We made it! Opening Day is here! After a long winter, it's finally time for a new baseball season! Which means I should probably finish off my preview. And the last of the six divisions is the NL West, where things shouldn't be much different than they've been over the past few seasons.
The Dodgers have won six straight division titles, and there's little reason to believe they won't make it seven. They've made back-to-back World Series appearances, and they're favored by many to get there again this season. They're arguably the most complete team in the National League, and there's no debating they're one of the best.
If anyone has a chance at knocking off the Dodgers, it very well could be the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies are coming off consecutive playoff appearances, and they've locked up their key players long-term while adding some more big bats. San Diego's also going to be a lot better with Manny Machado now in town, while the Diamondbacks are just good enough to cause problems. And it's an odd year, so it's probably a safe bet that the Giants won't win the World Series.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers: How good and how deep are the Dodgers? They were able to trade Yasiel Puig (the most entertaining player on the team) and choose not to re-sign Yasmani Grandal, yet their lineup figures to be just as potent, if not more so. The Dodgers like to platoon. Not because they have to, but because they have too much talent and they need to spread the at-bats around. The only guys you can count on being in the lineup everyday (barring injury, of course) are Justin Turner, new center fielder A.J. Pollock and Corey Seager, who returns after missing the end of last year's World Series run. Cody Bellinger could be in right field or at first base, that is if Max Muncy's not playing first. Like I said, Dave Roberts has plenty of options.
Roberts has plenty of options on the mound, too. It does feel weird that Clayton Kershaw's not going to start on Opening Day, but games in October are far more important for this team than games in March. And when you consider that Kershaw, Walker Buehler and Rich Hill being out means Kenta Maeda and Julio Urias will start the season in the rotation before one or both of them moves to the bullpen, it's clear they've got plenty of pitching. They strengthened the bullpen, too, bringing in Joe Kelly as another setup man in front of Kenley Jansen, one of the game's elite closers. Two straight World Series could easily become three.
Projected Lineup: A.J. Pollock-CF, Corey Seager-SS, Justin Turner-3B, Max Muncy-1B, Cody Bellinger-RF, Joc Pederson-LF, Kike Hernandez-2B, Austin Barnes-C
Projected Rotation: Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Kenta Maeda, Ross Stripling
Closer: Kenley Jansen
Projected Record: 93-69
2. Colorado Rockies: They've moved some guys around, mainly because they opted not to re-sign free agents Carlos Gonzalez and D.J. LeMahieu. Which frees up more at bats for David Dahl and Ryan McMahon. They also signed Daniel Muprhy. He'll play first, which moves fellow former National Ian Desmond to center, and Charlie Blackmon shifts to right. And they just locked up franchise stalwart Nolan Arenado for another eight years. So, yeah, they're gonna do some hitting. Just like they usually do. It really is a question of whether they'll get enough pitching in support.
Their rotation doesn't have the name recognition of the other teams in the division. But it's solid. Solid enough to get them back to the playoffs? I'm not so sure. Kyle Freeland, Jon Gray and Tyler Anderson are a capable group, though. And bullpen is very strong, even without Adam Ottavino in the setup role (I'm still not sure how he was able to put up those numbers pitching in Colorado). Still, if they get six innings out of the starter and get the ball to Wade Davis with the lead, they'll be in pretty good shape. They should be in the mix for a return trip to the Wild Card Game, and maybe even their first-ever NL West title.
Projected Lineup: Charlie Blackmon-RF, Trevor Story-SS, Daniel Murphy-1B, Nolan Arenado-3B, Ian Desmond-CF, David Dahl-LF, Ryan McMahon-2B, Chris Iannetta-C
Projected Rotation: Kyle Freeland, German Marquez, Tyler Anderson, Jon Gray, Chad Bettis
Closer: Wade Davis
Projected Record: 87-75
3. San Diego Padres: Last year they made a big free agent splash with Eric Hosmer and it didn't really pan out. This year they made an even bigger splash, inking Manny Machado for 10 years and $300 million. Which shows they're ready to make a push. They showed it even more by starting Fernando Tatis, Jr., in the Majors. Baseball's No. 2 overall prospect will be San Diego's Opening Day shortstop, making him the youngest position player in Padres history. And he'll be surrounded by three solid veterans in Hosmer, Machado and Ian Kinsler. The Padres aren't there yet, but they're definitely on their way.
Offensively they should be fine. But it's on the pitching side that they'll struggle. They're the only team in the NL West without a bona fide staff ace. I honestly have never heard of any of the five guys in their Opening Day rotation. I do know their closer is Kirby Yates, though. And Trevor Hoffman he's not. Petco Park is a pitcher's haven. Which is why it's interesting that they focused on the offense first. (But when you have the chance to sign Manny Machado, you sign Manny Machado.) This just the beginning for the Padres. They can focus on the pitching next. And who knows? Maybe they'll end up signing Dallas Keuchel, too.
Projected Lineup: Ian Kinsler-2B, Manny Machado-3B, Eric Hosmer-1B, Wil Myers-LF, Hunter Renfroe-RF, Manuel Margot-CF, Fernando Tatis Jr.-SS, Austin Hedges-C
Projected Rotation: Joey Lucchesi, Eric Lauer, Chris Paddack, Matt Strahm, Jacob Nix
Closer: Kirby Yates
Projected Record: 78-84
4. Arizona Diamondbacks: Arizona made it a three-team race for most of last season on the strength of its pitching and Paul Goldschmidt's bat. Goldschmidt is now in St. Louis and Patrick Corbin is now in Washington. A.J. Pollock is gone, too, signing with the division rival Dodgers. So, the Diamondbacks are certainly going to have a different look in 2019. They'll still be built around their pitching, though. They're paying Zack Greinke an awful lot of money to be their ace, and Robbie Ray is another solid veteran starter. I don't think they've officially announced a closer, but Greg Holland is one of the best relievers in the business whatever role they decide to put him in.
It's going to be a challenge offensively for the Diamondbacks, though. Goldschmidt toiled in anonymity for all those years, but he really was the backbone of that lineup. And he'll be sorely missed. Because it puts a very heavy burden on Jake Lamb. Former Twin Eduardo Escobar, a trade deadline acquisition last season, could pick up some of that slack, as well, in his first full season with Arizona. They also made a late signing of Adam Jones, which could prove to be a steal. He no longer fit in Baltimore, but he can still play. And that signing looks even smarter with Steven Souza, Jr., out for the year. The Diamondbacks don't need to go looking for an outfielder. They've already got one.
Projected Lineup: Ketel Marte-RF, Nick Ahmed-SS, Eduardo Escobar-3B, Jake Lamb-1B, Adam Jones-CF, David Peralta-LF, Alex Avila-C, Wilmer Flores-2B
Projected Rotation: Zack Greinke, Zack Godley, Robbie Ray, Luke Weaver, Merrill Kelly
Closer: Greg Holland
Projected Record: 76-86
5. San Francisco Giants: A lot of injuries have led to a couple of long years in San Francisco. Madison Bumgarner, especially, has gone from the guy who single-handedly won the World Series to someone who can't stay healthy. And if the Giants are going to have any chance of competing, they need their ace to stay on the field and pitch every fifth day. A bounce back season by Bumgarner could shoot them into the wild card mix...or it could land them a ton of prospects when they trade him to a contender (*cough* Milwaukee *cough*) at the deadline.
Bumgarner's not the only one they need to keep healthy. Buster Posey and Brandon Belt are just as important to the Giants' success. Otherwise, this could turn into a full-scale rebuild. Right now, they're in an interesting position. Because they've still got the veterans around (in addition to Posey and Belt, there's Joe Panik, Brandon Crawford and Evan Longoria) while also trying to work in some young talent. In the NL West, that isn't exactly a recipe for success. But their pitching is good enough to hide their offensive deficiencies. It still probably isn't enough for them to think playoffs, and they probably will end up being sellers at the deadline. If everyone can stay healthy, though, they just might have one last run in them. And that would be a great going away present for retiring manager Bruce Bochy.
Projected Lineup: Gerardo Parra-RF, Joe Panik-2B, Buster Posey-C, Evan Longoria-3B, Brandon Belt-1B, Steven Duggar-CF, Michael Reed-LF, Brandon Crawford-SS
Projected Rotation: Madison Bumgarner, Derek Holland, Dereck Rodriguez, Jeff Samardzija, Drew Pomeranz
Closer: Mark Melancon
Projected Record: 70-92
So there you have it. My playoff teams in the AL are Red Sox (East), Indians (Central), Astros (West), Yankees & Angels (Wild Card). In the NL, I've got Phillies (East), Cubs (Central), Dodgers (West), Nationals & Cardinals (Wild Card). My pennant winners are the Astros and Dodgers, and it'll be third time's the charm for LA. The Dodgers will be your 2019 World Series champions.
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