26 year old switch hitter Wilson Betemit showed very good power last season but he had trouble hitting lefties.  Hopefully he will improve on the average against lefties because he still showed power against them.  He played in 143 games last season with the Dodgers & Braves and he hit .263 with 18 homers, 53 RBIs and a .795 OPS.  He was not a good third baseman last season.  He showed little range and made 7 errors in 79 games at the hot corner.  I think he will improve a lot on defense this season because he will be able to concentrate on the position this year after playing shortstop most of his career to this point.  Look for Betemit to have a solid season for the Dodgers this year.

36 year old Olmedo Saenz will be Betemit’s back up this season.  He played in 103 games and hit .296 with 11 homers, 48 RBIs and a .927 OPS.  Saenz showed surprising range at 3B last season but he made 2 errors in 16 games there.  Look for Saenz to continue to rip the baseball this season.

34 year old Ramon Martinez will likely get his most playing time at 3B this season.  He played 20 games there for the Dodgers last season and he showed good range and made only 2 errors there.

28 year old switch hitting Rafael Furcal is one of the most underrated players in major league baseball.  Many thought the Dodgers were crazy to give him big money but he was worth every penny of it last season for the Dodgers.  Furcal played in 159 games last season and he hit .300 with 113 runs scored (4th 100+ season in a row), 15 homers, 63 RBIs, 37 stolen bases and a .814 OPS.  Furcal made 27 errors in 156 games last season but that was a by-product of his outstanding range as he made 117 double plays which was the most in the majors last season for a shortstop.  Look for Furcal to have another fantastic all-around season for the Dodgers again this season.

34 year old Ramon Martinez will give Furcal a day off on the rare day he needs one.  He played 12 games there for the Dodgers last season and he didn’t make an error.  His range was a little below average, but the Dodgers can put up with that when he plays.

33 year old Damian Jackson has been brought in by the Dodgers to battle for a bench spot.  He played in 67 games last season for the Nationals and he hit only .198 with 4 homers, 10 RBIs and a .666 OPS.  Shortstop is not his best position on defense as he made 4 errors in 16 games there and he didn’t show much range.  He will be hard pressed to make the Dodgers opening day roster.

39 year old Jeff Kent missed a lot of time due to injury but he still played well when he was healthy.  He only played in 115 games last season but he still hit .292 with 14 homers and 68 RBIs.  He did still have an .861 OPS which is right around his career average (.860) so he’s showing no signs of slowing down at his advanced age.  He also improved on defense which is amazing as players don’t normally gain range in the field with age, but he had Bill James’ #6 zone rating for a 2B last season.  He only made 8 errors, which is pretty good for him.  Look for Kent to return to his dominant ways with the bat in his hands this season.

34 year old Ramon Martinez will be Kent’s back up again this season.  Martinez hit .278 with a .702 OPS for the Dodgers last season in 82 games.  He also played great on defense at 2B for the Dodgers as he didn’t make an error in 259.1 innings there last season.  Martinez will also back up at 3B and SS for the Dodgers. 

The Dodgers have brought in Choo Freeman to competed for a reserve OF job.  Freeman played in 88 games for the Rockies last season and he only hit .237 with a .639 OPS.  It will be hard for Freeman to make the team because the 27 year old has never gotten any better for the Rockies over his career. 

The Dodgers took a chance on converting 33 year old former shortstop Nomar Garciaparra into a first baseman and it paid off for them.  He did miss 40 games to injury, but he proved he still had plenty of game left as he hit .303 with a .872 OPS, 82 runs scored, 20 homers and 93 RBIs in 469 at bats.  He also only whiffed 30 times which is amazing.  He only hit .229 after the All-Star break as the grind of the long season might have wore on him after hitting .358 in the first half of the season.  He adjusted to first base really quick on defense as he only made 4 errors there last season.

If/when Garciaparra gets hurt….young 23 year old lefty swinging James Loney will be ready to take over.  He hit .380 with a .972 OPS, 8 homers and 67 RBIs in 366 at bats in AAA last season.  He then came up and hit well for the Dodgers.  He hit .284 with a .901 OPS, 4 homers, 5 triples and 18 RBIs in only 102 at bats.  He has nothing left to prove in the minors and will likely make the Dodgers as a back up first baseman/outfielder.  Loney is smooth at first base as he only made 1 error in 228.2 innings there for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers could also move Jeff Kent from second base or play Olmedo Saenz there if injuries dictate they make a move.