Rookie Joc Pederson has quietly been the team’s most productive outfielder this season. By Owen Main

If you think the Dodgers are going to be a team who rides any one guy anywhere very long during the regular season, you’re probably wrong. It’s true, the Dodgers will need to have some hot players and great play if they are to make noise in the post season. But getting there will take a lot of guys. In fact, it already has.

Just look at this list of Sunday transactions for the Dodgers and it becomes clear that the big league team’s success thus far has had something to do with guys not named Clayton or Yasiel. Puig and Joel Perralta were put on the disabled list, and the Dodgers have players in their system lined-up to fill their roster spots.

Even with two outfielders hurt, hot-hitting Alex Guerrero is having a hard time finding regular playing time. By Owen Main

Two years ago, a blow like this would have had fans, bloggers, and pundits wondering who the team could get in the trade market if guys are injured long-term. This year, everyone is turning inward toward and organization that has spent the near past making move after move to increase depth at all organizational levels.

One area of “problem” depth was the outfield. Former regular Andre Ethier was out of a starting spot on opening day. Dodger fans were clamoring for the team to trade him and get some asset for him.

Along with Ethier, Scott Van Slyke seemed ready to get more playing time, but with Carl Crawford and Yasiel Puig firmly entrenched in the corner outfield positions, things seemed to be at an impasse.

Fast-forward a few weeks, and things look very different. Puig and Crawford are both hurt as of last night. Van Slyke and Ethier both finished the game in the outfield. And Alex Guerrero — swinging a hot bat lately — is still on the bench, still available to manager Don Mattingly to fill-in where needed.

What seemed like an uncomfortable level of depth just a few weeks ago is now a strength the Dodgers are flexing. Still in first place. Mashing, and sticking to their game plan.

Alex Guerrero has been really good for the Dodgers in limited time so far this season. By Owen Main

Dodgers starter Brandon McCarthy battled through seven innings, despite giving up four home runs. Alex Guerrero and Joc Pederson each had two RBI’s. Andre Ethier doubled in his only at-bat of the game, scoring the winning run on Guerrero’s 10th-inning single, and the Dodgers won a game they probably shouldn’t have, 6-5 over the Mariners.

If the team had old management in place for the better part of the last year, none of those players might have even been in the lineup.

Andrew Friedman went out and spent good money on McCarthy, a guy with some injury history, to bolster the rotation. Despite the four homers he surrendered, McCarthy had really good sixth and seventh innings, giving the team a chance to get back in the game.

Trading Matt Kemp opened a spot for Joc Pederson, who has been generally as-advertised. Pederson will surely go through a rookie slump at some point, but for now he’s a solid contributor to wins. His .877 OPS in his first seven games this season is a nice thing to see after the struggles he had in 18 regular season games last year. Yeah, sample sizes are still small, but I’m encouraged.

Moving on, Alex Guerrero is a player who people made noise about this offseason. He hadn’t developed defensively. People wondered, was he even going to make the big league club?

Andre Ethier’s ability to be effective and willing as a fourth or fifth outfielder will be crucial to the Dodgers’ success this year. By Owen Main

Guerrero has shown that his bat plays in the majors. Whether he ends up at second or third-base in the long term, he’s showing himself as a more-than-adequate replacement for Juan Uribe at third base. He’s not as good defensively, but I wonder what some consistent playing time does for a player like Guerrero.

Guerrero’s ability to play third base gives the Dodgers the option to have other utility guys get maximum value. Justin Turner and Darwin Barney can do what they do — filling in up the middle. Scott Van Slyke can be a fifth outfielder and back-up first baseman. Man, this team is just really nicely balanced.

Lastly, Ethier’s role is probably the most interesting this season. He’s sure to get his share of at-bats. Mattingly has said he doesn’t expect Ethier to be happy in his backup role, and Ethier shouldn’t be. Ethier’s loss in playing time is the Dodgers’ gain in being able to send him up for high-leverage at-bats whenever they want. When he’s dialed-in, Ethier is a dangerous hitter, and the Dodgers can deploy him however they want.

I see a guy like Ethier getting some significant playing time come September and October. Baseball teams always have attrition and having a guy like Ethier to fill a backup role is pretty awesome.

All in all, this was the most encouraging win of the season for me. Last year, with Miguel Rojas or whoever playing third base in Uribe’s absence, I don’t know that the Dodgers could have dug themselves out of the hole a starting pitcher created. It’s great for a team to get wins like this early in the year. After last night’s win, the Dodgers sit at 4-3 on the season, but the combination of confidence and momentum a team gets from a game like last night’s can be a heck of a thing.

We all know most of the guys who we’ll see on the field for the Dodgers this year, but it’s probably a good time of the year to review the 40-man roster, especially those players who don’t have numbers listed.

First, let’s go over some random pitchers. Staying in line with a theme of financial and organizational flexibility, the Dodgers didn’t go after big-name starters like Max Scherzer and James Shields this off-season. That said, they do have a lot of relative unknowns who could make an impact both in spot-starts and in relief this upcoming season. Here are four guys you may not know much about.

Yimi Garcia

Garcia saw a little time with the Dodgers last year. In just eight games and just ten innings, he posted an ERA of 1.80. The righty also posted a 3.10 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP in Albuquerque, where he spent most of the season.

If the Dodgers are looking for some real bullpen help this season, Garcia could be a part of that. At some point.

Here’s a profile of Garcia from Eric Stephen at TrueBlueLA that was posted almost a year ago.

Mike Bolsinger

Bolsinger spent last season with the Diamondbacks, where he started nine games and wasn’t very good. The Dodgers saw enough in him to pick him up in the offseason. Presumably, he’s someone who can provide a few starts and, hopefully for Dodger fans, give the team a chance to win.

They got him from a division rival for a song, which would make any positive contribution he makes even more satisfying for fans who love to see that Arizona team twist in the wind. Depth, depth, flexibility, depth.

Chris Hatcher

Hatcher is a relief pitcher with four years of experience with the Marlins, though only one of them can really be classified as “good.” Last season, he pitched 56 decent innings and managed a K/BB ratio of more than 4/1. Hatcher’s addition should also help the Dodgers’ bullpen depth, though nothing is ever guaranteed when it comes to brining in relief pitchers.

Hatcher is 30 years old and is a converted catcher like his new bullpen-mate Kenley Jansen. He made the news last year when he was suspended for fighting a minor league teammate. Hatcher at-worst interesting and at-best like a character out of the bullpen who the Dodgers and their fans could really grow to depend on this year.

Adam Liberatore

Liberatore was drafted by the Andrew Friedman-led Rays organization and has yet to see the big leagues. At AAA Durham last season, he put up a .892 WHIP and 1.66 ERA. He is a left-handed relief pitcher with presumably good stuff, which is always a commodity one would like to have. It’s a little odd that Liberatore will be 28 this year and hasn’t seen the big leagues with numbers like he had.

Liberatore has a Tommy John surgery in his history, but it didn’t seem to affect his performance in the minors last year. Perhaps this is the season and the team for him to finally make it to the big-time, where he could be very effective — especially against left-handed hitters.

Yasiel Puig and Juan Uribe should have somewhat better players backing them up this season. By Ron Reiring, via Wikimedia Commons

Happy Friday.

Here is something that might make you believe that the Dodgers will be better this year.

Instead of these players getting at-bats and innings pitched:

Carlos Triunfel

Drew Butera

Justin Turner

Miguel Olivo

Migues Rojas

Tim Federowitz

Chone Figgins

Jamie Wright

Brandon League

Brian Wilson

Roberto Hernandez (Fausto Carmona)

Paul Maholm

Chris Perez

… these players will either not receive playing time or have reduced roles. Or, they’ll be replaced by better players.

By my quick calculations, above pitchers threw over 342 innings in 273 combined games. The position players listed notched 777 at-bats throughout the year.

It’s not a huge number of at-bats or innings, but these totals are also not insignificant. Depth isn’t interesting, but it’s going to be a theme this year.