Esprit de core

New faces often indicate an upgrade. Yet with the Dodgers, improvement is just as likely to come from the familiar.

Most of their names are the same, which in itself is a change. From the lineup through the coaches’ office to the general manager’s suite, there is stability where a year ago there was uncertainty.

The second year on any baseball job ought to be easier than the first, whether it’s General Manager Ned Colletti shuffling the roster, Manager Grady Little juggling the bullpen, first baseman Nomar Garciaparra digging out a low throw or catcher Russell Martin calling pitches.

“Remember last year when I was saying we’d be happy going .500 the first three weeks until we settled in?” Little said. “That’s not the case this year. We’re coming out of spring training to win every game we play. There is no learning curve.”

Call it a sign of the times. Keeping the bulk of a roster together two years in a row is a significant accomplishment. The only Dodger with three full years with the team is reserve infielder Olmedo Saenz. So while the return of Martin, Garciaparra, second baseman Jeff Kent, shortstop Rafael Furcal and third baseman Wilson Betemit isn’t exactly Yeager-Garvey-Lopes-Russell-Cey continuity, it’s about as good as it gets in the free-agent era.

“There’s always going to be roster movement, there has to be the way the game is structured,” Colletti said. “But developing and retaining a core group of players is important. Continuity is important.”

A year after numerous Dodgers got their first taste of L.A., the roster is stocked with second helpings.

Andre Ethier, who like Martin became a fixture as a rookie after beginning the season at triple A, is back in the outfield. He’s joined by veteran newcomers Juan Pierre and Luis Gonzalez, but September stalwart Marlon Anderson returns as a reserve outfielder and Ramon Martinez is again the utility infielder.

“It’s easier to play when you know guys,” Ethier said. “Trust builds and communication gets easier. It especially helps during slumps and those inevitable tough times.”

Five second-year Dodgers are relief pitchers. Closer Takashi Saito, setup man Jonathan Broxton, left-handed specialist Joe Beimel and hard-throwing Chad Billingsley all began last season in triple A, came up to make valuable contributions and now form the backbone of the bullpen. Mark Hendrickson was acquired in a trade last summer and will serve as long reliever and rotation insurance.

“Last year there was a lot of doubt surrounding the health of [closer] Eric Gagne,” Little said. “Then Yhency Brazoban went down early. We saw the bullpen change throughout the year. The pitchers we are leaving camp with this time, I can’t see the need for much shuffling”

Drastic retooling was appropriate a year ago because the Dodgers were coming off a disastrous 71-91 season that cost manager Jim Tracy and general manager Paul DePodesta their jobs.

Owner Frank McCourt started from scratch and hired Colletti, who hired Little and a new staff. Those coaches -- Dave Jauss, Rick Honeycutt, Eddie Murray, Rich Donnelly, Mariano Duncan and Dan Warthen -- are back for a second year as well.

“There isn’t a lot of things we have to talk over any more,” Little said. “We just do it. There is a real good comfort level with the staff. There is no indecisiveness.”

The Dodgers improved dramatically last year, going 88-74 and making the playoffs. And more progress is expected because nametags aren’t necessary -- even though names are on the back of the jerseys for the first time in three years.

“The big difference is we aren’t new,” Little said. “There aren’t a lot of things we have to find out about for the first time.”

Colletti’s first year as a general manager was marked by a whirlwind of activity and was widely lauded. He brought in every regular except Kent and Martin while retaining most of the team’s highly regarded crop of minor leaguers. This off-season he added starting pitchers Jason Schmidt and Randy Wolf, backup catcher Mike Lieberthal, Pierre and Gonzalez.

The Dodgers were better on opening day in 2006 than they were when Colletti was hired in November 2005.

They were better at the end of last season than at the beginning.

And they appear better now than at the end of last season.

As a barometer for measuring Colletti’s effectiveness, that’s an eye-opener. Yet it’s as if he has yet to decorate his office the way he wants it. It took him a long time to settle in. Not until this spring did he feel at ease.

“I’ve learned a ton since I was hired,” he said. “The second year on this job is so much better. I know the people in the organization from top to bottom. I know what to expect.”

People outside the organization have expectations too, and they are lofty. Most national publications have picked the Dodgers to win the National League West, and more than one has them going to the World Series for the first time in 19 years.

Doing so with a team unlikely to hit many home runs and lacking a bankable superstar won’t be easy. If the team falters, don’t expect Colletti to stand pat simply for the sake of stability. Whether it is making a trade or promoting a prospect, he won’t hesitate to disrupt the comfort zone.

In fact, he’s predicting it will happen.

“Young players had major roles last year,” he said. “I think there will be the opportunity through the course of this season for young players to play an even bigger role. I just have that feeling.”

The triple-A team at Las Vegas will have its share of second helpings too. The difference is that those players don’t like the taste of it. First baseman James Loney, outfielders Matt Kemp and Delwyn Young, third baseman Andy LaRoche and pitcher D.J. Houlton believe they are ready to be productive Dodgers.

“We want them to feel that way, and their time will come,” Little said. “Just when you think you have everything set the way you want it in this game, something happens to change the equation.

“Yes, our stability and familiarity is a plus for us. But nobody can expect it to last long. And sometimes that’s good too.”

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steve.henson@latimes.com