There is little doubt that heading into the 2008 season the Los Angeles Dodgers are one of baseball's most improved teams. They brought in a Japanese starter in Hiroki Kuroda. They added a gold golve to center field with Andruw Jones. And they brought in one of the games' best managers in Joe Torre. But, one of the keys to the success for LA in 2008 may be their first baseman, James Loney.

Since taking over the first base job in the middle of June last year, Loney hit 15 Home Runs with 67 RBI in just 344 AB while posting a .331 batting average. Those numbers projected over a full season translate to 26 HR and 110 RBI while maintaining a .300 plus batting average.

This spring Loney does need to 'fight' for his job with veteran Nomar Garciaparra. But Nomar is generally battling for a spot at third base with Andy LaRoche and the first base job is Loney's to lose. That lack of pressure combined with the fact that he'll be batting lower in the Dodgers lineup set up for a good sophomore performance from the young slugger. There is no reason to expect less than 20 HR and 80-90 RBI with a .300 batting average. And while those are impressive numbers for most players, his position is a deep one when it comes to fantasy baseball. 

There were 16 players eligible at first base chosen before Loney in the GSI Mock Draft. That puts him near the fourth tier at the position. Loney certainly is not the player you want to have for your top first baseman but in leagues that play multiple corner positions and utility positions, he has tremendous upside. He will hit more Home Runs than players like Todd Helton and Kevin Youkilis while maintaining a similar average. And while he may not quite provide the power of a Carlos Delgado or Paul Konerko, he won't hurt a team in average like those veterans will.