The NL West was the worst division in baseball last season, but I think it could be the NL's best. The Dodgers seem to be the clear curt favorite with Manny Ramirez back on the roster, but can a team like Arizona rise up and steal some of their thunder? Can Colorado repeat what they did in 2007? Tim Lincecum won a Cy Young last year, can the Giants contend? What about the Padres, will their youth movement work? Here is all you need to know.
NL West Projected Standings
1. Los Angeles Dodgers- NL West Winner
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. San Francisco Giants
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers
Key arrivals: Orlando Hudson, Mark Loretta
Key departures: Jeff Kent (retired), Brad Penny, Derek Lowe, Takasashi Saito
The Dodgers needed Man-Ram back in blue and finally he re-signed for two more years. He now has a hamstring "injury" and will get to miss the next week (Manny missing Spring Training, Really? Haha). Nonetheless he is back along with Matt Kemp, James Loney, Andre Ethier, and Rafael Furcal. Orlando Hudson was added to the mix to bulk their lineup even more. They lost their top two starters, but Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Huroda, and Randy Wolf are a solid top 3. Oh yeah and remember a guy named Jason Schmidt is their #5 starter. Anything he gives them is a bonus. They lost their closer in Saito, but Jonathan Broxton a young flamethrow! er should be more than capable in that spot. At some point LA ! will nee d to add more bullpen help, but they are fine for now. Joe Torre is still a great manager and they will win this division and maybe even the #1 seed come playoff time.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Key arrivals: Felipe Lopez, John Garland, Tom Gordon
Key departures: Adam Dunn, David Eckstein, Orlando Hudson, Brandon Lyon
The D-backs just missed a playoff spot last season and are hungry for one this year. They lost Dunn, their big midseason pick-up. But, Arizona has the! kids to fill his void. Justin Upton is ready to break out into a star. Chris Young has already shown glimpses, but his average needs to rise. Connor Jackson is a solid middle of the order guy. The infield is a weakness however. Hudson is gone, Felipe Lopez steps in, but he has never developed into a star as expected. Stephen Drew needs to have a big year at SS and Mark Reynolds needs to be a consistent power threat. The D-backs are still extremely young all over, but their starting rotation is full of wily veterans. Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, and John Garland is a great top 3. But their bullpen is suspect. Chad Qualls is currently their closer, but I see someone else stepping in eventually. I think the Diamondbacks are a few relievers and a first baseman away from a serious contender.
San Francisco Giants
Key arrivals: Bob Howry, Edger Renteria, Randy Johnson
Key departures: Omar Vizquel
The Giants are a darkhorse this upcoming season. Tim Lincecum is just the beginning of their youth movement. Once SF moved on from Barry Bonds, they began to build from their farm. Matt Cain is due for a breakout year in the rotation and get ready for a Noah Lowry comeback year. These three along with Jonathan Sanchez and Randy Johnson make an underrated starting five. I expect Barry Zito to end up in the bullpen eventually. Brian Wilson is their closer and he is an up and coming arm. Bob Howry is a great additon at the set-up slot. The lineup needs some work, but is slowly improving. A bunch of youngsters ! will be inserted as starters, for instance Pablo Sandoval at third base. The Giants may struggle early on, but expect them to climb into contention in this division come late July. Aaron Rowand, Randy Winn, Bengie Molina, and Edger Renteria will be the veteran leaders on offense. The Giants have a shot to make some noise.
Colorado Rockies
Key arrivals: Huston Street, Alan Embree
Key departures: Brian Fuentes, Willy Taveras, Livan Hernandez
The Rockies had a letdown year last season ! after a stunning World Series run the previous season which en! ded with a sweep from Boston. They have the potential to be a top team, but the trade of Matt Holiday will prove to be lethal. Troy Tuowitski is a superstar in the making, but Brad Hawpe and Todd Helton are his only help. Chris Ianetta is a good young catcher, but not enough to make Colorado a playoff team. They got a closer controversey between Manny Corpas and Huston Street, but you can never have enough pitching. The Rockies rotation is so-so lead by Aaron Cook and Ubaldo Jimenez. When ends meet, Colorado does not have enough starting pitching or power to threaten the Dodgers. I expect Garret Atkins and/or Brad Hawpe to be dealt by the trading deadline.
San Diego Padres
Key arrivals: David Eckstein, Cliff Floyd, Emil Brown
Key departures: Trevor Hoffman
The Padres are one of the biggest failures of the offseason. Their goal was to deal ace Jake Peavy, but deals fell through with Chicago and Atlanta because San Diego's price was much too high. Peavy is one of the best pitchers in baseball, but SD needs to trim their payroll and I guess that was the route they took. I like their 1-2 punch of Peavy and Chris Young, but after that it gets ugly. Franchise great Trevor Hoffman was given his walking papers ending an era in SD. Hoffman is currently the greatest closer of all-time (on paper). They added Eckstein and Floyd, but neither make them much better. Plain and simple, San Diego is just a bad baseball team.
