February 02, 2008
Team Offense, Los Angeles Dodgers
We continue to look at team offenses for 2008 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
James Loney
Photo: Icon SMI
In 2007, the Dodgers scored 4.54 runs per game.
I plugged in a likely lineup to the Lineup Analysis Tool, using the Marcel the Monkey predictions from Tom Tango. For pitchers, I used the team pitcher averages from 2007. The lineups rate as follows:
- Best: 5.08 runs per game
- Given: 4.84 runs per game
- Worst: 4.54 runs per game
The Dodgers managed to improve, mostly by getting rid of Luis Gonzalez and giving a full time job to James Loney. But the Dodgers have choices in constructing their lineup. The above represents the "old" lineup, including Pierre and Garciaparra as every day players. A young lineup, replacing those two with Ethier and LaRoche yields the following:
- Best: 5.25 runs per game
- Given: 5.04 runs per game
- Worst: 4.76 runs per game
Playing the youngsters increases scoring by about 0.2 runs per game, or about 32 runs over a season. That's three wins. Given the close nature of the NL races the last few years, three wins could be huge. However, it's tough to sit players who are earning the big bucks.
Previous teams covered in the series:
How terribly shocking. The best possible configuration for the likely Dodger lineup has the least possible at bats for Juan Pierre--and the worst has him hitting second (hey--he *is* a better hitter than a bunch of pitchers!).
That webpage need to be printed several dozen times, rolled up into a cylinder, and used as a clue stick to wap Dodger management on their noggins until Juan Pierre is released unconditionally.
