LA Dodgers Don't Look Like World Series-Caliber Team

The 2009 Los Angeles Dodgers are the ultimate example of why being a Major League Baseball general manager is so hard.

Certainly times are good for the Dodgers right now, as they sport the best record in the league at 64-39 and are considered the best team in baseball by many analysts, writers and fans.

But at the same time, you have to wonder if this Los Angeles team (with a questionable pitching staff and an offense that seems disturbingly similar to the three-and-out Angels squads of late) is built to advance deep into the playoffs or just rack up win-after-win in the regular season before crumbling in October like Mike Scioscia’s crew.

And with the passing of the trade deadline yesterday, the back of Dodgers GM Ned Colletti’s mind (and to a certain extent owner Frank McCourt’s mind) has to be filled with confidence, yet doubt, and optimism dampered with a significant amount of fear.

I can imagine both Colletti and McCourt thinking things like how they could have the second-best pitching staff in the postseason or give up more runs in the National League Divisional Series than last year's Cubs hurlers.

Or how Andre Ethier, James Loney and Matt Kemp could put up huge numbers in the playoffs to supplement a mortal lock to mash in Manny Ramirez, or have their bats become quieter than Hawaii football coach Greg McMackin at a Gay pride parade.

And they have to be questioning whether or not they should have signed CC Sabathia (who wanted to pitch in California) this past offseason, or whether they should have traded Chad Billingsley or Clayton Kershaw as part of a deal for the best pitcher in the league in the Blue Jays’ Roy Halladay or unloaded their farm system on the Indians for catcher Victor Martinez, who the Red Sox ended up acquiring.

Make no mistake about it, unlike any other major professional sport in the U.S., the MLB playoffs are essentially a bigger crapshoot than using Mystery’s techniques to pick up a DI blue chip prospect (i.e. an attractive woman) at a night club, as teams like the 2006 Cardinals and 2003 Marlins prove that teams who aren’t the best on paper can still end up being world Champions.

There is one trend though that has seemed to emerge as of late when it comes to the World Series, and it is that the winner typically possesses an offense that hits a lot of home runs, a pitching staff led by one or two aces to go along with two more above-average starters and a solid bullpen anchored by a lights out closer (See the 2004 and 2007 Red Sox and the 2008 Phillies).

The Dodgers offense (which is tied for 25th in home runs with 85 as of July 31) certainly doesn’t fit that mold, though it does feature four players with ten home runs or more.

Unlike the Angels with Vladimir Guerrero in October, everyone in the Dodgers clubhouse knows that ManRam will mash in the postseason, as this is the man that won the 2004 World Series MVP with the Sox in an event that was bigger for the city than the Boston Tea Party, but he can’t do it himself, and I don’t think he’ll get much support with the rather lackluster power hitters that surround him.

In the playoffs, you need a lineup where pretty much any hitter is capable of hitting a two-run homer with men on base so you don’t have to waste outs with bunts trying to drive him in.

After all, your opposition’s pitcher is usually a guy like Cole Hamels who is at the top of his profession and makes very few mistakes that you can afford to waste with small ball.

I don’t think the Dodgers possess that ability, though they could prove me wrong.

And you need an ace that can go seven innings while giving up two runs or less despite facing the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Jorge Posada three times around, and I don’t think Billingsley and Kershaw can do that at this point in their young careers.

However, with that said, the Dodgers bullpen is almost as mean as Tom Cruise in Collateral, as Jonathan Broxton is filthier than the gothic stripper at the Body Shop in Hollywood and Joe Torre has a number of formidable setup men in front of him that he can give the ball to with a good amount of confidence, such as Guillermo Mota.

And the Dodgers also feature X-factors in Jeff Weaver and Jason Schmidt who have pitched very well in the postseason before and could give this team a better staff than the Phillies or even the revamped White Sox staff with Jake Peavy barring Weaver’s control and Schmidt’s health to go along with Billingsley and Kershaw pitching at least like they have so far this year.

In essence, the Dodgers lack of hitting and an ace that scares you at this present time makes them look to me like a bigger long shot at becoming the Lord of the Rings in October than Smigel, though they certainly could prove me wrong.  

Either way though, Colletti will be left feeling happy with how he built his team or kicking himself for not seeing its close relation to his cross-town rivals in Anaheim when the final out is recorded for his squad.