Anyone who has ever had the pleasure to meet and speak with Dodgers right-hander Javy Guerra knows that he is a great guy with an infectious smile and personality. It is simply impossible not to like the guy.

Guerra, who was selected by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2004 First Year Player Draft out of Billy Ryan High School in Denton, Texas, turned 28 years old last Halloween and now finds himself in a very uncomfortable position – he is out of options and must either make the Dodgers opening day roster or be designated for assignment. If the latter were to occur the Dodgers would lose a very valuable asset and some other team would undoubtedly snatch him up in a heartbeat.

There is little doubt that should the Dodgers designate Guerra for assignment, he will not clear waivers and would be lost to another team. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

The problem, of course, is that the Dodgers bullpen is absolutely stuffed with some very good relievers such as Kenley Jansen, Brian Wilson, J.P. Howell, Paco Rodriguez, Chris Withrow, Jose Dominguez, Onelki Garcia and newcomers Seth Rosin, Chris Perez and Jamey Wright; and this doesn’t even take into consideration top Dodgers pitching prospects Jarret Martin, Pedro Baez and Yimi Garcia. It also doesn’t take into consideration the insane $15 million that the Dodgers still owe to Brandon League over the next two seasons. Simply put, Javy Guerra is caught between a rock and a hard place and has a monumental task ahead of him to make the Dodgers opening day roster.

But make no mistake about it, Javy Guerra is up to the challenge. He is fully aware that the ultimate decision as to his future with the Dodgers is out of his control, but rather than dwell on the things that he cannot control he is focusing entirely on the things that he can control.

“I feel great. I came into camp ready and I’m taking it day by day,” said Guerra. “Me and J.P. [Howell] work together everyday, so any time I throw in a game he’ll look at it and see what we’re doing. He’s been able to really help me with my curveball and really help me sharpen it and use it in the right approach.”

In his three appearances thus far this spring Guerra has done well, even though he has pitched himself into and out of a couple of jams. In his four innings of work, Guerra has allowed six hits and one walk while striking out two for a rather uncomfortable WHIP of 1.75. That being said, he has not allowed a run to score this spring.

Like most pitchers, Guerra’s pitching arsenal works off of his fastball with his slider being his out pitch. During his second outing last Saturday against the Brewers, he hung a slider on a 1-2 count that Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy didn’t miss and drove into center field for a single. When asked about that pitch after the game, Guerra showed off his good nature and sense of humor.

“Me and Lucroy have a little inside battle that we’ve got going for years,” said Guerra with a smile. “So it was just a little more fun.”

Guerra realizes that he has a lot to overcome to make the Dodgers 25-man roster and has changed his mental approach to the game.

“I think last year I took it too serious in the sense of letting other things bother me on the field,” said Guerra. “This year it’s just like ‘let’s go have fun and hopefully enjoy it and go out there and do what you can do.’ I know I can trust my stuff and have a lot of fun doing it.”

Regardless of the overwhelming odds that Guerra is facing, it’s hard not to pull for him to make the team – not to mention the unpleasant thought of seeing him in anything but Dodger blue.