Manny Ramirez and How his Suspension Will Affect the LA Dodgers

The big news out of the MLB this week was the suspension of Manny Ramirez for 50 games. Aside from that there were also some players who emerged as potential fantasy superstars this season that you should keep an eye. Here is a quick run down of how the LA Dodgers will be affected by the loss of Manny Ramirez. We will also look at the effects of Manny Ramirez' absence on other players on the Dodger team.

Orlando Hudson is one player that will be affected by the suspension. He has become a fantasy stud this year batting in front of Ramirez. Hudson has a .953 on base percentage this year and a lot of the credit is due to the protection that Manny offers him the lineup. The absence of Manny will no doubt have a negative impact on Hudson's numbers.

Andre Ethier has been a big surprise this year and has been playing like a future hall of famer since Manny came to town. Since Manny has been a Dodger Ethier has 15 home runes, 58 RBI's and a .346 batting average. Along with Hudson, Ethier's numbers are sure to decline with Manny is out of the lineup for the next 50 games.

With that being said there are also two players that could benefit positively from the absence of Ramirez. Juan Pierre will get more starting time was he has been the odd man out all season. He is a prime base stealer so you should pick him up if you are in need of stolen bases or a healthy batting average. Rookie outfielder Xavier Paul has also been recalled from Triple A and has been developing quite nicely. Last season he batted .316 and had 9 homeruns along with 17 SB between AA and AAA ball. His power should continue to develop with age and hopefully with some playing time in LA now he will provide some steady and consistent numbers.

The good news for the Dodgers is that they do not play in a powerful division. Even if the absence of Ramirez has a big effect on the rest of the team, there is no one team that will run away with the division. They should be able to hold on until Manny is back without a problem, especially if guys like Paul and Pierre can step in and pick up the slack left behind. Other players like James Loney, Russell Martin and Rafael Furcal have started off slow this year and this change might be good for them. The extra pressure put on them may force them to step up their game. Not to mention that the team already has a 6 game lead in the division which should not be affected while Ramirez is gone.