Opening Day is here! After nearly five months without Major League Baseball (save for that wonderful diversion known as the World Baseball Classic), it's back. And we're going to have at least one game pretty much every day from now until October.
But before we put our Caps On, it's time to finish up the baseball preview. As usual, we end with Part VI, the NL West. And as usual, the Dodgers are the clear favorites in the NL West. I really don't see that changing anytime soon. This team is loaded, and they have a singular mission of winning the World Series. Until that happens, expect to see them losing in the playoffs.
The Giants are probably the only team in the NL West that can even give the Dodgers any sort of a challenge. The Rockies and Diamondbacks both have some quality pieces, but nowhere near enough of them. And Padres are just a mess. San Diego's only pro team enters about year 12 of its 10-year rebuilding plan. They're more likely to challenge for 100 losses than for the NL West title.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers: It all starts with Clayton Kershaw and goes from there. And he actually won't have to bear the entire pitching burden himself this season, as Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy both return from the injuries that resulted in their respective 2016s being lost seasons. Their rotation isn't strong as the Cubs (which is one the reasons Chicago beat them in the NLCS). But they've long needed to give Kershaw some help, and this year it looks like they finally might be able to. They also benefitted greatly from re-signing their two biggest free agents. They wouldn't have been able to replace Kenley Jansen and Justin Turner with anyone near the same caliber. And I've got an idea for another free agent the Dodgers should sign. Angel Pagan. How perfectly would he fit in as their left fielder? Andre Ethier is nothing more than a pinch hitter at this point, and I still have no idea who Andrew Toles is. Once other teams start scouting him, I think he's really going to struggle. Hopefully the struggles are over for the Dodgers' other two outfielders--Joc Pederson and Yasiel Puig. If they can get back to the same type of numbers they put up as rookies, this lineup becomes even more formidable. Logan Forsythe is a clear upgrade at second base, and he can even move over to short if Corey Seager is out for an extended period. Unless something drastic happens, expect to see this team in October once again. And this year I think they might be in for an extended stay.
Projected Lineup: Logan Forsythe-SS, Chase Utley-2B, Adrian Gonzalez-1B, Justin Turner-3B, Yasmani Grandal-C, Joc Pederson-CF, Yasiel Puig-RF, Andrew Toles-LF (Corey Seager)
Projected Rotation: Clayton Kershaw, Kenta Maeda, Brandon McCarthy, Rich Hill, Hyun-Jin Ryu
Closer: Kenley Jansen
Projected Record: 96-66
2. San Francisco Giants: Their even-year magic finally wore off. Now can they get over their odd-year negative karma? I really don't see a reason why not. Because the Giants are one of the best teams in the National League, and if anyone is going to give the Dodgers a run for the division title, it'll be them. All-Stars all over the field, starting with Madison Bumgarner, and now they've got an All-Star at the end of games, too. Mark Melancon is a clear upgrade at closer over whoever they had last season. The All-Stars extend to the position players, and it's much more than just WBC champions Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford. Posey, Hunter Pence and Brandon Belt are one of the best 3-4-5 combos out there, and they're really strong at the top with Denard Span and Joe Panik. I found it a little curious that they didn't even make an attempt to re-sign Angel Pagan, but they've got confidence in Jarrett Parker. But, if Parker doesn't perform or Pagan signs with the Dodgers and does, they may come to regret it. They also aren't incredibly deep, so any injury is something to worry about. Especially in the rotation, which is much more than just Bumgarner. Remember, Matt Cain used to be this team's ace, and he's now their No. 5 starter. If they can stay healthy, though, the Giants are a serious contender not just in the NL West, but in the entire National League.
Projected Lineup: Denard Span-CF, Joe Panik-2B, Buster Posey-C, Hunter Pence-RF, Brandon Belt-1B, Jarrett Parker-LF, Eduardo Nunez-3B, Brandon Crawford-SS
Projected Rotation: Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, Matt Moore, Jeff Samardzija, Matt Cain
Closer: Mark Melancon
Projected Record: 91-71
3. Colorado Rockies: Slowly but surely, we're finding out the names of the players on the Colorado Rockies. We already knew about Carlos Gonzalez, and that was Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado striking out in the middle of the USA lineup during the WBC. As it turns out, he's led the NL in RBIs in each of the last two years. Although, seeing as the Rockies have been in existence for 25 years and that's been their M.O. the entire time, that shouldn't really surprise anybody. And it doesn't seem likely to change this year. They're going to hit a lot of homers and score a lot of runs in that thin mountain air. Will they get the pitching to back it up though? Probably not. Former Royal Greg Holland returns from Tommy John surgery as the Rockies' new closer, but how many save opportunities is he going to get? It's doesn't seem like it'll be a lot. I get it. Pitching's never going to be their strength. They know that, too. So they're once again going to rely on beating teams 9-7. Fortunately they've got the offense and the ballpark to do that. They won't win enough games to be contenders, but they're definitely capable of threatening the .500 mark. Third place seems like a lock for this team. They're just so much better than both the Diamondbacks and Padres.
Projected Lineup: Gerardo Parra-LF, DJ LeMahieu-2B, Nolan Arenado-3B, Carlos Gonzalez-RF, Mark Reynolds-1B, Trevor Story-SS, Charlie Blackmon-CF, Tony Wolters-C
Projected Rotation: Jon Gray, Tyler Anderson, Tyler Chatwood, Antonio Senzatela, Kyle Freeland
Closer: Greg Holland
Projected Record: 80-82
4. Arizona Diamondbacks: I have one question for all those morons that were clamoring for Paul Goldschmidt to play during the World Baseball Classic. Did you want him to sit Eric Hosmer? Can you really tell me Goldschmidt, who was the American DH until Giancarlo seized the role, deserved to start over a guy who was on base the entire tournament?! Anyway, I digress. There are other players on the Diamondbacks not named Goldschmidt, but not enough to make them relevant. Even if Yasmany Tomas and A.J. Pollock are entertaining to watch. If they have any chance in the NL West, it'll come down to Zack Greinke and the pitching staff. They broke the bank going after Greinke, but he went just 13-7 with a 4.37 ERA during his first season in the desert. Keep in mind, as Arizona's No. 1, he's pitching against Kershaw and Bumgarner on a regular basis, and he isn't as good as either one of them. Not that any team in their right mind wouldn't take Greinke. Shelby Miller was their other big get last offseason, and he was so bad they sent him to the Minors. They need a bounce back from him. I'll give them this...their pitching staff isn't that bad. And their bullpen got better with the addition of Fernando Rodney, who was so good as the closer in San Diego that he made the All-Star team before becoming completely useless as a setup guy in Miami. The Diamondbacks are his fifth team in three years, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him make it six and get traded at the deadline again. I can also see the Diamondbacks surprising us all and remaining relevant enough to be buyers at the deadline.
Projected Lineup: A.J. Pollock-CF, Chris Owings-SS, Paul Goldschmidt-1B, Jake Lamb-3B, Yasmany Tomas-LF, Brandon Drury-2B, David Peralta-RF, Jeff Mathis-C
Projected Rotation: Zack Greinke, Taijuan Walker, Robbie Ray, Shelby Miller, Patrick Corbin
Closer: Fernando Rodney
Projected Record: 75-87
5. San Diego Padres: San Diego saw better baseball in the World Baseball Classic than it will at any point during the Padres' season. This team isn't good, and there's no chance they're going to contend in 2017. Not in a division that includes the Dodgers and Giants. There isn't a single player on the Padres' roster worth getting excited about. Sure, they've got a couple names you recognize, but this team isn't going anywhere (which, unlike their football-playing counterparts, I mean both literally and figuratively). Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman aren't walking through the door anytime soon, either. In fact, now that the All-Star Game is over, the thing Padres fans can get the most excited about is Hoffman's Hall of Fame induction in 2018. On the field, though, they're going to be tough to watch. They know it, too. There are a lot of rookies and second-year players who are going to get a lot of playing time on this team. They do have some veterans, though. In fact, they've added two more in former Angels Erick Aybar and Jered Weaver. Weaver is the interesting one. Let's see how he adjusts to the National League after spending his entire career until now in Anaheim (I thought he'd be an Angel forever). He did win 18 games just three years ago, so if he gets his form back, that's a nice arm to have. I'm curious as to why Jhoulys Chacin is listed as their No. 1 starter and Weaver's only No. 4, but it doesn't much matter. Just like it really doesn't matter who they decide on for a closer. Either way, tt's going to be a long summer in San Diego. At least the weather's nice.
Projected Lineup: Manuel Margot-CF, Erick Aybar-SS, Wil Myers-1B, Travis Jankowski-LF, Ryan Schimpf-3B, Hunter Renfroe-RF, Yangervis Solarte-2B, Austin Hedges-C
Projected Rotation: Jhoulys Chacin, Clayton Richard, Trevor Cahill, Jered Weaver, Luis Perdomo
Closer: Brandon Maurer
Projected Record: 67-95
So, I've got the National League playoff field looking awfully similar to what it was last season. All three division winners are the same, and you're just replacing the Mets with the Cardinals in the Wild Card Game. And we all know how the NL Wild Card Game goes. Madison Bumgarner pitches a three-hitter and the Giants advance. I have them playing a fun series with the rival Dodgers, while the Nationals and Cubs square off in the other Division Series. I'll take LA and Washington to advance, with the Dodgers finally getting over the hump and back to the World Series for the first time in 29 years.
As I previously revealed, my AL pennant winner is Boston, giving us a World Series matchup between two of Baseball's marquee franchises. I just think the Dodgers are too loaded, though. If the 2015 NLCS was the learning experience the Cubs brought into last season, I see the Dodgers using the 2016 NLCS as a similar springboard. They're getting tired of hearing about their playoff failures. And the only way to shut people up is to win. Which is exactly what I see them doing. In six games. They win it for Vin in their first season without him since 1950.
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