2008 Los Angeles Dodgers Picks & Predictions

May 22, 2008

The Dodgers were a disappointment in 2007 with many experts taking them to win the West. With Jose Torre now directing personnel, Andruw Jones bringing a big bat and defense to Tinsel Town, and Hiroki Kuroda strengthening an already solid rotation, the Dodgers have no excuses for another letdown. Find out in this 2008 Los Angeles Dodgers predictions preview if they will meet expectations.

Pitching

The Dodgers clearly have one of the top two starting rotations in the West and definitely one of the best in the entire league. Ace Brad Penny has put together back-to-back All-Star seasons. He went 16-4 last season with a 3.03 ERA. Derek Lowe would be the ace of more than half the teams around the league. His 12-14 record in 2007 was not at all indicative of how well he performed. His ERA was a respectable 3.88, but his team scored only 30 total runs in his 14 defeats. Kuroda has brought a lot of hype with him, touted as being able to throw eight different pitches. Jason Schmidt is the former number one of the Giants. If he returns to form, the Dodgers are going to be a handful. Chad Billingsley went 12-5 with a 3.31 ERA last season and is one of the best young talents in baseball. This rotation may have the fewest weak spots in the bigs.

Takashi Saito have proven to be an asset as the Dodgers’ closer, but Jonathan Broxton may be ready to take over. The Dodgers are excited about his velocity. Scott Proctor is a guy which can pitch in any situation and he figures to get plenty of use now that he is reunited with his former skipper.

Offense

With Rafael Furcal and Juan Pierre at the top of the Dodgers order, they have plenty of speed to score a lot of runs for this team. Furcal has 25 steals in an injury plagued year and Pierre has 64 thefts. Andruw Jones comes over from the Braves and brings a big bat with him. He had 26 homeruns and 94 RBIs in a down year last season, but we could see his 30 homerun/100 RBI power come to life in LA. Jeff Kent is up their in age, but his 20 homeruns and 79 RBIs in 136 games in 2007 still make him an offensive weapon. The Dodgers are expecting a big season out of James Loney, who had 15 homers and 67 RBIs after being called up from Triple-A Vegas. Russell Martin and Nomar Garciaparra are two more solid bats.

Defense

Jeff Kent is a liability of defense with very little range at age 40. Shortstop Furcal is expected to come up with everything up the middle. James Loney has long been one of the Dodgers’ top prospects. He played well enough last season to earn the starting job at first and send Garciaparra across the diamond. He is a Gold Glove caliber defender. Third base is LA’s biggest weak spot. Garciaparra and Adam LaRoche are both sub par by the league’s standards. Adruw Jones brings a whole trophy case of Gold Glove awards to centerfield. Pierre is versatile enough to play left. Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier will split time in right. Russell Martin is an elite catcher.

LA desperately needed more power in their order and Andruw Jones provides that. This team has a pitching staff as good as any in baseball, which gives them a great shot to win the West. I like the Diamondbacks to ultimately come out on top, but LA will be in the mix for the wild card.

Dave Price’s MLB picks will make this the best MLB betting season of your career. Sign up for an MLB picks package once the season begins and reap the rewards.

Odds to win NL West: 3/1

Odds to win 2008 NL Pennant: 7/1

Odds to win 2008 World Series: 25/1

NL West

2008 Los Angeles Dodgers Picks & Predictions

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