Dodgers Diaries

What does Blake DeWitt have to do to win a roster spot with the Dodgers? Fill in admirably at third base when both Nomar and LaRoche go down with injuries in 2008? Check.

Fill in admirably at second base when Jeff Kent goes down with an injury? Check.

Shuttle back and forth between Albuquerque and L.A. without a word of dissent throughout 2009? Check.

Hit the tar out of the ball in spring training 2010? Check.

So when Joe Torre says the fact that the team is only going to carry 11 pitchers at the beginning of the year is what allows them to keep DeWitt on the big league roster, it’s quite a backhanded compliment. The unspoken assumption, therefore, is that as soon as Hong-Chih Kuo or Ronald Belisario is ready to return to the team, Dewitt could be optioned back to AAA.

I’m not sure I see how this helps a young player’s development, something the Dodgers are going to be doing a lot of as the team scrimps and saves in the wake of the McCourts’ divorce.

DeWitt is the victim of a numbers game. Unlike pitchers Charlie Haeger or Carlos Monasterios, he can be returned to the minors without penalty. Unlike Ronnie Belliard or Jamey Carroll, he does not have a guaranteed major league contract. He may be better than either of these two utility infielders, but he has the least amount of leverage to contest a roster move. Why the Dodgers signed two utility infielders, neither of whom can play shortstop, is beyond me.

If it were up to me, I’d throw DeWitt into the starting job at 2B and let the other chips fall where they may. If that means cutting Ronnie Belliard and eating his $800,000 salary, so be it. With his weight issues, I wouldn’t be surprised if Belly ate some of it himself. If it means keeping 11 pitchers instead of 12 or 13, that’s fine too. I’ve always thought Torre overuses his bullpen. If you can’t win a pennant with a six-man bullpen, you’re doing it wrong.

If it means the team has to cut Nick Green and go without a true backup shortstop, then Rafael Furcal will have to man up a bit more and play all nine innings. He’s only 32. If he gets injured to the point where he has to go on the DL, Chin-Lung Hu is a phone call away. The harder call will be if Furcal has to miss 5-7 games -- too short a time to open up a roster spot.

-- JOHN ROSENTHAL