National League West Champions!:
As a Dodger fan, it feels very good to type those words and not be writing about the Giants or Diamondbacks!
Even though there was disappointment in going out in the playoffs to the Cardinals, at least LA won it's first playoff game since the glory days of Kirk Gibson and Orel Hershiser in 1988, and there are plenty of positivies to build on.
What went well?:
Adrian Beltre finally delivered in a big way - funny how it always seems to coincide with free agency, isn't it?! After years of waiting for Beltre to fully deliver his potential, the Dodgers weren't disappointed, as he virtually carried the team's offense with a .334 average, 48 homers and 121 RBIs. He also cut his strikeouts (down to 87 with 53 walks) and wasn't afraid to hit to the opposite field (credit to hitting coach Tim Wallach!).
Cesar Izturis had a fantastic year, batting .288 and taking over at lead-off after Roberts was traded without too many problems. Cesar also stole 25 bases and played exceptional defense for the second straight year, but this time got the Gold Glove - probably because he hit well this year! After all the talk last year linking the Dodgers with Nomar Garciaparra, LA has no need for a great shortstop.
Eric Gagne had his usual incredible year. Despite a week or so when he actually showed he was human, 7 wins, 45 saves and a 2.19 ERA is another outstanding year. Gagne's strikeout ratio (114 strikeouts to 22 walks in 82 1/3 innings) is still ridiculous.
Jose Lima came to Spring Training as a long shot to make the roster, let alone be in the rotation, but 2004 was "Lima Time" in LA, after he posted a 13-5 record with a 4.07 ERA, an incredible recovery from a guy who many thought was washed up two years ago. Lima pitched the game of his life in the Dodgers' sole win in the playoffs, and really proved himself to be a true team leader. The Dodgers have been accused in recent yeas of not having many lively players to keep the rest of the team loose, but Lima brought a real carnival atmosphere to the team.
Jeff Weaver's numbers (13-13, 4.01 ERA) don't exactly jump out at you as being particularly special, but it was important for him to get out of New York and have a steady season. He ate up 220 innings, and kept his team in almost every game, and had his run support been a little better, he could have easily had 16+ wins.
Other honourable mentions:
Jayson Werth (.262, 16 HR, 47 RBIS) showed power and versatility in his playing time - definitely a useful guy to have on the team. Steve Finley (.263, 13 HR, 46 RBIs) had a big impact after arriving from Arizona, including that dramatic grandslam to clinch the NL West title against the Giants. Duaner Sanchez (3-1, 3.38 ERA) suprised everyone with a great year. Yhency Brazoban (6-2, 2.48 ERA) already looks like Guillermo Mota mark II. The Dodger bench of Robin Ventura (.243, 5 HR, 28 RBIs), Olmedo Saenz (.279, 8 HR, 22 RBIs) and Jose Hernandez (.289, 13 HR, 29 RBIs) was one of the strongest in baseball.
What didn't go well?:
The trading away of Paul Lo Duca, Guillermo Mota and Dave Roberts proved to be a PR disaster. Mota was good trade bait to boost the rotation, but getting rid of Lo Duca, the heart and soul of the team, seemed to make little sense. Lo Duca did tend to fade in the second half of the season, unsuprising for a catcher, but Lo Duca fading still proved to be far more of an offensive threat than a red-hot David Ross (.170, 5 HR, 15 RBIs) or Brent Mayne (.188, 0 HR, 5 RBIs). The players arriving in that deal, were terrible. Brad Penny (1-2, 3.09 ERA) was injured soon after arriving and Hee Seop Choi (.161, 0 HR, 6 RBIs) was barely trusted to pinch-hit after losing playing time. Roberts was given away to Boston for Henri Stanley (who?).
Milton Bradley is a very talented guy (.267, 19 HR, 67 RBIs), but his temper tantrums did himself no favours at all. If it was not for the fact that he's young and therefore cheap, he Dodgers might be more inclined to get rid of him.
Despite a fairly smooth transition from the outfield to 1st base, and a strong second half, Shawn Green (.266, 28 HR, 86 RBIs) is still under pressure. Yes, he's a great guy, but the Dodgers need more of the 40+ HR season from a few years ago, so they'll likely try to trade him in a swap of big contracts.
What about next year?:
Paul De Podesta faces some big decisions before next season. Can he re-sign Beltre, Lima and Steve Finley? Can he find a taker for Shawn Green's $16m salary? Which free-agent starters can he sign? How much longer can he put up with Bradley? Does he really have much money to play with? Dodger fans like myself will await the answers to these questions with interest!