CTOD: Los Angeles Dodgers

Time is slowly ticking away for the Los Angeles Dodgers. 2 years ago the Dodgers seemed poised to dominate the NL West for years to come with a young core of Matt Kemp, James Loney, Andre Ethier. Russell Martin, Clayton Kershaw, and Chad Billingsley. Last season saw the unraveling of that dream. On the mound, Kershaw has developed into the number one starter he was always projected to be and Billingsley fits right in behind him as reliable number two. However, the young nucleus of hitters that seemed destined for stardom have seemingly peaked in their progression as hitters and struggled mightily last season. For that reason, the Dodgers scored 100 runs less than the previous year, in fact they only scored two more runs than the Padres, despite an almost identical lineup. Here's why:


Matt Kemp came apart at the seams. The brightest star in the LA lineup was called out by coaches, fans, and pretty much everyone else as his performance on the field bottomed out. Ignore the 28 HRs, because they were the only thing that went Kemp's way in 2010. All in all, he hit 50 points below his career avg, got busted on the bases 15 times in 34 chances, and posted an almost unbelievably awful -24.0 UZR (ultimate zone rating) in CF. Indeed, for someone expected to anchor and lead the Dodgers offense, 2010 couldn't have been worse for Kemp.

Overshadowing Kemp's disastrous start to the 2010 season was Andre Ethier, who batted .392 during the first six weeks of the season before falling victim to a broken finger and struggling mightily the rest of the way. All in all, Ethier remains one of the better right fielders in the game, but his continued problems against left handed pitching keep him from becoming one the elite players in the game.

The remaining two players of the big four, Russell Martin and James Loney, have become largely irrelevant. Martin was shipped to the Yanks to be a backup catcher and the Dodgers seem lost in knowing what to do about Loney, who remains one of the worst hitting 1B in all of baseball - a position he has held for three straight seasons.

The strength of the Dodgers lies in their under-appreciated rotation. Everyone is aware of Clayton Kershaw, as we have been watching his meteoric rise for three years now, but it is Hiroki Kuroda and Chad Billingsley that really round out this rotation and make it good. If you compare the top 3 of the Dodgers rotation with the much vaunted Giants rotation you find that the Dodgers pitchers had a higher combined WAR last season. This season, Ted Lilly and John Garland round out the final two spots in a rotation that should be as consistent as any in MLB.

Prediction: 2nd in NL West. The starting pitching here is really good. Kershaw finally learned to command the strike zone last season, lowering his BB/9 rate by over 1, and if he makes another step forward he could be untouchable. What to expect from the offense is difficult to predict though and will make or break the Dodgers' season.

Surprise Player: Matt Kemp.

Similar to Jose Reyes in New York, it is make or break time for Matt Kemp. While down seasons for young players are not uncommon, Kemp's complete unraveling at the plate, on the bases, and in CF was completely unexpected. The complications he had with management and coaches off the field doesn't make things any better. Like Reyes, another down season for him, or the team, could see him starting over again somewhere new. Personally, I like Kemp to rebound and get back to being one of the best center fielders in the game.