2013 NL West Projections

There were plenty of moves made by The Los Angeles
Dodgers last season, but it wasn’t enough to reach the playoffs. The
Dodgers enter this season with a lineup that could be the starting
lineup for The National League at The All-Star Game.

The Dodgers are hopeful that outfielder Matt Kemp can stay healthy.
Before suffering a hamstring injury that slowed him down, Kemp was on
his way to a big season in 2012. The combination of Kemp, outfielder Andre
Ethier, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, and infielder Hanley Ramirez each
have the potential to hit 30 homers while producing over 90 runs batted
in which will make it extremely tough for opposing pitchers in The NL
West. 

The main thing for The Dodgers is to do the little things. The
Dodgers might lead everyone in potential All-Stars, but last season they
only had 408 extra base hits which was last in The National League
while they were 10th in on-base percentage at .317. For The Dodgers to
be successful it will start at the top of the lineup with shortstop Dee
Gordon and outfielder Carl Crawford. Gordon only appeared in 87 games,
but he still led the team in stolen bases with 32. For Gordon to take
the next step as a potential table setter for The Dodgers, he must
improve on his career .260 batting average. Crawford was apart of the
big trade last season with The Boston Red Sox. With The Red Sox, Crawford’s production cooled off after nine seasons with The Tampa Bay Rays where he was a
four-time All-Star. Crawford is still recovering from Tommy John surgery
which may sideline him to start the season.

The Dodgers will once again boast a good pitching staff as they are
led by 2011 National League Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw. In
his brief five-year career Kershaw has proven himself to be durable as
the native Texan has eclipsed the 200 inning mark in the last three
seasons. Starting pitcher Josh Beckett is looking to maintain the sub
3.00 earned run average that he recorded after coming over from The Red
Sox last summer. Beckett needs a bounce back season after a shaky drama
filled 2012 in Beantown. South Korea born pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin will
provide depth in the rotation. Hyun-jin struck out 1,238 batter during
his seven-year career with The Hanwha Eagles in Korean Professional
Baseball. The status of starting pitcher Zack Greinke is a question that will linger around for The Dodgers. The Dodgers signed Grienke to a six-year, $147 million deal in the off-season, but he has already been sidelined in spring training due to elbow inflammation.

With a payroll exceeding $213 million, The Dodgers cannot be
content with just producing a winning record. For Dodgers manager Don
Mattingly he knows all about pressure as he spent his entire playing
career with The New York Yankees. The pressure will indeed be on him to
produce this season as anything short of the postseason will be
unacceptable for this team.

Once again The San Francisco Giants found the formula for success
in 2012. Dominant starting pitching and timely hitting in the postseason
led to The Giants second World Series Championship in three seasons.
The Giants found themselves on the brink of elimination in The National
League Divisional Series against The Cincinnati Reds as well as in The
National League Championship Series against The St. Louis Cardinals
before they went on a run. The Giants won their last seven postseason
games which included a sweep in The World Series of The Detroit Tigers.

The Giants chances of repeating as World Series Champions start
with the reigning National League MVP catcher Buster Posey. Posey’s 2011
campaign was cut short after he suffered a fractured fibula and torn
ligaments in his ankle while attempting to block home plate which
resulted in The Giants missing the postseason. A healthy Posey helped
The Giants win 94 games last season as his .336 batting average led The
NL.

Every pitcher in The Giants starting rotation logged at least 185
innings last season as they were one of the most durable units in
baseball. Giant pitchers only allowed opponents to hit .248 which was
fifth in The National League. Starting pitcher Tim Lincecum is looking
for the type of bounce back season which has made him a two-time NL Cy Young Award
winner. In the first half of 2012, Lincecum’s record was 3-10 with an
earned run average of 6.42. In the second half Lincecum was 7-5 with an
ERA of 3.83. A healthy Lincecum along with Matt Cain and Madison
Bumgarner will once again make The Giants difficult to derail in The NL
West.

After winning 94 games en route to The NL West Title in 2011, The
Arizona Diamondbacks only produced 81 wins in 2012. Diamondbacks manager
Kirk Gibson was as tough and scrappy as they come during his Major
League Baseball career and he has a team that embodies that same
passion. On paper The Diamondbacks do not have one single player that
will jump out and impress you, but together this team is a ferocious junk
yard dog.

The Diamondbacks were third in The National League last season in
on-base percentage at .328. Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers
signed free-agent outfielder Cody Ross in the off-season as he resembles a
poor man’s Gibson. Ross has a career on-base percentage of .324 and he
has averaged 22 home runs per season. Towers was consistently shopping
outfielder Justin Upton until he found a team that bit. Upton is now a
member of The Atlanta Braves, but it exchange The Diamondbacks received
utility man Martin Prado as part of the deal. Prado has a career batting
average of .295, but he has never struck out 100 times in a season.

Last season was indeed a tough season for closer Heath Bell. As a member
of The Miami Marlins, Bell was brought in to shut down the ninth
inning, but instead he opened the floodgates for opponents. Bell only
saved 19 games last season while blowing 8 save opportunities. Prior
to joining The Marlins, Bell enjoyed a stellar five-year run with The
San Diego Padres where he saved 134 games. The Diamondbacks are hopeful
that Bell returning to The NL West will see him once again find the form
that made him a three-time NL All-Star.

Starting pitcher Ian Kennedy was unable to win 20 games for The Diamondbacks last season, but he still managed to win 15 while eclipsing the 200 innings mark for the second consecutive season. The Diamondbacks are looking to improve on last season’s 3.93 team earned run average while looking for Kennedy and Wade Miley to carry the starting rotation.

The Diamondbacks open the regular season at home against The Cardinals as it will be important for Gibson’s team to get out of the gate fast in order to hang with The Giants and Dodgers.

The San Diego Padres are
trying not to get lost in the shuffle as far as The NL West goes. The Padres
have been under .500 for the last two season while The Giants, Dodgers,
and Diamondbacks have slugged it out for division supremacy. One thing
that hurt The Padres last season was their offense. San Diego was tied
for 11th in The National League in batting average at .247. The Padres were
14th in extra-base hits with 436 while they were 14th in home runs with
only 121. The low home run numbers are to be expected due to fact that
Petco Park in San Diego has never been known as a home run hitter’s
park, but The Padres must find some offense in order to generate runs
for their manager Bud Black. The two men that can get it down are
infielder Chase Headley and outfielder Carlos Quentin.

Last season
Headley had a breakout year as he led the club in home runs (31),
batting average (.286), runs batted in (115) and hits (173). Quentin’s
season was cut short due to injury as in 86 games he still managed to
hit 16 home runs. You have to wonder if and when The Padres fall out of
the race in The NL West whether or not Padres general manager Josh
Byrnes will begin to field offers for either player because The Padres
are one of those organizations that believe in trading for “prospects”.

For
Black and Padres pitching coach Darren Balsley they are hopeful that
their pitching staff will gain more control this season. San Diego
pitchers were tied for fourth in The NL last season in bases on balls
with 539 while they only struck out 1,205 batters which was only good
for 10th place in The Senior Circuit. Starting pitcher Clayton Richard
was the only Padres starter to surpass 200 innings last season as they
were 13th in The National League with 75 quality starts.

The Padres
are hopeful to get off to a hot start this season as they travel to New
York to take on The New York Mets followed by a three-game trip to Denver to take
on The Colorado Rockies. Over the long haul it will be a similar tune
for The Padres as they will be watching another postseason from home.

The 64 wins that The Colorado Rockies had last season were the team’s lowest win total in a 162-game season. The Rockies must find a way to be competitive for first-year manager Walt Weiss. The Rockies recipe for success starts with the duo of shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez. Last season Tulowitzki only appeared in 47 games after suffering a groin injury. Gonzalez’s production has slipped in the last two seasons after his breakout campaign in 2012 where his .336 batting average led The National League while he belted 34 home runs. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the production of both of these players began to slip once they signed long-term deals to remain with The Rockies.

Weiss will have his work cut out for him as he improve a pitching staff that did not produce one 10-game winner in 2012. You expect The Rockies not to have dominant starting pitching in Denver, but they were the only team in Major League Baseball to post a team earned run average over 5.00 for the season as they were at 5.22. The Rockies also allowed opponents to hit .290 which was also last in baseball.

It will be a difficult season for Weiss as he attempts to build his program with The Rockies.