Well, I am well past 30 days on completing this, and it isn't even 2009 anymore, but, whatever. Here is the report card on the Los Angeles Dodgers!
Los Angeles Dodgers:
Record: 95-67 (National League West Champions).
Batting Leaders:
Batting Average: Matt Kemp (.297)
Home Runs: Andre Ethier (31)
RBIs: Andre Either (106)
On-base Percentage: Casey Blake (.363)
Pitching Leaders:
Wins: Chad Billingsley (12)
ERA: Clayton Kershaw (2.79). Bullpen- Ronald Belisario (2.04).
Strikeouts: Clayton Kershaw (185)
Innings Pitched: Randy Wolf (214.1)
WHIP: Jonathan Broxton (0.96). Starters- Randy Wolf (1.10).
Saves: Jonathan Broxton (36)
Highlight of the Season: Slamming the door on a three-game-sweep of the Cardinals in the playoffs by defeating them 5-1 at Busch Stadium on October 10. The sweep was something that even 69-year-old manager Joe Torre enjoyed relishing in, as seen above.
Lowlight of the Season: Getting clobbered by the Phillies for the second year in a row in the NLCS, losing the series 4-1. They were outscored 26-8 in their final three games, which were all played in Philadelphia.
The Lowdown:
As many people expected, the Dodgers were much stronger in 2009, as they rolled to 95 victories and the NL West championship. They also took home the best record in the National League, something they haven't done since since 1983. They also just missed the century-mark in wins, which was something they haven't accomplished since 1974. This was truly a team in which the whole was greater than the sum of its parts, as there was no real standout pitcher in their rotation, and no real standout performer in their lineup, save for Andre Ethier. This was just a strong team from top to bottom, and they were also able to weather the storm of losing Manny Ramirez for 50 games due to a positive steroid test in May. It was no problem for them though, because once they took over first place for good on April 19, they never looked back.
Offense:
The Dodgers' lineup in 2009 featured a little more pop in it, but the man providing the power was the person you would expect. Andre Ethier was the big man in the middle of the order for the Dodgers in '09, as he hit .272, with 31 home runs and 106 RBIs. This has to be a very promising sign for Ethier's progression, as this was the fourth year in a row that he has increased his home run and RBI totals. The lanky right-fielder out of Arizona State is starting to blossom into a bonafide power hitter, and since he's in L.A., that means he will definitely become a star that everyone will take notice of in the years to come.
Behind him were a slew of effective bats, which featured Matt Kemp (.297 average, 26 home runs, 101 RBIs), Manny Ramirez (.290/19/71), Casey Blake (.280/18/63) and James Loney (.281/13/90). It is also worth noting that left fielder Juan Pierre did an admirable job in filling in for the suspended Ramirez, as he came through with timely hits, and provided extra speed at the top of the order. He would finish the season with a .308 average, a .365 on-base percentage and 30 steals, which was second on the team to Kemp's surprising 34. Perhaps the only thing that was disappointing about their lineup was catcher Russell Martin, who watched his batting average fall 30 points from .280 in '08 to .250 last year. However, their well-rounded lineup was more than able to make up for Martin's absence.
The Dodgers would go on to finish 11th in runs scored (780), fifth in overall hits (1,511), fourth in on-base percentage (.346) and tied for fourth in batting average (.270). Even though their 145 home runs was only good for 23rd in MLB, this was a team that did not need to rely on the home run to beat you. They had a whole litany of hitters who knew how to come through with timely hits, time and time again.
Final Grade: A-
Pitching:
The Dodgers' starting rotation was pretty good as a whole in 2009, but who takes the cake as the best starter on the team? Well, my vote would go to Randy Wolf, who had a renaissance year in L.A. Wolf made a career-high 34 starts in 2009, and he proved to be very effective, going 11-7 with a 3.23 ERA, while putting together a WHIP of 1.10, which was the seventh-best in MLB. He wasn't the only top performer in their rotation though, as 21-year-old Clayton Kershaw put together a fantastic season of his own. Even though his 8-8 record seems unimpressive, his 2.79 ERA and his 185 strikeouts in 171.1 innings are something to be impressed by though. Chad Billingsley had a solid season of his own in 2009, as he led the staff with 12 victories, but he was possibly the receiver of good run support though, as his ERA rose to 4.03 from 3.14 in 2008. Hiroki Kuroda's performance is also worth mentioning, as he made 20 starts in '09, and went 8-7 in that time span, with a 3.76 ERA and an impressive WHIP of 1.14.
The Dodgers also had a bullpen that was pretty rock-solid, as they were led by the trio of Jonathan Broxton, Ramon Troncoso and Ronald Belisario. All three featured ERAs under three, and Belisario was especially impressive, as he sported a sparkling 2.04 ERA in 73 appearances. Fireballer Jonathan Broxton was also very effective in the closer's role, as he featured an impressive WHIP of 0.96, to go along with a 2.61 ERA, and a ridiculous 114 strikeouts in just 76 innings. The only downside to his great season was that he blew six saves, which is suspiciously high, but in any event, 36 saves is still pretty good.
Overall, the Dodgers featured the best team ERA in the majors at 3.41, tied for the least amount of runs surrendered with 611, and held opponents to the lowest batting average in MLB at .233. Even though division-rival San Francisco had an outstanding pitching staff in 2009, the Dodgers proved to be a perfect foe, as always. L.A.'s pitching staff is right up there with the Giants for the best in baseball.
Final Grade: A+
Wild Card: Joe Torre
Torre has proven to everybody during the last two seasons that he is not a push-button manager, as he has guided the Dodgers to back-to-back division titles. This year was especially impressive, as he kept a steady ship, despite the tumultuous waves of the Manny Ramirez suspension attempting to blow the ship over. The team did not flounder too much during the season either, despite a furious charge by the Rockies toward the end of the season. Most young teams would not have been able to withstand that kind of pressure, but Torre was able to keep everybody even-keel.
Final Grade: A+
Overall:
The Dodgers are a fantastic team that is capable of winning the NL Pennant, however, their only problem is an inability to "close" when the time counts in the playoffs. They simply need to find out a way to beat Philly in October.
Final Grade: A
Check back soon for the report card on the Los Angeles Angels!
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