Greetings True Blue Faithful
Once again we find ourselves on the eve of opening day and another Dodgers season. Seems like an appropriate time to weigh in with our 2012 season predictions.
Last year Bear was the closest with a 79-83 prediction.
Beav at 75 wins and DodgerEric at 72 were the front runners until the last 6 week surge by the youngsters, Loney, Lilly, and Rivera.
I’m sure you’ve all been reading the leading blogs and their predictions. Most have the Dodgers winning between 81 and 86 games and finishing 2nd or 3rd in the NL West and missing the playoffs.
Could this team win 88-90 games and make the playoffs? Sure, anything is possible, if everything goes just right.
It just isn’t very probable in my opinion. Too many questions and holes. This team has alot of big time suck potential. The Ned effect…..
I don’t look for any drastic moves by the new ownership right out of the chute. Unfortunately, I think Ned will survive until after the season and be replaced this fall..
I am optimistic that the better baseball minds coming in with the new ownership will have the final say on any deals he wants to make, thus preventing anymore of his bonehead trades and deals going forward….
My biggest questions are:
How long do Ned and Donnie stick with Uribe at 3rd if he continues to stink it up, and,
what are we going to get from Billz?
I’m not very optimistic about either one of them right now.
I think our success on offense hinges on how well Gordon and MEllis set the table for Kemp, and how well the combination of Ethier, Rivera, and Loney protect him.
On the pitching side, we really need one of the starters to emerge as a solid #2. I don’t think it will be Billz.
Also, on the pitching side, the middle of the bullpen with Guerrier, MacDooDoo, Coffey, and Wright makes me very nervous.
Last year we were atrocious hitting with runners on base and also with allowing inherited runners to score.
These two areas need to improve drastically for this team to sniff the playoffs…..
All in all, I think this is a .500 team. I think we will go 81-81 and finish 3rd in the division and miss the playoffs.
Gonna be a tough year but better seasons are coming once the new ownership is in place and Ned and his crap signings are gone….
I hope we do much better and I will be pulling for all of our guys to have great years.
OK, its your turn.. How are you all feeling about the upcoming season?
32and53fan
colliethec
crash24now
dodgereric
The Beav
GiveUsBackOurTeam
JhallWally
yunghitters89
trublu4ever
Outside the Dodgers 
85 wins. I’m what you could call guardedly optimistic.
I’m opomistic too: 87 – 75.
2-3 weeks back I said 84-78, so I’ll honor that even though there’s generally a lot more suckage now than when I said it.
79-83.
Ned gets canned in June.
Dee Gordon has a .320 OBP and steals 60 bases.
Mark Ellis goes .260/.310/.300 (BA/OBP/SLG) no great shakes
Matt Kemp is back to 2010 form
Andre Ethier hits 30 HRs 100 RBIs – then leaves as FA
Rivera has 12 HR – no great shakes
Loney has career year with 15 HR, gets traded.
Uribe does virtually nothing, is traded or worse by July 31
AJ Ellis goes .260/.350/.320 in front of the pitcher.
Bills – same shit different year.
That’s alot of predictions crash. Inside information? Dirty tea cup? Crystal ball? LOL
I hope Ned doesn’t last that long.
Crystal ball combined with dartboard. Works every time.
Agree with you on Ned. I’d like him gone by April 30th.
Looks like everyone so far realizes 90 wins would be too much.
I’m staying under too. 86 – 76
UGH! Nate’s not looking great today. .
Neither’s the rest of the team.
Giving up three dingers in one game – getting in shape for the regular season? Oh, I get it. He’s filling in for Lilly!
Yep! If I remember right, Lilly always gets bombed in the day time. We all know the ball carries longer on day games at home. No excuses.
So far:
Crash 79-83
Wally 81-81
Bear 83-79
Beav 84-78
Grizzy 85-79
VL4 86-76
Tru 87-75
Yay! I’m on the top, I win! (until somebody knocks me down).
Yep Crash, if Kersh does not repeat his 2011 season, you will win going away if no one undercuts you at 78-84… DodgerEric/Dad is still lurking……
More wasted opportunities!
Not putting too much stock in this game.. It is the last exhibition and a get-away game. The real clock starts tomorrow…..
I’m glad we open in San Diego and not in “LA of Anaheim”
Dodgers have a pretty soft April schedule. We need to get off to a fast start against the Puds and Pirates….
I’m anxious to see the Marlins new digs later on the ESPN opener vs. the Cards. With a seating capacity less than Wrigley, or Fenway (only 37,000), I can only imagine how expensive the seats are. I hope it’s easier on the eyes than their new uniforms. . .
I saw it the other night and, it looks okay. The fans were not there, however., I know it was pre-season but, I’ll bet they don’t show up for the regular games either. Lousy-ass fans!
Big sports night in Miami tonight with the OKC Thunder in town to play the Heat also.
The only excuse for the Marlins fair weather fans to stay away now would be ticket prices. With that stacked lineup, they should win the NL east with the injuries & problems the Phills have.
The Marlins haven’t even been in existence for that long, and they have 2 WS championships. What more could they ask for? To see the Dolphins in such a mess is depressing!
As far as the rest of the leagues/divisions, I don’t really care… Miami should make some noise…. Angels-Rangers should be a shoot out….
Yanks and Tigers are looking good.
Mostly, I hope Braun tanks……
I can hardly wait for the warm reception Braun will receive his first game at the ravine this year. I see lots of boo birds & large posters of syringes full of juice!
Braun is a cheater and a sham…. And baseball (Selig) have been exposed as an even bigger sham by letting him walk on a so called technicality. My ass…. They just didn’t want their MVP poster boy to go down.
I agree 100%!
Isn’t it weird how after he got off on the technicality, the press had gone quiet after such a short time? The stink of this scandal will not go away that easy. It will last a long time everywhere. . . . except for Milwaukee!
It’s a total farce….
I’ll be happy if the Dodgers have a .500 season. Please – somebody take Ned off our hands – the sooner the better! Expecting that Uribe will be toast before too long and that Sellers will take over. Hoping that Kemp can come close to last year, but with all these pre-season K’s, I dunno. Dre will have a career year; whether he stays or not I do not wish to predict. I suggest that the hitting coach leaves Loney alone and let him do is .290/90 RBI year. I have a feeling AJ Ellis is going to surprise everyone by being a complete package – both hitting and defense.
Let the games begin!!
Signs of life! The kids are allright!
I’m sticking with 88 wins as I did earlier a dew weeks ago. I don’t think our division is so great.
So far:
Crash 79-83
Wally 81-81
Bear 83-79
Beav 84-78
Grizzy 85-79
VL4 86-76
Tru 87-75
Nelly 88-74
I am SO upset, Wally – you forgot me 🙂 ! 81-81, thank you.
Sorry Sparky. I didn’t see a hard number so I thought you were still mulling it over.
Crash 79-83
Sparky 81-81
Wally 81-81
32/53 82-80
Bear 83-79
Beav 84-78
Grizzy 85-79
VL4 86-76
Tru 87-75
Nelly 88-74
Not one much for predictions so I will go along with the Bear/Beav numbers. Yes, I know that is a cop out so don’t bust my chops over that. As far as other predictions, I am not expecting terrific things out of any one player but hoping most play up to their ability and a few play over their heads. I do expect Andre to play with that chip on his shoulder and whether he stays or not does not concern me at the moment. I am not concerned about Kershaw as I am as convinced now as the first time I saw him pitch that he is the real deal. I am concerned about Kemp because of all the strikouts and lack of plate discipline and the fact that anything less than what he did will look like a step back. He had a monster year and has set some lofty goals for this season.
As for today’s game, my only question is why? Playing today is worse than the last game of the season between two teams long out of the race. As Rick and Charlie have made clear, the goal of these last few spring training games is to fine tune and avoid injuries. The rosters are pretty much set anyway. I know there has to be a last spring training game but wouldn’t an off day before the first official game of the season make more sense? I remember when the so called freeway series had some significance, at least to the fans. But with interleague play, this pre-season series has lost whatever luster it had.
JHallWally: Thanks for the post. It is a good reminder that all of us on Outsiders are Insiders and have the privilege of creating new posts.
I might as well fill in the gap and go with 82-80. I doubt if Kershaw and Kemp will do as well this year but think Ethier will rebound. Loney and Rivera are the key to which way it goes. Uribe should have a better year but I wouldn’t bet on it.
My pleasure 32/53… The thanks goes to you for this great blog…
So far:
Crash…..79-83
Sparky….81-81
Wally…..81-81
32/53…..82-80
Bear……83-79
Birk……83 1/2-78 1/2
Beav……84-78
Grizzy….85-77
VL4…….86-76
Tru…….87-75
Nelly…..88-74
Sparkleplenty 81 – 81
My thanks to you 32and53fan, also. Here we are on the eve of Opening Day. The old “Inside the Dodgers” blog has been abandoned, other than a few of our friends who keep checking in there. If you had not started this new blog, we would still be recycling old posts of Josh’s, thinking that we fell between the cracks of McCourt and McCourt. Oh, the humanity!
Well first of all, I agree with the author. This is a .500 team and I’m hoping they can get above it by about 6 or 7 games like 88-74, maybe it will be tough but I got my hopes up for it.
I also think if the new ownership will provide a sufficent amount of money, more than what we’ve been accustom to during the McCourt era, I feel it will help Colletti do a better job. I don’t think he’ll be forced into making deals like he’s made in the past.
I also think that MacDougal is a better pitcher than many of you give him credit for. I think he pitches better when the team is ahead, I based that on his team leading 14 saves he had last year. It’s true he gives up a lot of inherited runs but does a good job of holding the lead. I expect Uribe to have a good year.
I may be wrong but that’s how I see it.
OK Brooklyn, gotcha…
Crash…..79-83
Sparky….81-81
Wally…..81-81
32/53…..82-80
Bear……83-79
Birk……83 1/2-78 1/2
Beav……84-78
Grizzy….85-77
VL4…….86-76
Tru…….87-75
Nelly…..88-74
Brooklyn..88-74
I think Kersh and Kemp will come close to their ’11 seasons but not eclipse them. I don’t think the starting pitching will hold up as well without Kuroda. I think Ethier will do better, as will Gordon. Yawn FatBoy will perform remarkably similar to last year, Rivera’s bubble will pop and we’ll see the guy that Toronto released. Loney will still be Loney. The good and young back end of the bully will die from overwork because Ned’s flotsam rejects cannot hang. Under Kasten’s direction, the front office will do what they can at the deadline in July but will concentrate on the minors. Ned will be thanked and excused at the finish and Outside the Dodgers will have a wonderfully new off-season filled with actual baseball talk.
Sorry Crash. 77-85 due to Kasten’s trading of veterans for minor talent, although it won’t seem too bad. The future will be nice to observe.
Hi’ya Dad… Good to see you. I was hoping you would get a chance to add your prediction. You make some good points. I hadn’t really thought of it from that angle.
DEric……77-85
Crash…..79-83
Sparky….81-81
Wally…..81-81
32/53…..82-80
Bear……83-79
Birk……83 1/2-78 1/2
Beav……84-78
Grizzy….85-79
VL4…….86-76
Tru…….87-75
Nelly…..88-74
Brooklyn..88-74
92-70
Great thoughts, Dad! A rebuilding year may just be the pause that refreshes. If we go that route, we just need to make sure to lock Kershaw into a long term deal.
I posted this at ITD:
“…If you want a real Inside the Dodgers experience with no sales spin, check out the excellent blog by Jon SooHoo at http://dodgersphotog.mlblogs.com/author/mlblogsdodgersphotog1/”
Juan Uribe made a bunch of T-shirts for his teammates featuring a picture of Maury Wills pointing his bat with the words “You can do better”. Dee Gordon grabbed Jon’s camera and took a series of shots of his teammates wearing the shirt.
Here is the generous Mr. Uribe wearing his OTD modified shirt:
Photo by Dee Gordon – Modified by 32and53fan
Hi D4, got you on the list….
DEric……77-85
Crash…..79-83
Sparky….81-81
Wally…..81-81
32/53…..82-80
Bear……83-79
Birk……83 1/2-78 1/2
Beav……84-78
Grizzy….85-79
VL4…….86-76
Tru…….87-75
Nelly…..88-74
Brooklyn..88-74
D4life…..92-70
Happy Opening Day everyone! Heading to San Diego soon for the four games!
Check Jon SooHoo’s blog often. Last month Jon SooHoo’s blog jumped from #20 to #12 which is good but then he and I noticed that the Giant photo blog came in at #2. We can do better. Jon has been doing an incredible job posting classic pictures and current ones.
Emma
Is a beautiful day for a game!
.
89-73
Got it Emma, enjoy the games….
DEric……77-85
Crash…..79-83
Sparky….81-81
Wally…..81-81
32/53…..82-80
Bear……83-79
Birk……83 1/2-78 1/2
Beav……84-78
Grizzy….85-77
VL4…….86-76
Tru…….87-75
Nelly…..88-74
Brooklyn..88-74
Emma…..89-73
D4life…..92-70
Opening Day Lineup!
Gordon SS
Ellis 2B
Kemp CF
Ethier RF
Rivera LF
Loney 1B
Uribe 3B
Ellis C
Kershaw P
Commence Opening Day Lineup Complaining!
Except for – Uribe 3B – I like it!
🙂 Gotta give them a few weeks before complaining too much. If they are stinking it up in May however, look out….
This will be a transistion year. I am looking to be surprised, but there are some holes that need to be filled, and quite possibly could turn in to sink holes. My red flag already went up when belisario was put on the restricted list. What is up with that cat?
I hope Kasten is wisely evaluating draft picks to fortify our minors with good scouting. On the big field I agree with most of the above comments, There are some position players that will need to step up or their position will be lost. I really hope AJ, Dre, loney, Dee, Ellis and yawn have solid years. Our bench is weak and our middle relief will have Tommy taking more Tums. It would be a stretch to think kersh and kemp(Mr. 50/50!) will equal last year. I just hope these individuals execute the fundamentals, play hard, think smart and bleed blue for the teams sake. I have a feeling that Kasten will be muttering a GM’s name, unfortunately it will be and explecitive in front of “colletti” for the whole season, and if we swoon, I don’t expect that any of the field mangement will survive, except perhaps lopes will be next year’s manager. This will all viewed as good to me, in the hopes that 2013 will see the kasten imprint being made, for a better Dodgers team in the future. Ill take the 80 wins, and I am really looking forward to the first Kershaw/lincecum match up!
GO Dodgers!
Hi’Ya K63. I can live with your above synopsis. I think Lopes would make and excellent manager.
DEric……77-85
Crash…..79-83
Koufax63..80-82
Sparky….81-81
Wally…..81-81
32/53…..82-80
Bear……83-79
Birk……83 1/2-78 1/2
Beav……84-78
Grizzy….85-77
VL4…….86-76
Tru…….87-75
Nelly…..88-74
Brooklyn..88-74
Emma…..89-73
D4life…..92-70
T-45 minutes to Opening Day
T-25 days to Ned-be-gone.
ITD may be officially dead. I looked for it today and can’t find it on the Dodger site.
But, OTD is alive and well 😉
It’s still there. You can get to it from the link on the sidebar on this blog. Don’t expect any new posts however.
New post!