Sleepers: Los Angeles Dodgers
The Shallow
Blake DeWitt – 2B
DeWitt did a great job in sneaking through the back door last year, and swiping a regular spot right from beneath the feet of Andy Laroche, rocketing up the Dodgers depth charts. Since the theft, the boys in blue have added Casey Blake as their everyday third baseman, Rafael Furcal has re-signed and is scheduled to return at short, Andy Laroche has moved on to join his brother in Pittsburgh, and Jeff Kent retired. To make a long story short, the Dodgers restructured their infield, and through all of the adjustments, the door has opened up for DeWitt to be their everyday second baseman.
Whew! Oh, wait a second; the Dodgers, in a confusing move, recently added super defender Orlando Hudson to the mix. This move pushes back the significance of DeWitt, and further congests a line-up that already has names like Juan Pierre and Mark Loretta riding pine. It also holds back the development of the 23-year old Florida native. While I’m certain Joe Torre will be able to find a decent amount of at-bats for the youngster, DeWitt was expected to take the reins upon Kents’ retirement to form a double play tandem with Furcal for years to come.
DeWitt got off to a great start in ’08; but, had a cold mid-portion of the season ,which may have scared ownership off of trusting him to be their everyday middle infielder. Should Furcal go down to injury, don’t be surprised to see DeWitt add shortstop to his arsenal. However, with the amount of money handed out in guaranteed contracts to Blake, Furcal and O-Dog, it’s got to be a bit of a letdown for the dependable kid that came out of nowhere. Knowing his tenacity, DeWitt will only use it as ammunition to drive him back into the roster, forcing Torre to make some tough decisions.
The Deep
James McDonald – Starting Pitcher
A quick cup-of-coffee visit to the big leagues, as a late call-up in September last season, gave Dodgers fans a preview of what their future could look like. With the status of Jason Schmidt unknown, and the delicate Randy Wolf also expected to be in the Dodgers five-man rotation, James McDonald could be a name called upon by Torre at various points in the season as a spot starter. While McDonald may make the roster in a relief position; he is definitely more suited to being a starter.
With four quality pitches at his disposal, he has been complimented for his excellent deception on his pitches. His 6 foot 5 inch lanky frame allows him to be very smooth. He produces his pitches with great arm action, and works his angles well, giving him an advantage against unknowing batters. While his minor league statistics aren’t necessarily mind-blowing, his arm is major league ready. Expect him to fit nicely into the Los Angeles rotation for years to come, perhaps slotting in as a number three arm in the organization. With a rotation that already boasts youthful power arms in Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw, things are definitely continuing to look sunny in California for ‘dem bums.
