Rob Neyer put Torre’s potential lineup as this:
(S) Rafael Furcal, SS
(R) Russell Martin, C
(L) Andre Ethier, RF
(R) Manny Ramirez, LF
(L) James Loney, 1B
(R) Matt Kemp, CF
(S) Orlando Hudson, 2B
(R) Casey Blake, 3B
That, folks, is not a long shot. Torre loves lefty-righty combos like I love Pepperoni Combos. Damon, Jeter, Abreu, A-Rod… Always separated guys like O’Neill and Tino Martinez. This is how Bernie Williams became a #4 hitter. So let’s assume the above lineup is what it is. Matt Kemp is now your 2009 Los Angeles City of Los Angeles Dodgers number six hitter. How does this effect him for fantasy baseball?
Matt Kemp might be hurt for Runs now in the sixth spot, but he’ll be better for RBIs and he’ll have more opportunity to steal. I don’t see his value taking a big hit if the above lineup comes to fruition. Not to mention, this may not be the lineup. Let’s say, Furcal gets injured, Hudson moves up to 1. Or Martin and Kemp switch and then Kemp gets more Runs and less RBIs. Or Manny hurts his neck on the Wild Toad ride at Disneyland and Kemp moves to 4. Then Blake squeezes into two, Martin drops to eight because Torre thinks a catcher should bat there and Andre Ethier, who’s neither good for power or speed — let’s call him Andre Neithier, isn’t a number a number three and moves to 7 and Hudson moves up. OR SOMETHING?!
In the end, the Dodgers lineup is not only stacked, but is extremely flexible. It’ll give Torre and Lasorda something to think about on Wednesday pasta night. All this bodes well for Kemp. So no fear for anyone, except, well… Pierre will hit 10th during T-Ball games.
