A Look at the Line Up:
C – Russel Martin is going to play better this year, and he played just great last year but I think that people were expecting a little more. He will be taking more time off and realizes that he needs that to stay healthy. But he has always been one of those guys that plays like his hair is on fire and I’ll bet if the Dodgers are in a close race he will lobby hard to play every day.

1B – James Loney is a solid and consistent player that hardly ever misses a game. People are still waiting for the power to come to his bat and may have to wait a bit longer as this spring has seen a light hitting Loney so far. He is still very young and has time to develop his power still. He will get a lot of RBIs in the new high powered Dodgers offense so I project him to have over 100 RBIs this season and at least 20 HRs.

2B – Orlando Hudson is a cool cat, a great clubhouse guy and outstanding person. So he will definitely help keep this team together but I am not sure about his play or his health. The wrist injury from last season will apparently always be with him, he will never recover 100% from it.

He had to learn how to field balls differently because his wrist is so jacked up that it doesn’t bend the way it used to. So far though his fielding has been stellar and with Furcal at SS we figure to see plenty of web gems from the best double play tandem in all of baseball this season. He will be surrounded by great hitters in Furcal at leadoff and Manny in the 3 hole so he will see many good pitches to hit this year. A definitely upgrade at 2B this year.

SS – Rafael Furcal seems all healed from the back injury that ruined his 2008 season. He was on a torrid pace before the injury so I expect a career year from him batting in this Dodgers lineup, if he can stay healthy. He has been diligently performing his back and core strengthening exercises that are supposed to help his back stay healthy. Furcal is ready for a World Series run in 09 for the Dodgers.

3B – Casey Blake, poor Casey Blake. He is still getting trashed by fans online who want more out of the 3B position. But he is as steady and veteran as they come. He will bat 8th and hits about 20 HRs while batting about .280. To me those are great numbers for the 8 spot! I like Blake and feel that he will contribute greatly to this team.

RF – Andre Ethier was the Dodgers best hitter last year, excluding Manny, and figures to build off of that again this year. I still think that he should hit in the number 2 spot in front of Manny which is where he had great success last season but it appears that Hudson will fill that spot in the order. That means that Ethier could hit in the 4-6 spot. Most people feel that Kemp has more potential because of his size and athleticism but I feel that Ethier brings the talent and attitude required to succeed at the major league level.

CF – Matt Kemp is still projected to be a stud. He was good last season and finished just behind Ethier in stats, but with a  rather high strikeout rate. He plans on cutting that back this year with better discipline, a year’s experience under the belt, and new contact lenses that have him seeing the ball better at the plate and picking up the ball off the bat in center. Kemp could be a 30-30 guy this year and projects to bat somewhere in the 5-7 spots.

LF – Manny Ramirez, he’s baaaaaack. Nothing more to say here except that pitchers had better watch out! The dodgers just need to make sure that he is protected in the lineup because I see many more walks in his future this season.

A look at the pitching:

SP – The biggest perceived weakness for the Dodgers is pitching. But the good news is that their farm system is stocked full of great arms that could step in this season and surprise. Jason Schmidt could provide a pleasant surprise this season but will not be game ready until about mid May. James McDonald is the real thing, and will start the season as the fifth starter. Randy Wolf looks set for a solid season, he will not jump out at you but will provide solid innings of work. And Hiroki Kuroda and Chad Billingsley really need to step up this season and lead the staff. Clayton Kershaw will achieve ace status this season and he is really fun to watch.

RP – Jonathon Broxton looks to step in and take over closing duties with the departure of Saito. The rest of the relief core is up in the air as far as how they will perform this season. But the late acquisition of Will Ohman to fill the lefty specialist role will help anchor things. Again the minors are stocked with both veteran and rookie arms that can step in and help.

Outlook:

The Dodgers should produce one of the premier offenses in baseball this year but they need to stay healthy, especially at pitching. I still think that the pitching staff will end up being a lot better than everyone thinks and that would be dangerous for other clubs. The Dodgers still have money to spend and may spend it on another starting pitcher or to fill another unforeseen need during the season. Oh, and as soon as somebody losses a center fielder Juan Pierre will most likely be traded.

Prediction:

92-70 will earn the Dodgers the division this year. I just don’t think that the Diamondbacks or the Giants or the Rockies have enough talent to keep up with them all season.