Los Angeles Dodgers 2011 - The good, the bad, the future

[RickD]

This is the 18th in a daily series of short looks at each team in MLB. The opinions expressed are my own..

The Los Angeles Dodgers. The official team website says: It's time for Dodger Baseball!

Fans of the Dodgers probably wished they could focus on baseball. Unfortunately the media circus surrounding the Dodgers made it feel, at times, like a bad soap opera. Unfortunately this one hasn't been canceled and will continue to play out in 2012.

Despite the off-field distractions, the LA Dodgers put together an 82-79 record in Don Mattingly's first season as manager. THis earned them 3rd place in the NL West.

The Good:

• Matt Kemp -- .324/.399/.586, 39 HR, 126 RBI, 115 R, 40 SB
• Clayton Kershaw won the pitching triple crown (led the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts -OK he tied with Ian Kennedy for wins) Kershaw went 21-5, 2.28 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 248 K, 233 1/3 IP
• Kenley Jansen set a Major League record by striking out 16.1 batters per nine innings (with a minimum of 50 innings). Jansen fanned 96 in 53 2/3 innings. He ended the season with a 2.85 ERA.
• Javy Guerra converted 21 of 23 save opportunities this year.

The Bad:

• Frank McCourt - The owner has caused more distractions and problems for the team than you can shake a stick at. His filing of Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and messed up personal finances left the team in financial limbo in 2011 and this will continue into 2012.
• Juan Uribe, Casey Blake and Rafael Furcal. That's three-quarters of the starting infield accounting for eight stints on the disabled list, two season-ending operations and a trade. Their injuries, and the resulting lack of production, mirrored what happened throughout the roster, resulting in more than 1,000 games missed by injury.
• The Dodgers have spent more than $1 billion over the past 13 seasons on multi-year deals without reaching the World Series.

The Future:

• Legendary broadcaster Vin Scully announced he would return for 2012.
• Don Mattingly's entire coaching staff will return in 2012.
• The Dodgers will switch radio stations for the 2012 season. AM 570 FOX Sports will broadcast all 162 regular-season games.
• The Dodgers declined to exercise 2012 options on pitcher Jon Garland and infielder Casey Blake, both of whom underwent season-ending operations in 2011.

[yankeebiscuitfan]

The most important thing for this team is that in the second half of the season, they showed they can play baseball. If they can continue this the next season, they may turn into a contender.