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With the LA Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks in town for the MLB opening series, now is the perfect time to break down each team’s chances of winning the NL West and possibly even the NL Pennant and World Series.
Yes those series are six months down the track, but in what is likely to be a very tight division race, every match counts.
Let’s start with the Dodgers’ chances this season before discussing the Diamondbacks tomorrow.
The Dodgers are one of the most storied franchises in the MLB, with no colours more synonymous with baseball than Dodger Blue.
After some questionable ownership decisions from the McCourt family and a messy divorce between Frank and Jamie McCourt, performance on the field declined significantly.
However after a consortium of owners, including LA Lakers great Magic Johnson, bought the team in March of 2012 for a whopping $2.15 billion, the chequebook has been opened.
The Dodgers now possess a league-high $228 million payroll. It is clear the new ownership is focused on bringing the first World Series to Chavez Ravine since 1988.
The Dodgers pitching staff is led by $215 million man Clayton Kershaw and $147 million man, ‘Mr Zero Excitement’, Zach Greinke.
Greinke got his wish. An injured calf muscle meant Greinke did not travel with the team to Australia. Indeed, some may say it was a conveniently suffered injury.
Kershaw and Greinke form just two members of the Dodgers starting rotation, Hyun-Jin Ryu will join Kershaw in Sydney and start Sunday’s match, while veterans Josh Beckett, Dan Haren and Chad Billingsley will likely close out the rotation.
We know that Greinke and Kershaw are more than likely to deliver, but you can’t win a division with just two solid starting pitchers.
This is where the Dodgers will likely run into trouble, Haren is in his 12th year in the league. He has a career ERA, or earned run average, of 3.74.
It is not terrible but certainly not fantastic and he is coming off a disappointing 2013 campaign with the Nationals in which he went 10-14.
Haren must improve upon this if he hopes to contribute to an NL West division win.
Another player coming off a difficult 2013 campaign is Josh Beckett. He had an ERA of 5.19 in just eight games before thoracic outlet syndrome ended his season.
He is just 2-8 since being acquired from the Red Sox in 2012 and has been very underwhelming in his time in LA.
The third member of the Dodgers rotation is Korean star Hyun-Jin Ryu. Despite being a Korean veteran, he is entering just his second year in the Major Leagues.
He went 14-8 with a 3.00 ERA in his ‘rookie’ season. However, one fears that he will suffer from the famed second-year syndrome, or sophomore slump, as batters begin to adjust to his style of pitching.
While the starting rotation forms the backbone of a team’s pitching staff, no Major League Baseball team can thrive if they don’t have a solid bullpen.
The bullpen is vital to every team and the Dodgers’ bullpen will be led by closer Kenley Jansen, who is coming off 28 saves in 32 save opportunities in 2013.
It also stars Brian Wilson, who is coming off a disappointing few years, and J.P. Howell.
Like cricket, the success of pitchers can largely depend on the quality of the fielders.
The Dodgers have one of the best infield line-ups in the Major Leagues: Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, Juan Uribe and Dee Gordon.
All four players had superb fielding seasons in 2013. Gonzalez had a 0.992 fielding percentage last season while the other three were no lower than 0.936 and collectively they averaged 0.968, outstanding numbers for a starting infielding line-up.
The Dodgers also have significant depth in this position. Scott Van Slyke had just two errors in 44 games played in which he fielded in last season, most of them at first-base.
It is likely that the versatile Van Slyke will have to spend some time in the outfield until Carl Crawford and Matt Kemp return from injury.
Thanks to their $200 million plus roster, the Dodgers are loaded in every position, their outfield boasts of stars Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp.
Unfortunately Kemp has spent significant amounts of time on the disabled list in the past two years his return date from foot surgery has still not been set. He is still at least 2-3 weeks away.
Kemp is an outstanding outfielder and if he can return to his 2010 form. In 2010 he played in all 162 games and recorded just two errors.
He will be a force to be reckoned with this season.
Fellow All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford joins Kemp on the injured bench.
Crawford’s health, both in the field and with the bat, will be vital to the Dodgers successes this season. This brings us to our two healthy outfield starters; Ethier is a Dodger veteran who has shown significant defensive improvements since a disappointing seven-error season in 2009.
There is no need to introduce Puig to you. The Cuban superstar burst onto the scene last year when he became just the second player in the modern era to hit four home runs in his first five matches.
He then showcased his strong arm by assisting in eight outs, including a double play.
But it was this arm that got himself and his team into trouble. Puig did not grow up in the USA; he does not understand some of the customs and traditions of the game.
Unfortunately when trying to benefit his team greatly, there was just too much risk in his actions.
It is often safer just to throw the ball back to the second-basemen and allow a runner to score than to try and rifle the ball home to the catcher to get an out at the plate.
Puig regularly tried to get the out at home even though manager Don Mattingly publicly asked him not to.
Puig is a polarising player and will always try to do the best for his team; I just hope that this doesn’t come at a bad time in a vital moment of a big match.
Arguably the most important facet of baseball is the hitting. If you don’t score runs you cannot win ballgames.
The Dodgers have some of the best hitters in the National League. Their 0.264 batting average in 2013 was the third best in the NL and a key factor as to why they made it all the way to the NLCS.
The Dodgers have quality hitters all across the park, even Pitcher Zach Greinke hit 0.328 in 58 at bats last year.
Hanley Ramirez is coming off an outstanding 0.345 season while Yasiel Puig hit 0.319 as he burst onto the scene.
The only player that was disappointing with the bat last year was catcher A.J. Ellis, hitting 0.238 in a mixed season with the bat and behind the plate.
While the Dodgers were superb in 2013, it is very difficult to maintain outstanding hitting levels in two consecutive season.
Puig’s numbers are likely to drop off as are Ramirez’s. Ethier delivered career worst numbers in 2013 and the Dodgers must see improvement from him if they hope to return to the NLCS.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a team riddled with star power and their new owners have made it clear they want to win. After spending big in the past two off seasons, there is no better time than now to win the World Series.
Their World Series chances hinge on their batting performance as well as the second half of their pitching rotation, which consists of mainly Josh Beckett, Chad Billinsgley and Dan Haren, as well as their bullpen.
Can the Dodgers win it all? Absolutely. Will they win it all? I guess we will just have to wait and see.
Be sure to check back in tomorrow for my preview of the Arizona Diamondbacks and their 2014 World Series chances.
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