NL West Preview
Los Angeles Dodgers
Projected Record 90-72
Led by 2016 NL Manager of the Year, Dave Roberts, the Dodgers won the NL West but lost in the NLCS to the team of destiny that was the Chicago Cubs. New to the club are; utility player Logan Forsythe, who was acquired from Tampa Bay and will be their second baseman; and setup man Sergio Romo. They were able to re-sign pitchers Rich Hill and Kenley Jansen, and infielders Justin Turner and Chase Utley. The pitching rotation anchored by Clayton Kershaw who is coming off a season where he missed 2 months due to a back injury, will be looking for Kenta Maeda (16-11) to improve from his rookie season and Rich Hill to stay healthy. Kenley Jansen is a premier closer in the league as shown by his 47 saves, 13.63 K/9 innings, and holding opponents to a .147 average. On the offensive side the Dodgers were fairly average in most statistical categories for the NL. The hope is Yasiel Puig, who insinuated that last year’s struggles were his own fault, can be more consistent. Corey Seagar is one of the best young players in the league and led all SS last year with a 7.5 WAR and is the best hitter for the Dodgers. With a supporting cast of Adrian Gonzalez, Justin Turner, Yasmani Grandal, and Joc Pederson the Dodgers are prime to win the NL West.
San Francisco Giants
Projected Record 88-74
Much like the Dodgers, the Giants felt content to not make a huge free agent signing, mostly because of salary constraints. They did however add Mark Melancon as their new closer who was tied for 2nd last season in saves (47) and has 131 saves over the last 3 seasons; he will slide into the aforementioned Sergio Romo's closer role. The pitching staff is the main reason the Giants will be a postseason contender, they have two "#1" starters in Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto. Together they were a combined 33-14 with a 2.77 ERA last season. Nothing is really exciting on the offensive side for the Giants though, no one had more than 17 HRs (Brandon Belt) or 82 RBIs (Buster Posey). The team does however grind out getting on base and was above the league average in walks and hits in 2016. This team is consistent, has above average pitching (including the bullpen) and can possibly overtake the Dodgers for the division and at the very least will be Wild Card contenders.
Colorado Rockies
Projected Record 84-78
Nolan Arenado is one player that should and will become a household name. He is arguably a top 5 third baseman in the Majors. He won the Silver Slugger award and led all third basemen with 41 HRs, 133 RBIs and slugging percentage of .570. Arenado can also play defense as he won the 2016 Gold Glove award and also the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award for third base. Second baseman and 2016 NL batting champ DJ LeMahieu, short stop Trevor Story, and outfielders Charlie Blackmon, and Carlos Gonzalez give this lineup the power to compete on the offensive side, especially in the thin air of Coors Field. The downside is their putrid pitching staff has to deal with the thin air as well. Jon Gray was 10-10 last year in 29 starts and is the Rockies "ace," and they added Relievers Mike Dunn and Greg Holland to help improve the leagues worst bullpen last season. They also added All-Star Ian Desmond in free agency (5 years/$70 Million); he will most likely be their everyday first baseman when he returns from the DL. The Rockies are an improving club and with a better pitching performance as a team this year, the Rockies have a chance to snag one of the Wild Card spots in the NL.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Projected Record 77-85
The Arizona Diamondbacks were one of the most underachieving teams of 2016. Zack Grienke, Robbie Ray, and Shelby Miller all look to bounce back from last season in which the Diamondbacks were one of the worst pitching teams from starters to bullpen. Shelby Miller who was an All-Star in 2015 with Atlanta despite finishing with a 6-17 record (no run support at all) was only 3-12 last season. Grienke had his worst ERA since 2010 (4.37), and now 25 year old Robbie Ray was 8-15 with a 4.90 ERA. They added Taijuan Walker who projects to be their number two starter, along with shortstop Ketel Marte from Seattle when they sold high on Jean Seguera. On the offensive side of the ball, perennial all-star Paul Goldschmidt had a pretty pedestrian season in 2016 but has been working with a hitting coach in the offseason and has stated that "I just want to hit the ball hard, that’s my simple goal at the plate — have good at-bats.”, look for him to have a 30+ home run season. Jake Lamb, Yasmany Tomas, and AJ Pollock are the three other hitters to watch. Tomas led the D'backs with 31 HRs in his second season; Lamb, who will be the opening day third baseman, hit 29 HRs with 91 RBIs last season; and 2015 All-Star A.J. Pollock, who missed all but 12 games with a fractured elbow, all look to help support Goldschmidt and the pitching staff to improve this season. The Diamondbacks can be a sneaky team to contend for the Wild Card, but until we see improvements on the pitching side, they will be outside of the playoff picture looking in.
San Diego Padres
Projected Record 67-95
The Padres are in total rebuild mode. They traded or lost in free agency; closer Craig Kimbrel, catcher Derek Norris, all-star pitcher Drew Pomeranz and 2016 opening day starter Tyson Ross. With these veteran losses the Padres have a young group in key positions; catcher Austin Hedges, outfielders Hunter Renfroe (who has mashed 77 HRs in 4 Minor League seasons, and 4 in 11 games in the majors last year), and Manuel Margo. Spring traingin star Jabari Blash should make the 25 man roster, he hit 7 HRs in spring training. A player to watch in the minors is 19 year old starting pitcher Anderson Espinoza (acquired from Red Sox for Drew Pomeranz). He has struggled in the minors but is all the rave as far as pitching prospects go. Will Myers and Matt Kemp are the hitters to watch for the Padres, but nothing to get super excited about. The Padres will struggle this year, but they are making moves to get younger prospects to contend in the future.
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