With Spring Training well under way and the regular season to start soon, baseball is definitely in the air. To get ready for the upcoming season, I am going to preview each division in the Majors, starting with the NL West and working my way through to the NL East. Teams will be ranked by where I think they will finish in the division.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers had a very quiet offseason after their NLCS departure in the playoffs last year, mainly due to the high profile divorce of owners Frank and Jamie McCourt. Jamey Carroll was one of the Dodgers only signings, and he will most likely be used is a similar capacity as departed Juan Castro. Juan Pierre was traded to the White Sox leaving the Dodgers with Xavier Paul and Jason Repko to back up the outstanding outfield trio of MRamirez, Kemp, and Ethier. On the infield Rafael Furcal will hope to bounce back from his struggles from the previous year, and James Loney will have to look for a better offensive season. Ronnie Belliard should start at second but will receive pressure from Blake DeWitt and Chin Lung Hu for his job this year, similar to what Belliard did last year to Orlando Hudson. At third Casey Blake looks to stay the consistent bottom of the order hitter he's been for the Dodgers since he was traded from Cleveland two years ago. Russell Martin will try to improve after a horrid season last year. In the rotation, Clayton Kershaw will look to solidify himself as an ace in the NL, while Hiroki Kuroda and Vicente Padilla should remain as solid arms in the 2 and 3 slots. Chad Billingsley will be one of the main questions heading into the year, after a great first half, followed by a second half in which he was removed from the rotation in October. The fifth starter seems to have been given to knuckleballer Charlie Haeger, who looks to be impressive this year. The bullpen should be solid with Sherrill and Broxton at the back, but injury concerns with Hong-Chih Kuo and Ramon Troncoso could hurt the team. Overall though, the offensive ability of this team should lead them to another division title.
2. San Francisco Giants
The Giants had a good season last year, but did not end with postseason play. This year they signed utilityman Mark DeRosa, who should give them something either off the bench or in the lineup. The rotation will be the strong suit for Bruce Bochy's club, led by starters Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. Barry Zito and Jonathan Sanchez finish out a possible four man rotation. If they go to a five man, it looks like Todd Wellemeyer, a spring training surprise would be added to the rotation. On the hitting side, San Francisco will likely struggle as much as they did last year. Pablo Sandoval and Bengie Molina return as their heavy hitters, and Aubrey Huff and Mark DeRosa are welcome additions that have solid sticks. Freddy Sanchez looks to return to the top form he was in a few years ago in Pittsburgh at second base, and Edgar Renteria returns at shortstop. Aaron Rowand and Nate Schierholtz close out the outfield. The bench is highlighted by speedy Eugenio Velez and utilityman Juan Uribe. Travis Ishikawa, Fred Lewis, and John Bowker could also see some time off the bench. Overall, San Francisco should compete for a playoff spot behind their strong rotation.
3. Colorado Rockies
After firing Clint Hurdle last year, the Rockies named Jim Tracy, former Dodgers and Pirates manager, and went 74-42 in his tenure, ending with a loss the the Phillies in the NLDS. Troy Tulowitzki looks to have another strong season at short, while Todd Helton and Chris Ianetta should be solid hitters in the lineup. Ian Stewart and Clint Barmes round out the infield. In the outfield Brad Hawpe looks to be a powerful hitter from the left side, as he killed the Dodgers last season. Dexter Fowler and Carlos Gonzalez will have a good battle over the centerfield spot, and Seth Smith takes the field in left. The rotation in led by flameballer Ubaldo Jimenez, followed by Jeff Francis and Aaron Cook. Jorge De La Rosa had a strong season last year before getting hurt just before playoff time and Jason Hammel returns after eating up 176 innings last year. The bullpen is led by Huston Street and Manny Corpas, as well as Taylor Buchholz. Ryan Spilborghs and Carlos Gonzalez lead the bench, followed by veterans Miguel Olivo, Jason Giambi, and Melvin Mora. Look for the Rockies, Giants, and Dodgers to be involved in a heavy fight for tops in the division.
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
The D'Backs are led by their young core of Upton/Reynolds/Drew, and looks to be built around Dan Haren in the rotation. Kelly Johnson and Adam LaRoche make up the left side of the infield as good additions to the team. Miguel Montero looks to be the starter at catcher, and Conor Jackson and Chris Young round out the outfield. The rotation looks to be led by Haren, and offseason acquisitions Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy. Rodrigo Lopez should be in the rotation, and the 5 spot should be up for grabs. Bob Howry and Aaron Heilman join Chad Qualls in the bullpen containing many young unproven pitchers. The bench consists of Gerardo Parra, Ryan Roberts, Rusty Ryal, Augie Ojeda, and Chris Snyder. Big first baseman Brandon Allen will likely start in AAA, but could come up this year. The Diamondbacks have a solid future, but right now they need to let their young pieces grown and develop.
5. San Diego Padres
The Padres struggled through last season, and with talks of dealing bright spot first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, the Padres are still the bottom of the NL West. Aside from Gonzalez, a power hitting first baseman, the infield consists of David Eckstein, Everth Cabrera, and Chase Headley. Yorvit Torrealba will likely get the nod behind the plate over Nick Hundley. Kyle Blanks leads the outfield, a powerful rookie who could be their best hitter aside from Gonzalez. Will Venable and Tony Gwynn Jr. provide speed and fielding in the outfield for the Pads. The rotation is led by Jon Garland and Chris Young. Kevin Correia will take the third spot, and young pitchers Clayton Richard and Mat Latos finish off the rotation and could develop into solid players. Heath Bell could finally step in to elite status as their closer, and Edward Mujica and Joe Thatcher should be the go-to arms in the bullpen. Oscar Salazar will be an extra infielder, and the two Hairston brothers (Scott and Jerry) will play good roles in the utility roles. The Padres have a developing farm system, and could rise in a few years, but for now, they are perennial bottom feeders.
The NL West should provide three solid teams this year, followed by developing teams in the D'Backs and Padres. Next we will take a look at the NL Central, and see if anyone can challenge Albert Pujols and the Cards.
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