The Major League Baseball season gets underway on April 4. But before all the fireworks, the seventh-inning stretches, the awe-strucking homers, the captivating steals, hustle plays, and pitching performances commence, we preview all 30 teams by division. Next up, the National League West.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Record: 94-68 (NL West Champions)
Lost 3-2 to the Brewers in the Division Series
From last place to first in the division, it was quite a turnaround for the D-Backs. Strong starting pitching aided the D-Backs 'rags-to-riches' story, giving them their first NL West title since '07. Even though they fell to the Brewers in five games of the NLDS, the future looks bright for Kirk Gibson's crew.
Ian Kennedy, Joe Saunders and Daniel Hudson will remain the arms to watch, but they solidified the rotation by adding former A's pitcher Trevor Cahill. J.J. Putz's closing arm will remain huge in save situations.
On offense, they will again rely on Justin Upton, Chris Young, Gerardo Parra, Willie Bloomquist, Miguel Montero and Aaron Hill to produce some runs. The health of Stephen Drew, who failed to finish the season because of a fractured ankle mid-season, will be another key for the D-Backs defending the NL West title.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Record: 82-79 (3rd in NL West)
Missed Postseason
The moment former owner Frank McCourt decided to sell the Dodgers and the controversial events that followed, Dodgertown was embroiled in a soap opera that threatened the Dodgers' season. After a slow first half, the Dodgers rebounded to post a winning record, though a game at Nationals Park was left unfinished due to weather. And the good news: Magic Johnson and co. are closing in on purchasing the Dodgers.
Clayton Kershaw ran away with the NL MVP and Cy Young diadems, leading in wins, strikeouts, and ERA. Still 23, Kershaw will be a key figure in the Dodgers' future. The other dependable arms will be Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly and Chris Capuano, who will take Hiroki Kuroda's spot.
Matt Kemp finished behind Kershaw for NL MVP, and led the NL in homers, RBIs, and runs. That's impressive news. The question is, how will Kemp keep up that performance?The Dodgers also need the bats of Andre Ethier, Dee Gordon, Tony Gwynn Jr. and a healthy A.J. Ellis to step up, if their want to return to the postseason.
San Francisco Giants
Record: 86-76 (2nd in NL West)
Missed Postseason
The Giants led the NL West for half a season, but 2010 NL ROY Buster Posey's season-ending injury and lack of run support doomed them in the end. Now the Giants find themselves with little pressure whatsoever, as they look to reclaim the division, if not the World Series.
Buster Posey looked to have regained his pre-injury form in spring training, and it should help the Giants defensively and offensively. Aubrey Huff looked lost last season, and needs to be more focused at the plate Freddy Sanchez should be healthy once the season starts after dislocating his shoulder midway last season. Pablo Sandoval was consistent last season, and should continue that way. New additions Angel Pagan and Melky Cabrera should be a huge help for their lack of run support.
The pitching arms remain strong, with former Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Ryan Vogelsong and bearded closer Brian Wilson the defensive keys for the Giants.
San Diego Padres
Record: 71-91 (5th in NL West)
Missed Postseason
Maybe they should have returned to the classic gold and brown motif of Tony Gwynn's rookie year. The Padres were a mess throughout the season, as the hits and homers were few and far between. After the near-success of 2010, 2011 was a disaster for manager Bud Black. The loss of Adrian Gonzalez to Boston hurt them the most, as they failed to find a slugger of Gonzalez's caliber to offset his departure. The losses didn't end though.
Even after the season ended, they saw dependable closer Heath Bell defect to Miami, Aaron Harang leave for the rival Dodgers, and Mat Latos traded to the Reds. The rotation will be led by new pitcher Edinson Volquez, and mainstays Tim Stauffer and Clayton Richard, while Huston Street will be the likely replacement for Bell at closer.
Carlos Quentin's acquisition should be a huge help for the Padres' run support, as the former Silver Slugger has proved with the White Sox that he can hit for power well with the best of them. Cameron Maybin was a surprise on defense last season, while Chris Denorfia and Jason Bartlett need to be more productive. It'll be another rebuilding season for the Padres, as far as their fans are concerned.
Colorado Rockies
Record: 73-89 (4th in NL West)
Missed Postseason
Year III of the 'Cargo and Tulo' era saw another step back performance for the Rockies. After earning the NL Wildcard in 2009 and 83 wins the next, 2011 was a disappointment for Rockies fans, as they won only 73 games and far from the form they had the previous two. A lot had to do with pitching, which didn't support the offensive prowess of Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki, hence their downfall.
They acquired Jeremy Guthrie and Guillermo Moscoso to support ace Jhoulys Chacin, but it remains to be seen whether they fit well within the rotation. As for 49-year-old Jamie Moyer, well let's see if his arm remains reliable for the season.
The only big noise the Rockies made was acquiring former Twin Michael Cuddyer, who made the All-Star team last year. They also added Marco Scutaro away from the Red Sox, whose bat had been dependable throughout. However, they will continue to depend on the bats of Tulowitzki, Gonzalez, and franchise mainstay Todd Helton, to produce those runs.
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