Starting Rotation- The ace is clearly Clayton Kershaw, coming off a season that he won the pitching triple crown: wins, E.R.A, & strikeouts. Oh yeah, the kid also took home the CY Young, at only 23 he is already in the upper tier of National League starters. At the #2 spot of the rotation you can pencil in Chad Billingsley, another solid young arm with plenty of upside. After the top 2 in the rotation I see a big battle coming in Spring Training for the final 3 rotation spots. Ted Lilly, Aaron Harang, Chris Capuano look to be the top three to fill those slots, but you never know what will happen. Once Rubby De La Rosa comes back from Tommy John surgery I think the others in the rotation will have to make way for the hard throwing right hander.Infield- 2011 was a down year for big James Loney, but I could see him rebounding and having another big year, he will definitely be the Opening Day starter at first. Dee Gordon will most likely be the starting shortstop, the kid plays solid defense and if he gets on the bases, look out! Third base and second base are two positions that have a lot of players competing for, with Mark Ellis, Juan Uribe, Adam Kennedy & Jerry Hairston. All four of the guys have been in the league for a while and will provide some veteran leadership to the clubhouse.
Outfield- Well with MVP runner-up Matt Kemp roaming in center field, the Dodgers outfield will be solid in 2012. Kemp is a five-tool player and if he can put up numbers even close to what he did last year, he could take the MVP award this time around. Right fielder Andre Ethier, who had a great start to the season but had to cut the campaign short due to a knee injury, is another possible MVP candidate, if he is healthy. Left field will probably go to Juan Rivera, but he is a circus defensively so expect Tony Gwynn Jr. & youngster Jerry Sands to get quite a few looks out there as well.
Catcher- The job is A.J Ellis' to lose, so unless he has a horrible Spring he will be the everyday man. Look for veteran Matt Treanor to spell Ellis for a day off and provide some leadership.
Bullpen- The bullpen is loaded with hard throwing youngsters and it seems that every single one of the guys that come out the 'pen is a monster. Kenly Jansen should be the 8th inning guy to set up Javy Guerra to close out ball games. Mike MacDougal, Ramon Troncoso and Matt Guerrier will all fill into the other roles of the pen nicely. The entire pitching staff only has four lefty's, and three of them are potential starters, so the lefty specialist role will fall on the arm of Scott Elbert.
Potential Lineup
1. Dee Gordon- Speed for days, the lead off man all teams want!
2. Andre Ethier- Solid hitter with some pop too.
3. Matt Kemp- Gordon and Ethier get on, Kemp drives 'em in. Pretty Simple.
4. Juan Rivera- Veteran with plenty of pop left in the tank.
5. James Loney- Hits for a solid average, may flip with Ethier at the 2 hole.
6. A.J Ellis- Should be interesting to see how he produces.
7. Whoever starts at 2b, all guys will hit for average and get on base.
8. Whoever starts at 3b, see #7
9. Pitcher's Spot- Just bunt!
If the ownership issues are solved and the team is in contention come the trade deadline, they probably will make some moves for another bat and maybe a back end starter. Not being able to make any types of moves last year, hurt the team down the stretch. The Dodgers should compete in the National League West, I see at least 85 wins and a 2nd place finish, and possibly the Wild Card spot. What do you guys think will be in store for the Dodgers?
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