Draft preview: Los Angeles Dodgers outlook

Team-by-team outlooks

The Dodgers don't have a masher in their lineup, but they have a lot of those middle-round Fantasy breakout and sleepers to pick through.

One of the best farm systems in baseball has already produced Russell Martin, Chad Billingsley, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp, but expect this to be another year where a few more Dodgers prospects make surprising midseason runs at Rookie of the Year honors. Their big-time young talent that will eventually be some of the most-soughted after on Draft Day.

The injury-risk veterans Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent are still around and worthy of starting for your Fantasy teams in any league, but even if they go down with yet another extended injury, there is big-time talent waiting in the wings. Nomar is currently blocking James Loney, who has easy power and could develop into a .300-30-100 slugger by the age of 27. Kent is vertiably old, if not injury-prone, but if he goes down, Wilson Betemit could slide over from third base to second and pave the way for a future Fantasy star in Andy LaRoche, the younger brother of Adam LaRoche.

Andy has a sweet swing and even more offensive potential than his brother. Even if he starts the year in the minor leagues, you should keep in mind where Martin, Billingsley, Ethier and Kemp started last season before providing big dividends.

Spring position battles

Starting pitcher No. 5 -- Chad Billingsley vs. Mark Hendrickson and Hong-Chih Kuo

Billingsley will retain his rotation spot, barring injury, so Hendrickson and Kuo are really waiting for an injury, a trade of Brad Penny or Penny being moved to the closer's role (unlikely at this point). Billingsley is as talented as any pitching prospect in baseball, but he's wild now and his Fantasy owners will have to deal with five-inning outings, or less. He runs high pitch counts, much like Penny does, and the Dodgers are not going to stretch him out like a Carlos Zambrano for a couple more years. He's too valuable to the organization. Consider Billingsley a potentially overlooked sophomore sleeper in the mid-to-late rounds. Hendrickson and Kuo are nothing more than middle men for the deepest of leagues that use them.

Right field -- Andre Ethier vs. Matt Kemp and James Loney

Kemp has the most long-term potential here. In fact, Sandy Alomar Jr. said Kemp is a budding Manny Ramirez in the flesh. Alomar would know, too, because he watched Manny and Kemp each develop as teammates. Ethier is coming off a promising rookie season, though, and will be the incumbent favorite likely to have the job to start the season. He's another potentially overlooked sophomore in deeper leagues. Loney is a potential NL Rookie of the Year candidate, but the re-signing of Nomar Garciaparra blocks him -- at least until Nomar gets hurt. Consider all three of these guys must-haves in deeper NL-only formats. There is outstanding potential here if any one of them gets full-time at-bats.

Third base -- Wilson Betemit vs. Andy LaRoche

Betemit finally gets a full-time chance to make good on his two-time minor-league player of the year status when he was with the Braves, but along comes the next big thing to potentially block him. LaRoche is going to be a big-time slugger in this league and if it doesn't happen this spring, he should at least arrive by midseason. Consider Betemit a 27-year-old breakout and a new starter sleeper worth having in any league, but only if LaRoche doesn't steal his thunder -- and his job -- in spring training. LaRoche is a must-have minor-leaguer in formats where you can afford to stash guys for a few months.

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