Dodgers Web musings: Worst offensive infield in baseball?

Let's face it, there's not much clout there. The Dodgers infield is what you might call shy on power.

In his preseason analysis of the Dodgers, ESPN's Jim Bowden wrote: "The Dodgers have one of the worst offensive infields in the NL." Which I'm pretty sure would qualify it for one of the worst in all of baseball.

On the corners there is limited power from James Loney (12 homers, .416 slugging last season) and Juan Uribe (4 homers, a woeful .298 slugging, plus a .204 batting average). Mark Ellis is a solid glove at second whom Bowden correctly notes "has no speed or power and is in his declining years." And then there is speedy, though powerless, shortstop Dee Gordon.

And that would be half of your lineup.

Also on the Web:

-- At SB Nation, Eric Stephen is having difficulty building enthusiasm for the Dodgers' coming season.

-- Manager Don Mattingly tells Dodgers.com's Ken Gurnick that he's more concerned about distractions over the ownership situation this spring than he was a year ago.

-- NBC Sports' Matthew Pouliot writes that the theme to the Dodgers' winter was quantity over quality.

-- The Times' Bill Shaikin writes that the 11 remaining ownership groups bidding on the Dodgers have been asked to submit revised bids before a second round of cuts is made by investment bank Blackstone Advisory Partners (read: Frank McCourt).

-- Wednesday's post here about the Dodgers trying to sign Andre Ethier to a long-term deal while his price is low brought some Web reaction. Chad Moryiama likes the logic but thinks Ethier is simply the wrong guy to utilize it on. Mike Petriello at Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness thinks that if Ethier waits until the end of the season, he might double his contract.

-- Long-time Dodgers photographer Jon SooHoo is running a series of historical team photos at his MLB blog, including one with background on Kevin Waters, the team's handyman for over 20 years.

-- The New York Post's Kevin Kernan profiles Mattingly’s son, Preston -– a former first-round pick of the Dodgers -- after he signed with the Yankees as a minor-league free agent.

-- Let the investigation begin. The Dodgers blogger softball tournament last weekend, organized by the Left Field Pavilion for charity, was won by ... the Left Field Pavilion Forum 2.

-- CBS Sports' Scott Miller has a nice overview about what it’s like covering spring training every day for six weeks.

ALSO:

Second cut looming for Dodgers bidders

It's time for Dodgers to lock up Andre Ethier

James Loney says blow to head led to his odd behavior after crash

-- Steve Dilbeck

Photo: Dee Gordon walks back to the bench after striking out against the Arizona Diamondbacks back in August. Credit: Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press

Dodgers web musings: There is never getting enough of Vin Scully

Amazing, isn’t it? Vin Scully has been around for 61 wonderful years in Los Angeles, must have called more than 9,000 games.

Anyone else going back to the days of Mickey Cohen would have worn out their welcome several decades ago. Yet there never seems to be getting too much of the most beloved man in Los Angeles history.

So here comes another profile on Scully, this one from Drew Schmenner of the Desert Sun in Palm Springs, in advance of his speaking at the Sacred Heart Church and School on Feb. 11.

There may not be anything particularly revelatory in this latest piece, but Schmenner does a solid job, and even if we’ve heard the stories before, they still seem fresh coming from Scully.

Here he describes the origin of sitting back in key moments and letting the crowd’s reaction tell the story:

“It all goes back to when I was a little boy, and we had a big, four-legged radio, and I loved to crawl underneath it and listen to a college football game. When I heard the roar of the crowd — I've made it a cliché by now — but the speaker suddenly became like a showerhead with water coming all over your body, only this time, it was just sound, and it just thrilled me beyond belief, and so, to this very day, if something well-done elicits a roar from the crowd, why I enjoy every second of the pure sound of it.”

Also on the web:

-- Yes, it’s true. I guess it’s understandable, but still unsettling. The Times’ Carol Williams on Dodgers asking the bankruptcy judge to reject claims by the family of Bryan Stow for his severe beating on opening day.

-- Hall of Fame baseball writer Ross Newhan says the Dodgers’ sale is growing more shadowy every day. And he reasons correctly if Fred Claire’s group can get back in the auction if they raise enough capital to reach Frank McCourt’s $1.5-billion figure, isn’t that true of Dennis Gilbert and anyone else eliminated in the first round?

-- More hugs for McCourt. The New York Daily News’ Bill Madden writes the looming record price for the Dodgers portends well for all baseball owners, but particularly embattled Mets owner Fred Wilpon.

-- The Times’ Mike DiGiovanna looks at the best and worst free-agent signings this winter by position. He calls the Dodgers’ signing of Mark Ellis the worst value signing at second base.

-- Another ranking, this one slightly better for the Dodgers. The Chicago Tribune’s Phil Rogers ranks the Dodgers baseball’s 14^th best team, one spot behind the Giants.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Presenting your 2012 Dodgers lineup (Updated)

One thing about having an almost entirely set 25-man roster  -- you can start figuring out what the daily lineup is going to look like. Even if it is still December.

The Dodgers’ heavy off-season work, or at least their modest lifting, is all done. Unless you’re still the kind that holds out hope of an unexpected Prince Fielder signing.

But if no significant additions are coming, it’s not hard to visualize the Dodgers’ main daily lineup, at least against right-handers:

Shortstop Dee Gordon (L), second baseman Mark Ellis (R), right fielder Andre Ethier (L), center fielder Matt Kemp (R), left fielder Juan Rivera (R), first baseman James Loney (L), third baseman Juan Uribe (R) and catcher A.J. Ellis (R).

And let the rest of the National League tremble in its wake.

This is not necessarily a terrible lineup, though it’s dependent on a lot of things going right. Probably way too many things, but then the same can pretty much be said for the rest of the National League West.

Gordon hit .304 with 24 stolen bases in his 233 plate appearances of his rookie season. But he had only seven walks, leaving him with a .325 on-base percentage. Still, that’s a fairly small sample size at a young stage in his career. He figures only to get better, and is such lightning on the bases, he has to be given the leadoff spot. Anyway, there’s really no one else in that lineup to bat leadoff.

Mark Ellis split his time last season batting second and seventh, but hit .297 in the two spot, as opposed to .215 hitting seventh.

The Dodgers are gambling that a trio of hitters returns to form next season -- Ethier, Loney and Uribe. Ethier, 29, will be key. Coming off minor knee surgery, he has the most upside. And the Dodgers will need it if they bat him third.

All they want from Kemp is more of the same, which is the same thing as asking for everything. Kemp, who came in second in the N.L. MVP voting, could have a slight drop-off and still be one of the game’s premier hitters.

[Update: In the orginal post I had a brain cramp and wrote Kemp started the season batting third and late in the season was moved to fourth, which is actually reverse from what happened. My my No.1 fan, Benjamin Villarreal Camacho, ever-so kindly pointed out my mistake. Kemp actually hit slightly better in the cleanup spot (.647 vs. .569 slugging), so it remains to be seen which way Manager Don Mattingly goes in 2012.

Batting Rivera hitting behind Kemp was given credit for Kemp’s strong finish, so wherever Kemp bats, Rivera is likely to follow. Kemp hitting third, Rivera fourth and Ethier fifth only happened nine times in 2011.]

Mattingly could bat Uribe sixth instead of Loney, but he seems to like alternating his left-right bats in the lineup.

Uribe is coming off one of the most disappointing seasons in Dodgers history. He has a lot to prove, and at age 33, not much time to prove it. The Dodgers are counting on Loney being the hitter he was the second half, which is understandable but difficult to depend upon. Anything offensively from A.J. Ellis is a bonus.

Against left-handers, Mattingly could choose to sit Loney and play Rivera or Jerry Sands at first. Ethier, too, could get spelled if he doesn’t improve against lefties (.220 last season).

Outside of Gordon and Kemp, it's a lineup devoid of speed. It could have decent power, but after Kemp, that's no lock either. There are plenty of "maybes'' with this group, but that could prove a season's theme.

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Frank McCourt's spinning Dodgers wheels got to go 'round

-- Steve Dilbeck

Introducing Mark Ellis, the Dodgers' new second baseman

Of the $8.75 million that Mark Ellis is owed by the Dodgers over the next two years, he will receive only $2.5 million in 2012.

But Ellis said he is fine with that.

“I understand the situation,” he said.

The veteran second baseman was referring to the Dodgers’ ownership situation, which remains in flux.

“If that gives them the opportunity to sign someone else, I’m all for that,” Ellis said of the structure of his contract. “I want to be on a good team. I want to play in October.”

Ellis acknowledged that if owner Frank McCourt hadn’t agreed to sell the team and the ownership situation still appeared to be far from resolved, he might have been reluctant to sign. Because a new ownership group could take over soon and make widespread changes, Ellis said, it was important that his deal was guaranteed for more than a season.

Ellis makes his off-season home in Arizona and said he wanted to remain on the West Coast. He has three children, including a 4-year-old boy who is already in school.

“Los Angeles is obviously a very easy destination for my family,” he said.

Mark Ellis signs two-year deal with Dodgers

It’s official!

No, not Matt Kemp’s mega-signing deal. Still waiting on that one.

In the meantime, the Dodgers announced Tuesday a two-year, $8.75-million deal with second baseman Mark Ellis that includes a third-year option.

Ellis, 34, has a career .266 batting average, a little pop (a career-high 19 homers in ’07), plays an excellent second base, and as an added bonus, is apparently a really good guy; he twice won the A’s equivalent of the Roy Campanella Award.

This comes on the same day that ex-Dodger infielder Jamey Carroll is taking his physical as a prelude to an official announcement from the Twins that he’s been signed as their starting shortstop. Carroll reportedly got $6.75 million for two years.

Ellis, however, is coming off a down year (.248 batting, .288 on-base, .346 slugging). General Manager Ned Colletti is taking the long-term approach. Said Colletti in a statement:

“Mark brings a veteran presence to our lineup and he knows how to handle the bat. On defense, he’s been one of the most dependable second basemen in baseball over the course of his career.”

Ellis led the majors for the third time in six years in fielding percentage (.995) last season.

He did not come cheaply, however, which is both reflective of the market and Colletti’s willingness to spend on veterans for positions without a Dodgers starter.

However, as ESPN/LA’s Jon Weisman pointed out, add Ellis’ $8.75 million to the $4.5 million to sign Juan Rivera, and the $6-million-plus it’s estimated it will take to resign James Loney, and you have a pretty nice down payment on a first-year deal for Prince Fielder.

— Steve Dilbeck

Dodgers nab a starting second baseman: Mark Ellis

Pretty sure this officially qualifies as a busy Monday for the Dodgers.

Not only do they have big contract news with Matt Kemp, but now claim a starting second baseman.

Will Ned Colletti have anything left to do at the winter meetings?

The Dodgers have agreed to a two-year deal with Mark Ellis for $8.75 million. The deal was first reported by ESPN’s Buster Olney.

This is what you might call a slightly more curious signing than Kemp.

Ellis turns 35 next season, hit .248 in 2011, and although a solid glove at second, cannot play shortstop.

As opposed to Jamey Carroll, who will be 38, but can play all over the field and recently left the Dodgers to sign with the Twins for two years for approximately $7 million. And hit .290.

The addition of Ellis -- who started last season with the A’s before being traded in June to the Rockies -- leaves the Dodgers a set infield of James Loney at first, Ellis at second, Juan Uribe at third and Dee Gordon at shortstop. At least until the Dodgers announce they have signed Albert Pujols.

Ellis has been in decline the past two years, but still offers more RBI production than the light-hitting Carroll. Ellis had 41 combined RBI last season, which would have been a career-high for Carroll, who had only 17 for the Dodgers. Ellis has mostly hit second in the lineup.

The Dodgers will still need a utility player who can play shortstop, which could spell the end of Aaron Miles but prove a boon to the hopes of versatile infielder Justin Sellers.

Of course, somebody had to play second base for the Dodgers, and the pool of available players was less than thrilling. And it only got worse when Aaron Hill decided to re-up with the Diamondbacks for two years at $11 million.

The market is what it is, which is head-scratching time, though it looks just lovely to aging infielders.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Photo: Rockies second baseman Mark Ellis slides safely into third base after advancing from first on a single by teammate Dexter Fowler against the Giants in San Francisco in September. Credit: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images