Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! The Dodgers have been playing a lot of rookies?

For a club that prides itself on its long tradition of Rookie of the Year Award winners, the Dodgers have been pretty reluctant in recent years to commit to young players. As with most other clubs with deep pockets, Los Angeles often has managed to find veterans to fill holes in its lineup, rotation or bullpen rather than take the chance on one of its own.

Circumstances this season, however, have pushed several rookies into key roles, most of them unexpectedly. And the results have been very positive, both in the lineup and on the pitching staff. With eight rookies on the active roster, the Dodgers owe a major portion of their second-place position in the NL West, only one game behind San Diego, to their bumper crop of youngsters.

Here are breakdowns of the eight L.A. rookies who have contributed in 2006:

Russell Martin, Catcher
Martin was expected to spend the summer refining his potential in Las Vegas while Dioner Navarro served as the regular receiver in Los Angeles. But a bone bruise on Navarro's wrist landed him on the DL in early May, so Martin was recalled and put to the test. Despite the general opinion that Martin needed more seasoning, he has risen to the occasion and is ensconced as the incumbent catcher. Navarro has been optioned to Triple-A.
Although he was not converted to catching until after his first professional season, Martin quickly has become an adept defensive player behind the plate, demonstrating a plus arm and good mobility. He has thrown out 31 percent of base stealers for L.A. Offensively, Martin combines good plate discipline with a quick, short swing that generates gap power. He should continue to hit for average in the majors with a high on-base percentage.

Andre Ethier, Left fielder
All those who thought Ethier would be outperforming Milton Bradley 11 weeks into the 2006 season can take a step forward. After unexpectedly breaking out in Double-A at age 23 last year, Ethier was ticketed for starting in Triple-A or riding the bench in the majors until opportunity beckoned in the form of an injury-ravaged outfield and bench in Los Angeles. Ethier made the most of his chance in May, hitting .324 with a .395 OBP and four homers.
Since his sunny first month in The Show, however, the left-handed hitter has struggled, posting a .653 OPS with no homers in June. He probably will stabilize somewhere between those two levels and become a valuable fourth outfielder or a tolerable regular left fielder. A disciplined hitter, Ethier has modest speed and doesn't steal bases but is a plus baserunner. In the outfield, he has average range in left field and can be used as a reserve in center.

Matt Kemp, Outfielder
Although his raw tools are truly impressive, it is still remarkable that the 21-year-old slugger is facing major league pitching after not getting even 200 at-bats in the high minors in his career (none before 2006). Nevertheless, Kemp is batting in the middle of the order for a contending team.
Recalled from Double-A in late May mostly because outfielders Jayson Werth, Jason Repko and Ricky Ledee were disabled, Kemp has made a big first impression by hitting .333 and homering seven times in only 69 at-bats. To put that in perspective, those are nearly identical to his stats in 199 at-bats in Jacksonville. Kemp's power potential is great, but he's nowhere near capable of sustaining this level of performance in the majors and needs to be playing every day in the minors as soon as possible.

Willy Aybar, Infielder
Recently sent down when Cesar Izturis was activated from the DL, Aybar is the older of the talented Aybar brothers, although not the better. Hitting tools-wise, the switch-hitter is rated as average-plus with a quick bat and a little below-average power. He has not yet learned how to identify pitches well, nor has he shown he's serious about translating his raw talent into performance. Like most switchers, he likes low pitches from his strong left side and pitches higher up in the zone when batting from the right.
Aybar is an average fielder across the board at third and a bit below average as a baserunner. Although he hit reasonably well with L.A. this year (.274/.364/.443), his dedication has been questioned by scouts and he really doesn't project as a regular at the hot corner in the majors.

Chad Billingsley, Starting pitcher
The stud of the large L.A. stable of prospects made his much-anticipated big league debut a week ago against the Padres. In that game, more than half of the Dodgers' starting nine were rookies, another rookie got the 'W,' and a seventh rookie finished the game by pitching a scoreless ninth. Only three years removed from mowing down high school hitters, Billingsley has everything going for him: youth, strength, velocity, command, a power fastball, two power breaking balls, and even a semicircle change.
The precocious righty throws his fastball from the low-to-mid 90s and his curve from the low-to-mid 80s. His slider is not the same quality as his hammer right now, but it has the potential to become a plus pitch. With the Los Angeles rotation currently featuring two retread righties (Brett Tomko and Aaron Sele) who can't be relied on, Billingsley is vitally important to the Dodgers' hopes of winning the NL West. The good news for those who bleed Dodger blue is that the 21-year-old is probably up to the task.

Jonathan Broxton, Relief pitcher
The young righty comes at hitters from a high three-quarters angle with a heavy power sinker in the mid-to-high 90s. His No. 1 pitch has good movement, and he can change speeds on it when he gets ahead as if he were a veteran. Broxton's No. 2 pitch is a mid-to-high 80s power slider with well above average movement -- it's a good enough pitch to get left-handed hitters out as well as devastate right-handed swingers.
Like many young power pitchers, Broxton lacks a usable slow pitch. He shows a curve, but it isn't a big league offering. With decent control, all Broxton lacks is a changeup to round out his game. Already the team's primary set-up pitcher even though he has been pitching in relief for only a year, Broxton easily could get the chance to close games in the second half if Takashi Saito falters and Danys Baez continues to underwhelm.

Takashi Saito, Relief pitcher
The Dodgers took a low-budget gamble on the 36-year-old veteran of 13 seasons with the Yokohama BayStars, even though Saito was a closer for only two years in his career. Signed in February, Saito wasn't even included on the Opening Day roster; he got his first break when he was called up after Eric Gagne went on the DL in early April. But Saito has moved up the bullpen food chain very quickly. In mid-April, he was being used in a set-up role; a month later, he got his first save opportunity. By the start of June, he effectively had superseded disappointing Baez as the Dodgers' closer.
Saito's fastball is adequate when he spots it well: He rarely comes in to hitters and mostly works the outer half of the plate. He depends on a snappy slider and also will throw a few curves and forkballs/changeups. If he has good command -- as he has so far in his American debut -- he can outfox young hitters and frustrate veterans. Whether he can continue his initial success is anyone's guess given that he has fewer than 50 innings of pitching under his belt in the major leagues.

Hong-Chih Kuo, Relief pitcher
Although only 24 years old, Kuo already has had his elbow rebuilt twice in the past six years. As a result, the left-hander had fewer than 100 innings of professional experience in his career before the start of the 2006 season. His heater can get up into the high 90s, but he doesn't have good command of his curve or his slider and his changeup is a work in progress.
Kuo is a prized prospect, but it is too much to expect that the Taiwanese southpaw can consistently get major league hitters out with so little experience to guide him. Right now, his stat line looks a lot like vintage Mitch Williams: low opponents' average, only one home run allowed, a walk and a strikeout per inning -- and a nice, fat ERA. Kuo could mature into a better pitcher than the "Wild Thing," but it's going to take more time.

Gary Gillette is the editor of The 2006 ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia, which was published in March by Sterling. Click here to order a copy. Gary can be reached via e-mail at GGillette@247Baseball.com.