"Look at Me! -- I Can Be! -- Centerfield!"

By Benjamin

Position: Centerfield

The Starter: Matt Kemp

Number: 27

Former Dodger to wear #27: Mike Sharperson Unlike other professional sports, Baseball requires at least one representative from every team in the All-Star game. This often means that bottom feeders like today’s Pirates, Nats and Royals end up sending forgettable All-Stars. In 1992, poor Mike Sharperson was one of those bottom feeder all-stars, amounting to the shiniest piece of trash on a garbage heap. I was 11 years old when Sharperson was elected as the lone Dodger representative in the 1992 All-Star Game. It was the first time I remember being embarrassed for my favorite team. Mike Sharperson? An all-star? It was the first time I had to really come to terms with what it meant to be a fan. To stick with your team through thick and thin. Mike Sharperson was the “thin.”

Bio/Fun Facts: Matt Kemp was not only a star baseball player back in high school, he was an Oklahoma state champion in Hoops his junior and senior years. One of his teammates, Sheldon Williams, was an All-American at Duke who now laces ‘em up with the Boston Celtics. Wonder if Kemp’s gonna spot his boy a pair o’ box seats when the Dodgers come to Fenway in June. Right now, it’s $200 a pair for Standing Room Only. It’s March and I’m showing restraint, but come June 18th it’s gonna boil down to seeing Dodgers-Red Sox or eating this summer. And if you wanna know which way I’m leaning, you can take a look at my Internet History and count the number of times I’ve searched “fasting” over the past 2 months.

Strengths: Coming off a Gold Glove/Silver Slugger season. ‘Nuff said. Hit .297, .490 slugging, 26 jimmy jacks, 101 ribbies, 34 steals…. And rising. Might just be the best player on the Dodgers, and might just be the best Dodger center fielder since Willie Davis (apologies to John Shelby).

Achilles’ Heel: The Whiff. 153 K’s in 2008, 139 in 2009 and his Strikeout to Walk ratio during those seasons is somewhere close to 3:1.

Best Centerfielder Now: Don’t look now, but I think we have the best centerfielder in the game today. In fact, the Southland has cornered the market at the position. The Orange County Angels of Disneyland boast Torii Hunter. Our boys in blue have Kemp. Hunter is probably a better defender by a highlight reel or two, but Kemp gets the edge because he steals more bases and drives in more runs. Plus, there might never be a name as annoyingly spelled as Hunter’s first…”Torii.” Yuck.

Best Centerfielder Ever: The position is stacked. Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle, Tris Speaker, Joe DiMaggio, Duke Snider, even Cool Papa Bell, but I think the debate is a “no contest.” The incomparable Willie Mays is the best centerfielder ever. Jim Murray once wrote “The last time Willie Mays dropped a pop fly, he had a rattle in one hand, and a bonnet on his head.” He was a 5-tool player before the phrase was coined. He hit 52 homers, drove in over 130 runs and won the MVP when he was 35! His play was mythic in proportion, the stuff of legend. Like the day he raced toward the outfield wall in a dead sprint, caught a line drive over his shoulder, whirled around like a top and threw a frozen rope 350 feet to second base to keep the runner from advancing.

Wildcard: Russell wasn’t the only boy in blue sowing his oats this offseason. The paparazzi photographed Matt frolicking ‘round Cabo with pop sensation Rihanna. They rendezvoused in Miami for the Super Bowl, he threw Rihanna an big bash for in her honor for the pop star’s 22nd birthday but somehow the dude didn’t get an invite to the Grammy’s. Rihanna went stag. Maybe the most disappointing note of the Dodgers’ offseason, outside of the minor league contracts doled out to Russ Ortiz and Eric Gagne. I’d consider Rihanna stiffing Kemp the equivalent of you taking the wife to Disneyland, springin’ for dinner at Club 33 but her deciding to spend the night alone in the Grand Californian while you stay at the Jolly Roger.

The Backup: Jason Repko

Number: 17

Former Dodger to wear #17: Who caught the final strike of the Dodgers’ last championship over 21 years ago? Mike Scioscia? Nope. RICK. DEMPSEY. The veteran catcher replaced Sciosc in the middle of the 1988 World Series after Mike (who had the speed of an overweight heifer) missed a sign, attempted to steal second base and sprained his ankle in the process. Dempsey donned the tools of ignorance, guided Hershiser through Game 5 and hoisted Orel to the sky in celebrating the Dodgers 4th world title since moving to Los Angeles.

Bio/Fun Facts: As a pitcher in high school, Repko’s fastball was once clocked at 94MPH, which is probably 8 more MPH than Gagne throws today, so if Rep doesn’t make the team as the 4th outfielder, maybe he should apply for a job in the bullpen.

Strengths: Speedy, good glove, can play all positions in the outfield.

Achilles Heel: The kid can’t hit the broad side of a barn. A first round pick by the Dodgers back in 1999, he’s ping ponged between the minors and the show for 5 seasons, playing nearly 130 games back in 2005. But the phenom has suffered some injuries and has never broke through as a standout player and now plays second fiddle to Matt Kemp and may not even make the Opening Day roster. Kemp can potentially play all but 4 or 5 games this season, and the Dodgers signed 4th outfielder Reed Johnson from the Cubs (naturally a left fielder but able to hold down center if needed). Repko’s one of those guys who may start for the Albuquerque Isotopes for many years to come. An overall disappointment in the Dodgers organization.