Andrew at True Blue LA recently posted the complete 2006 Linear Weights which attempt to determine a player's offensive value added (or subtracted as in the case of Clint Barmes and others) over the average player. I'm going to let you click over and see Andrew's work for yourself, but his findings do reveal why the Dodgers wound up tied with the Padres for first in the division. Simply, the Dodgers were sucessful because they didn't have a drag on the offensive unit. Their worst player offensively was Russ Martin, who's net contribution was still above average, as Andrew puts it:
Of the Rockies, the chart confirms what Purple Row voters decided, that Garrett Atkins was the most outstanding Rockie hitter. Until of course you scroll down and see that Kaz Matsui's VA/PA is actually slightly higher (.0064 to .0062) and obviously if Jeff Baker had enough PA's to qualify his probably would have been as well.
We have to re-sign Kaz. I can't emphasize enough how important to our team in 2007 this move will be. With him in the lead-off slot, player X, our new center fielder batting second, Atkins third, Holliday fourth, Helton fifth, Hawpe/Baker sixth, and then the catcher/Tulo slots (I'm anticipating Hurdle to bat Torrealba seventh, Iannetta eighth) we'll be well positioned to compete with the Dodgers for the best lineup in the division. With just Jamey Carroll, we're as likely to find ourselves scrambling mid-season to find a replacement as we are not.