We have many great articles planned leading up to the 2010 Fantasy Baseball season including sleepers, busts, rookies, strategy, full player rankings and projections all wrapped up into a nifty draft kit to help you win your league next year. Stay tuned for more, but for now, here's a team preview for you.

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2009 RECORD: 95-67, 1st in NL West, NLCS losers 4-2 (PHI) 

The Dodgers had the best record in the NL in 2009, but were just chewed up and spat out in the NLCS by the potent Phillie lineup. What happens when you spend nearly one quarter of your payroll on a 37 year old left fielder and he gets busted for performance enhancing drug use? A pack of hungry young ballplayers followed their savvy manager for the ride of their lives -- so far.

Stat table note: The better the ranking number, the better the stat, in all categories. For example, for the SO cat for hitting, a #2 ranking means that the team tallied the second fewest strikeouts. For the BB and SB cats for pitching, the #1 teams allowed the fewest bases on balls and steals.

LINE-UP

1. Furcal, Rafael SS
2. Kemp, Matt CF
3. Ethier, Andre RF
4. Ramirez, Manny LF
5. Loney, James 1B
6. Martin, Russell C
7. Blake, Casey 3B
8. Belliard, Ronnie 2B

What shakes this lineup is the ability to score runs without the use of the long ball. Good old NL-style baseball is what the LA Dodgers bring to the table. They're anchored by the presence of Ramirez in the middle of the lineup -- an intimidating hitter who changes the complexity of any inning he's due up. Furcal has shown that, when healthy, he belongs in the upper echelon of lead-off hitters. His above average speed and bunting skills will make it hard for opposing pitchers to keep him off the bases. He will set things up for a pair of rising young hitters in Kemp and Ethier, who should get plenty of RBI opportunities. Kemp has 30/30 potential, so draft accordingly. Loney and Martin are smart contact hitters who seem to turn good teams into contenders nowadays. Blake quietly hit 18 homers in 2009, while only committing 10 errors. Belliard will probably be the opening day second baseman, but we make no promises or guarantees after that. There's not much in the bench department. Jamey Carroll has a .273 lifetime batting average in 8 campaigns, and will challenge Belliard for some plating time at 2B. Xavier Paul will get another shot at the big league experience. He is nursing an ankle injury and is hopeful to be back in time for spring training. MI Blake DeWitt will likely begin the year in the minors but be available if needed.

STARTING ROTATION

1. Billingsley, Chad RHP
2. Kershaw, Clayton LHP
3. Kuroda, Hiroki RHP
4. Padillla, Vicente RHP
5. McDonald, James RHP
6. Ortiz, Russ RHP
7. Stultz, Eric LHP
8. Haeger, Charlie RHP

The Dodgers were proof in 2009 that good pitching can take you a long way. Even with staff ace Chad Billingsley shockingly losing his command towards the second half of the season, LA had the best pitching staff in baseball when it was all said and done. Kershaw led all team starters in ERA (2.79) and K's (185), holding opponents to a .200 batting average. A lefty armed with a mid-90's fastball and a killer circle change, he might just take the wheel as team ace this year. Padilla is an innings eater. He'll make some good starts, but you never know which start will be "the bad one" so he's hard to put in fantasy line-ups.  Kuroda will look to fill the void created by Randy Wolf's departure. He posted a 3.79 ERA in 20 starts in 2009, but has a major task ahead as the #3 starter. The 25 year-old McDonald was plagued by control issues throughout his 45 appearances, including 4 starts, but will get the nod after Padilla. Russ Ortiz is a prime example of why expansion has killed pitching in baseball. He has not posted an ERA under 5.50 since 2004. Nevertheless the organization will give him a shot if injury strikes. Eric Stultz appears on the outside looking in at the moment, but being a LHP should give him plenty of spot starts during the year. Haeger started three games in August for the Dodgers, with a 1-1 record in that span. Are you still crossing your fingers on Jason Schmidt? I'm not. Chances are that Billingsley will regain his usual form to give the Dodgers the second-best 1-2 starting pitching combo in the league behind the Cardinals. With this formula, LA should run away with a division that cannot compete with them on paper. But that's why they play the game.

BULLPEN

1. Broxton, Jonathan RHP
2. Sherrill, George LHP
3. Troncoso, Ramon RHP
4. Kuo, Hong-Chih LHP
5. Belisario, Ronald RHP
6. Wade, Cory RHP
7. Leach, Brent LHP
8. Ayala, Luis RHP
9. Elbert, Scott LHP

I know what you're thinking. It just doesn't seem fair. The Dodger bullpen is even stronger than the starting five. Not to mention deeper. Broxton should have another 40+ save season behind his invisible fastball and hard slider. Sherrill was the most dominant LHP against lefty hitters, holding them to a humiliating .128 average. Belisario and Troncoso were superb workhorses out of the pen. These 4 pitchers combined for a 2.29 ERA in 2009 in a tad under 300 innings. And the story just doesn't end here. In addition to Sherrill, LA counts on 3 other lefties in their pen. Some teams carry one -- or none. Kuo is the long reliever of the bunch, and can even get a start or two when consecutive games turn ridiculous. Wade still ahs some upside, as GM's around the league have inquired about his availability in the past. So far the Dodgers have been reluctant to deal. They must know something we don't.

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