Los Angeles Dodgers http://www.dodgerslocker.com Daily Blog for Los Angeles Dodgers Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:08:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.2.5 en The Los Angeles Dodgers will start the 2010 season without Russell Martin http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/03/08/the-los-angeles-dodgers-will-start-the-2010-season-without-russell-martin/ http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/03/08/the-los-angeles-dodgers-will-start-the-2010-season-without-russell-martin/#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:08:36 +0000 chinmusic http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/03/08/the-los-angeles-dodgers-will-start-the-2010-season-without-russell-martin/ Starting catcher Russell Martin will miss the next 4-6 weeks due to a groin injury. The Dodgers will go with 28-year old righty swinging A.J. Ellis as the starting catcher until Martin is ready to return to action. Ellis played in 8 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 1 for 10 (.100 avg, .200 OPS) with 1 RBI. He was good in AAA last season playing in 90 games in which he was 89 of 283 (.314 avg, .813 OPS) with 48 runs scored, 0 homers and 39 RBIs. Brad Ausmus will serve as Ellis’ backup until Martin is ready to return then he will back him up. Losing Martin will hurt the Dodgers as he is a good all around player.

]]> http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/03/08/the-los-angeles-dodgers-will-start-the-2010-season-without-russell-martin/feed/ The Los Angeles Dodgers sign Garret Anderson http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/03/04/the-los-angeles-dodgers-sign-garret-anderson/ http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/03/04/the-los-angeles-dodgers-sign-garret-anderson/#comments Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:22:46 +0000 chinmusic http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/03/04/the-los-angeles-dodgers-sign-garret-anderson/ The Dodgers have signed 37-year old lefty swinging outfielder Garret Anderson to a minor league deal. Anderson played in 135 games for the Braves last season and he was 133 of 496 (.268 avg, .705 OPS) with 52 runs scored, 13 homers and 61 RBIs. He has now played in 2,148 games in his major league career and he is 2,501 of 8,485 (.295 avg, .790 OPS) with 1,076 runs scored, 285 homers, 1,353 RBIs and 79 stolen bases. This was a excellent signing for the Dodgers as Anderson should give them a lethal bat off the bench for a nice price.

]]> http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/03/04/the-los-angeles-dodgers-sign-garret-anderson/feed/ The Los Angeles Dodgers appear well set up in RF for 2010 http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/03/02/the-los-angeles-dodgers-appear-well-set-up-in-rf-for-2010/ http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/03/02/the-los-angeles-dodgers-appear-well-set-up-in-rf-for-2010/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:55:18 +0000 chinmusic http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/03/02/the-los-angeles-dodgers-appear-well-set-up-in-rf-for-2010/ 27-year old lefty swinging Andre’ Ethier stepped up big time for the Dodgers last season especially in the power numbers. Ethier played in 160 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 162 of 596 (.272 avg, .869 OPS) with 92 runs scored, 31 homers, 106 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Ethier has a .291 career average but he changed his batting style last season to try to hit more homers so it will be interesting to see if he goes for the power or the average route in 2010. Ethier does need to improve his defense in 2010. Ethier made 7 errors in 158 games in RF for the Dodgers while showing below average range. Ethier had 6 assists in RF last season so his arm is so-so.

39-year old lefty swinging Brian Giles will battle for a backup job in the outfield this spring. Giles played in 61 games for the Padres last season and he was 43 of 225 (.191 avg, .548 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 2 homers and 23 RBIs. Giles is just one year removed from hitting .306 with a .854 OPS in 147 games for the Padres in 2008. If his knee is healthy he will have a good shot to win a bench job with the Dodgers this spring. Giles didn’t make any errors in 58 games in RF for the Padres last season while showing above average range. Giles still has a good throwing arm as he had 6 assists in only 58 games in RF last season.

33-year old righty swinging Reed Johnson played in 7 error-free games for the Cubs in RF last season but he showed poor range. Johnson also doesn’t have the arm to play much in RF for the Dodgers.

29-year old righty swinging Jason Repko will also try to make the team this spring. Repko played in 10 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 0 for 5 (.000 avg, .143 OPS) with 1 run scored and 1 RBI. He also played in 110 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 109 of 393 (.277 avg, .800 OPS) with 70 runs scored, 16 homers, 47 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. Repko played in 3 error-free games in RF for the Dodgers last season while showing poor range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RF IN 2010: B

]]> http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/03/02/the-los-angeles-dodgers-appear-well-set-up-in-rf-for-2010/feed/ Matt Kemp looks to build on his outstanding 2009 season for the Los Angeles Dodgers http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/03/02/matt-kemp-looks-to-build-on-his-outstanding-2009-season-for-the-los-angeles-dodgers/ http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/03/02/matt-kemp-looks-to-build-on-his-outstanding-2009-season-for-the-los-angeles-dodgers/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:43:49 +0000 chinmusic http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/03/02/matt-kemp-looks-to-build-on-his-outstanding-2009-season-for-the-los-angeles-dodgers/ 25-year old righty swinging Matt Kemp had a true breakout season for the Dodgers in 2009 and they hope he can improve even more in 2010. Kemp played in 159 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 180 of 606 (.297 avg, .842 OPS) with 97 runs scored, 26 homers, 101 RBIs and 34 stolen bases. The sky is the limit for Kemp with a bat in his hands as he can literally do it all. Kemp played in 158 games in CF for the Dodgers last season and he only made 2 errors while showing slightly below average range. Kemp does have a outstanding throwing arm as he had 14 assists last season for the Dodgers.

33-year old righty swinging Reed Johnson will likely be the top backup in CF for the Dodgers in 2010. He played in 42 games for the Cubs in CF last season and he made 1 error while showing poor range. Johnson did have 3 assists while is a lot for only 42 games in CF.

32-year old switch hitting Alfredo Amezaga will also challenge for a job backing up Kemp in CF. He played in 27 games for the Marlins last season and he was 15 of 69 (.217 avg, .528 OPS) with 6 runs scored and 5 RBIs. Amezaga is a career hitter of .251 with a .652 OPS in 544 major league games so don’t expect miracles out of him if he makes the team out of spring training. But, he does have some speed and he is very versatile in the field so it wouldn’t be a shock if he makes the Dodgers. Amezaga played in 14 error-free games in CF for the Marlins last season while showing good range there.

25-year old Xavier Paul will likely start the year in the minors but if he is healthy he could get his chance sometime in 2010 with the Dodgers. Paul played in 11 games for the Dodgers last year and he was 3 of 14 (.214 avg, .813 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 1 homer and 1 RBI. Paul also played in 31 games in AAA-ball last year and he was 38 of 116 (.328 avg, .878 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 2 homers, 16 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. Paul played in 1 error free game for the Dodgers in CF last season.

29-year old righty swinging Jason Repko played 3 error-free games for the Dodgers in CF last season while showing poor range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CF IN 2010: A

]]> http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/03/02/matt-kemp-looks-to-build-on-his-outstanding-2009-season-for-the-los-angeles-dodgers/feed/ The Los Angeles Dodgers are hoping for a full year out of Manny Ramirez in 2010 http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/03/02/the-los-angeles-dodgers-are-hoping-for-a-full-year-out-of-manny-ramirez-in-2010/ http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/03/02/the-los-angeles-dodgers-are-hoping-for-a-full-year-out-of-manny-ramirez-in-2010/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:32:37 +0000 chinmusic http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/03/02/the-los-angeles-dodgers-are-hoping-for-a-full-year-out-of-manny-ramirez-in-2010/ The Dodgers hope that 37-year old righty swinging Manny Ramirez will forget about his suspension of last season and give them at least 140 games in 2010. Ramirez played in 104 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 102 of 352 (.290 avg, .949 OPS) with 62 runs scored, 19 homers and 63 RBIs. Ramirez has played in 2,207 games in his major league career and he has a .313 batting average with a 1.002 OPS so the Dodgers expect him to hit better than he did last season. But will a drug free Manny Ramirez still be productive as he didn’t play great upon his return from his suspension? Only time will tell. Ramirez played in 101 games in LF last season for the Dodgers and he made 4 errors while showing pitiful range there. He did have 3 assists last season but his arm isn’t what it used to be.

33-year old righty swinging Reed Johnson will back up Ramirez in LF and likely serve as his defensive replacement late in games. Johnson played in 65 games for the Cubs last season and he was 42 of 165 (.255 avg, .742 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 4 homers, 22 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Johnson has a career batting average of .282 in 784 games so the Dodgers expect him to hit better than he did in 2009 for the Cubs. Johnson didn’t make any errors in 10 games in LF for the Cubs last season but he showed below average range. Johnson is a natural CF so look for his range to improve in 2010 for the Dodgers.

29-year old righty swinging Jason Repko is still around for the Dodgers. He played in 2 error-free games in LF for the Dodgers last season and he showed outstanding range. He will be a longshot to make the Dodgers’ opening day roster.

21-year old lefty swinging Andrew Lambo is one of the better prospects in the Dodgers’ system but they will likely take it slow with him. Lambo played in 130 games in AA-ball last season and he was 126 of 492 (.256 avg, .717 OPS) with 70 runs scored, 11 homers, 61 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Lambo has now played in 315 games in his three years in the minors and he is 338 of 1,181 (.286 avg, .805 OPS) with 173 runs scored, 34 homers, 184 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE LF IN 2010: B

]]> http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/03/02/the-los-angeles-dodgers-are-hoping-for-a-full-year-out-of-manny-ramirez-in-2010/feed/ 3B belongs to Casey Blake for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010 http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/02/20/3b-belongs-to-casey-blake-for-the-los-angeles-dodgers-in-2010/ http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/02/20/3b-belongs-to-casey-blake-for-the-los-angeles-dodgers-in-2010/#comments Sun, 21 Feb 2010 03:26:38 +0000 chinmusic http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/02/20/3b-belongs-to-casey-blake-for-the-los-angeles-dodgers-in-2010/ 36-year old righty swinging Casey Blake will be the starter at 3B again in 2010 for the Dodgers. Blake played in 139 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 136 for 485 (.280 avg, .831 OPS) with 84 runs scored, 18 homers, 79 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Blake made 10 errors in 134 games at 3B for the Dodgers last season while showing above average range. Blake is a gamer who likes to get dirty and you can pencil him in for 17-20 homers and 70-80 RBIs every year.

24-year old lefty swinging Blake DeWitt will likely start the season in AAA and get a call from the Dodgers if the need arises. DeWitt played in 31 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 10 for 49 (.204 avg, .623 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 2 homers and 4 RBIs. He also played in 92 games in AAA last season and he was 90 for 352 (.256 avg, .775 OPS) with 64 runs scored, 7 homers and 47 RBIs. DeWitt made 1 error in 14 games at 3B for the Dodgers last season while showing below average range.

36-year old righty swinging Jamey Carroll will likely backup Blake this season at 3B. He played in 23 games at 3B last season for the Indians and he made 2 errors while showing above average range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2010 SEASON: B

]]> http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/02/20/3b-belongs-to-casey-blake-for-the-los-angeles-dodgers-in-2010/feed/ Look for Rafael Furcal to rebound in 2010 for the Los Angeles Dodgers http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/02/20/look-for-rafael-furcal-to-rebound-in-2010-for-the-los-angeles-dodgers/ http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/02/20/look-for-rafael-furcal-to-rebound-in-2010-for-the-los-angeles-dodgers/#comments Sun, 21 Feb 2010 03:13:27 +0000 chinmusic http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/02/20/look-for-rafael-furcal-to-rebound-in-2010-for-the-los-angeles-dodgers/ 32-year old switch hitting Rafael Furcal had a off year in 2009 but I have a feeling that he will rebound in 2010 with the bat. Furcal played in 150 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 165 for 613 (.269 avg, .710 OPS) with 92 runs scored, 9 homers, 47 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. The Dodgers hope that Furcal hits his career norm of a .284 batting average with a .758 OPS and 27 stolen bases. Furcal made 20 errors in 149 games at SS for the Dodgers last season while showing slightly below average range.

The Dodgers signed 31-year old righty swinging Nick Green to compete for a job on the bench in 2010. Green played in 103 games for the Red Sox last season and he was 65 for 276 (.236 avg, .669 OPS) with 35 runs scored, 6 homers and 35 RBIs. Green made 14 errors in 81 games at SS last season while showing below average range.

32-year old switch hitting Alfredo Amezaga will have a good shot to make the Dodgers as a backup infielder/outfielder if his knee that he had surgery on last season is healthy. Amezaga played in 27 games for the Marlins last season and he was 15 for 69 (.217 avg, .528 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 5 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Amezaga has a career batting average of .251 with a .652 OPS so expect him to be much better than last season if he is healthy. Amezaga didn’t make any errors in 5 games at SS last season while showing slightly below average range.

26-year old Chin-lung Hu was once one of the Dodgers’ better prospects but the shine is starting to wear off on him. Hu played in 5 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 2 for 5 (.400 avg, .933 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs. Hu also played in 130 games in AAA-ball and he was 146 for 496 (.294 avg, .725 OPS) with 66 runs scored, 6 homers, 53 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. Hu didn’t make any errors in 3 games at SS last season while showing poor range.

32-year old righty swinging Angel Berroa is also with the Dodgers in spring training. Berroa played in 35 games with the Yankees & Mets last season and he was 7 for 49 (.143 avg, .392 OPS) with 10 runs scored and 3 RBIs. Berroa made 2 errors in only 8 games at SS last season while showing good range there.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SS IN 2010: B

]]> http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/02/20/look-for-rafael-furcal-to-rebound-in-2010-for-the-los-angeles-dodgers/feed/ Eric Gagne inks a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/02/19/eric-gagne-inks-a-minor-league-deal-with-the-los-angeles-dodgers/ http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/02/19/eric-gagne-inks-a-minor-league-deal-with-the-los-angeles-dodgers/#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:22:21 +0000 chinmusic http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/02/19/eric-gagne-inks-a-minor-league-deal-with-the-los-angeles-dodgers/ 34-year old righty reliever Eric Gagne has signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers that will pay him $500,000 bucks if he makes the pitching staff plus he can earn potentially another $500,000 bucks in incentives. Gagne pitched in 17 games (all starts) in Independent Ball last season and he was 6-6 with a 4.65 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. He last pitched in the majors in 2008 with the Brewers. Gagne has now pitched in 402 games (48 starts) in his major league career and he is 33-26 with 187 saves, a 3.47 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. It never hurts to bring back players like Gagne on minor league deals.

]]> http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/02/19/eric-gagne-inks-a-minor-league-deal-with-the-los-angeles-dodgers/feed/ The Los Angeles Dodgers sign Seth Etherton http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/02/13/the-los-angeles-dodgers-sign-seth-etherton/ http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/02/13/the-los-angeles-dodgers-sign-seth-etherton/#comments Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:24:59 +0000 chinmusic http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/02/13/the-los-angeles-dodgers-sign-seth-etherton/ The Dodgers have signed 33-year old righty starting pitcher Seth Etherton to a minor league deal. Etherton pitched in 28 games (26 starts) in AAA-ball last season and he was 11-8 with a 5.04 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. He last pitched in the majors in 2006 with the Royals. Etherton has now pitched in 23 games (all starts) in his major league career and he is 9-7 with a 6.30 ERA ad a 1.57 WHIP. He will likely start the season in AAA and get a call to the Dodgers if the need arises.

]]> http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/02/13/the-los-angeles-dodgers-sign-seth-etherton/feed/ The Los Angeles Dodgers have a lot of guys that can play 2B http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/02/08/the-los-angeles-dodgers-have-a-lot-of-guys-that-can-play-2b/ http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/02/08/the-los-angeles-dodgers-have-a-lot-of-guys-that-can-play-2b/#comments Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:02:22 +0000 chinmusic http://www.dodgerslocker.com/2010/02/08/the-los-angeles-dodgers-have-a-lot-of-guys-that-can-play-2b/ The Dodgers brought in a lot of players to compete for the 2B job in 2010. It appears that 34-year old righty swinging Ronnie Belliard will get the bulk of the P.T. at 2B in 2010. He played in 24 games last season for the Dodgers after coming over in a trade with the Nationals and he was 27 for 77 (.351 avg, 1.034 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 5 homers and 17 RBIs. He played in 110 games overall with the Nationals and Dodgers in which he was 73 for 264 (.277 avg, .776 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 10 homers, 39 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Belliard played in 60 games at 2B last season and he made 4 errors there while showing good range. He is the best hitter of the 2B the Dodgers have assembled this spring and that is why I think he will be the starter in 2010.

35-year old righty swinging Jamey Carroll will likely be the Dodgers’ top utility man this season. He played in 93 games for the Indians last season and he was 87 for 315 (.276 avg, .695 OPS) with 53 runs scored, 2 homers, 26 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. The Dodgers expect that Carroll will help them out a lot off the bench in 2010. He only made 1 error in 56 games at 2B last season for the Indians but he showed pretty poor range.

24-year old lefty swinging Blake DeWitt thought he was going to be the starting 2B for the Dodgers in 2010 but that was before they brought back Ronnie Belliard. He played in 31 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 10 for 49 (.204 avg, .633 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 2 homers and 4 RBIs. He didn’t make any errors at 2B last season while showing pretty outstanding range. Look for DeWitt to likely start the season in AAA and get a call from the Dodgers if either Belliard or starting 3B Casey Blake gets injured.

31-year old righty swinging Nick Green played a lot of shortstop for the Red Sox last season. He only played in 7 games at 2B for the Red Sox last season but he didn’t make any errors while showing poor range. Green’s best asset is his versatility in the field and that is what gives him his best chance to make the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster.

32-year old switch-hitting Alfredo Amezaga missed most of last season due to injury. He didn’t play 2B for the Marlins but he is a very capable defender there.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2B IN 2010: C-

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