NL West Preview

It may be time for March Madness, but baseball season is right around the corner!

Los Angeles Dodgers
2009: 95-67, 1st place in the division, lost in NLCS
Key Additions: None, due to the divorce of the McCourt family tying up all of the Dodger funds.
Key Losses: Juan Pierre, Orlando Hudson, Randy Wolf
The Lineup: In 2009 the Dodgers led the league in batting average while having no regular starter achieve a .300+ average, a relatively impressive feat. However they do lose part-timer Juan Pierre and his .308 average to the White Sox and have added aging Garret Anderson and Reed Johnson to form a somewhat crowded outfield. The young nucleus of James Loney, Matt Kemp, and Andre Ethier all had an OBP over .350 last year and should only improve in 2010. Overall production may come down to the play of Manny Ramirez, who will turn 38 in May and saw his slugging percentage drop 70 points last year in a season shortened by his steroid suspension.
The Rotation: The Dodgers starting staff had the third lowest ERA in the NL behind the Braves and Giants in 2009. They lose ace Randy Wolf and his 214.1 innings and 3.23 ERA. The front four in the rotation are decided: Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw, Hiroki Kuroda, and Vicente Padilla. With the tightening of money the Dodgers were not able to go out and grab a serviceable fifth and there will be a competition between Eric Stults, Charlie Haeger, and Carlos Monasterios for the final spot, which could end up rotating between the three all season. There is more youth in the rotation with Kershaw and Billingsley but the combination of Kuroda and Padilla at three and four along with a lack of stability at the fifth could hurt the Dodgers in the long run.
The Bullpen: Closer Jonathan Broxton headlines 2009’s best bullpen as he is coming off of a 36 save, 0.96 WHIP season. Reliable set-up men Ramon Troncoso, Ronald Belisario, and Guillermo Mota return as does lefty specialist George Sherrill, who threw up a 0.65 ERA in the second half of the season with the Dodgers. Expect this bullpen to be as good as ever in 2010.
The Verdict: The Dodgers will certainly be hurt by the lack of new blood in the clubhouse but they return the youthful heart of the team from last year and should be the favorites in the West.

Colorado Rockies
2009: 92-70, 2nd place in the division, lost in the NLDS
Key Additions: The return of Jeff Francis
Key Losses: Jason Marquis
The Lineup: In 2009 the Rockies were only able to muster a .261 batting average but put together a .784 OPS that led the league in what is still a hitter-friendly Coors Field. Young outfielder Carlos Gonzalez will be looking at a starting job this year as he hit .284/.353/.525 with 13 HR and 16 SB in just 278 AB at the end of last season.
The Rotation: The Rockies pitching staff is coming off of a season in which they allowed the least runs in franchise history. The starting rotation was 6th in the National League with just a 4.10 ERA. However, four of the five in the rotation last year had career years and Marquis and his 15-13 record and 4.04 ERA have left for the Nationals. Jeff Francis will be replacing him in the rotation, returning after missing all of 2009 with shoulder surgery. If he returns to his 2007 form where he went 17-9 with a 4.22 ERA, the rotation should be just as good as last year and the Rockies will be in contention for a playoff spot.
The Bullpen: Closer Huston Street is the lone bright spot to a bullpen that finished 13th in the NL in ERA in 2009. No additions or subtractions have really been made to the rotation and if the rotation regresses to their normal abilities, the Rockies could be in trouble. They are fortunate that the best three in the ‘pen (Street, Matt Daley, and Franklin Morales) are all young and should theoretically keep improving.
The Verdict: The Rockies are a good team that over-achieved in 2009 when they won the wild card by 4 games. A good comeback by Jeff Francis and breakout year for Carlos Gonzalez could do the trick, but everyone will have to carry their momentum from last season for the Rockies to be successful.

San Francisco Giants
2009: 88-74, 3rd place in the division
Key Additions: Mark DeRosa, Aubrey Huff
Key Losses: Old Man Randy Winn
The Lineup: The Giants scored a meager 4.06 runs per game in 2009, good for 4th lowest in the National League. The lone offensive bright spot comes in the form of the Kung Fu Panda, Pablo Sandoval. The twenty-two year old Sandoval burst onto the scene in 2009, hitting .330/.387/.556 with 25 HR and 90 RBI. Unfortunately outside of Juan Uribe, this .330 average was 65 points better than any other regular. The Giants have added Mark DeRosa and Aubrey Huff to the lineup, two players who are coming off of rough 2009 seasons after good 2008 campaigns. Their resurgence will be key to the Giants’ hitting this season.
The Rotation: Fortunately for the Giants, they have one of the best rotations in the league and it will have to make up for the inadequacies of their hitting. The one-two punch of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain is one of the best in baseball, coming off of a season where they went a combined 29-15 with a 2.48 and 2.89 ERA, respectively. The only departure from the rotation is the retired Randy Johnson, who capped off his career with an 8-6 record and 4.88 ERA. He will likely be replaced by Madison Bumgarner, a hot shot 20-year old prospect who has torn up the minor leagues, posting a sub-2.00 ERA at every stop along the way, including a 9-1, 1.93 ERA, 1.03 WHIP in AA last season. Bumgarner was named the #9 prospect in the MLB last season and could be the next stud in the line of studs produced by the Giants in recent years. However, his velocity has been down this spring and he may not quite be ready for major league baseball.
The Bullpen: The Giants bullpen posted a 3.49 ERA last season, good for second in the league. The main cast of characters will be back including closer Brian Wilson (2.74 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 38 SV), Jeremy Affeldt (1.73 ERA, 62.1 IP in 74 App.), and Brandon Meddors (3.01 ERA, 7.6 K/9). The Giants bullpen is often times put in tough spots, often coming in to close out a fantastic pitching performance by the starter but with only a slight lead due to the lack of offense in San Francisco.
The Verdict: Until the Giants start hitting the baseball, they will be in a tough position in the NL West. And until they make some additions to the lineup, they will not start hitting the baseball. This could be another frustrating year for Giants fans.

Arizona Diamondbacks
2009: 70-92, 5th place in the division
Key Additions: The return of Brandon Webb, Edwin Jackson, Ian Kennedy, Adam LaRoche, Kelly Johnson, Bob Howry
Key Losses: Jon Garland, Doug Davis, The addition of Aaron Heilman
The Lineup: The Diamondbacks had an entirely average lineup in 2009, hitting .253/.324/.418 as a team while scoring 4.44 runs per game. The cornerstone of the offense is outfielder Justin Upton, who hit .300/.366/.532 with 26 HR and 20 SB. Third baseman Mark Reynolds hit 44 HR with 102 RBI in 2009 while striking out an absolutely astonishing 223 times and hitting a dismal .260. The line-up should be bolstered by the additions of Adam LaRoche (.277/.355/.488, 25 HR) and Kelly Johnson (.287/.349/.446 in 2008).
The Rotation: The Diamondbacks had an average rotation in 2009 and have a vastly improved rotation coming into 2010. The key is the return of ace Brandon Webb, who missed all of 2009 with a shoulder injury and may even miss the start of 2010. Webb and Dan Haren give the Diamondbacks a stellar one-two punch and the addition of Edwin Jackson in the third spot adds a little bit of depth. Former Yankee prospect Ian Kennedy should get the fourth spot and the fifth is up for grabs, but the front of the rotation is good enough to keep the Diamondbacks in contention for much of the year.
The Bullpen: Last season the Diamondbacks had one of the worst bullpens in the National League, but it should be slightly improved going into 2010. Closer Chad Qualls returns and he has a new set-up man in Bob Howry, who had a 3.39 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 63.2 IP out of the bullpen for the Giants last season. Unfortunately the Diamondbacks also add Aaron Heilman, who still did a lot better than I give him credit for with the Cubs last year.
The Verdict: The Diamondbacks made some good additions going into 2010 and if they stay healthy they have an outside chance at challenging for the division.

San Diego Padres
2009: 75-87, 4th place in the division
Key Additions: Jon Garland
Key Losses: None
The Lineup: The Padres were 7th in the NL in runs scored on the road as opposed to dead last overall, a number that is hurt by the fact that they play in the worst hitter’s park in the majors. The headliner of the line-up is Adrian Gonzalez, coming off of a year in which he hit .277/.407/.551 with an impressive 40 HR-12 at home and 28 on the road. The rest of the Padres line-up is young including Kyle Blanks, who is coming off of an injury-shortened rookie campaign in which he had a .868 OPS and 10 HR in just under 150 at bats. Hitting will certainly not be the strong point of the Padres this season.
The Rotation: In 2009, Padres starters combined for a 4.78 ERA and 1.40 WHIP, pathetic numbers for a team playing half of its games in Petco Park. Overall they had the worst road ERA in the NL. These numbers were not helped by the losses of Jake Peavy (trade) and Chris Young (injury) for most of the season. The addition of Jon Garland and the return of Chris Young should help the Padres eat some innings and buy time for the young pitchers to come along, but it is not a terribly stimulating rotation no matter how you look at it.
The Bullpen: Heath Bell is coming off of a good season for both himself and my fantasy team, as he got 42 saves for a mediocre team with a 2.71 ERA and 10.2 K/9. The rest of the more or less league-average bullpen stays the same.
The Verdict: I was bored doing the research for this team and most people will be bored watching them play baseball this season. The Padres are a young team without a lot of money that over-achieved in 2009 and still managed to lose 87 games. This year will be used to determine the future nucleus of the club going forward.