielder that he was during the second half of the year. The Dodgers would drop the series in six games leaving many disappointed after such a successful season.

Despite the series loss, the Dodgers have a lot to look forward to in the future. They played more than half the season without Matt Kemp, who is arguably the best hitter on the team when healthy, and they still were two wins away from the World Series. Much like the start of the season, injuries played a key role at the end of the season for the Dodgers. Along with Kemp being out, Hanley Ramirez had broken ribs, Andre Ethier dealt with a bruised shin and could barely run.

The Dodgers will most likely improve the roster this offseason and look to improve on a great season. Playoff failures a lot of the time, make a team hungry for more and hopefully the Dodgers come out next season looking for redemption. For example, the Lakers in 2008 were completely embarrassed in game 6 of the NBA Finals by the Boston Celtics only to come back and win the title in 2009. This season’s success will only help the Dodgers and the future looks bright for the boys in blue. And with all things considered, two wins away from the World Series is the closest the Dodgers have been to the fall classic since 1988 and is an accomplishment for a team that wasn’t projected to win anything this season. As Magic Johnson would say, Dodger Nation is back and better than ever!

My ears are still recovering from Monday night’s Juan Uribe home run. For those of you who have been in a cave or on the moon, here it was.

I have never heard Dodger Stadium so loud. The crowd reaction was an exultation of all the nervous energy that was built-up at the beginning of the year. Hopefully the mood will be just as loud and not as nervous when the team returns home for Game 3.

Whether Andre Ethier comes back will be a big story over the next few days. By Owen Main

Grienke/Kershaw

The Dodgers’ pitching is once again lined-up for this series. Zack Grienke and Clayton Kershaw will start games one and two on the road. This is a best-case scenario for Dodger fans. It’s the reason they signed Grienke. Pitching is a huge deal in the playoffs and the Dodgers have two of the best.

Mark Lemke or Joe Carter?

I am 32 and grew up in the 80’s and 90’s, so “Mark Lemke or Joe Carter” seems like a prescient question to me. When all is said and done, will players like A.J. Ellis, Mark Ellis, John Jay, Daniel Descalso, and Juan Uribe be the heroes? Will any of the bigger stars like Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, Yasiel Puig, Matt Holliday, Matt Carpenter, or Yadier Molina be the names we’re talking about?

We are ’bout to find out.

Will Ethier be back?

Andre Ethier’s bat vs. Skip Schumaker’s bat could make a huge difference in a close series.

How important is Game 1?

REALLY important — Especially for the Dodgers. A scenario where the Cardinals win Game One puts huge pressure on Kershaw and the Dodgers for Game Two. Can you imagine a worst-case scenario where the Cardinals win both games and the weight of the world is on Ryu for Game 3? I don’t want to think about it. Instead, Dodger fans would prefer to put the pressure on the Cardinals by forcing them to have to beat Kershaw in order to avoid losing both games in St. Louis.

However you cut it, Game One of a series shapes all the rest of the games. It’s huge.

Here we go again… the thoughts in the minds of many Los Angeles fans as they slowly watch the Dodgers play out their season, referring to the lackluster year the Lakers just produced. The Lakers and Dodgers, who are LA’s two premier sports franchises, were poised to have amazing seasons and so far neither have lived up to expectations. While the Lakers season is already over, the Dodgers still have a fighting chance to do something with all the salaries they are paying. Having a $217 million payroll would make you think the team would be a contender, but for the Dodgers it equals a last place spot in their division.

Dodger fans have seen a league-leading 13 blown saves this season. by Erik Becker

The season started out with the Dodgers beating the arch-rival Giants on an amazing performance by Clayton Kershaw. But since the fatal brawl in San Diego on April 11th the Dodgers have gone 21-33, sinking into the bottom of the division. Outfielders Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier have underpreformed. Carl Crawford has been a good addition for the Dodgers when he is actually in the lineup. The same with shortstop Hanley Ramirez. The only consistent players for the Dodgers this season has been Adrian Gonzalez and Kershaw who has a tough-luck 5-4 record given his 1.88 ERA.

The struggles continue for the Dodgers, who have used the disabled list at least 17 times so far this year. Yasiel Puig, a Cuban rookie sensation, has done his part since joining the club, which is 5-4 since his recall. As bad as the Dodgers have played with the hitters struggling and all the injuries, the team could have avoided this if not for all the blown saves by the bullpen. The bullpen has blown 13 saves — tied for the most in baseball — and they just can’t seem to stop the bleeding. Closer Brandon League has been disappointing, especially since he just signed a new three year contract at $ 7 million per year. Manager Don Mattingly has taken much of the scrutiny because of the teams performance and just recently after yet another blown save by League has decided it was time to finally name Kenley Jansen the closer. It is a smart move for a man trying to keep his job, after all, but if Jansen can’t help the Dodgers bullpen woes then nobody can.

Mattingly should have made this move long ago but kept his faith in the more veteran League for far too long. While Jansen hasn’t been dominant this season either, anything is better than League at this point. The bullpen woes are so bad, that Dodger fans must be wondering what 37-yearold Eric Gagne is up to. Luckily for the Dodgers the baseball season is a long one. The team still has some time to figure it all out, but the window of opportunity is closing as we head into mid-June. As Vin Scully would say “It’s time for Dodger baseball”, and its time for them to finally go out and play like they mean it. The Dodgers much like the 2013 Lakers, are a complete mess but they can only go up from here….right?

According to a recent tweet by Jon Morosi of Fox Sports News, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have the piece to lure Cole Hamels away from the Phillies.  

With Victorino headed for free agency, Bourjos likely would intrigue the #Phillies in any Hamels talks.

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 5, 2012

A move that makes the speedy 25 year-old Bourjos all the more alluring from a trade standpoint, considering Cole Hamels and starting centerfielder, Shane Victorino’s, looming free agencies. 

Boujos is clearly the Angels’ most movable player right now for a myriad of reasons. He’s young  and cheap — signed through 2014 on a rookie level contract — and has been replaced by the emergence of Mike Trout. Through 63 games Bourjos is hitting just .233 despite an impressive debut last season.  Despite his slow start to the season, he has tremendous offensive upside coupled with a gold glove in the outfield.

The question is whether or not the Angels have the ability to realistically ink Hamels long-term while solidifying  Trout and Mark Trumbo as the franchise faces. Hamels will seek a long-term contract worth at least $20 million per season. While I look forward to the concept of slotting him third of fourth in a rotation abounding with lock-down guys like Jared Weaver, Dan Haren and C.J Wilson, I’m uncertain as to how prudent signing another mega contract would be.

Despite Ervin Santana’s inconsistency in the fourth slot in the rotation, the 29 year-old has historically been a second half pitcher. Last year, he started 1-9 in the first half and finished 10-3 with a low two era and a no hitter in late July.  Signed through 2013 the Halos have another year to assess whether or not Santana is worth another three to five year contract extension at his affordable 11.2 million dollar rate.

I would welcome a move only if the Angels can package Santana and either Maicer Izturis or Alberto Callaspo alongside Bourjos in exchange for Hamels. But all the Hamels talk has been speculation without word from the Halos camp regarding Bourjos’ future in Anaheim.

At the moment, according to this article by Ken Rosenthal, the Angels are unwilling to part with Bourjos because of his future as a major team building block and Garret Richards, who is a solid low-cost option at the bottom of the rotation. Angels’ General Manager Jerry DiPoto is thinking not only about the team now but the team in the near future when big names like Torii Hunter, Vernon Wells and perhaps Santana, come off the books.  Shoring up their long-term ability to retain Trout and Trumbo alongside future hall-of-famer Pujols and a top-five rotation would seem to be the primary goal at this point.

Considering their 37-19 record over their past 56 games, sitting solid in a wild card slot, and scoring more runs than anybody in baseball right now there really isn’t the need there to make a major move. Hamels would make more sense in a Dodger uniform behind the formidable Clayton Kershaw, to help relieve tension in what is becoming a disturbingly odd season of highs and lows for manager Don Mattingly’s team.

The Dodgers before injuries to Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Dee Gordon and Mark Ellis, held the best record in baseball through mid-June. Since then, they have slid into turmoil, slugged by inefficiency at the plate and a rotation plagued by Chad Billingsly’s erratic performances. Currently 1 1/2 games ahead of the surging San Francisco Giants, the Dodgers have a hard road ahead of them if they hope to get themselves into the postseason.

After a deal for first-baseman Carlos Lee fell through early this week, Matt Kemp according to this article remains hopeful. “It’s always good to get people to make your team better,” Kemp said. “I don’t know exactly what people think we need. We did a great job with what we have here. If we get somebody, that’s good. But if we don’t, it keeps going on and we have to keep playing the way we have in the first half.”

But I wonder how Dodger fans must feel. How long will the team sit around and wait for a potato sack at first like James Loney to make a difference? According to Mike Potriello of mikescosciastragicillness.com, fans might be willing to listen to offers for a prospect like right hander Zach Lee, in exchange for a bat like the above average Chase Headley at third.  Which proves just how desperate the Dodger fan base is to get into the postseason now rather than tomorrow.

Both teams have had moody beginnings to the 2012 season, but one is surging and the other is desperately limping just to remain relevent. The Angels are looking for that 4th starter to shore up a small blight while the Dodgers seek a plethora of parts just to keep the engine running. It’s all a matter of how far DiPoto’s team can fly but a desperate matter of how long Colleti’s bunch can keep their heads above water.  And that all goes without saying whether or not Tim Lincecum decides to become Tim Lincecum again.

This off-season, I stayed away.

A Dodger-fan in rehab, I needed to distance myself from anything McCourt-related. I had been lobbying against him since before fansmanship.com was created. Facebook friends heard my grumblings as far back as 2008. But people — including other fansmanshippers (yep, new word) — wanted to be positive about the situation. The Dodgers, after all, were just a few games away from the World Series — a few pieces away from winning it all. At least, that’s what Frank and Ned wanted us to believe.

The Dodgers' dugout seems like a much happier place this season. Photo by Andy Stevens

So fans kept coming. Until the wheels fell off. Frank and Jamie’s divorce shined a light on the ineptitude I’d suspected and the Brian Stow beating was the tipping point.

After an embarrassing season last year — the Dodgers were never in the race — this Dodger fan went home and licked his wounds, hoping for better days ahead filled with big pocketbooks and players Los Angeles deserved; something other than a corner infield combination of Juan Uribe and speed racer James Loney.

—————

In March of this year, I made my first trip to Camelback Ranch. The team was on the verge of being sold and I wanted to get a grip on what my future as a Dodgers fan was going to look like.

Over the first few weeks of the season, fans have found out that there are many reasons to be excited. Dee Gordon swipes bases on a daily basis, Matt Kemp looks like he’s going to hit 50 home runs this year, and most importantly, Andre Ethier is healthy and also raking.

The team is 9-1 and is avoiding losing this year like they avoided winning all of last year. Gordon’s enthusiasm and Kemp’s smile seem to highlight what on the surface is a clubhouse full of harmony.

But PLEASE. Let’s not start to make our World Series reservations just yet.

There is buzz around the stadium that we haven't seen since before last year. Let's just keep it all in perspective. Please? Photo by Andy Stevens

1) Depth – The Dodgers have none. Kennedy, Gwynn, Sellars, Treanor, and Hairston are not horrible on paper. The problem is that they back-up injury prone guys like Uribe, Ethier, and Rivera along with bottom-half-at-their-position guys like Loney and the Elliss’.

2) Starting Pitching – This is also a depth issue, but a specific one. To be a contender, you have to have more than one proven pitcher. The loss of Hiroki Kuroda can’t possibly be made up in the long-term by Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang, can they?

3) Kemp and Ethier can’t stay this hot… can they? Out of the gate they are the hottest 1-2 punch in the game. If Ethier stays healthy this season — something he hasn’t done in a few years — he has the chance to be a 30 home runs, 120 RBI’s guy.

So please Dodgers fans, be excited. Be excited that your team seems on the right track. Magic Johnson is among those in charge. The new ownership group definitely doesn’t have a cash flow issue like before. Your team is winning.

After 10 games, it seems like nothing could go wrong.

Harang, who came into the game with an 0-1 record and a 5.95 ERA, became the first Dodger in the franchise’s illustrious history to strike out nine straight batters. He did so with an onset of off speed pitches and corner dashing fast balls— the movement on his pitches had a wicked corner to corner velocity downright unhittable, landing him 13 strikeouts in the outing – the first since Gooden in 86’.

The righty threw 6 1/3 innings, propelling the Dodgers to a 13^th of Friday-like victory. An 8-8 tie ended on four straight walks in the ninth inning.  Andre Ethier strode home to break the tie and I couldn’t help but notice the proximity to the historically supernatural date. Whether or not it consumes me long enough for next year is yet to be seen. But the now 9-1 Dodgers are sure believers as their red hot season continues and the curse of McCourt evaporates slowly to a fuzzy and distant memory.