Midseason Grades: Dodgers
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by The Beast
Record: 49-40, 2nd place
The Good: The Dodgers only trail the San Diego Padres by one game due to allowing 3rd fewest runs per game in the National League. Brad Penny has established himself as the ace of the staff with ten wins and a 2.39 ERA. Russell Martin has ignored the sophomore jinx by becoming an All-Star at just twenty-four years of age. He is batting well over. 300 with 60 RBIs and 51 runs. Minor league call ups and top prospects, James Loney and Matt Kemp, went on a tear in June with each recording an on-base percentage over .400 and a slugging percentage over .500.
The Bad: Three hefty contracts were handed out over the offseason. All three so far have been busts. Jason Schmidt was lost for the entire season after throwing 25 2/3 innings. Center fielder Juan Pierre has a .311 on-base percentage and a .282 batting average, not much for your leadoff guy. Nomar Garciaparra has also had his fair share of struggles with a .276 batting average and a 72 OPS+. Wilson Betemit has also proved to be incapable of being an everyday third baseman, just batting over .200 with 24 RBIs and 19 runs.
The Future: The Dodgers return to action with three-fifths of the starting rotation, Schmidt, Randy Wolf and Hong-Chih Kuo, on the disabled list. Mark Hendrickson and Chad Billensley are expected to help carry the burden but both have been inconsistent throughout their careers. The team also has lingering offensive questions. The urge to make a trade is as strong as every in Hollywood. Troy Gluas and Adam Dunn are two names that have been floating around. However, the Dodgers have said they wish to acquire another pitcher with Dontell Willis being a possibility. Right now, they hold the wild card position in the NL, but with their high payroll a first place finish is the only option remaining.
Grade: B-
