Player: Brad Penny
2008 Stats: 6-9, 6.27 ERA, 51 Ks (17 starts, 19 games)
2008 Analysis: Wow, is it just me or does it seem like Brad Penny made way less than 17 starts this season? I guess I just had him in my head as being out most of the season. I suppose that's because he made only eight appearances after May, and two of those were giving up three runs over two games (one combined inning of work) in mid-September.
Yes, there was obviously something wrong with Brad Penny this year.
Which is too bad considering that when he's on his game, he's really a fantastic pitcher (see 2007).
On June 17th, Penny went on the 15-day DL, and for all intents and purposes, ended his season. He did make two starts in August before going back on the DL, and the aforementioned to appearance in September before going on the DL a third time (and most likely, his last as a Dodger).
2009 Outlook: Penny's option was not picked up by the Dodgers at the beginning of the offseason, which makes him a free agent. It looks like the Boston Red Sox are going to pick him up cheap, which is not a bad idea. Like I said before, Penny, when he's on, is an excellent pitcher. The Red Sox are gambling that he'll be that pitcher for them in 2009.
Player: Clayton Kershaw
2008 Stats: 5-5, 4.26 ERA, 100 Ks (21 starts, 22 games)
2008 Analysis: For a kid who turned 20 during Spring Training and started the year in AA, Kershaw certainly had a pretty good year for the Dodgers.
Despite being limited in innings to try and keep his arm fresh, he still made 21 starts, and in those starts, the Dodgers record was 13-8. Not bad for someone who can't legally gamble in Las Vegas yet.
His best stretch in the season probably came in five starts from July 27th to August 17th when he went 2-0 with a 1.45 ERA in 31 innings, also striking out 29 in the process. Not bad for someone who can't legally drink yet.
2009 Outlook: Barring some unforeseen mega-trade for a big name player, Kershaw should be in Dodger blue in 2009, and most likely in the starting rotation, probably, I would guess, right behind Kuroda.
Player: Hiroki Kuroda
2008 Stats: 9-10, 3.73 ERA, 116 Ks, 2 CG Shutouts (31 starts)
2008 Analysis: Though the stats seem somewhat pedestrian, Kuroda actually had a pretty good year in his rookie campaign. Well, rookie only in name, as Kuroda had many years experience in Japan, but still, his first year in the states served him pretty well. And not bad for a guy who was really a question mark coming into the season. Would he be more Daisuke Matsuzaka or Kei Igawa?
Well, turned out he was a little more on the Matsuzaka side.
His two complete game shutouts led the team, and both were incredibly impressive. One of them came June 6th against the Chicago Cubs. Kuroda gave up only four hits over the nine innings, while striking out 11. His other start came July 7th against the Atlanta Braves, where Kuroda gave up only one hit while striking out six.
At the same time, he was prone to the horrible outings every now and then. Six times he gave up five or more runs out of 31 starts. That's almost 20%. That includes a couple starts where he gave up six runs in less than three innings.
Ultimately, Kuroda had a slightly Jekyll-and-Hyde-ish, more Jekyll than Hyde, but my-oh-my, was the Hyde ugly.
2009 Outlook: Kuroda's pretty much a lock to make the rotation next year as long as he's healthy. He's still got a couple years on his contract and he seems pretty solid... there's no reason to suspect he won't be our #3 starter (or thereabout) next season.
Player: Chad Billingsley
2008 Stats: 16-10, 3.14 ERA, 201 Ks (32 starts, 35 games)
2008 Analysis: Chad Billingsley had a breakout year for the Dodgers.
He set a new career low in ERA, and new career highs in starts, wins, and strikeouts. And he collected his first complete game shutout of his career on July 30th.
He also found himself in several top ten statistical lists in the league (7th in ERA, 7th in wins, 6th in strikeouts).
Yeah, it was a pretty good year for just his third year in the league.
2009 Outlook: Billingsley slipped on some ice earlier in the offseason and broke his leg, which is something you definitely don't want to hear about. Luckily, his cast is already off, and doctors say he should be ready for Spring Training.
...and as such, he should be ready to be our #1 or #2 starter next year.
Ok, now that position players are done, we'll move onto pitchers, starters first, then relievers.
Player: Derek Lowe
2008 Stats: 14-11, 3.24 ERA, 147 Ks (34 starts)
2008 Analysis: After a slow start to the season, Derek Lowe really kicked it into gear and started pitching like a man who was going to be a free agent in the offseason.
I detailed some of his more impressive stats in this post, but simply put, Lowe had an excellent year.
2009 Outlook: Lowe is currently a free agent, and it doesn't look like he'll be returning to the Dodgers for 2009. The Mets are making a strong push for him at the moment.
The Dodgers have yet to make him an offer other than arbitration, and Lowe hasn't done much to show he wants to be back. In fact, several times during the season, Lowe dropped quotes indicating that he wouldn't resign with the Dodgers and that he'd be looking to return to the East Coast and/or an AL team.
I'm sure Lowe will get a nice multi-year contract with some other non-Dodger team, and we... well, we'll get a draft pick for that, so that's ok.
So I've been watching all the drama that's come from the Rafael Furcal signing and trying to figure it all out.
It's a lot of he said/he said, but from what I gather, there's probably going to be more than a few boos for Furcal when the Dodgers travel to Atlanta in 2009.
In any case, whether or not there was some shady business going on in the deal, I really like the signing, as it solves a lot of problems.
Well, first things first, I'm not crazy about the amount of years. However, it really became obvious that we would need to offer Furcal at least three years to get him. So, even though I don't like it, I understand it had to be done.
That's what I didn't like. Here's what I like about the signing:
1. It shores up our infield. With the earlier signing of Casey Blake and now with the Furcal signing, plus having the right side of the infield pretty much penciled in as James Loney at 1st and Blake DeWitt at 2nd, we don't need to think about our infield anymore. We also got our utility infielder in Mark Loretta. Sure, maybe you add a defensive replacement here and there or a pinch hitter, but for the most part, any questions about the infield in 2009 should be solved. That's pretty good considering that coming into the offseason, three spots on the infield were, for the most part, question marks. Furcal, when healthy, is a name you can put on the lineup card every day.
2. We don't need to look for another shortstop. This includes having to trade away prospects to try and bring in a player to play short. Trading away the kids should be the last option. However, this also means we won't be signing a player like Orlando Cabrera. Not to say he's a horrible player, but Furcal is younger, and when he's healthy, he easily outhits Cabrera. Plus, signing Cabrera would mean surrendering a draft pick, as he declined arbitration earlier in the offseason.
3. ...and most important: we have a leadoff hitter. I guess this correlates with #1, but it's important. Sure, Furcal is a name you can put on the lineup card every day, but more importantly, he's a name you can put at the top of the lineup card. Without Furcal, the question of who would end up leading off for us in 2009 would be a pretty daunting one. With Juan Pierre asking for a trade, we really wouldn't have an established lead off hitter on the team. We could put Matt Kemp back in the role, possibly, but I'd still like to have his bat more in the middle of the lineup. Now, with Furcal back, that really becomes a moot point because we, once again, have an excellent leadoff hitter on the team.
Then again, this is all good if Furcal can stay healthy. The back issue is a bit scary, but if he can make it through the year, our team is going to be that much better.
Let's keep those fingers crossed...
Player: Andre Ethier
2008 Stats: .305, 20 homeruns, 77 RBIs, .885 OPS
2008 Analysis: After being named starter coming out of Spring Training, Ethier had a somewhat slow start. He was soon replaced by Juan Pierre. He shared time in the outfield with Pierre until Andruw Jones went on the DL.
Manny Ramírez was acquired on July 31st, and not long after that, Ethier was moved in front of Manny in the lineup. Given the protection Manny delivers, Ethier really kicked it into gear.
From August 1st until the end of the season, Ethier batted .368 (with a 1.097 OPS) collecting nine homeruns and 31 RBIs.
He was also pretty good defensively.
That's what you call a breakout year. Overall, he set new career highs in hits, doubles, homeruns, RBIs, .OBP, and .SLG.
2009 Outlook: I hope and expect Andre Ethier to be our starting corner outfielder in 2009. Doesn't matter if it's left field or right, Ethier should be in the lineup every day.
Player: Andruw Jones
2008 Stats: .158 (33-209), three homeruns, 14 RBIs, 76 Ks
2008 Analysis: When your strikeouts to hits ratio is worse than 2:1, you know you are having a bad year. Jones was miserable. You only need to take a look at the 2008 Stats above to know that.
What is even more troublesome is that a trend is beginning to emerge.
Over the last several years, his average is dropping, his homeruns are dropping, his RBIs are dropping, and his strikeouts are rising. And in 2008, he didn't play in over 150 games for the first time since he came up in 1996.
Yeah, it was a bad year.
On the bright side, his defense was solid as advertised.
2009 Outlook: Andruw Jones has one year left on his contract. Supposedly, he's getting in shape this offseason, but I don't know... I mean, seriously, I have no idea what to do with Andruw.
You can't trade him, he has
a no-trade clause first of all,
and I believe his contract is worth somewhere in the $18 million area this year, which makes his appeal to other teams slim-to-none.
So, what now? We can't go into the season expecting him to be back in form, but we'll never know if he can play unless we put him out there. Ahhhh!
I guess I'm entirely willing to bench him until he shows that he doesn't need to be benched. But, man, is that a lot of money to sit on a bench. One year left, just keep reminding yourself...
In an attempt to make my player profile of Terry Tiffee a moot point, the Philadelphia Phillies signed Tiffee to a minor league contract.
He's now the second Dodger to join the Phillies this offseason.
Here's to hoping he gets more than four at-bats for them.
Happy Trails!
Player: Matt Kemp
2008 Stats: .290, 18 homeruns, 76 RBIs, 35 stolen bases, 153 Ks
2008 Analysis: Matt Kemp had a pretty interesting year. 18 homeruns and 76 RBIs is pretty good for his first real full year, but not they weren't the momentous numbers everyone was hoping for. There's room (and potential) for improvement.
Kemp also struck out 153 times during the year, which isn't pretty, but if you look at the numbers, there is a good sign. Kemp struck 104 times in the first half. Don Mattingly took over at the All-Star break, and Kemp struck out only 49 times after that point. Coincidence? Maybe... but most likely, Kemp started figuring out how to adjust to big league pitching, and started laying off a few of those sliders low-and-away. And that's a good sign of things to come.
Kemp also split his time between right and center field, but ended up playing most of his time in center. He looked awkward at times, but only committed three errors during entire season and had 16 outfield assists. In fact, he was so good, he won the "J's Dodger Blog 2008 Gold Glove" award... so... yeah...
2009 Outlook: Because Matt Kemp is such a raw talent, with so much potential, there's always talk that he could be traded as if he was a prospect. But the thing is, Matt Kemp isn't a prospect anymore, he's a major league outfielder. If he's going to be traded, it really shouldn't be as some package of prospects. If another team wants him, they better consider him as an everyday outfielde, not a prospect.
Anyway, that said, I don't expect Kemp to be going anywhere this offseason unless something big comes up. For 2009, I expect Kemp to be our starting center or right fielder.
Reports are saying that just a day after Rafael Furcal and the Atlanta Braves agreed to a three year contract, Furcal has decided to remain with the Dodgers, who signed him to a similar contract. Nothing has been made official yet, but currently, it looks as though Furcal will be back in Dodger blue for the next several years.
More when it becomes official.
Matt Kemp's Player Profile will be up within the next hour.
Player: Terry Tiffee
2008 Stats: .250 (1-4)
2008 Analysis: Terry Tiffee is technically a 3rd baseman. That's the position he played most of the year in the minors. However, for the week and a half he actually got to play in the majors, he got five pinch hit appearances (he was hit by a pitch in one at-bat) and played one inning in left field.
Joe Torre had a bad issue managing players this year when it came to deciding how many chances a player should get. He gave some players way too many chances. For example, he gave some players 92 at-bats over an entire season when they clearly couldn't hit... anything...
On the other hand, Torre didn't give certain players enough chances. For example, some players only got 59 at-bats over a month and a half and then were shipped away.
Tiffee was definitely on the end of the not-enough-chances spectrum. He hit in the high .300s in the minors for most of the year. He was a switch hitter. He could play left field, as well as first and third.
And in 2008, he was put into six games before being Designated for Assignment.
2009 Outlook: Tiffee is a free agent. If he can't find work anywhere else, I wouldn't mind bringing him back with a minor league contract and an invite to Spring Training. If for some reason Delwyn Young can't be our pinch hitter off the bench next year, I would gladly hand that job over to Tiffee.
Chan Ho Park has decided to leave the Dodgers for a second time, agreeing to a one year, $2.5 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. 
The contract has the possibilty of going up to $5 million with incentives.
We here at J's Dodger Blog wish Chan Ho Park luck in leaving the only team he's ever really had success with and establishing a new home in one of the most hitter friendly stadiums in the league.
Happy Trails!
Player: Jason Repko
2008 Stats: .167 (3-18)
2008 Analysis: Repko didn't play much in 2008. His numbers in the minors were pretty good, but in the big leagues, he mostly was used as a defensive replacement.
2009 Outlook: If Juan Pierre is traded and Andruw Jones wasn't around, I'd say Repko would be a good 5th outfielder. He's got speed and arm strength. However, there's a good chance Pierre will be back next year, and it's almost certain Andruw won't be going anywhere. If that's the case, there might already be more than five outfielders on the team and there might not be room for Repko on the team. Repko might end up spending 2009 in the minors waiting for a call up if someone goes down with injury.
The chose to cut loose five players at the non-tender deadline, not offering contracts to shortstop Ángel Berroa and pitchers Takashi Saito, Scott Proctor, Yhency Brazoban, and Mario Alvarez.
This doesn't mean the end of these players in Dodger Blue, as they now become free agents and can still be resigned. They can, however, also be signed by other teams.
Player: Delwyn Young
2008 Stats: .246 (31-126), one homerun, seven RBIs
2008 Analysis: Young played a little right field, a little left field, and a little 2nd in 2008. He wasn't bad off the bench. He went 14-48 in pinch hitting appearances (.292) with eight walks and four RBIs.
2009 Outlook: Young has always shown potential in the minors, hitting for good average. He showed this year he could be a solid solution as a pinch hitter. Plus, he's a switch hitter, so you can't mess him up with a lefty specialist. I would like to see him back next year as a backup corner outfielder/maybe 2nd baseman.
Dodger GM Ned Colletti completed two deals during the Winter GM Meetings, signing Casey Blake and Mark Loretta to contracts.
Remember what I said about Casey Blake in my player profile of him?
I'll remind you:
"The free agent market for 3rd basemen is not strong at all... I guess I wouldn't mind seeing Blake back for the 2009 season. Maybe..."
Yeah, that's how enthusiastic I was about it. Still though, it's good to have a third baseman. 
There's nothing exciting about Casey Blake. We know what he's done in the past, and what he's likely to do in the future. But at least he provides us a solution to the 3rd base problem. He should be a solid 3rd baseman for at least the next two years. The third year, who knows? The fourth option year? Probably not.
But at least, in the present, he's our 3rd baseman. I guess it'll be nice to have a solid player there, if only for a little while. It's not a great signing, but it's good enough.
As for Mark Loretta, I do really like this signing, with a small caveat. The contract is good, one year, small amount of money. That's fine.
My issue is usage. This is a good signing if Joe Torre let's the infield be. What I mean by that is, this signing turns sour for me if Torre shoves Loretta into a starting role, benching a younger player in the process.
Loretta can player 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and even a little shortstop. He's pretty good against left handed pitchers. That's perfect for us. He'll be a good backup infielder and possible spot starter here and there, maybe against a lefty.
That would make this signing perfect for me. I'm sad to see Nomar go, as Loretta is almost certainly taking his spot on the team, but Loretta is a suitable replacement, as long as he's used right.
The Dodgers solidified third base and added some depth to the rest of the infield in the last few days by signing veterans Casey Blake and Mark Loretta to deals.
Loretta's deal, pending a physical, is a one-year deal believed to be about $1.4 million.
Blake's deal is a three year deal worth $17.5 million, with a team option for a fourth year (the fourth year would be worth $6 million and comes with a $1.25 million buyout).
I'll have analysis on the deals shortly.
Update: Loretta's deal is official, 1 year, $1.25 million.
Player: Manny Ramírez
2008 Stats: 53 games, .396, 17 homeruns, 53 RBIs, 1.232 OPS (Full Season: .332, 37 homeruns, 121 RBIs)
2008 Analysis: Manny really had two seasons in one. His first season was not bad. Through 100 games with the Red Sox, he had 20 homeruns, 68 RBIs, and he was batting .299. He was bored, he was playing lackadaisically, he wanted a new contract. Then he was traded on July 31st.
And he started giving 100%.
He almost matched his entire offensive output for the season in half the games. He was playing like a man looking for one last nine figure contract. And boy did that benefit the Dodgers. 30-23 after the trade and a first place finish in the NL West.
2009 Outlook: Manny is hoping for a big payday and multi-year contract, and so far, he really hasn't gotten many buyers. 
There aren't many teams that can afford a Manny contract. The Yankees may be interested, the Red Sox certainly aren't, the Mets and Angels might be long shots. We really might end up being the best fit for Manny.
That said, I've got very mixed feelings about Manny. I do like him, and I'd want him in the lineup for the next several years if there was some guarantee that he won't give up on us a year in. We've seen what Manny can do when he plays at 100%, and we've also seen Manny play at about 50%. When he's playing at 100%, it's a beautiful thing. When he's not, you'll want to pull your hair out.
Ah, screw it. We gave up Andy LaRoche for him, might as try to get more out of him than a trip to the NLCS...
Player: Juan Pierre
2008 Stats: .283, one homerun, 28 RBIs, 40 stolen bases, 12 caught stealing, .327 OBP
2008 Analysis: Pierre played a mixture of left and center field through the 2008 season and was... well... Juan Pierre.
His average and OBP were his lowest since 2005, though in fairness, Pierre had inconsistent playing time. He only made it into 119 games (the first time he didn't play all 162 games since 2002), though he managed to stay in the news by complaining about that fact a couple times over the season.
Still though, Pierre managed to hit his first homerun since... ever... and managed to steal 40 bases ...which would be a much more impressive number if he wasn't caught 12 times (76.9%).
2009 Outlook: What to do with Juan Pierre? At the start of the off-season, Pierre asked to be traded, and as of this moment, has yet to be. His contract isn't untradeable, but it's pretty close. He's owed $28.5 million dollars over the next three years which is not a pretty number.
What would I like for Juan Pierre in 2009? I'd like to see him starting somewhere in the outfield, just not fo
r the Dodgers. I'd like to get him traded to some team that will put him in 162 games because I do think, for the most part, he's a good guy and really wants to play. I also think, with Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier being almost sure locks for the outfield in 2009, and the possibilty of bringing back Manny Ramírez, there's no room for Pierre in the outfield (if we don't bring back Manny, and don't sign someone else for the outfield, that's a different story, but operating under the assumption we sign someone, there's no room for him).
What do I think will really happen? Pierre's contract will be hard to move, and there is a pretty good chance we'll see Pierre back in 2009. Whether or not he's a starter or just a spot starter remains to be seen but I'm guessing that Pierre will probably be back.
Player: Andy LaRoche
2008 Stats: .203 (12-59), two homeruns, six RBIs (Full Season: .166, five homeruns, 18 RBIs)
2008 Analysis: It was a bit of a tough year for Andy. After suffering a painful injury in Spring Training, LaRoche rehabbed quickly to try and get back to help the team. Upon recovering from his injury, he found his 3rd base job being filled by Blake DeWitt (having the best month of his life). So LaRoche was optioned to AAA, where he began to play 1st and 2nd base to try and get back to the majors. He was called up June 10th and hit a homerun in his first game on June 11th. Then he was benched. He made a few spot starts here and there until late July when he got to start more than two games in a row.
He was being showcased for a trade.
On July 31st, he was traded.
2009 Outlook: Andy LaRoche is will be the starting 3rd baseman in 2009...
...for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Here's my issue, and it has been ever since the trade. Manny Ramírez was fun. He got us to the playoffs and we won a series... but we didn't win it all. In fact, all we really won was the title of NL West 2008 Division Champion (which is nothing to be ashamed of, but nothing to be too proud of either).
Now, this is where it really hurts. I cringe looking at the 3rd basemen free agent list. I'm not kidding when I tell you that Joe Crede and Casey Blake are the only options worth consideration in that free agent pool (and by the way, don't think they don't know that). And now that the Dodger owners might or might not be willing to spend money to bring in quality free agents, I'm starting to get very scared about what 3rd base will look like next year (Mike Lamb anyone?).
To tell you the truth, I'd give back our minor success in 2008 to have Andy LaRoche back as our starter in 2009. And the funny thing is, the money we now have to spend to get a quality 3rd baseman could have gone toward signing Manny away from the Red Sox. We could have had both, now we don't have one, and might not end up with either.
Isn't that ironic?
Player: Casey Blake
2008 Stats: .251, 10 homeruns, 23 RBIs (Full Season: .274, 21 homeruns, 81 RBIs)
2008 Analysis: Casey Blake was a solid veteran presence at 3rd base for the stretch run. He wasn't great, but he was solid. His 10 homeruns in just over two months was impressive, but he didn't hit for a high average and struck out an awful lot. His defense was above average, collecting only two errors in 133 total chances (.985). Overall, he provided what the Dodgers needed at the time. An everyday 3rd baseman.
Whether or not the Dodgers gave up too much in the trade for him is still to be seen, but as far at the 2008 season goes, he's was good enough.
2009 Outlook: The free agent market for 3rd basemen is not strong at all. Frankly, the only two free agents worth really looking at are Joe Crede and Casey Blake. Crede is a health risk but I'd rather have him than Blake. Still, should Crede end up not an option, or some other 3rd baseman can't be had in a trade, I guess I wouldn't mind seeing Blake back for the 2009 season. Maybe...
Player: Blake DeWitt
2008 Stats: .264, nine homeruns, 52 RBIs
2008 Analysis: Well, for a kid who was mostly expected to play no higher than AAA in 2008, playing in 117 games at the big league level and starting at 2nd through the entire playoffs was a bit of an upgrade. And for a kid who had that low expectations coming into the season, how he performed was above and beyond the call of duty.
That being said, DeWitt was a lot less impressive over an entire year. He was solid in April, excellent in May (.322, five homeruns, 18 RBIs, .896 OPS), then dropped off for the rest of the year. Following May, until the end of the year, DeWitt batted .235 with only four homeruns and 23 RBIs. His OPS over that span was .649.
DeWitt's fielding at 3rd was solid, even though his fielding percentage was an average .969. DeWitt's percentage wasconsiderably better at 2nd (.981) though in less chances. He did look uncomfortable there at times, though.
2009 Outlook: So what are we to make of DeWitt's numbers in 2008. Can he play more like a May-DeWitt or will he play more like a 2nd-half-DeWitt? Baseball is always said to be a sport about adjustments. Can DeWitt make those adjustments? Scouting reports must have come out after May, because pitcher started hitting him with breaking balls low and in that DeWitt could neither hit nor hold off on.
Here's what I feel. DeWitt is good baseball player. He's not going to hit well enough to warrent a third base job (you'd ideally like someone with a little more power over there), but he could be our 2nd baseman for years to come. If he can make the adjustments he needs to, he could hit maybe somewhere around 15 homeruns and bat in the high-.200's for a whole season. If we get that kind of production out of him at 2nd, I'll be happy.
I hope to see him shore up his defense at 2nd base and come into Spring Training 2009 ready for the job.
Player: Nomar Garciaparra
2008 Stats: .264, eight homeruns, 28 RBIs
2008 Analysis: Oh Nomar, what are we to think of you? When you are consistently healthy, you can still hit, but therein lies the problem. Nomar made three trips to the DL this season.
The weird thing is that I can't quite figure out how to judge Nomar this year. He played half of April, none of May or June, almost all of July, the second half of August, and parts of September. He didn't play one season this year, he played three or four, so it's hard to really say how Nomar did.
I will say this though, he did flash signs of his offensive goodness in places during the season. He also played in three of the four infield positions throughout the season (including playing shortstop for the first time since 2005), moving around to help out the team, and that's definitely a big plus.
2009 Outlook: Nomar is currently a free agent. Of course I don't know what Nomar is thinking, but if I could take a guess, I would assume Nomar would like to be a starter somewhere. I would also assume Nomar would like to still play for the Dodgers. 
Well, we have a hole at 3rd base that needs to be filled, and it seems like a good fit to bring him back. ...but here's the thing. As much as I like Nomar, I can't trust him. I'm not willing to just resign Nomar and ink him in for 3rd base for the 2009 season because of his surprising ability to get hurt. He did make it into about 120 games in both 2006 and 2007 for us, but he hasn't played in more than that since 2003, so I'm a little bit scared of having a big hole at 3rd base for a good portion of the season.
I would, ideally, like to resign Nomar to be our mega-utility infielder. I'd like to keep him on the bench to pinch hit and spot start at 1st or 3rd, or maybe even a little shortstop and/or 2nd base, but I want, in no way, to end up relying on him. I want him to be part-part time player, part-coach, part-Dodger ambassador, but I don't want to put much more on him other than that. I've been disappointed too many times in the past, and I don't know if I can be hurt by him anymore (*tear*)...
Player: Chin-lung Hu
2008 Stats: .181, nine RBIs, 23 Ks
2008 Analysis: Chin-lung Hu had a tough time at the plate. Well, that might be an understatement. Hu was getting buried at the plate. His at-bats looked bad. He was wailing away, hardly making contact, or not even doing that. There's been talk that he's had eye issues, and he did apparently adjust his contacts (or something like that) before going back to AAA, where he suddenly began to hit again. I think he has it within himself to be a good hitter, he just needs to hit. Easy enough, right?
Defensively, Hu was excellent. Only one error in 165 total chances between playing time at 2nd and shortstop (no errors in 121 total chances at short). But defense has always been Hu's strong point.
2009 Outlook: Hu is going to turn 25 before the season starts, so it's hard to say this is Hu's last shot, but if Hu can't crack it at Spring Training this year... well... Ivan De Jesus is approaching quickly. I'm willing to give Hu the benefit of the doubt though. I want to give him Spring Training to prove he can see well enough to hit decently, and if he can, I'd be willing to give him either of the middle infield positions to start the season (depending of course, on what the situation is there at the time). Hu is just a year removed from being the Dodger Minor League Player of the Year, so he does deserve another shot, but not too many more...
So, there's been a lot of talk about something Dodgers President Jamie McCourt said earlier this week.
From the L.A. Times:
"If you bring somebody in to play and pay them, pick a number, $30 million, does that seem a little weird to you?" Jamie McCourt asked in an interview at the Evergreen Recreation Center in East Los Angeles. "That's what we're trying to figure out. We're really trying to see it through the eyes of our fans. We're really trying to understand, would they rather have the 50 fields?"
Now, obviously, there has been a tremendous amount of backlash to this quote. The McCourt's insist they were speaking on a philosophical hypothetical level. Which very well could be the case. However, many are viewing McCourt's words to be something else... a testing of the waters.First off, when did both charity and free agents become mutually exclusive? Why not have both? In any case, should this be just a hypothetical statement, then all is forgiven.
If this statement is really inferring that the McCourt's won't be ponying up some cash to bring in quality free agents this offseason, then there are going to be some issues.
The money that Dodger fans spend on going to games or purchasing merchandise is, at least by my assumptions, going back into the team. 
Yes, I know a lot of it is going into Frank McCourt's pocket, or to pay team President Jamie McCourt's salary. But I still assume the rest of it will go back into the team. It's bad enough when I see ticket prices being raised to Frank McCourt can build some kind of crazy super mall in the front of the stadium, but to think that the money I'm spending is going to be put into something that I'm never going to see the fruits of, then I'm going to start seriously reconsidering where I put my money.
I mean really, putting money into things you don't gain anything from? That's what property taxes are for.
If the McCourt's want to set up a foundation for building baseball fields, then do that, but keep the Dodger money away from the charity money. Those are two different piles of money, as well they should be.
Look, there's still obviously a lot to be seen with the backlash from all this. Will the McCourt's pay for quality free agents or not? Within the next couple months, we'll start to figure out what this all means. I'm not really ready to completely bash the McCourt's yet on some quote that might not mean anything in a few weeks.
But I am a little worried. And quite frankly, Jamie McCourt, if you really want to know what the Dodger fans think, these are the poll results from the L.A. Times:
That's right, folks. The Dodgers mean a lot to a lot of people. You can't even stick poor kids in between Dodgers and their fans. And I'm with them. Don't make us choose between the Dodgers and the kids, because first and foremost, I want my team to win. Is that really so wrong?
Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving people. They'll be a new player profile up tonight. It's Chin-lung Hu. Don't get too excited...
Ok, back to player profiles, continuing at shortstop where we left off.
Player: Rafael Furcal
2008 Stats: .357, five homeruns, 16 RBIs, eight stolen bases, .439 OBP, .573 Slugging
2008 Analysis: What an interesting year Rafael Furcal had. He played in only 36 games this year, his lowest ever since he came up to the majors in 2000. In those 36 games, however, he really made it count. By comparison, Furcal had about 80 less at-bats than Ángel Berroa and really demolished any and all of Berroa's stats.
For the first month and change, Furcal was, dare I say, looking like an MVP candidate. He was on fire! Then he was scratched from a few starts for some discomfort in his back. And then he needed a 15-day DL trip. Then that DL trip lasted over a month. Furcal tried to come back and made it through a couple AAA rehab games before feeling the discomfort again. Then he had back surgery. And yeah...
Furcal came back from back surgery late in the season and started all eight Dodger playoff games. He went .258, with a .378 OBP, and scored nine runs. It was a not-bad post-season, though Furcal did commit some very badly timed errors at shortstop that led to some losses. I'd chalk that up to coming back too soon from heavy surgery on his back, and I can really fault a guy for trying to help his team.
2009 Outlook: Furcal is currently a free agent and is getting a lot of interest from various teams. Personally, I'd like to see the Dodgers try and get Furcal back. I originally hoped to give him a short deal with incentives, but it looks now like despite the fact he had some injury questions, some team is going to give Furcal a good deal.
That being the case, even though he might be an injury question mark, I still want Furcal back. When healthy, he's probably in the Top 5 of all current lead-off hitters. He can hit for average, he's got some power, he can field, he can still steal bases. He's the spark plug for the lineup, and if we can be assured he healthy, I say give him whatever he wants, but maybe have Chin-lung Hu or Ivan De Jesus waiting in the wings...
Ok, the other awards are out of the way, it's time for the big one. The Dodger MVP. Here are your nominees:
Andre Ethier
-For a man who's starting job was in question coming into the season, and who had difficulty getting consistent playing time until halfway through the season, he finished the year with some fantastic numbers. .305 average, 20 homeruns, 77 RBIs, not too mention some solid defensive play. Plus, he was hot when it counted, down the stretch.
Derek Lowe
-I already laid out Lowe's stats in the Cy Young award post, and noted there as well, the Derek Lowe might have a better shot at the MVP award... and I wasn't lying. For all the interest around Manny during the last couple months of the season, Derek Lowe was quietly the anchor of the pitching staff. He wasn't as sexy to talk about, but almost as important.
Manny Ramírez
-Manny had a great year, in the span of two months. In just 53 games for the Dodgers, Manny batted .396, had 17 homeruns, and drove in 53 RBIs. He was vital in the Dodgers' drive toward the playoffs. I could talk on and on about how good he was with the bat, but anyone who watched the Dodgers the last two months of the season knows how important Manny was to this team.
Chad Billingsley
-Again, his stats were presented in the Cy Young post, and on top of those good stats, he was the "J's Dodger Blog 2008 Cy Young Winner." Big plus.
James Loney
-Loney, despite having a somewhat slow year (at least for what many were hoping for from Loney) still managed to bat .289 with 13 homeruns and lead the Dodgers with 90 RBIs. Sure, it seems like a somewhat quiet 90 RBIs, but 90 RBIs is nothing to scoff at. Impressive for a kid in just his 3rd season with not a lot of power.
...and the 2008 Dodger MVP is...
Manny Ramírez.
Yes, Derek Lowe was fantastic down the stretch. Andre Ethier and Chad Billingsley had excellent breakout years. James Loney led the team with RBIs.
But let's face facts. In 2008, there wasn't one player who meant more to the team than Manny. He gave the team the much needed spark when they were just average around the trade deadline. He single handedly won games with his bat. Most of all, he made the players around him better, and he pushed us to the playoffs. There was no real competition.
Without a doubt, Manny Ramírez is the "J's Dodger Blog 2008 MVP."
2008 Analysis: Wow, is it just me or does it seem like Brad Penny made way less than 17 starts this season? I guess I just had him in my head as being out most of the season. I suppose that's because he made only eight appearances after May, and two of those were giving up three runs over two games (one combined inning of work) in mid-September.
On June 17th, Penny went on the 15-day DL, and for all intents and purposes, ended his season. He did make two starts in August before going back on the DL, and the aforementioned to appearance in September before going on the DL a third time (and most likely, his last as a Dodger).
