The Los Angeles Dodgers' spring training is underway, as pitchers and catchers assembled at the Dodgers' new spring complex in Arizona, called Camelback Ranch. The Dodgers begin spring training under a heavy cloud of uncertainty, as Manny Ramirez still has not been signed. The pitching rotation is also under heavy scrutiny, as the core is mostly young players: Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw, Japanese-rookie Hiroki Kuroda, and the sole veteran Randy Wolf. Jason Schmidt is the favorite for the fifth starter spot, which will also be competed for by Eric Milton, Shawn Estes, Claudio Vargas and reliever-turned-starter Ramon Troncoso. James McDonald and Scott Elbert have made progress and are favorites to make the bullpen, joining the young Jonathan Broxton, Cory Wade and veteran Guillermo Mota. The infield is the most solid it's been in years, with James Loney and Casey Blake at the corners, promising rookie Blake DeWitt at second and the always-potent Rafael Furcal at short. The outfield is two-thirds completed, with Matt Kemp at center and September-star Andre Ethier in right. Juan Pierre stands to be the opening-day left fielder without Manny, which is good news for Jason Repko. Repko was a promising young talent with exceptional springs, but poor regular seasons and a year-ending injury in 2007 have hurt his chances at making the opening-day roster. If Manny does not return, Repko becomes the backup outfielder, but if Manny does re-sign, Repko most likely goes back down to the minors. Delwyn Young has become an adept pinch-hitter, and Mark Loretta will serve as DeWitt's backup for rest days and left-handed pitchers. Luis Maza, Juan Castro, Chin-Lung Hu, and Tony Abreu each will compete for an open backup-infielder role, and Brad Ausmus will be Russel Martin's newest backup. Ausmus is skilled at handling pitchers, and hopes to provide more rest for Martin than he has received in the past years. As spring training progresses, the Dodgers' young talent will get more experience and an opportunity to excite the team.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Pitchers and Catchers Report
The Los Angeles Dodgers' spring training is underway, as pitchers and catchers assembled at the Dodgers' new spring complex in Arizona, called Camelback Ranch. The Dodgers begin spring training under a heavy cloud of uncertainty, as Manny Ramirez still has not been signed. The pitching rotation is also under heavy scrutiny, as the core is mostly young players: Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw, Japanese-rookie Hiroki Kuroda, and the sole veteran Randy Wolf. Jason Schmidt is the favorite for the fifth starter spot, which will also be competed for by Eric Milton, Shawn Estes, Claudio Vargas and reliever-turned-starter Ramon Troncoso. James McDonald and Scott Elbert have made progress and are favorites to make the bullpen, joining the young Jonathan Broxton, Cory Wade and veteran Guillermo Mota. The infield is the most solid it's been in years, with James Loney and Casey Blake at the corners, promising rookie Blake DeWitt at second and the always-potent Rafael Furcal at short. The outfield is two-thirds completed, with Matt Kemp at center and September-star Andre Ethier in right. Juan Pierre stands to be the opening-day left fielder without Manny, which is good news for Jason Repko. Repko was a promising young talent with exceptional springs, but poor regular seasons and a year-ending injury in 2007 have hurt his chances at making the opening-day roster. If Manny does not return, Repko becomes the backup outfielder, but if Manny does re-sign, Repko most likely goes back down to the minors. Delwyn Young has become an adept pinch-hitter, and Mark Loretta will serve as DeWitt's backup for rest days and left-handed pitchers. Luis Maza, Juan Castro, Chin-Lung Hu, and Tony Abreu each will compete for an open backup-infielder role, and Brad Ausmus will be Russel Martin's newest backup. Ausmus is skilled at handling pitchers, and hopes to provide more rest for Martin than he has received in the past years. As spring training progresses, the Dodgers' young talent will get more experience and an opportunity to excite the team.
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