If I didn’t love the Yankees, I’d cheer for the Dodgers. I know that’s practically a Cardinal sin for some Yankee fans but growing up in an Italian home we appreciated Tommy Lasorda quite a bit. Not enough to make up for Manny wearing the Dodger blue though.
Manager: Torre is one of those guys that people either love or love to hate. As a Yankees fan, I love what he was a part of during “the run.” I also have issues with how he managed the bullpen. This is his last year, with Mattingly poised to take over next year. Could this be the year that his team celebrates a ring?
Key Departures: Orlando Hudson is a loss that this team will feel. Randy Wolf might be one that hurts them in the pitching. I think the loss that could be a surprise hurt is the loss of Juan Pierre. I realize that his stock has dropped over the years and there are some in baseball who feel that he isn’t worth looking at anymore but it’s hard to deny that when Manny was out last year the team played better with Juan in the lineup.
Key Pick-ups: Reed Johnson, and Eric Gagne? I guess, they felt they were solid with what they had.
Outfield: Manny is always going to be the biggest question mark in this outfield. Center and right both have excellent defenders but Manny is Manny and so far this spring we’ve heard everything from he’s not playing anymore to he’ll be playing for five more years (finishing in Japan). Kemp drove in 101 runs, stole 34 bases and had an OPS of .842. Andre Ethier was also a powerhouse hitting 31 homeruns (imagine that power in Yankee stadium), driving in a team high 106 runs. His OPS of .869 was second on the team to none other than Manny. I go back and forth on Manny. He may be the smartest man ever or the least intelligent. I often wonder how much of his show is just for show. I know from talking to a few former big leaguers that played with him that he is deadly serious about his swing. The question of course, is will his seiousness about his swing be enough to overcome the distractions from his antics? I hope so, but I doubt it. Grade: Offense A+; Defense A
Infield: This infield is good but far from great. Loney cut down on his strikeouts last year and increased his walks. Entering his third full year in the show, you would think he will be stabilize. Casey Blake continue to prove he is stable if not spectacular last year. Rafael Furcal will provide maturity and a relatively high on base percentage. Ronnie Belliar is the big question mark for this group. If he stays healthy their should be tops in the NL. If he doesn’t it will be interesting to see who replaces him. Grade: Offense B; Defense A
Catcher: Russel Martin is loved by all, which isn’t a bad thing. Defensively, he’s strong. He’ll steal a few bases, usually a double digit number. He gets on base at a respectable clip of .352 for his career and he’ll drive in 50-60 runs a year. Win/Win/Win. Grade A
Starting Pitchers: Everyone mentions Clayton Kershaw. That’s understandable, he’s big, he throws with some panache and he’s a lefty! The pitcher that I honestly get excited about on this roster is Chad Billingsley, who actually had a better record than Kershaw last year. The rest of the rotation is serviceable, but both of these guys have to up their wins from last year. If they do that, this will be a scary rotation. Grade B
Bullpen: Best Bullpen in the National League. Broxton is a man grown earning 114 K’s in 76 innings last year. George Sherrill had 11 holds last year after being traded to the boys in blue. The bullpen should be a huge strength for Torre and Dodgers, which is a plus because the weakest aspect of Torre’s considerable coaching repertoire is his use of the bullpen. Grade A++
Key To Winning in 2010: If Manny becomes a distraction get rid of him. Cut him, send him down to AAA, whatever they have to do. This team is stacked and packed. It is young and strong. If the starting pitching comes together, they will destroy teams. The biggest question is Manny.
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Manny Stinks! He gave up on the team at the beginning of the season. I am GLAD he is gone. We did better when he was gone and not at chavez ravine!
Manny is amazing
Hi Wally,
Thanks for stopping by. I agree he is amazing as a hitter and I often think that he is brilliant. When the Red Sox were down 3-1 to the Indians and he said “If we lose, we lose.” was a brilliant move–if he was actually calculating enough to think that through. No doubt about it, the Dodgers will go as far as he’ll take them this year up or down. I hope you come back and comment often.