28-year old lefty swinging outfielder Andre Ethier and 26-year old closer Jonathan Broxton will be representing the Dodgers in the All-Star Game. Ethier was voted in by the fans so he will be in the starting lineup. Ethier has played in 63 games for the Dodgers this season and he is 79 of 247 (.320 avg, .933 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 13 homers and 49 RBIs. This will be Ethier’s first All-Star Game. Big Jonathan Broxton has pitched in 36 games (0 starts) for the Dodgers this season and he is 3-0 with 17 saves, a 2.02 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. He has whiffed 52 batters while only walking 7 in 35 2/3 innings which shows that you better be ready to swing the bat when he comes into the game. This will be Broxton’s 2nd All-Star Game.

The Dodgers signed 33-year old righty swinging outfielder Reed Johnson with the idea that he would take over as the #4 OF job that Juan Pierre held last season. He is doing a solid job for the Dodgers so far this season. Johnson has played in 49 games for the Dodgers this year and he is 27 of 94 (.287 avg, .696 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 6 RBIs and 1 stolen base. The one thing that Johnson has over Pierre is that his arm doesn’t stop him from playing RF if the Dodgers need him there. They hope he keeps up the good work.

Andre Ethier is the hottest hitter in baseball right now for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he is showing no signs of slowing down.  Ethier is leading the NL in all three of the triple crown categories with a .385 BA, 11 HR’s, and 37 RBI’s.  In the Month of May he has really been putting a hurt on the ball.  In 11 games so far this month, Ethier has 8 multi-hit games to give him a .478 BA (12/46), 8 2B’s, 5 HR’s, and 18 RBI’s.  He is the main reason the Dodgers are starting to turn their season around with an 8-3 record so far this month.  Ethier is on his way to having a career year if he keeps anywhere close to the pace he is on right now.

Veteran 3B Casey Blake is off to a great start this season for the Dodgers with the bat. He has played in 16 games for the Dodgers so far this season and he is 20 for 61 (.328 avg, .985 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 3 homers and 14 RBIs. Blake has always been a solid player but never really a star in his major league career. He has averaged 77.7 runs scored, 20.6 homers and 74.1 RBIs per season in his last 7 major league seasons. Maybe Blake will have a career year for the Dodgers as a lot of hitters are on hot streaks right now.

Rafael Furcal had a injury marred season in 2009 and there were whispers over the winter that he was likely starting to fade as a player. But, Furcal has been super hot so far this year for the Dodgers. In his first four games of the year, Furcal is 6 for 16 (.375 avg, 1.063 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 4 walks and 3 stolen bases. It’s nice to see him running so early this season as he only stole 20 bases the last two years. But, in his first 8 years in the majors, Furcal averaged 31.4 steals per season and the Dodgers could use that kind of speed at the top of the lineup.