Dodgers' Manager Mattingly Fighting for Job in 2013
Spring training has started for the Dodgers at Camelback
Ranch in Glendale, AZ, and fans with Dodgers tickets are just as serious about
winning the title in 2013 as the owners are. Owner Magic Johnson has already
made it very clear that he and the rest of ownership expect big things from the
ballclub this year, and that the World Series is the goal. Because manager Don
Mattingly’s contract has not been extended, it seems to that much of the burden
falls on his shoulders, and that his job hangs in the balance. With the amount
of money that Dodgers’ management has poured into the team over the last year,
expectations have understandably risen dramatically. The team now has a bevy of
former All-Stars on the roster, and there are few holes in the lineup. The
additions of pitchers Zach Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu this offseason make one of
the deepest rotations in the majors even better, while the trades for Hanley
Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford last summer should help the team
much more this season than they did a year ago. This is a team built to win
now, and with the amount of star power and talent on the roster, management is
fair to demand a lot from the coaching staff.
However, it is hard to say that if the team does not win the World Series that it was due to poor coaching on Mattingly’s part. Crawford’s health and effectiveness is definitely the key to the Dodgers’ success this season. Three years ago, Crawford was viewed as one of the game’s best all-around players and a fringe MVP candidate. Still just 31 years old, Crawford’s ability to bounce back in LA could determine whether or not the Dodgers can make a deep playoff run. And Crawford is hardly the only player on the roster with substantial questions marks entering 2013. Matt Kemp dealt with several injuries last season, and it remains to be seen if he will be able to become the player he was last April, when it appeared he was going to breeze his way to the National League MVP. Chad Billingsley has thus far avoided surgery to his elbow, but many around the sport believe he is just putting off the inevitable. If he pitches affectively the entire season it becomes a moot point, but he is a greater risk to blow out his elbow than most pitchers. With so many questions surrounding some of his teams’ most important players, it would be hard to blame everything on Mattingly is the season does not go as planned.
For more information on the upcoming season, check us out here!
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However, it is hard to say that if the team does not win the World Series that it was due to poor coaching on Mattingly’s part. Crawford’s health and effectiveness is definitely the key to the Dodgers’ success this season. Three years ago, Crawford was viewed as one of the game’s best all-around players and a fringe MVP candidate. Still just 31 years old, Crawford’s ability to bounce back in LA could determine whether or not the Dodgers can make a deep playoff run. And Crawford is hardly the only player on the roster with substantial questions marks entering 2013. Matt Kemp dealt with several injuries last season, and it remains to be seen if he will be able to become the player he was last April, when it appeared he was going to breeze his way to the National League MVP. Chad Billingsley has thus far avoided surgery to his elbow, but many around the sport believe he is just putting off the inevitable. If he pitches affectively the entire season it becomes a moot point, but he is a greater risk to blow out his elbow than most pitchers. With so many questions surrounding some of his teams’ most important players, it would be hard to blame everything on Mattingly is the season does not go as planned.
For more information on the upcoming season, check us out here!
If you are reading this on any other blog than Sports and Entertainment 4 All or via my RSS Feed, it is stolen content without credit.
You can find me on Twitter via @RyansEvents
Come and visit our blog at http://sportsandentertainment4all.weebly.com/