The entire schedule of when team recaps will be.
Team: Los Angeles Dodgers
2007 Regular Season Record: 82-80
Cost per Win: $108,454,524 / 82 = $1,322,616 per win
2007 Season Recap: In 2007 the Dodgers had the same problem that the Blue Jays had. This being that they were in the wrong division. They play in the NL West a division that includes the Diamondbacks, Padres, and Rockies who all had very good seasons. This made things difficult for the Dodgers but they really didn’t help themselves either. They ended the season 8 games back in their division and 7.5 games back of the wild card.
The Dodgers had a solid season offensively. None of the regular starters had amazing offensive outputs but there also really wasn’t anyone with a bad season. The team leader in batting average of the regular starters was Jeff Kent with a .302 average and he also led the team with 20 home runs. The contributions of right fielder Matt Kemp and first baseman James Loney should be noted. Kemp played in 98 games and hit .342 and had 10 home runs. Loney played in 96 games and hit .331 with 15 home runs. This was the first year in the majors for both of these guys and their performances definitely make the future look bright for the Dodgers.
As is often the case in the majors the lack of good pitching from top to bottom in the rotation hurt the Dodgers. It seems that for a team to be successful they need to have that ace that puts up about 18 wins and a second guy that has about 15 wins on the season. This didn’t happen for the Dodgers. Their team leader in wins was Brad Penny with 16 then next was a tie with 12 wins for Derek Lowe and Chad Billingsley. After those 3 the Dodgers didn’t have a set rotation and had 10 players get 5 or more starters for the season, Billingsley even was in the bullpen for part of the season so a lack of continuity there hurts the team’s performance a lot at a position that relies a lot on chemistry with the catcher.
Key Free Agents: C Mike Lieberthal, SP David Wells, SP Randy Wolf, SP Mark Hendrickson, 1B Mark Sweeney; The loss of 3 starting pitchers is alarming especially this off-season where the talent available is so minimal. The loss of Mike Sweeney is a positive since it opens the door for James Loney to be the regular starter and the way he played last season he has earned it.
Offseason Needs: There is no question what the biggest need for the Dodgers is and that is starting pitching. For their sake I hope they have some people in their farm system because the free-agent market is not good. The Dodgers have already signed Andruw Jones and starting pitcher Chan Ho Park. So they have started to build the roster back up. Also I can’t end this section without mentioning the biggest addition to the Dodgers this off-season and that was the hiring of manager Joe Torre. What impact Torre will have has yet to be seen but it certainly can’t hurt their results in 2008.
Prediction for the 2008 season: If the Dodgers can improve their pitching rotation they can have a successful season next year. This will be tough but they seem to be willing to spend the money to get the talent to help the team get better so there is a chance they can get that done. Their lineup will be solid next season as long as Andruw Jones makes a rebound and performs up to the big contract he signed this offseason. I however don’t think that the Dodgers can improve enough to win the division so they will have to fight for the wild card. I don’t think they will be able to win that fight and they will be on the outside looking in for another year.
Team: Los Angeles Dodgers
2007 Regular Season Record: 82-80
Cost per Win: $108,454,524 / 82 = $1,322,616 per win
2007 Season Recap: In 2007 the Dodgers had the same problem that the Blue Jays had. This being that they were in the wrong division. They play in the NL West a division that includes the Diamondbacks, Padres, and Rockies who all had very good seasons. This made things difficult for the Dodgers but they really didn’t help themselves either. They ended the season 8 games back in their division and 7.5 games back of the wild card.
The Dodgers had a solid season offensively. None of the regular starters had amazing offensive outputs but there also really wasn’t anyone with a bad season. The team leader in batting average of the regular starters was Jeff Kent with a .302 average and he also led the team with 20 home runs. The contributions of right fielder Matt Kemp and first baseman James Loney should be noted. Kemp played in 98 games and hit .342 and had 10 home runs. Loney played in 96 games and hit .331 with 15 home runs. This was the first year in the majors for both of these guys and their performances definitely make the future look bright for the Dodgers.
As is often the case in the majors the lack of good pitching from top to bottom in the rotation hurt the Dodgers. It seems that for a team to be successful they need to have that ace that puts up about 18 wins and a second guy that has about 15 wins on the season. This didn’t happen for the Dodgers. Their team leader in wins was Brad Penny with 16 then next was a tie with 12 wins for Derek Lowe and Chad Billingsley. After those 3 the Dodgers didn’t have a set rotation and had 10 players get 5 or more starters for the season, Billingsley even was in the bullpen for part of the season so a lack of continuity there hurts the team’s performance a lot at a position that relies a lot on chemistry with the catcher.
Key Free Agents: C Mike Lieberthal, SP David Wells, SP Randy Wolf, SP Mark Hendrickson, 1B Mark Sweeney; The loss of 3 starting pitchers is alarming especially this off-season where the talent available is so minimal. The loss of Mike Sweeney is a positive since it opens the door for James Loney to be the regular starter and the way he played last season he has earned it.
Offseason Needs: There is no question what the biggest need for the Dodgers is and that is starting pitching. For their sake I hope they have some people in their farm system because the free-agent market is not good. The Dodgers have already signed Andruw Jones and starting pitcher Chan Ho Park. So they have started to build the roster back up. Also I can’t end this section without mentioning the biggest addition to the Dodgers this off-season and that was the hiring of manager Joe Torre. What impact Torre will have has yet to be seen but it certainly can’t hurt their results in 2008.
Prediction for the 2008 season: If the Dodgers can improve their pitching rotation they can have a successful season next year. This will be tough but they seem to be willing to spend the money to get the talent to help the team get better so there is a chance they can get that done. Their lineup will be solid next season as long as Andruw Jones makes a rebound and performs up to the big contract he signed this offseason. I however don’t think that the Dodgers can improve enough to win the division so they will have to fight for the wild card. I don’t think they will be able to win that fight and they will be on the outside looking in for another year.
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