In the second installment of this series, we will be taking a look into NL West, which was one of the weaker divisions last year. The telling story of this division for the upcoming season is that that they have so much young talent that they can jump out at any moment and surprise a lot of people of what is to come in this division but at the same time, they can easily, and probably will, fade into mediocre play again this season (and that opinion is probably the result of my giagantic east coast bias). Anyway here are my predictions:
1) Dodgers
2) Diamondbacks
3) Giants
4) Rockies
5) Padres
1) The Dodgers have an edge up in the division because the NL West on the whole is weak. Their lineup is by far the best with Manny, as a key piece but look for Kemp and Ethier to have huge seasons this year (it is their time). The big worry for the Dodgers is the rortation, if it silps below average the Dbacks or Giants will jump. Chad Billingsley needs to have a big year for them to win the division and Kershaw at the age of 21 must play very well. If they perform, then the Dodgers take the West again.
2) The Dbacks are on the verge of the whole team bubbling over with talent. They easily have the best rotation in the NL West because of the 1-2 punch with Webb and Haren. In order to keep their ground, Schezer will need to show his star power and his 98 mph heater. Their lineups main weakness is that it is a young lineup that can either explode with greatness but more than likely won't, and will fizzle out as the season goes on due to fatigue (see last year). For them to have a big year, look for Young, Drew and Jackso to step up big at the plate.
3) The Giants are by far my personal favorite in this division because I love the potential in their rotation. Lincecum is a freak, but Cain, when he gets run support, can be very very good. They both will benefit with Randy Johnson in the club house. As for the lineup, it is still weak but Lewis can perform it can get better. Their concern should be Rowand because of his .287 / .256 away to home split. If he can't hit at home then this team is done. They also have a weak bullpen. If the rotation locks down, and the lineup hits, then they are my dark horse for this division.
4) The Rockies really have no shot at this division because even though their lineup can hit, between the loss of Holiday and the their pitching staff, things will not go well for the mile high team. Cook is their only real reliable starter and besides Street, the bullpen looks really shotty. 2007 seems like a long time ago for this team.
5) The Padres failed at their #1 objective this offseason of trading Peavy but they can still get that done during the season if they want to. The only bright spot on this team is Chris Young the pitcher and Heath Bell and if they enter a rebuilding mode, it should be around those two young pitchers. Gonzalez gets little love over here in the East, so I feel I should mention he is their best bat and glove and that he is very good. They have a few good OF and 1B on the farm (Decker, Kalbacki, Hunter, Blanks) that should make Friar fans happy.
Quick Recap:
Best Lineup: Dodgers, Dbacks 2nd
Best Rotation: Dbacks, Dodgers 2nd
Best Pen: Dodgers, Dbacks 2nd
