50-year old rookie manager Don Mattingly finished tied for 8th in the voting for the N.L. Manager of the Year Award with Terry Collins of the Mets. Mattingly led the Dodgers to a 82-79 (50.9%) record in his first year in charge. Mattingly looked overmatched early last year but he learned from his mistakes and he got his team to excel late in the year. I look for Mattingly to keep improving as a manager as he no doubt will be working hard to improve his craft.

The Dodgers have signed 35-year old righty swinging shortstop Matt Treanor to a 1-year deal. Treanor played in 72 games for the Royals & Rangers last year and he was 42 for 196 (.214 avg, .628 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 3 homers, 22 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He has now played in 432 games in his first 8 years in the majors and he is 263 for 1,169 (.225 avg, .623 OPS) with 109 runs scored, 16 homers, 119 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Treanor will likely be the backup for the Dodgers in 2012, but he could win the starting job if A.J. Ellis or Tim Federowicz aren’t ready to handle it.

The Dodgers have signed 34-year old righty swinging 2B Mark Ellis to a 2-year, $8.75 million dollar deal with a club option for the 2014 season. Ellis played in 132 games for the A’s + Rockies last year and he was 119 for 480 (.248 avg, .634 OPS) with 55 runs scored, 7 homers, 41 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. He has now played in 1,126 games in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 1,087 for 4,091 (.266 avg, .728 OPS) with 567 runs scored, 92 homers, 459 RBIs and 69 stolen bases. This was a good move for the Dodgers as Ellis is a solid defensive player with a little pop in his bat. Plus, he’s an all-out, effort player who likes to get dirty.

24-year old righty reliever Kanley Jansen has finished tied for 7th place (with Cubs’ 2B Darwin Barney) in the voting for the N.L. Rookie of the Year voting. Jansen pitched in 51 games (0 starts) for the Dodgers last year and he was 2-1 with 5 saves, a 2.85 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. He has now pitched in 76 games (0 starts) in his first two years with the Dodgers and he is 3-1 with 9 saves, a 2.12 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. Jansen has only given up 42 hits while whiffing 137 batters in his first 80 2/3 innings in the majors and those are eye popping numbers. He has walked 41 batters so far in his career, so he needs to tighten up his control……but time is on his side.

The Dodgers have re-signed 33-year old righty swinging outfielder Juan Rivera to a 1-year, $4.5 million dollar deal. Rivera played in 62 games for the Dodgers last year and he was 60 for 219 (.274 avg, .740 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 5 homers, 46 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He played in 132 games overall last year for the Dodgers & Blue Jays and he was 120 for 466 (.258 avg, .701 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 11 homers, 74 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Rivera has now played in 949 games in his first 11 years in the majors and he is 874 for 3,159 (.277 avg, .776 OPS) with 395 runs scored, 123 homers, 492 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. This was a nice move for the Dodgers as Rivera will likely be their everyday LF in 2012.