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Clayton Kershaw is not only quickly becoming the face of the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise, but he’s also arguably on the fast track to being one of the premiere starters in all of baseball.

Among the larger criticisms of the Dodgers pitching staff is the lack of a true ace, however Kershaw’s performance during his first full two years of service indicates that it’s only a matter of time before he fills that void.

Kershaw, who will turn 23 in March, finished the 2010 season at 13-10 with a 2.91 ERA and 212 strikeouts in just over 204 innings of work. His number of wins could have easily been much higher if it weren’t for the Dodgers’ sluggish bats, who incidentally provided the lefty phenom with a mere 3.9 runs per game of offensive support.

One of his most impressive performances of last season came on May 9 when he outdueled Colorado Rockies’ ace Ubaldo Jimenez to lead Los Angeles to a 1-0 victory. Earning the win, Kershaw threw eight innings of shutout ball while striking out nine, having only surrendered two hits and three walks. Notwithstanding, he topped that effort with his first career complete-game shutout against Barry Zito and the San Francisco Giants on September 14. During that affair, Kershaw yielded no walks and only four hits as the Dodgers clinched the 1-0 win.

Although he doesn’t yet have the track record to prove so, some fans across Dodgertown have already began discussions that rank Kershaw among the greatest left-handed starters in Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers history. It may sound absurd, but Kershaw may become known among the Dodger lefty greats sooner than many would expect.

Surprisingly, amidst the Dodgers’ rich pitching heritage that spans 127 years, very few southpaws have experienced any type of dominating, consistent success. It’s not difficult in the least for the common Dodger enthusiast to list upwards of 35 right-handed starting pitchers who have proven to be elite, however the task of naming only 10 lefties is extremely challenging.

The following slides highlight 10 of the most successful southpaws in Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers history, as well as offer a bit of commentary regarding their careers as Dodgers. For those reading this piece who know of any die-hard Dodger fans who claim to be historical scholars or statistic addicts, feel free to challenge them to name 10 starting left-handed starting pitchers who deserve to be among the Dodgers elite—the task can certainly make even the most well-informed Dodger enthusiast seem feeble-minded.

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When thinking of pitching rotations with a lot of depth, the Phillies, Red Sox and Giants are—rightfully so—the first teams to come to mind. However, one could argue that the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation is underrated and belongs in that discussion.

The biggest distinction between the Dodgers and the other three teams may be the perceived lack of a true ace. We all know that the Phillies have two premier aces in Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, the Sox have Jon Lester, and the Giants have Tim Lincecum, but the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw has not yet achieved that true “ace” perception.

Is it time he should?

There is no doubt that Kershaw is an elite strikeout pitcher. In his first two full seasons, he struck out well over a batter per inning. His ability to miss that many bats (combined with a nice home ballpark for pitchers) has also helped him post an ERA under three in both seasons.  

Kershaw’s strikeout ability has even helped him post WHIP’s of 1.23 and 1.18 despite his habit of issuing walks. Where the walks have hurt his roto numbers is in the wins category. Obviously, walks lead to high pitch counts, and high pitch counts lead to early exits from the mound. As a result, Kershaw averaged only 5.2 innings per start in 2009 (eight wins) and 6.1 innings per start in 2010 (13 wins).  

As you can see, Kershaw won more games while pitching deeper into games last season, indicative of the significant drop in his walk rate. If the young pitcher continues to improve (as he should), he may be considered a no-doubt, top-ten, fantasy pitching ace by the All-Star break.  

Just in case he takes a turn away from becoming a Lester/Lincecum type towards being a Jonathan Sanchez type, I am heading into the season slightly cautious with Kershaw just outside my top-ten pitchers at no. 13.

The second starter in LA is also a guy who is probably underrated. Chad Billingsley was very impressive in 2008—his first full season as a starter—when he won 16 games with an ERA of 3.14 while posting a 9.01 K/9.  

Chad then “disappointed” in 2009 (12 W, 4.03 ERA, 8.21 K/9) and 2008 (12 W, 3.57 ERA, 8.03 K/9). However, he showed some positive signs last year by cutting down on the walks issued and having a FIP of 3.07.  

Maybe Billingsley’s first year was a bit of an overachievement, but you should not let what he was color your evaluation of what he now is.

This a guy that seems pretty sure to win at least 12 games, have an ERA in the mid-threes, keep the WHIP at or under 1.30, and be a very nice strikeout-producer. In my estimation, that type of certainty makes him a definite top-30 and borderline top-25 pitcher. It is likely he will be drafted a little lower than that and could be a very nice value on draft day.

Ted Lilly is another LA pitcher of whom you can know what to expect. From 2004-2006, Lilly struggled with his control, walking over four batters per nine innings in each of those years. However, Lilly seems to have found his command in the National League as he walked only 2.3 batters per nine innings over the last four seasons. Thanks to that, Lilly has become an excellent source of WHIP help for the fantasy baseball player with WHIP’s of 1.14, 1.23, 1.06, and 1.08. Combined with four straight K/9’s over 7.50, all these numbers make Lilly a reliable, top-40 starting pitcher.

The next guy in line for the Dodgers is another who may be underrated. In two and a half seasons (he missed time in 2009 due to an injury), Hiroki Kuroda has had a cumulative 3.60 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. He is not a huge contributor in the K’s category, but he should chip in a K/9 somewhere between six and seven. Because he is a little older (36) and because he spent the majority of his career playing in Japan, Kuroda is not a very sexy option who is likely to be undervalued in many drafts. I would recommend treating Kuroda as a top-50 pitcher because he is a safe bet to help and not hurt in every category.

After the four guys who are usable in mixed leagues, Jon Garland is a pretty decent fifth starter who should be a decent NL-only play.  He is a solid innings-eater who consistently produces a four-ish ERA. He does not contribute much in the strikeout department and has the potential to be a bit of a WHIP liability, but Garland is still a reliable contributor for deeper leagues.

[Original Article Location]

Written by Brett Talley exclusively for http://www.thefantasyfix.com

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Read More of Brett’s National League West Previews:

Mat Latos & the San Diego Padres

Daniel Hudson & the Arizona Diamondbacks

Ubaldo Jimenez & the Colorado Rockies

2011 Fantasy Baseball Great Debate: Mark Teixeira vs. Adrian Gonzalez

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

After a very successful first four and a half years to start his major league career, Los Angeles Dodgers’ closer Jonathan Broxton had a miserable second half in 2010.

Broxton was an All-Star in 2010, putting up great first half numbers with an ERA of 2.11, as well as 19 saves in 21 chances.  

However, after the All-Star break Broxton proceeded to post an ERA of 7.13 with just three saves in eight opportunities, and Broxton had more walks than strikeouts.

By mid-August, the Dodgers were falling out of contention and essentially went with a closer by committee over the last month and a half of the season, with Broxton, Hong-Chi Kuo and Kenley Jansen splitting the closer duty,

Broxton’s struggles came as quite a shock, considering he had done so well prior to the second half of 2010.

He still has a career ERA of 3.11 and a great strikeout to walk ratio of 3.2, but with Broxton expected to be the primarily closer in 2011, the Dodgers have to be ready to take action in case he struggles.

Here are 10 potential alternative plans the Dodgers can make if Broxton is ineffective in 2011.

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Following in the footsteps of his father, Tom Gordon, 22-year-old Dee Gordon is currently on the fast track to play in the major leagues for one of baseball’s highest profile teams, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Gordon is currently ranked first on Baseball America as the Dodger’s top prospect.

Widely considered as a tremendous hitter and fielder, Gordon may also be the best all-around athlete in the highly talented farm system.

With the hype surrounding Gordon, there is a great chance that he will be starting at shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers by the end of the season.

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Young players, whether they be mid-season call-ups or rookies who make the team out of spring training, tend to have a massive impact on their team’s success.

From players like Buster Posey and Jason Heyward to Neftali Feliz, more and more are young stars expected to produce immediately upon their arrival in the majors. 

Let’s take a look at who we can expect to have some of the biggest impacts on their team’s success in the 2011 season… 

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With Spring Training rapidly approaching, the 2011 Los Angeles Dodgers‘ roster is nearly finalized. First-year manager, Don Mattingly, hopes to improve the team from the 2010 edition that was two games under .500.

Expectations were high going into last season after the 2009 club won a National League-high 95 games in 2009. A combination of bullpen injuries, a fading Manny Ramirez, and the messy owner situation resulted in a fourth-place finish in the NL West and frustrated fans.

“The question I have this year, that I didn’t have last year ago, is really rebounding from last season—’08 and ’09 were two really good years,” said GM Ned Colletti.

“We gained a lot, players matured a lot, got more understanding of the dynamics of competing at this level and playing in October.

Heading into the 2010 season, many thought that the Dodgers biggest issue would be their starting pitching. This was simply not the case as the Dodgers received productive seasons from starting pitchers Clayton Kershaw, Hiroki Kuroda, and Vicente Padilla, as well as a bounce-back second half from Chad Billingsley.

The Dodgers’ biggest problem in 2010 was their lack of offensive fire power, with the Dodgers hitting just 120 home runs, second fewest in the NL, and consistently struggled to score from months June through September.

Despite having the second highest attendance of any NL team in 2010, and the highest in 2009, the Dodgers will likely head into 2011 with just the fifth highest payroll at $95 million.

However, this total does not include the near $35 million that the Dodgers still have to pay to several ex-Dodgers, in particular Manny Ramirez, Juan Pierre, Andrew Jones, and Jason Schmidt.

We have seen teams go deep into the playoffs without top payrolls before, most recently the 2010 AL Champion Texas Rangers, who had the 26th lowest payroll out of the 30 MLB teams.

Here is a comparison of the 2010 Dodgers starting lineup with the projected 2011 edition:

2010:

Rafael Furcal, SS
Andre Ethier, RF
Matt Kemp, CF
Manny Ramirez, LF
Casey Blake, 3B
James Loney, 1B
Ronnie Belliard, 2B
Russell Martin, C

2011:

Rafael Furcal, SS
Andre Ethier, RF
Matt Kemp, CF
Casey Blake, 3B
Juan Uribe, 2B
James Loney, 1B
Rod Barajas, C
Xavier Paul, OF

Offense

At first glance, the 2010 Dodgers lineup looks better on paper than the 2011 version, after the departures of Manny Ramirez, Russell Martin, and Ronnie Belliard. However, Ramirez, Martin and Belliard all had disappointing seasons, so Juan Uribe, Rod Barajas, and Xavier Paul should not be any worse than those three.

Above all else, among the 2010 starting Dodger position players that will return in 2011, it seemed like every one of them had a slightly worse season than expected, leading to a collective struggle on offense for much of the season.

With guys like Ethier, Kemp, and Loney hitting their prime years, as well as Blake and Furcal attempting to recover from disappointing 2010 seasons, the Dodgers might very well get more out of their 2010 starters in 2011.

Bench

Whereas Los Angeles should get solid production out of their veteran starters, the Dodgers do not quite know what to expect from their bench.

Newly-acquired outfielder, former Yankee Marcus Thames, should provide much needed power off of the bench. Thames, 33, had an OPS of .841 in 237 plate appearances last season, and hit at least 25 home runs in two of the last four seasons.

The starting lineup is not set in stone so, for example, impressive spring training results from Dioner Navarro, Jamey Carrol, or Marcus Thames could very well result in a 2011 starting lineup without second baseman Juan Uribe, catcher Rod Barajas, or outfielder Xavier Paul.

Outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. will be one of the team’s primary pinch runners and can also play centerfield.

Starting Rotation

The 2011 Dodgers’ starting rotation consist of five proven guys, each of whom had an ERA of less than 4.00 in 2010. Not many teams can say that.

The opening day starter figures to be 22-year-old southpaw Clayton Kershaw, fresh off his first All-Star game appearance, as well as his second straight season with an ERA under 3.00 and one of the best BAA (batting average against) in the league.

Next in the rotation will be 26-year-old Chad Billingsley, who has had a very good career in five seasons with the Dodgers, aside from a slump that lasted from mid-2009 until the All-Star break of 2010.

The Dodgers’ third starter is Hiroki Kuroda, who was now pitched three full season in the MLB, keeping his ERA under 4.00 all three seasons.

Old, but reliable veteran Ted Lilly will be the No. 4 starter. Lilly, 35, has had double-digit win totals in eight consecutive seasons and was a 2009 All-Star.

Always-consistent Jon Garland will be the fifth starter, carrying an even more impressive streak of nine straight 10-win seasons.

Vicente Padilla, 33, figures to be the Dodgers’ No. 1 option in a long-relief situation, as well as someone that can start if one of the starting five fails to stay healthy. Overall, the rotation is certainly stronger than it was last season, when the Dodgers struggled to find their fifth starter all year long.

Bullpen

One of the biggest concerns for the Dodgers going into 2011 is their bullpen, which did a nice job in 2010, but currently has many unproven guys aside from Hong-Chih-Kuo, Jonathan Broxton, and Vicente Padilla.

Relief pitchers Ramon Troncoso, Ronald Belisario, and Blake Hawksworth each had sub-par 2010 seasons after great 2009 campaigns, so it is tough to know what to expect from them. Aside from those six relievers, the Dodgers will most likely use the inexperienced Kenley Jansen and Scott Elbert, as well as second-year Dodgers John Ely and Carlos Monasterios.

The biggest concern might be the lack of left-handed throwers out of the pen, considering that Kuo and Elbert are the only two on their projected 25-man roster.

Fielding

On the defensive side, the Dodgers should be solid. Their starting infield has the experience of Juan Uribe, Casey Blake and Rafael Furcal to go along with above-average defenders James Loney and Rod Barajas.

With Manny out of left field, and Xavier Paul expected to take his spot, the Dodgers should be better defensively in the outfield as well.

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The Dodgers appear to have truly found their core guys, most of whom came out of the Dodger farm system in 2006. This includes starters James Loney, Andre Ethier, and Matt Kemp, as well as pitchers Chad Billingsley and Jonathan Broxton.

Every one of them has already been to the postseason with the Dodgers three times, and they are all hungry to finally make it past the second round. The one exception is Kershaw, who came up in 2008.

Presumably, the Dodgers success will hinge on whether they can produce sufficient power and timely hitting—two aspects of the game that the Dodgers never got right in 2010.

The Dodgers could really use big years out of outfielders Matt Kemp, 26, and 28 year-old Andre Ethier, each of whom declined in 2010 after career years in 2009. When at their best, we have seen both guys play as well as any outfielders in the National League.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Bryan: 15-1. 4-7. Those are Ubaldo Jimenez‘s first- and second-half records last season. He went from unbelievable to unbelievably pedestrian, so which Jimenez is the real Jimenez? Any time you ask that question, the real answer is, “Somewhere in the middle, of course!” and the same holds true here.

Chris: Clayton Kershaw turned in a marvelous pitching performance in 2010. He made 32 starts and compiled a 2.91 ERA and 1.18 WHIP to go along with 212 Ks. At 23 years old he’s primed to enter fantasy’s elite.

Bryan: Let me clarify something: When I said the real Jimenez is somewhere in the middle, I neglected to mention that means something along the lines of 19-8 with a 2.88 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 214 Ks…a line he actually amassed last season despite that second half slump…a line better than Kershaw’s in every way.

Chris: I hope you’re not reading too much into Jimenez’s numbers being better than Kershaw in every way. An ERA difference of .03, a WHIP difference of .03 and two extra strikeouts seems more like a wash to me. You mention a tale of two seasons for Jimenez. I’m sure his head-to-head owners appreciated that. I bet they wish they had Kershaw’s consistency all year instead.

Bryan: Hey, Chris. Better is better. I’ll have my roto boys back me up. Don’t be gettin’ all defensive, homes.

Chris: You’re right. Better is better. Kershaw’s BB/9 ratio of 3.57 was better than Jimenez’s 3.74. Also, Kershaw’s K/9 ratio of 9.34 was quite a bit better than Jimenez’s rate of 8.69. And isn’t the point of debating to defend your position? As Marshall Eriksen says, “Lawyered!”

Bryan: Kershaw had the better strikeout and walk rates fo’ sho, but Jimenez wins opponents average (.208 to .217) and the all-important ground ball battle (48.8 percent to 40.1 percent). And you know what else is nice? Jimenez has thrown 218 and 221.2 innings in the last two seasons, respectively.

Chris: You seem to be neglecting the point that Kershaw is trending upward while Jimenez is trending downward. From 2009 to 2010 Kershaw lowered his walk rate from 4.79 to 3.57 and increased his ground-ball rate from 39.4 percent to 40.1 percent. On the other hand, Jimenez’s walk rate rose from 3.51 in ’09 to 3.74 in ’10, and his ground-ball rate declined from 52.5 percent to 48.8 percent.

And don’t forget that Kershaw pitched over 200 innings last year, as the Dodgers have methodically built up his endurance over the past three years.

Bryan: I hardly think you could call Jimenez’s increase in walks and decrease in ground balls a trend. His GB percentage was over 50 percent in the prior two seasons, so 48 percent is still in that same neighborhood, and the 3.74 BB/9 is lower than the 4.06 and 4.67 rates he had in ’07 and ’08. He’s not trending down as much as he’s remaining elite in his ground balls while still maintaining the same control he had during his pre-breakout ’09 season.

Chris: Even if you don’t think it’s a trend, there’s no denying that Kershaw has been improving every year (and by the way, he doesn’t have to pitch half his games at Coors Field). He is one of the best young pitchers in the game who delivers a low ERA and WHIP and strikes out over 200 batters. He was almost a top 10 starting pitcher last year, and with another year of experience, he will hurdle over Jimenez and become a fantasy ace.

For the original article, check out Baseball Professor.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The NL West was arguably one of the best divisions last season thanks in large part to the Giants bullpen and the Padres’ early success.

With young talent running deep, the NL West looks to continue its exciting play and eventually sponsor a squad in a playoff run in October.

Let’s look at 25 guys that could make that a reality, or a repeat.

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With spring training quickly approaching, several questions continue to linger in terms of how the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 25-man roster will shape up once the players arrive at Camelback Ranch to prepare themselves for the long journey ahead.

Although general manager Ned Colletti has been very active this winter with numerous new additions to the club, there are still players on the free agent market available who may have the skills or abilities to complete a roster with a few holes.

Right now, the buzz around Dodgertown suggests that the team’s biggest needs are an outfielder with power, a number-two hitter in the lineup, and a left-handed arm in the bullpen. While Colletti may indeed explore free agent possibilities or entertain trade options, the organization is rich with talent and there are plenty of components to assemble a formidable 25-man roster.

Several roster spots may be determined by individual performances during Cactus League play, most specifically the fifth outfielding spot and the sixth arm in the bullpen. While there will be tight competition to finalize these several spots, the new coaching staff will also look to establish chemistry and generate positive momentum heading into Opening Day.

Assuming that the roster stays relatively the same as the season approaches, the following slides project all 25 players who may find themselves on the 25-man roster, show a handful of players who will be in heated battles to earn a place on the big league squad, as well as recommend a starting lineup for Opening Day on April 1.

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New Year’s Day is nearly upon us, and perhaps no MLB team is looking forward to a fresh start in 2011 more than the Los Angeles Dodgers.

From the ugly proceedings of the McCourt divorce to the departure of Manny Ramirez to the retirement of Joe Torre, the Dodgers had their fair share of pitfalls in a year that saw them fail to capture a third consecutive NL West division title.

But it wasn’t all bad for the Boys in Blue. The long-awaited emergence of young stars like Andre Ethier, Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley gave general manager Ned Colletti plenty of reason to hope that his team will see better days sooner rather than later.

That being said, let’s have a look at some of the most notable ups and downs for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010.

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