MLB Season Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers' new ownership group has vastly improved the vibe around one of the majors' most top-heavy rosters.

Matt Kemp in Beast Mode.

Offense: Matt Kemp has started 2012 as the best player in baseball, clubbing seven home runs in the season's opening weeks. Kemp's preseason promise of a 50-50 season seemed ludicrous at the time, though it appears in the early goings that the steals may actually be harder to attain than the homers (just because, well, he's usually jogging past first base rather than standing on it). The star center fielder is protected in the lineup by Andre Ethier, now healthy and poised for big numbers in a contract year. Yet the rest of the offense is far, far worse (by orders of magnitude) than the awesome Kemp-Ethier duo. James Loney, the archetypal mediocre first-baseman, would be fortunate to hit 15 homers. Dee Gordon has blazing speed at short...along with no contact skills, plate discipline, or power. The broken-down veterans being relied upon for regular playing time--Juan Rivera, Juan Uribe, Mark Ellis, Jerry Hairston Jr., etc.--inspire confidence levels ranging from 'little' to 'subzero.'

Clayton Kershaw and Matt Kemp came close to
winning the Cy Young and MVP as teammates.
Kershaw held up his end of the deal.

Pitching: Like the lineup card, the starting rotation is headlined by an impressive duo. Defending Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw may already be baseball's best left-hander as a 24-year-old. And although 2011 represented a step back for him, Chad Billingsley still remains a solid, durable #2 starter. The rest of the staff is a bit worn down. Veterans Ted Lilly, Chris Capuano, and Aaron Harang are being entrusted with big workloads. Lilly is perennially underrated, but Capuano has suffered through major injuries and Harang has struggled to even remain a league-average pitcher since 2008. Triple-A arm Nathan Eovaldi offers more upside; he'll likely be up at some point. Even the bullpen is extremely top-heavy. It's led by young closer Javy Guerra and fireballing sensation Kenley Jansen, but supplemented by unspectacular veterans (picking up on the theme?) like Matt Guerrier and Mike MacDougal.

Dee Gordon: Because Every Generation
Deserves a Juan Pierre.

Breakout Candidates: Son of former reliever Tom Gordon, Dee Gordon hit .304 and stole a whopping 24 bases in 56 games last year. He has the potential to lead the majors in steals and grow into a Dodgers fixture at shortstop, though his approach at the plate and lack of pop will hold him back. And if Javy Guerra gives up the closer's role at some point this season, Kenley Jansen could emerge as one of baseball's top closers. Either way, he can be an elite reliever: Jansen's 96 strikeouts in 53.2 innings last year gave him a whopping 16.1 K/9 ratio.

3 Key Questions: Can Kemp and Ethier put an otherwise-powerless lineup on their shoulders? Will Dee Gordon get on base enough? And are the Dodgers willing to be buyers at the trade deadline if (*when*) one (*several*) of their veteran infielders or starters breaks down?

Best Case Scenario: Kemp has a peak-Barry-Bonds kind of season, the creaky back of the rotation holds up, Juan Uribe sucks less than the normal amount, Gordon steals 70 bags, Guerra and Jansen are this year's Kimbrel and Venters, and the Dodgers surprise everyone by winning the weak NL West.

Worst Case Scenario: No one pitches to Kemp, Ethier gets hurt again, Juan Uribe sucks even more than usual, the non-Kershaw pitching implodes, Gordon gets demoted in May, and an old roster finishes fourth.

Predicted Finish: The Dodgers are off to the most surprising start in the majors, but it would be far more shocking to see them maintain their current pace. The roster has six excellent players and little else of note. Finishing second and staying in the hunt for a wild card--mostly thanks to Kemp and Kershaw--would have to be considered a success