Draft prep: Los Angeles Dodgers outlook

The Dodgers didn't make that splash move in an offseason full of them, but they did make some significant tweaks that can get them over the hump as a contender. They signed Andruw Jones to shore up defense and add pop; they imported Japanese pitcher Hiroki Kuroda; signed veteran manager Joe Torre; and perhaps most important, retained status quo on keeping all of their top prospects.

That last mark is very significant when you consider the depth and quality of this team's farm system. They are ready to reap some huge rewards.

Fantasy owners jump in line on them, too.

Kuroda comes to America older than Daisuke Matsuzaka a year ago, but the reports on him are similar in that he can hit the mid-90s and has outstanding command. That could make him a 12- to 15-game winner in his first year and the NL Rookie of the Year.

If Kuroda doesn't get that, perhaps rising third base prospect Andy LaRoche might. He will be given the shot to start the year in the big leagues, perhaps as an everyday player.

Among young, non-rookies, Chad Billingsley, Matt Kemp and setup man Jonathan Broxton have elite potential that we could fully uncover as soon as the second half of this year. And Russell Martin is already arguably the best young catcher in baseball.

Granted, there are some question marks: 1. Jeff Kent and Takashi Saito are old. 2. Jason Schmidt has been a huge bust of a free agent from a year ago. 3. The young talent (outside of Martin) hasn't yet risen to be much more than ordinary yet.

But with a good mix of veterans and youth ready to pop, the Dodgers will be a good place to find some Fantasy gems this season.

Spring position battles

Third base -- Andy LaRoche vs. Nomar Garciaparra

The Dodgers say LaRoche and Nomar will enter spring training on even ground in this position battle, which leads us to believe they're ready to have the elite prospect take over full time. They already said they want him on the roster and you don't leave a talent like LaRoche in reserve duty. Now, Nomar's disappointing numbers in the past few years look reserve-worthy and he could be better suited to be a pinch hitter and part-timer. Consider LaRoche a .300-30-100-100 candidate in his prime and an outstanding sleeper in deeper leagues this spring. We wouldn't be shocked to see him win NL Rookie of the Year honors. He is that good.

Left and right field -- Juan Pierre and Matt Kemp vs. Andre Ethier

The Dodgers are already moving Pierre out of center field to slot Jones in center and now they say he is no certainty to play every day. That's a costly reserve. Expect Pierre to get the bulk of the at-bats in left, forcing the younger, less-proven, but far more intriguing Kemp and Ethier to platoon in right. That's a great platoon there. Consider Pierre further down on this Draft Day and Kemp an outstanding sleeper in deeper leagues. He has yet to pop and there is some immense .300-30-100-100 potential in his bat. Ethier is more of a steady guy, but at the left-handed portion of a true platoon could do more damage than good by taking the bulk of at-bats from Kemp.

No. 5 starter -- Jason Schmidt vs. Esteban Loaiza

This isn't a position battle as much as it is a stress test this spring on two surgically-repaired and still problematic shoulders. Schmidt won't throw in the mid-90s anymore and Loaiza never really did, save for that one fluke year (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). Schmidt is a nice sleeper in deeper leagues in the event he can regain his lost heat on his fastball, while Loaiza should be viewed as nothing more than a deeper NL-only option.

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