NL West

[seanrmgallagher]

Just for fun.

[Snygg]

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(Will take a closer look at all the teams and come up with a new preview down the thread).

[Jss0062]

1. COL Very solid roster with a few stars sprinkled in.
2. SF Top heavy, lacks depth
3. ARZ  Very solid roster with a few stars sprinkled in.
4. LAD Kershaw, Fernandez, Votto.
5. SD Very slighlty above average.

[Snygg]

NL West

Arizona Diamondbacks (GM: GlorifiedG)
- The Diamondbacks will be better this year, but so will the division. D-backs got one of the deepest teams in the whole league, injuries won't hurt that much. A lot of players where you might see great bounce-backs - like Miguel Montero (huge salary) and A.J. Pollock, that will be able to perform better this year in Arizona. The pitching is good, the infield is great (especially corner) and the outfield steady as well. The depth will probably take the D-backs to the playoffs.

Players that I value this year: A.J. Pollock (OF), Matt Davidson (3B)

2013 Record: 14-8 | 2014 Projection: 15-7 | Division Rank: 1

Colorado Rockies (GM: limeygreen)
- The first thing you'll notice with Rockies is the great pitching. Verlander and Cain are elite-pitchers and awesome to own - really like Cain to get nice numbers this year (altough the salary is a bit high for my liking). Smyly and Street also two pitchers that will have a nice year I think. Castro, brilliant catcher going forward, also great value in Ian Kinsler at 2B (4 yrs @ $12.5M). If Melky Cabrera can stay healthy that is also a wonderful add at outfield. There is no doubt that the Rockies will improve this year, to go from 4-17 to the playoffs will be tough in 1 year but there is a possibility.

Players that I value this year: Matt Cain (SP), Drew Smyly (SP), Ian Kinsler (2B), Melky Cabrera (OF), Leonys Martin (OF)

2013 Record: 4-17 | 2014 Projection: 13-9 | Division Rank: 2

Los Angeles Dodgers (GM: -)
- Not a well-runned club at the moment, and the squad is no way near standard. A lot depends on if they will be able to find a GM that will be motivated to fix this team. Kershaw, Fernandez and Votto are great to build a team around, but at this stage in the game, there is just no depth here at all. Dodgers will be happy to get a win this year.

Players that I value this year: Clayton Kershaw (SP)

2013 Record: 1-19 | 2014 Projection: 1-19 | Division Rank: 5

San Diego Padres (GM: Shelby)
- The Padres certainly haven't improved and the division is getting harder. This will be tough year for the Padres that are quite average this year. Ervin Santana might thrive in Atlanta but the pitching is just way off this year. I would even rank Dodgers pitching higher than Padres. The infield is relatively strong but the OF also very thin. Padres will struggle big time this year.

Players that I value this year: Everth Cabrera (SS), Cameron Maybin (OF)

2013 Record: 9-13 | 2014 Projection: 4-17 | Division Rank: 4

San Francisco Giants (GM: Orange Country)
- In the hunt for a play-off spot the Giants don't want to rely on the pitching, both Diamondbacks and Rockies are better there. The infield not so great either, do like Belt going forward but Hill etc are just losing value. The outfield though...  top 3 atleast in the whole league. Stanton, Upton and Harper will carry this team big. I wonder if it is enough to go past the Rockies.

Players that I value this year: Brandon Belt (1B), Giancarlo Stanton (OF), Bryce Harper (OF)

2013 Record: 17-5 | 2014 Projection: 13-9 | Division Rank: 3

[ThePetis]

Snygg - get job as well, love the additional insight.

One thing I disagree on, I really like the Padres.  They have talent in the minors that can help from day one - Gerrit Cole, Jedd Gyorko, Jesus Guzman, Nate Freiman, and Carter Capps.  My main concern is that I've never seen their owner on our boards, so I doubt he'll run them as effectively as they should be run.  Even without active management, if the over/under on wins was 4, I'd bet big on the over.

[Snygg]

Snygg - get job as well, love the additional insight.

One thing I disagree on, I really like the Padres.  They have talent in the minors that can help from day one - Gerrit Cole, Jedd Gyorko, Jesus Guzman, Nate Freiman, and Carter Capps.  My main concern is that I've never seen their owner on our boards, so I doubt he'll run them as effectively as they should be run.  Even without active management, if the over/under on wins was 4, I'd bet big on the over.

Gyorko could definitely do a job this year, but not so fond on the rest. I'm saying max 6 wins.

[seanrmgallagher]

The West is probably the weakest division in the National League and will probably only send one team to the playoffs. The Giants are the favorites, but every team has weakness and lots of question marks. I have the least amount of confidence in my predictions for this division due to the youth and injuries that players are dealing with. The Diamondbacks have the ability to run away with the division, but could also finish in 4th. The top 4 teams in the West are as close as any in the league and should be fun to see who comes out victorious.

In order from favorite to least favorite (2013 record)(My projection):

San Francisco Giants (17-5)(15-7)- The Giants took home the NL West crown last season, and have a solid chance to do so again. The offense is top-heavy and lacks elite depth. The top is very strong, however. They have the best catcher in baseball in Buster Posey, an underrated first baseman in Brandon Belt, an elite second baseman in Aaron Hill when healthy, and Harper/Stanton could go 1-2 in homeruns this year. B.J. Upton can’t be any worse than last year, and Jackie Bradley Jr. should help the depth a bit, but injuries could kill the offense’s chances of being good. The Giants have a very good rotation to make up for that, however. Zimmermann and Shields are aces, Wheeler could be an ace, and Ryu is a solid 2-3. Pineda has looked great this spring and should get back to his old form. Lincecum and Josh Johnson are well past their primes, but should still be solid contributors. The bullpen is very strong and I like Soria to get back to his old form.

Arizona Diamondbacks (14-8)(13-9)- The Dbacks have closed the gap with the Giants this offseason and will compete for the division. They will be relying on young and unproven players and the variability will be high. I expect Montero and Uggla to hit much better this season. Goldschmidt is a supreme talent and should put up top 5 overall points this year. Davidson, Asche, Eaton, and Pollock could all put up big numbers or struggle mightily. I really do not know what to expect with this offense. The pitching has great relief depth, but a pretty weak starting rotation for a playoff contender. I have little confidence in Skaggs, fear Parker’s injury may not allow him to pitch this year, and am worried about the innings Corbin threw last year, as he really faded down the stretch. Feldman and Miley are solid mid to back of the rotation guys and their bullpen is a strength. Too many question marks for me to put them over the Giants, but they certainly could do it.

San Diego Padres (9-13)(11-11)- The Padres outscored their opponents last year, but ended up 4 games under .500. I think they will improve a bit this year. Assuming Cole and Gyorko get called up, they have a solid team. Rizzo could be a huge point earner this year after his sophomore slump. Headley was an MVP candidate in 2012 and should be better than his poor 2013. Everth Cabrera is an elite base stealer, and Josh Hamilton is primed for a comeback year. The Pads need Hamilton and Headley to get fully healthy and need Drew to find a job. Venable is not going to repeat his 20-20 campaign from last year, but is still a solid player. The pitching rotation is weak. Latos is coming off surgery, but should be solid. Gerrit Cole could be this year’s Matt Harvey. Colby Lewis should start the season in the rotation, but probably won’t hold it. Ervin Santana should get a boost by moving to the NL and having the very good Braves defense behind him. There is not much depth though. The bullpen rivals the Royals at the top with three proven closers in Frieri, Nathan, and Janssen. Gregerson should also be very good. The Padres, like other teams in the division have too many question marks for me to have a lot of confidence, but should be around .500.

Colorado Rockies (4-17)(9-13)- The Rockies were a very bad team last year, but have improved significantly. The lineup is okay, but nothing spectacular. Kinsler’s power and speed has been decreasing significantly in the last couple years, Melky is not the same without PEDs, and Billy Butler does not get the fielding points boost. After them and Castro, a catcher I like, the next best offensive weapon they have is Martin, a basestealer with an OPS under .700. This offense has several platoon and utility guys that will not wow you. The pitching is extremely top heavy. Aging stars in Verlander and Cain will put up very good numbers and it will be interesting to see how Smyly handles starting. Beyond that, Vargas is their only other starter. The bullpen should be good with Mujica and Street picking up saves. I am interested to see if Rondon can harness that spectacular arm. This team, to me, will struggle to reach .500.

Los Angeles Dodgers (1-19)(2-20)- The Dodgers are bad. They spent like Magic on Votto, but had way too many other other wholes to fill. Crawford is not what he once was but still good, Ellis is a solid backstop, and Dee Gordon could use his amazing steal to take the 2B job. Kolten Wong has a bright future, despite certain baserunning mistakes… Jose Fernandez and Kershaw make up the best 1-2 starting combination in the league, and Buchholz is great when he puts Vaseline on his pitches. There is pretty much nothing else to mention on this team however. They should bring up the rear in the NL.

[limeygreen]

Thanks Guys, this is some great analysis - I hope my team matches expectations!

Chris
Rockies GM