Los Angeles Dodgers: Spring Training Information

By: Feeling Dodger Blue
Location: Camelback Ranch- Glendale, AZ
Pitchers and Catchers Report: Feb. 13
First Game: Feb. 25
Schedule

Projected Opening Day Lineup

1. Rafael Furcal (SS)
2. Russell Martin (C)
3. Matt Kemp (CF)
4. Andre Ethier (RF)
5. James Loney (1B)
6. Casey Blake (3B)
7. Blake DeWitt (2B)
8. Juan Pierre (LF)
9. Chad Billingsley (SP)

Projected Rotation

1. Chad Billingsley
2. Hiroki Kuroda
3. Clayton Kershaw
4. Randy Wolf
5. Jason Schmidt

Projected Bullpen

Long: Claudio Vargas, Cory Wade, James McDonald
Situational: Scott Elbert
7th Inning: Guillermo Mota
8th Inning: Hong-Chih Kuo
Closer: Jonathan Broxton
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Key Battles: The projected lineup is very, very tentative at this point. It gets a complete face lift when the Dodgers sign another outfielder. If they bring back Manny Ramirez, the middle of the order is changed drastically. This will move Juan Pierre out of the order, drop Casey Blake and Blake DeWitt while slightly re-arranging the 2-6 spots.

If, for any reason, Los Angeles doesn't sign Manny, then Juan Pierre is penciled in as the starter. I would expect Ned Colletti and Joe Torre to bring in a less-proven outfielder that can challenge him for at-bats and playing time.

By the sounds of it, there is a good chance that Ramirez will be back, which would mean there won't be too many position battles. I could see Tony Abreau (if healthy) or Chin-lung Hu (if he can hit) being used to push Blake DeWitt at second base, that is if there is nothing to the rumors of Orlando Hudson.

Casey Blake, Rafael Furcal, Russell Martin, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp need not worry about being challenged for a starting spot. If Hudson and Ramirez are brought in, there really won't be any position battles.

The biggest challenges will be seen in the starting rotation. I think Randy Wolf, Chad Billingsley and Hiroki Kuroda will all push each other for the chance to be the Opening Day starter. Just based on numbers and pure stuff, Billingsley has the edge, but don't think for a second the two elder statesmen won't try to establish themselves as frontline guys. Clayton Kershaw will be eager to prove he can be a big-league No. 3 starter, where most people are projecting him as of right now. He will only be 21 when the season starts and has never pitched a full season in the Major Leagues, and his development is going to be very vital to this team.

The most important position battle is the fight for the No. 5 starter spot. The possibilities as of right now are Jason Schmidt, Eric Stults and Ramon Troncoso. Schmidt was won one game and pitched 25 2/3 innings in two years with the Dodgers. Schmidt threw 22 innings in the Minor's last year and was largely ineffective. Anything they get out of him is a bonus, but the front office is probably hoping they can catch lightning in a bottle. Stults has been up and down with the Dodgers over the last three seasons. He's won four games, shown some brilliant flashes but has also shown he can be very mediocre to poor. It's all about fastball command, which has been a problem. When he's locating, his changeup becomes devastating. Troncoso is a complete unknown as far as being a starter. As a reliever last year he had a 4.26 ERA in 38 innings, but he transitioned to a starter in the Dominican Winter League and went 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA. The likely candidate to emerge as the fifth starter by May or June is rookie James McDonald, who is starting the year in the bullpen.

Also, look for a few battles in the bullpen. Hong-Chih Kuo could battle for the closer's spot with Jonathan Broxton and Scott Elbert might end up being more than just a situational lefty if he can command his high-90s fastball.

What to Expect: Questions about Manny. With the negotiations moving at a snail's pace, expect Spring Training to be littered with questions about the slugging left fielder. Also, expect all the questions about the starting rotation to go away if they do bring him back. The offense quickly becomes the focal point and by not being a team that will be very reliant on pitching, you can look for guys like Billingsley and Kershaw to relax. Without Manny, you can expect a lot of people doubting this team and not expecting them to make another run at reaching the World Series.

Matt covers the Dodgers on his blog, Feeling Dodger Blue.