25-year old righty swinging Russell Martin is one of the best catchers in all of baseball. He played in 151 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 158 for 540 (.293 avg, .843 OPS) with 87 runs scored, 19 homers, 87 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. Martin is also a solid defender as he threw out 29% of the runners that tried to steal on him and Dodgers pitchers had a 3.95 ERA with him behind the plate. The Dodgers need to make sure they give him a little more rest this season so they don’t wear him out.

36-year old righty swinging Gary Bennett will be the backup catcher for the Dodgers this season but his main claim to fame is being on the Mitchell Report as he’s never been that good of a player. He played in 59 games last season for the Cardinals and he was 39 for 155 (.252 avg, .621 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 2 homers and 17 RBIs. Bennett also didn’t play too well on defense last season as he only threw out 8% of the runners trying to steal on him and Dodgers pitchers had a 5.23 ERA with him behind the plate.

24-year old righty swinging Rene Rivera is in camp to battle Bennett for the backup job. He last played in the majors in 2006 with the Mariners. He has played in 53 games in his major league career and he is 34 for 150 (.227 avg, .585 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 3 homers and 10 RBIs.

33-year old righty swinging Danny Ardoin last played in the majors in 2006 with the Rockies and Orioles. He has now played in 141 games in his major league career and he is 75 for 372 (.202 avg, .604 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 7 homers and 31 RBIs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: A

The Dodgers spent all of their off season cash on two players (Andruw Jones, Hiroki Kuroda) who should make huge impacts in 2008. Jones should give the Dodgers a huge improvement on defense over Juan Pierre in center field. He also will likely make a big comeback with the bat as he won’t be under as much pressure as he was in his free agent walk season last year. The Dodgers also brought in Gary Bennett to back up Russell Martin at catcher but he won’t get too much playing time. Outfielder Nook Logan could also make the Dodgers as a backup specializing in defense and speed.

Hiroki Kuroda of Japan will be in the Dodgers rotation and it should be pointed out that the Dodgers have done well with pitchers from the Far East. Veteran lefties Tom Martin and Mike Myers will battle for a job in the bullpen this spring as the 2nd lefty behind Joe Beimel.

OFF SEASON GRADE FOR THE FRONT OFFICE: B-

The Dodgers have signed 28-year old righty swinging outfielder Nook Logan to a minor league contract. Logan played in 118 games last season for the Nationals and he was 86 for 325 (.265 avg, .649 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 0 homers, 21 RBIs and 23 stolen bases. Logan has now played in 321 games in his major league career and he is 233 for 870 (.268 avg, .660 OPS) with 111 runs scored, 2 homers, 56 RBIs and 56 stolen bases. Look for Logan to be a Dodger at some point as they like his speed and defense.

The Dodgers have re-signed 35-year old lefty swinging OF/1B Mark Sweeney to a minor league contract. He played in 106 games last season for the Dodgers and Giants and he was 32 for 123 (.260 avg) with 20 runs scored, 2 homers and 13 RBIs. Sweeney has now played in 1,120 games in his major league career and he is 452 for 1,738 (.260 avg, .751 OPS) with 218 runs scored, 42 homers and 245 RBIs. Sweeney is one of the best pinch hitters in baseball so this was a good move by the Dodgers.

39-year old righty reliever Rudy Seanez has been re-signed to a 1-year contract by the Dodgers. He pitched in 73 games (0 starts) last season for the Dodgers and he was 6-3 with 1 save, a 3.79 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. Seanez has now pitched in 502 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 36-26 with 12 saves, a 4.15 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. This was an excellent move for the Dodgers as they re-signed Seanez cheaply (550K).

Join Our Sports Forum Community: BlogLockers.com