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Spring baseball is in idle mode (lots of stretching, little action), but a week from now will hit the throttle with the first “real” game, scheduled for next Friday on ESPN. For those who only start following baseball after the football season is complete, Jon Weisman gives a complete rundown of every offseaon move over at Dodger Thoughts.com, which he followed up with an excellent Dodger Roster Primer. Both are worth a read if you feel a little out of the loop. The 25 man roster for the Blue is set, more or less, but a few positions are in flux.

One is an actual competition, a second depends on a managerial decision, and a third  is based on health issues.

The Competition
At the risk of giving away my position on this issue, I’ll classify the battle for third base as between the prospect who is ready to play everyday and the fan favorite veteran who last season lost his job across the diamond to James Loney and was moved over to the hot corner. Andy LaRoche has the same prospect pedigree that Loney, Matt Kemp, and Russell Martin all had coming through the minors. He was the starting third baseman of the incredible 2005 Jacksonville Suns AA team which will be the spine of the current and future Dodgers. Last year he was Baseball America’s number one Dodger Prospect. This year he is number two only because of a certain left-handed Texas cyclone who, frankly, deserves his own column.

In 2007, LaRoche started slow due to shoulder surgeries over the previous winter, and when given an early chance to be the starting major league third baseman he was found wanting by Dodger management. Back in AAA, LaRoche tore it up but unfortunately when Nomar went down with the big club, LaRoche was shelved with a back injury. It was that timing that helps explain why the Dodgers entered into the (mercifully short) Shea Hillenbrand Era. He has much to prove at the big league level, but I don’t think there is any question that LaRoche will hit or play solid defense. Still, there are questions about his ability to stay healthy, and the Dodgers’ willingness to give him some slack if he starts slow or hits some bumps along the road, as rookies inevitably will.

At January’s mini-camp, LaRoche said his troublesome back was feeling fine, thanks to a daily strength and stretching regimen. The back is not a major concern but it is enough of a problem that he needs to stick to a daily stretching regime, and was strong enough in the offseason to handle travel and competition as he helped lead Team USA to the Gold Medal in the IBAF Cup, slugging .697 along the way.

Trying to keep LaRoche at bay, is Nomar Garciaparra, he of van mural commercial fame. In the first half of 2006, Garciaparra played a great first base and provided some key homers down the stretch. Despite the presence of a seemingly Major League ready Loney, it was enough to earn him a two year deal. Two months into ‘07, though, Nomar was the worst hitting everyday first baseman in baseball. Only his ability/luck to hit in key situations masked the damage, but eventually the Dodgers decided it was Loney time and Nomar was shifted to fill a perceived need at third base. His offense was better at the hot corner, and even his power started to return until- shocker!- in August Garciaparra found himself on the DL. When he returned, Nomar was inserted in the lineup and did nothing to help stop the Dodgers slide.

It’s easy to remember his success in Boston, or even the good run to start ‘06. But the reality is that Nomar hasn’t hit for any real power now for 1 1/2 seasons. Two seasons ago, his weak second half could be attributed to injury, but last season he said he was healthy early, yet his bat still had no life. Below is the breakdown of his bizarre ‘07 season:


Nomar did a decent job when playing at Dodger Stadium but was a complete cipher while on the road. Does he still have the skills to hit enough for a third baseman? Maybe. Does he have the skills to play a quality defensive third base? Probably not. The best case scenario is LaRoche winning the job and Nomar displaying the ability to play all over the diamond. He should be an excellent, albeit expensive, late inning pinch hitter.

Garciaparra seems willing to to play wherever he’s needed… but can he?

The Managerial Decision
Who will play everyday in the outfield? Andrew Jones, he of the multiple Gold Gloves and expensive new contract, is a given in CF, but everything else is up in the air. We put up a poll at True Blue about the best possible alignment, and these were the results. I have no idea which way Joe Torre will lean. The best configuration would appear to be Kemp/Jones/Andre Ethier, but does Joe see it that way?

Many baseball minds are blinded by speed and Juan has that going for him. Ethier has the well rounded game but does not excel in any one thing. According to the numbers how Joe handles this decision could determine if the Dodgers are playing in October.

Health Decisions
As noted in the Jon Weisman pieces above, the top four rotation spots are locks. The only uncertainty comes in the fifth spot, and is dictated by Jason Schmidt’s health. If Schmidt is ready to pitch on his regular turn when the season starts, then the pitching staff gets crowded, but the rotation will be set. Esteban Loiaza and Hong-Chih Kuo head to the bullpen. If Schmidt can’t go from the start, then that fifth spot is up for grabs, with Loaiza and Kuo the overwhelming favorites to claim it.

Kuo has the better stuff while Loiaza has the whole veteran thing going for him. Neither have been healthy and both are coming off of surgeries that limited their performance in 2007. Honestly, it’s not hard to imagine a scenario where by the end of Spring Training, all three are unable to take the mound. Then maybe a Jason Johnson gets pressed into service, Ned starts making phone calls to Billy Beane to find out about the availability of Joe Blanton.

Those are the big decisions awaiting Joe Torre. Then we have myriad of little decisions. Who will be the utility infielder? Who will be the extra outfielder? Who will win spots in the back end of the bullpen?

These are all questions I will look at in my next column.

Phil Gurnee, co-author of True Blue LA, takes a look at the current, past, and future of his Los Angeles Dodgers. Mixing a totally subjective viewpoint with statistical analysis, he looks at baseball from both sides of the mirror.

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