The recent groin injury that will sideline Russell Martin for at least a month will give the Dodgers a chance to test their depth at the catching position.

The biggest benefactor of Martin’s injury will be career minor-leaguer A.J. Ellis, who has just 13 big-league at-bats to his credit. Ellis, 28, has been in the Dodgers organization since being drafted in the 18th round in 2003.

Ellis was being projected as Martin’s backup before the Dodgers re-signed veteran Brad Ausmus late in the offseason. While not objecting to the Dodgers’ idea of giving Ellis a bulk of the catching duties, Ausmus said that despite turning 41 on April 14, he could handle the extra work if necessary.

The Dodgers will also get a chance to take a closer look at highly regarded prospect Lucas…

The second game of a three-game exhibition series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and a team of Taiwanese All-Stars has been canceled because of rain. The Saturday contest was set for Taipei. The concluding game in the series is scheduled for Sunday in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung.

A game-fixing scandal has rocked the professional league and turned off fans. Will this goodwill visit help?

Aroldis Chapman struck out two over two scoreless innings and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 on Friday. Chapman allowed just two infield singles. His strikeouts came on the last two batters he faced, overpowering Matt Kemp on a high fastball and getting Casey Blake looking. Chapman defected from Cuba last year and agreed to a $30.25 million, six-year contract with the Reds in…

Manny Ramirez and the rest of the Los Angeles Dodgers had a quiet opening in Taiwan. Ramirez went 0 for 3 as the designated hitter, and a Dodgers' split squad heavy on minor leaguers was held to three hits Friday night in a 5-2 loss to a team of Taiwanese All-Stars that opened a three-game exhibition series.

Baseball is a game of numbers and here are a few that influenced the Dodgers and Hiroki Kuroda last season: 117.1 innings pitched, 20 games started, 12 HR allowed and a 40.50 postseason ERA.

Many insiders and fans alike criticize the Dodgers for the lack of offseason pick-ups after another loss to the Phillies in the NLCS.

The fact is, the Dodgers made it to the NLCS again, and believe they have what it takes to make it there and beyond this upcoming season. 

A simple response to the offseason signings, or lack there of: You can’t change what can’t be controlled, rather, work with what you have.

The division has gotten stronger, and in order to make a ”threepeat” in the NL West, the boys in blue have questions that must be answered on the field.

The entire league knows Clayton Kershaw is going to be better, how much better is yet to be known.

Chad Billingsley tanked after making his first All-Star team, but being young gives him a much higher chance of rebounding to ”old” form. 

Yet the key in the rotation is held by Hiroki Kuroda.

He is a ground ball pitcher, who has shown signs of throwing harder than in his first Major League season.

This could mean a couple things.

One, like many pitchers as they get older, they begin to throw harder due to the fact their arsenal is not as sharp as in their prime.

Another could be, he is becoming more sound mechanically as he enters just his third MLB year.

Now it’s interesting Kuroda gave up nearly as many home runs last season in 66 less innings pitched than the year previous. That stat could possibly be contributed to the fact that he was bouncing back from the DL for the entire season.

It is still very interesting given the fact he is mainly a pitcher that keeps the ball on the ground.

Kuroda has proved he is a no-nonsense competitor with a gamers mentality. (A quality shared by many Japanese players)

In his rookie season, he won his only two starts in the postseason, shutting out the Cubs in six innings pitched during the 2008 NLDS.

When the Dodgers squared off against the Phillies, Kuroda delivered a high fast ball to Shane Victornio, barely missing his head. This wasn’t a surprise, but it was Kuroda’s defining Dodgers’ moment.

After Russell Martin had continuously been plunked and Manny was thrown behind during the series, Kuroda was the first pitcher to step-up and defend his teammates. The crafty right-hander eventually went on to win the game.

Now it is 2010 and Kuroda is coming off a season blasted by injuries.

He pulled an oblique, got rocked in the head by a screaming line drive, and experienced a bulging disk in his neck during the 2009 postseason. In his only start in that postseason, the Dodgers pitcher gave up six runs in a little over one inning, to who else?

The Phillies.

Knowing what kind of make up this man has, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him rebound to have his best season to date. If that rings true then the Dodgers should have a very consistent starting staff, and a competitive threat deep into the playoffs.

The key as always is staying healthy, and if that happens, look for Kuroda to be the spine of the staff. 

Read more Los Angeles Dodgers news on BleacherReport.com

Manny Ramirez is one of the premier right-handed sluggers of all-time.  No one is going to question that fact.  However, he’ll turn 38-years-old in May and is coming off a season where he was suspended for 50-games.  So how much could we expect him to have left in the tank?

Before we get to that, let’s look at how he performed last season:

352 At Bats
.290 Batting Average (102 Hits)
19 Home Runs
63 RBI
62 Runs
0 Stolen Bases
.418 On Base Percentage
.531 Slugging Percentage
.328 Batting Average on Balls in Play

It was just the third time since 1995 that he has failed to reach 100 RBI, but for obvious reasons.  If he had kept the same RBI pace he had set, he would have had 98 RBI if he had 550 AB.  You would think that would tell you that he still has it, but numbers can often be deceiving.

Just look at his splits for pre and post All-Star Break:

• First Half: .355, 9 HRs, 29 RBI over 121 ABs
• Second Half: .255, 10 HRs, 34 RBI over 231 ABs

You can draw whatever conclusion you’d like from his suspension, but the numbers clearly speak volumes.  If he was one of the notorious second half sliders, that’s one thing, but that just isn’t the case.

Ramirez has always been a consistent thumper.  It didn’t matter if it was April or September.  It didn’t matter if he was home or away.  It didn’t matter if it was night or day.  The guy could just flat out hit.  That second half just makes you wonder.

The lineup could be a bit of a saving grace for him.  He’s joined in the middle of the lineup by Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, two burgeoning superstars.  While that will help offer him opportunities for success, whether he is going to take advantage of it is a completely different story.

Was he pressing in the second half?  Was it a case of “Manny being Manny”?  Well, we know the bloom is certainly off the rose in the LA, with Ramirez’ pronouncement this spring that 2010 will be his final year in the city.  Will he give maximum effort?  You would think he would, trying to maximize his payout in free agency, but with Manny Ramirez you just never know.

Just throw it on top of the other concerns we already have.

How about his strikeout rate in the second half?  His career mark is at 22.0 percent, but it increased to 26.0 percent in the second half.  Again, given his long track record, it’s hard to say that he is going to stay at that rate, but given what we know about his 2009 season?

Have we really answered any questions about him?  Of course not, but would you expect anything less when looking at Manny?  We still can look at my 2010 projection, however:

.295 (140-475), 24 HRs, 90 RBI, 80 Rs, 1 SB, .335 BABIP, .404 OBP, .507 SLG

Can I say for sure that he’s going to reach those marks?  Could he potentially substantially exceed these marks?  Either could be yes, which makes him an extremely frustrating player to project.  If you select him or not, it all comes down to what you can stomach.

While he could perform like a Top 10 outfielder, he is just too big of a risk for me.  It’s highly unlikely I end up with him on any of my teams.

What about you?  What type of production do you see from Manny?  Is he a player you’d be willing to draft?

If you would like to see a free preview of the Rotoprofessor 2010 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide (available for just $5) now including a Top 50 Prospects for 2010 List, click here .

For more 2010 projections, click here .  Among those we’ve already covered include:

• Butler, Billy
• Cain, Matt
• Cueto, Johnny
• Gutierrez, Franklin
• Hamels, Cole
• Hamilton, Josh
• Kershaw, Clayton
• Martin, Russell
• Morneau, Justin
• Peralta, Jhonny
• Ramirez, Alexei
• Sizemore, Grady
• Vazquez, Javier
• Votto, Joey
• Youkilis, Kevin
• Young, Michael

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

Read more Los Angeles Dodgers news on BleacherReport.com

The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking into contingency plans for their opening-day bullpen while Ronald Belisario tries to report to camp. Belisario has been unable to secure a visa for the 2010 season and remains in his native Venezuela. The right-hander went 4-3 with a 2.04 ERA in 69 games as a rookie last year, helping Los Angeles win the NL West.

SP: Clayton Kershaw

Kershaw should be dominating, one day; In fact, I believe he will be as early as the second half of this season. Look for him to post around the same ERA (2.79-2.90) as last year, but with about 30 to 35 more innings pitched (200-205). Joe Torre is respected as being a very baseball-intelligent man, and he compared Kershaw to Sandy Koufax. That is a high praise for someone who respects Sandy as much as anyone who has seen him play.

C: Russell Martin

Martin had the worst season of his career last year. He is a focused young talent who loves the home run. It is sometimes very hard to re-teach an approach at the plate, but Russell has changed his physique dramatically this time around. I believe he will put up fairly potent stats in 2010.

His stolen bases may go down to about six or nine swiped bags, while his batting average could rise by 10 to 25 points (.260-.275). Russell has great determination and is a leader of the team: now it’s time for him to earn his money.

1B: James Loney

James is going to be 26 in May; he has most definitely not reached his prime. He is a Gold Glove-caliber defender, and has batted predominately in the .280 region. Should the trend of Dodgers hitters developing continue, Loney should be ready to hit over 20 HRs and eclipse 100 RBI. He may become a Dodgers great at first base should he stay with the club for a long period of time.

2B: Blake DeWitt/ Ronnie Belliard

Blake DeWitt is the right man for the job. He would bring a left handed, 10 to 15 HR threat to second base. Plus he has the potential to be an All-Star in about three years, given an everyday job. 

He can hit, always has, and probably always will while he stays healthy. Work ethic counts for a lot in baseball and this guy is full of it. His upside is tremendous.

Ronnie put up great numbers and was as solid as he could be expected last year. He will make for a good backup plan should DeWitt falter. Although, you may see his stock rise as long as he stays happy in this big market setting.

3B: Casey Blake

Consistent, professional, and tough, Blake brings attributes to the club that are far more potent than his HR total. He is building on his career average mark every year, showing that he is steadily getting smarter. That makes for a good combination, with him still being in good enough physically shape to play near every day. He brings a sense of leadership and calm to a young and feisty club; invaluable.

SS: Rafael Furcal

Raffy has had a rough couple of years battling injuries. Last year could be a sign that he’s declining, or just simply uncomfortable mentally with his back. Either way, he needs to overcome whatever it was that happened last year. Furcal is a solid catalyst, and when he succeeds, so does the team.

LF: Manny Ramirez

Manny wasn’t Manny last year, but don’t let this fool you: He was a Hall of Famer before the positive test for heightened testosterone. A man’s legacy may have been saved due to the media’s coverage of the steroid era, making Manny’s test results not really much of a surprise. This year gives him an opportunity to redeem himself. We’ll see what script Hollywood has for Manny in his final season.

CF: Matt Kemp

Kemp is a beast with a bunch of potential. Nicknamed the Bison, I personally see him as the future face of the franchise. Determined and more focused then ever, Matt could be primed for an MVP season. He has hovered around .300 the last two years, and recently passed the 30-30 plateau. This kid should have a year that will steal the headlines. Prediction: .312 AVG, 36 HR, 47 SB, 105 RBI, 202 H, 118 R, 31 doubles, 10 triples.

RF: Andre Ethier

Everybody tends to think each year is Andre’s peek year. I believe that Ethier will put together an All-Star season next year, and will win a Gold Glove. His defense is growing steadier, and his ability to pull the ball has now grown exponentially. He should hit roughly 35 to 38 HRs. With Furcal and Kemp in front of him, and Manny behind, this should be a mighty season for Andre.

RP: Jonathan Broxton

Brox is a massive human being, and a force on the mound. He can hit 100 mph, and dominates lefties with a devastating slider. Fantasy baseball has him as the No. 1 closer for a reason.

He posted a sub-2.65 ERA last season with 114 strikeouts. Also, look for how the veterans will influence the young mind, via Dodgers closer Eric Gagne. He should be poised for a gutty 2010 season.

You too can assess the Dodgers. My take is that they are primed for an extraordinary year, capable of defeating a worthy rival in the Philadelphia Phillies. Only time will tell.

Read more Los Angeles Dodgers news on BleacherReport.com

Brian Giles says the pain in his arthritic right knee is getting worse, and the 39-year-old outfielder informed the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday that he will retire. Giles is a career .291 hitter with 287 home runs and 1,078 RBI in 1,847 games. The two-time All-Star also played for the San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland, calling his trip to the World Series with the Indians in…