The baseball season is upon us, and only one question remains: Who will win the NL West?
The five teams of the NL West compete for the title.
Baseball is less than three weeks away from Opening Day, and the NL West looks to be shaping up for an interesting season this year. Last year featured the surprising Arizona Diamondbacks roaring through the season, and taking the NL West crown. It also had three teams: Rockies, Dodgers, and Padres, struggling most of the season to find their identity as a team. The final standings of last year’s race weren’t very close, and I see more of the same this year.
Arizona Diamondbacks: The D-backs had multiple surprises last season, and among them were pitchers Joe Saunders and Ian Kennedy. Saunders had a middle of the road record at 12-13, but had a commanding fastball and some great off-speed pitches. Kennedy was the real ace of the staff, with a stellar 21-4 record and a 2.82 ERA, which was better than Roy Halladay, who is considered the best pitcher in the NL, in both categories. The Diamondbacks’ offense was also among the best in baseball, ranking 9th in runs and 8th in slugging percentage. The Diamondbacks have the best outfield in the division with Justin Upton (31 HR, 88 RBI), Chris Young (20 HR, 71 RBI), and Gerardo Parra (.292 AVG, 2011 Gold Glover), all three will carry this team.
Colorado Rockies: Terrible pitching led to an awful season for the Rockies last year. They posted some of the worst numbers as a starting rotation, and traded their ace, Ubaldo Jimenéz, for some very promising prospects. Last year’s rotation posted an average of a 4.43 ERA, and the highest win total on the staff was 11 as Jhoulys Chacin posted that seemingly low number. Another young pitcher named Tyler Chatwood was brought in after a trade with the Angels, who got Chris Iannetta in the deal. Along with Iannetta, the Rockies traded away Seth Smith and Jason Hammel during the offseason. Luckily, Rockies’ GM, Dan O’Dowd, got outfielder Michael Cuddyer in free agency, which was of vast importance because now he and Carlos Gonzalez will protect Troy Tulowitzki in the middle of the lineup. Cuddyer is a great gap hitter, and Coors Field is known for its left and right field gaps. Gonzalez will be on base for Tulowitzki, and most likely in scoring position. If Tulowitzki has the year that is being projected, it could be in the neighborhood of 40 homeruns and 120 RBIs. The pitching looks to be rough again this year for the Rockies, as the starting rotation last year finished 16 games under .500, but the offense should be good enough to carry this team to a .500 record.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Three players carry the Dodger team and they are outfielders Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, and pitcher Clayton Kershaw. I see future problems with the Dodgers and NL Cy Young Award Winner Kershaw in the future because Kershaw is only going to make $500k this season, pocket change to some Aces in the Major Leagues. Kemp had a great year last year, and was ridiculously productive, but I see a down season this year. He just got a new contract, and won’t work as hard because he’s made his bank. There are still problems across the board with ownership, and the Dodgers will be distracted all year.
San Diego Padres: Quick, name one player on the Padres roster. Couldn’t do it? Neither can most baseball fans outside of San Diego, mostly because the Padres staff doesn’t have one player on the team who is a star. They do have some rising stars though, with Kyle Blanks, Nick Hundley, and Cameron Maybin. Blanks hit seven homeruns and had 26 RBI in only 55 games this year, and will have many more at-bats this year. Hundley doesn’t have the power stroke of some catchers in the Majors, but he will get his fair share of hits and RBIs. Maybin looks to be the future of the Padres organization. He is a great fielder, and has blazing speed on the base paths, with 40 stolen bases last year. Look for Maybin to make some noise at the top of the lineup. The Padres ranked in the bottom percentile in most offensive categories, and that shouldn’t change this year. The Padres’ Ace this year will be Edison Volquez, and he really doesn’t post the stats of a number one. The Padres’ organization will have to let the farm system do its magic before they are relevant again.
San Fransisco Giants: Don’t be deceived by the Giants terrible offense last year. They ranked 29th in runs (570), 28th in batting average (.242), and 29th in on-base percentage (.303). These numbers should be on the rise because catcher and key franchise piece Buster Posey returns after breaking his ankle last spring. Posey is a big bat and will effectively make everyone else in that lineup better. The pitching of the Giants is also superb. Tim Lincecum is the leader of the staff and had what some people are calling a “down year.” Lincecum posted a 2.74 ERA, and a .222 BAA (batting average against). If that’s a “down year” then what does a good year look like to him? Lincecum’s partner-in-crime, Matt Cain, should also post a good year. Cain has great movement on his off speed pitches, and then strikes the batter out with a fastball on the hands. The Giants will go as far as Lincecum and Cain takes them, and that can be quite far.
Here are my final projections of the NL West. Remember, the last four years have provided unsuspecting teams competing for the title, so don’t be too glum Rockies’ fans. The division seems pretty wide-open.
Team: Record (W-L):
Arizona Diamondbacks 92-70
San Fransisco Giants 85-77
Colorado Rockies 81-81
Los Angeles Dodgers 75-87
San Diego Padres 64-98
