A few weeks ago, I predicted the 25 man roster.  With the season now a week away, I wanted to update that prediction.  The first 20 players I listed in my first post will make the team, but my guess is that two of them, Nomar and Kent, will begin the year on the DL.  That means there are 18 players right there who will be on the opening day roster.  After those players, it looks like Hong-Chih Kuo and Delwyn Young will be on the team because Joe Torre said that because they are out of options, he doesn’t want to lose them to another team.  So that makes 20.  Tony Abreu will also be on the roster, and probably in the starting lineup for opening day, so that makes 21.  So far, we have 10 pitchers and 11 position players. 

Now the question is whether the Dodgers will carry 11 or 12 pitchers to start the season. My guess is that they will start with 11 because they don’t even need a 5th starter until something like April 8th.  That means they will probably carry another reliever, and that player will probably be Rudy Seanez.  Therefore, Chan Ho Park will probably start the year in AAA, and be the first starter called up if needed.  With Seanez, we have 22 players so far, so that leaves 3 more bench spots.  If Kent is on the DL, one of those spots will for sure go to Chin-Lung Hu.  Next, Ramon Martinez will probably make the team as a backup, so he would make the 24th player on the team.

The last spot I’m really not sure about.  It may go to Blake DeWitt, but because Abreu will start at 3rd, he would only be up there to sit on the bench for a few games, so I’m not sure that makes sense.  I guess it could go to Jason Repko, but he has also be injured this spring, and we don’t need another outfielder.  So I guess we could carry another pitcher, even though I said above that we’ll probably only carry 11, and that would either be Chan Ho, Brian Falkenborg, Greg Jones, or Ramon Troncoso.  So I’ll guess we’ll have to wait and see, but in the mean time we can watch the Red Sox and A’s start the season in Japan!

Before I get to my prediction for the 25 man roster, I wanted to mention a few quick things.  First, what happened to Andy LaRoche is really unfortunate.  Even if he wasn’t picked to start at 3rd base, he probably still would have made the team, and provided some much needed depth.  He was looking good this spring both offensively and defensively, but now he’ll have to rehab and probably won’t be 100% until sometime in June.  Now Nomar will have to produce, and while I don’t doubt his ability, his biggest problem will be staying healthy.  The other thing I wanted to talk about was the pitching of Clayton Kershaw.  I finally was able to see him pitch on TV after reading about him for 2 years, and he really did look great.  His fastball looked amazing, and his curveball was awesome.  While he probably could use some time in AAA, I can see him performing well right now at the big league level.  In fact, I would say that if he started the year as the Dodgers 5th starter and was with the team for the whole year, he would go something like 13-8 with an ERA of around 3.40.  Anyways, on to my roster predictions.

Guaranteed Spots on the Team:

1. Brad Penny – our #1 starting pitcher

2. Derek Lowe – solid pitcher…contract year

3. Chad Billingsley – could be the Ace by the end of the year

4. Hiroki Kuroda – should be great as a 4th starter with less pressure

5. Esteban Loaiza – may not start, but will make the team with a $9 million salary

6. Takashi Saito – Calf problem should be fine by next week

7. Jonathan Broxton – Hopefully won’t be overused this year

8. Joe Beimel – good lefty out of the pen

9. Scott Proctor – good inning eater in middle relief

10. James Loney – hopefully will pick up where he left off

11. Jeff Kent – just wants to win the world series

12. Rafael Furcal – should be 100% healed, will produce like in 2006

13. Nomar Garciaparra – Just needs to stay healthy and hit with RISP

14. Russell Martin – might just be the best catcher in baseball

15. Matt Kemp – could have a monster year in 2008

16. Juan Pierre – will probably start, needs to do anything he can to get on base

17. Andruw Jones – hasn’t looked good this Spring…needs a turnaround in April

18. Andre Ethier – deserves to start, but will get a fair amount of playing time

19. Gary Bennett – I guess we need a backup catcher

20. Mark Sweeney – just had his knee drained, but should be fine in a week

Not quite sure about, but my guess for remaining 5 spots:

21. Hong-Chih Kuo – I believe is out of options, and has most potential of lefty’s fighting of a job

22. Yhency Brazoban – has most experience in bullpen, and also the most potential of other options

23. Delwyn Young – not hitting a lot in Spring, but has shown his versatility and is out of options

24. Tony Abreu – hopefully is healthy by opening day to provide help off the bench

25. John Lindsey – would take the place of Olmedo Saenz…minor league stats last year were 30 HR’s, 121 RBI’s

So that’s a team with 11 pitchers. which is how I think the Dodgers will start the season.  The other guys who might make the team:

1. Chan Ho Park – having a strong Spring…would be 5th starter if it’s not Loaiza

2. Jason Johnson – another good candidate to be the 5th started…0.00 ERA this Spring in 4 innings

3. Mike Myers – a little older, but will likely be in bullpen if Kuo gets injured

4. Tom Martin – another lefty, but not hasn’t performed well so far

5. Chin-Lung Hu – will likely make the team if Abreu starts the season on the DL

6. Ramon Martinez – only if the Dodgers are really desperate…I really hope they aren’t

7. Jason Repko – will probably just get hurt again…already having problems

8. George Lombard – having a good Spring (.583 average), but probably no chance

Finally, I wanted to mention some of the younger players who have made appearances in Spring Games:

1. Blake Dewitt – 3B – value went up with the LaRoche injury, but needs more time in the minors.  Will probably start the season at AA and move to AAA by mid-season.  Can play both 2nd and 3rd base, and it has been said that his power development may follow along the lines of James Loney

2. Lucas May – C – He’s already 25 years old, but had good power in High A ball last year, with 25 HR’s.  Will likely start the year at AA, and may be able to Martin backup catcher by next season

3. Ivan De Jesus – SS – A great fielder who has some speed.  Still a young player, and hasn’t played above High A.  Will probably start at AA as well, and hopefully will develop his bat so he can eventually hit for a good average

4. Xavier Paul – OF – Will probably only be a 4th outfielder one day for the Dodgers, unless he develops his power.  Will be in AAA this year.

5. Clayton Kershaw – LHP – Already talked about him…will be awesome very soon

6. James McDonald – RHP – Had a great 2nd half last year,  but needs more time in the minors.  Will probably go back to AA, but will probably be a September callup

7. Jon Meloan – RHP – From what I’ve heard, he’s going back to AAA to learn how to be a starter

8. Greg Miller – LHP – Still needs to learn to control his pitchers.  Will probably start in AAA with hopes of a September call up

9. Cory Wade – RHP – Another pitcher who had a great minor league season last year.  Will probably start in AA and move up to AAA  by mid season.

10. Eric Hull – RHP – Continues to do well in the minors…will probably start the year in AAA, but could see some time with the Dodgers throughout the season

With Spring Training well under way, and the season right around the corner, I am going to try and post most often…In fact I hope to post at least 3 or 4 times a week now that my schedule has slowed down a little.  But first, I wanted to let you all know about the radio program that 790 AM KABC is going to be starting this week.  Beginning Wednesday, there will be a half hour show on 790 AM from 6:30 – 7:00 pm.  This will be a Monday – Saturday show, and on Sundays, there will be a  much longer version of the show from 7 – 10 pm.  This will give fans the opportunity to call in and talk about the Dodgers, and the number is 1-800-222-KABC.  Also, you can listen online at www.kabc.com.  I look forward to listening and calling in as much as possible.

As for the real boys in blue, so far this Spring they’ve looked pretty good.  All of the pitchers from our 25 man roster have performed well, and a few non-roster guys have also done so.  I’m excited for James McDonald to make his spring training debut tomorrow, and I hope he continues his dominance from last year.  Also, while only a few games have been played, no player fighting for a spot on the team has really dominated.  Both Nomar and LaRoach have had mixed results, and the same goes for Pierre and Ethier.  As it stands now, it appears that the veterans will be starting, but like I said before, it is still early. 

Delwyn Young appears to be playing some aggressive baseball, and it’s good to see him at 2nd base again.  Hopefully he will prove that he is too valuable of a player to lose.  While I’ll post my personal 25 man roster in my next entry, I will say that he is definitely on it. 

Finally, I wanted to let all you Dodger Bobblehead fans out there know that we can vote on one of the bobbleheads again this year.  Follow the link to http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/la/fan_forum/bobblehead_ballot_form.jsp and vote for your favorite Dodger, but please, take note that Nomar, Furcal, Kent, and Russell Martin all already had bobbleheads made for them, so PLEASE DO NOTE VOTE FOR THEM.  I would love to see someone new get a chance (such as Loney, Kemp, Penny, Lowe, or Billingsley), so thanks for you’re help on that vote.

I really wish I could have made more posts in the past few weeks, but I just haven’t had time.  Work is crazy, and even my online class is taking up a lot of time.  Even this post tonight will be really short because I need to get up early for work.  Really, the only thing that gets me through the day is the fact that pitchers and catchers report on Thursday, and spring training games are just a few weeks away!

The only thing I really have time to talk about right now is the Mark Sweeney signing.  Personally, I think he is a good player to have on the bench, but I really hope he doesn’t prevent a guy like Delwyn Young from being on the team.  With the addition of Sweeney, we really have only 2 or 3 roster spots up for grabs, and we have like 50 guys trying to fill it unless players get hurt (which I really hope doesn’t happen, unless it’s Jason Repko).  Delwyn needs to make the team because he is out of options, and has proven his worth the last few years in the minor leagues.  Almost the same thing could be said for Tony Abreu (assuming he’s healthy), although he does have at least one more minor league option.  So those two guys need to make the team, and it looks like Hu and Repko will go back to the minors.  If the Dodgers decide to carry 12 pitchers, however, one of those guys (Delwyn or Abreu) will be in trouble because we then run out of roster spots.  So, like I said, while I like Sweeney as a pinch hitter, it does create a difficult situation for the Dodger roster.

So while there haven’t been any trades or acquisitions since my last post, there have been a few things going on.  First, the Dodgers are holding a Prospect Development Program that is giving many of the Dodger minor league players the chance to see Dodger Stadium, workout with future teammates and coaches, and learn how to be a big league player.  I think that this is an awesome opportunity for these young players as it will give them the chance to understand what Dodger baseball is all about.  I also think it’s great that many of the current Dodgers, such as Kemp, Loney, and Andruw Jones, attended in order to get ready for spring training and meet the younger guys.  It shows that the Dodgers mean business and hopefully this program will continue for years to come.

Other news  has to do with the Dodgers agreeing to contracts with Repko and Proctor, while Beimel will probably go to arbitration.  I like Proctor, and I think that he provides a solid effort out of the bullpen.  Repko, however, I could do without.  I know that he would be on the team anyways whether we signed him now or he went to arbitration, so we didn’t really have a choice, but I just want to take this time to talk about how much I don’t like him.  I know he’s a hustle player and gives 100%, but he just isn’t good enough to be on the Dodgers.  He has no power, is not a very good outfielder, and basically takes playing time away from better players.  His only asset, his speed, has been hindered over the past 2 years due to injury, so I doubt his running ability will ever be the same again.  And, he injured Furcal last year, so that is also why I don’t like him.  We already have enough backup outfielders with Delwyn Young and Ethier/Pierre on the  bench, so lets just keep Repko at AAA  until he gets hurt, or until all of our other outfield options go on the DL.

Lastly, I want to mention my bobblehead collection, and give the Dodgers some suggestions for next year.  I know that the team has probably already decided on who they are going to give out this year, but I really think we need to see players like Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax, and even Johnny Podres who passed away recently.  Anyways, the ones I currently have are:  Shawn Green, Hideo Nomo, Russell Martin, Nomar Garciaparra, Jeff Kent, Tommy Lasorda, Rafael Furcal, Ron Cey, Steve Garvey, Fernando Valenzuela, Ceaser Izturis, Don Drysdale, Don Newcombe, Eric Gagne, and Paul Lo Duca.

With the addition of Kuroda to the Dodgers rotation, I really think the team is coming together.  I’ve watched a few videos of him pitching in Japan, and I swear that his fastball has some rising action!  Our team as a whole is looking really good.  Top to bottom, our starting pitchers can compete with anyone in baseball, our lineup features at least 5 guys who can potentially hit 20+ homers, and our bullpen is still very solid.  We have younger versions of Olmedo Saenz and Ramon Martinez in Delwyn Young and Tony Abreu, and now we even have a backup catcher in Gary Bennett! 

While Colletti claims that we still have some moves to make, I don’t think that we will give up any of our big name prospects for anyone, since our team is pretty much set.  We may trade a lower tier prospect for a reliever or something, but I think that’s about it.  And honestly, I think the team we have right now can compete with anyone in baseball.  We may not have the most dominate pitcher or the top power hitter, but we are solid through and through.  I’m not just saying this cause I’m a fan either.  We are much better than last year because our younger players have had another year to mature, and I think that we are deeper as well.  Overall, I’m excited to watch this team play in the Spring (although I’m not too excited about the apparent increase in ticket prices!)

I’ve been at work late all week, and I’ll be gone this weekend, so I just wanted to post a few quick comments about the recent Dodger activity.  First of all, getting Andruw Jones for 2 years really is a pretty good deal.  I know that over $18 million a year is a lot of money, but at least he is not locked in for 5 years or something.  He’ll provide great defense in center field, and I predict he’ll have some good year with the Dodgers.  He’ll still be playing for a big pay day since he’ll be a free agent again in 2 years, so I think he’ll give us his best effort.  My predictions for next year and that he hits 31 HR’s with 115 RBI’s, and a .273 average.  You heard it here first.

Next, I want to say that we cannot trade Matt Kemp.  After we signed Andruw Jones, all I kept hearing about is how we would now turn around and trade Kemp.  There is NO WAY that should happen.  We need Kemp in this lineup to win, and he should play every day in right field.  He has such great talent, that I would not give him up for anyone.  However, an outfield of Jones-Kemp-Pierre leaves Ethier on the bench.  As much as I like Ethier, I think he deserve to play everyday, so I wouldn’t mind trading him for a guy like Joe Blanton.  I mentioned a trade involving Ethier and Blanton a few weeks ago (see Recent Activity on Nov 23), and I still think that it could happen. 

That’s about it for now.  I’m almost positive that we will trade for or sign another starting pitcher, but I’m not sure who it will be.  I’m also pretty sure that we will leave the 3rd base job to both Nomar and LaRoache, which sounds great to me.  A lineup of Furcal, Martin, Loney, Jones, Kemp, Kent, LaRoache, Pierre looks pretty good to me.