VERO BEACH, Fla. -- Holding an imaginary bat in his hands, Rafael Furcal was in his left-handed batting stance in front of his locker. Rocking back and shifting his weight onto his back foot, Furcal said, "I couldn't do this last year." The healing of his left ankle, which was sprained for most of last season, was one of the reasons the Dodgers' 30-year-old shortstop offered for being so optimistic about the upcoming season. Reporting to camp Tuesday morning, Furcal ran into closer Takashi Saito as he was about to walk into the Dodgers clubhouse. "We're going to win this year," Furcal told Saito. Injured in an outfield collision with Jason Repko last spring, Furcal started the season on the disabled list. Still hampered when he was activated, he never fully recovered. Furcal, who stole 83 bases in the two previous seasons combined, finished 2007 with only 25 steals. A switch-hitter, he batted only .254 from the left side of the plate. But, the Dodgers' potential leadoff hitter said, "I feel 100% now." Whatever doubts he had about his ankle subsided in winter ball playing for Aguilas Cibaenas in his native Dominican Republic. Furcal played six weeks in the Dominican league and had a .361 average and three steals in eight playoff games. He batted .400 in the Caribbean Series that concluded this month. Furcal also is encouraged by the Dodgers' signing of Andruw Jones, his former neighbor and teammate with the Atlanta Braves. Jones was "like a brother" to Furcal, taking him under his wing when he broke into the big leagues in 2000. In the relationship, Furcal was the "little brother." Or so Jones thought. When birth certificates became required to get a work visa in the wake of Sept. 11, it was revealed that Furcal was two years older than previously believed. "I was like, 'We're almost the same age,' " Jones said. "But he's still like my little brother." Furcal would like to remain teammates with Jones for more than this season, which marks the final year of his three-year, $39-million contract. Furcal said he would like to re-sign with the Dodgers, and his agent, Paul Kinzer, strongly hinted this week that he would try to negotiate a long-term deal. Furcal said he would be open to discussing an extension this spring. "But during the season," he added, "I want to just have my mind on the game." Noting the trend of major league teams wanting to stock their benches with young players, Mark Sweeney and Ramon Martinez said they were relieved to be back with the Dodgers. They are by no means assured of spots on the team -- Sweeney, 38, is on the 40-man roster, but his contract isn't guaranteed and Martinez, 35, is a non-roster invitee. Of teams' preferences for young players, Martinez said, "It's the way the game of baseball is going. It worked for Arizona last year." Martinez and Sweeney will be traveling to China for the Dodgers' exhibition games against the San Diego Padres on March 14 and 15, something pinch-hitting specialist Sweeney thinks will benefit him because Manager Joe Torre also will be on the trip. "A lot of my job -- not assuming I'm on the team -- is understanding the manager because I need to know what kind of moves he's going to make, what he's thinking," Sweeney said. "Having conversations with him would definitely help me." The Dodgers will hold their first full-squad workout today. The only players who haven't been seen in the clubhouse so far are Jeff Kent and non-roster pitcher Alfredo Simon, who remains in the Dominican Republic because of visa problems. Sandy Koufax worked in the bullpen with left-handed pitching prospect Greg Miller, who has had control problems since undergoing shoulder surgery in 2004. Maury Wills worked with pitchers on bunting. --

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