For all the talk about the Rockies winning the National League West, it is, in the end, just that. Talk.
Then you have the Los Angeles Dodgers. They haven’t just talked the talk. They’ve won the West in back-to-back years. And they won it last year despite the 50-game suspension of slugger Manny Ramirez. Fifty consecutive games without a Hall of Fame run producer and the Dodgers still won the division. So much for any question marks about their makeup.
Sure, the Dodgers have some issues, but they’ve proven to have some heavy mettle too.
“When you go through what we went through, losing Manny for 50 games, and come out of it in a better place, that’s pretty good,” Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said. “Adversity tests everybody in every walk of life. The more you have and you fight through it, the better equipped you are the next time it comes around.
“I think we proved last year that we’re ready to compete. We have a great personality in the clubhouse. The people in that room are focused on the right things.”
Not only that, the Dodgers are doing things the right way. As in not relying on owner Frank McCourt’s checkbook to bail them out of personnel mistakes. Good thing, because McCourt’s family fortune is about to take a hit, what with the owner and his wife, Jamie, involved in a nasty divorce battle.
Colletti, hired to replace Paul DePodesta after a disastrous 71-win season in 2005, finds himself in a different economic universe than the one he entered four years ago. The uncertainty of ownership’s finances is one thing. Combine that with the struggling economy, and the Dodgers’ status as the financial bully on the block in the West has been significantly compromised.
The proof is in the offseason. Colletti, a big spender in years past, remained quiet.
“Even if my payroll had been over $100 million, I’m not sure I would have entertained a free agent or two who ended up signing a big contract,” Colletti said. “I’m not sure we’ve missed out on anything.”
The Dodgers displaying financial restraint? It’s the new reality at Dodger Stadium. Colletti is doing what even he wasn’t willing to do when he took the job. He’s being patient.
“The toughest thing in sports is patience,” he said. “It’s tough to do because nobody cares. All they want to know is when you’re going to win. They don’t care where you started from or where you’re at or who got hurt.
“But, if you’re not patient, you’re asking for trouble. We’ve been impatient in the past. We tried to fix this thing on the fly, and it cost us. Now we’re being patient, and it’s rewarding us.”
And what team has served as one of Colletti’s models for success? That would be the Rockies. The team Colletti inherited in the winter of 2005 lacked a foundation of players at or near their prime because of numerous mistakes made in the June draft. The Rockies, meanwhile, were drafting and developing players who became the foundation of their franchise today.
Colletti points specifically to the drafts of 1996-2001 as a turning point for both franchises. The Dodgers’ failures in those six drafts sent them into the free-agent market to patch holes. The Rockies’ draft-day successes in those six years put them on the map.
Matt Holliday has come and gone, as have Chone Figgins, Jason Jennings, Jake Westbrook, Garrett Atkins and Shawn Chacon. But others remain from those drafts, including Brad Hawpe and Clint Barmes. Add in future No. 1 picks Troy Tulowitzki and Jeff Francis, and it starts to become clear how the Rockies have made the playoffs in two of the past three seasons.
DePodesta, Colletti’s predecessor, fared much better in subsequent drafts, landing James Loney, Jonathan Broxton and Russell Martin in 2002 and Matt Kemp and Chad Billingsley in 2003. Colletti followed by grabbing Clayton Kershaw in his first draft class of 2006, several months after stealing Andre Ethier from Oakland for Milton Bradley.
As he looks to the near future, Colletti believes the Dodgers and Rockies will spend it battling it out in the West.
“The Rockies are a tough team,” he said. “They’ve picked impact players and developed them. And they’ve done a great job of holding on to that core and adding the right free agent here or there at a price that was feasible.”
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
A peek into the West
Denver Post national baseball writer Troy E. Renck breaks down the National League West coming out of spring training.
ROCKIES
In a testament to just how much things have changed for the Rockies, it’s hard finding people, publications and experts not picking them to win the West.
Projected lineup
LF Carlos Gonzalez
CF Dexter Fowler
1B Todd Helton
SS Troy Tulowitzki
RF Brad Hawpe
C Chris Iannetta
3B Ian Stewart
2B Clint Barmes
Rotation
RH Ubaldo Jimenez
LH Greg Smith
RH Aaron Cook
LH Jorge De La Rosa
RH Jason Hammel
Closer
LH Franklin Morales
Estimated payroll
$82 million
2009 record vs. NL West
33-39
DODGERS
The Dodgers are the class of the NL West. They’ve won the division in back-to-back seasons and have improved their record in the last three seasons from 82-80 to 84-78 to 95-67.
Projected lineup
Rafael Furcal, SS
Matt Kemp, CF
Andre Ethier, RF
Manny Ramirez, LF
James Loney, 1B
Casey Blake, 3B
Russell Martin, C
Blake DeWitt, 2B
Rotation
RH Vicente Padilla
LH Clayton Kershaw
RH Chad Billingsley
RH Hiroki Kuroda
RH Charlie Haeger
Closer
RH Jonathan Broxton
Estimated payroll
$100 million
2009 record vs Rockies
14-4
GIANTS
The Giants can pitch. Nobody in the division can match their 1-2 punch of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. The question remains: Can they score enough runs, particularly on the road?
Projected lineup
CF Aaron Rowand
SS Edgar Renteria
3B Pablo Sandoval
1B Aubrey Huff
LF Mark De Rosa
C Bengie Molina
2B Juan Uribe
RF Nate Schierholtz
Rotation
RH Tim Lincecum
LH Barry Zito
RH Matt Cain
LH Jonathan Sanchez
RH Todd Wellemeyer
Closer
RH Brian Wilson
Estimated payroll
$100 million
2009 record vs. Rockies
10-8
DIAMONDBACKS
The D-backs’ chances of contending hinge on Brandon Webb’s balky right shoulder. In other words, there’s almost no chance of them contending, despite a formidable lineup.
Projected lineup
LF Conor Jackson
SS Stephen Drew
RF Justin Upton
1B Adam LaRoche
3B Mark Reynolds
C Miguel Montero
2B Kelly Johnson
CF Chris Young
Rotation
RH Dan Haren
RH Edwin Jackson
RH Ian Kennedy
RH Rodrigo Lopez
RH Billy Buckner
Closer
RH Chad Qualls
Estimated payroll
$78 million
2009 record vs. Rockies
7-11
PADRES
No money and a still-developing farm system spell doom in the NL West race. But this team plays hard and loves the spoiler role under manager Bud Black.
Projected lineup
CF Tony Gwynn Jr.
2B David Eckstein
1B Adrian Gonzalez
LF Kyle Blanks
3B Chase Headley
RF Will Venable
C Nick Hundley
SS Everth Cabrera
Rotation
RH Jon Garland
RH Chris Young
RH Kevin Correia
LH Clayton Richard
LH Mat Latos
Closer
RH Heath Bell
Estimated payroll
$42 million
2009 record vs. Rockies
8-10
