NL West Projected Standings
| Team | Win | Loss | GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| y-San Diego | 87 | 75 | — |
| San Francisco | 81 | 81 | 6 |
| Arizona | 77 | 85 | 10 |
| LA Dodgers | 73 | 89 | 14 |
| Colorado | 69 | 93 | 18 |
The NL West is clearly mediocre.
There is no team that sticks out as either a potential champ our as a sore finger in the division. With the exclusion of Colorado, it is possible that any of the other four teams walk away with the division. It is also possible that any of those four could finish in last place.
It was an offseason of change around the Major Leagues, but it seemed like every trade involved one of the teams from the NL West or Oakland.
But when it all settled down, the most stunning team from last year, the San Diego Padres, emerged as the best team in the NL West.
They picked up the consistent, albeit not spectacular Woody Williams. They picked up Chris Hammond, who since his injury when he was with the woeful Marlins in 1998, has been superb. His ERAs in about 60 innings each year for the past three seasons have been 0.95 (in 76.1 innings), 2.86, and 2.68. Those are great numbers for a middle reliever. As well, they did addition by subtraction by losing Jeff Cirillo, who is returning to Milwaukee in hopes of remembering how to hit. Hammond handing it off to Hoffman is one of the best 8-9 punches in the game.
Their pitching staff is rock solid. Jake Peavy was the second best pitcher in baseball last year. He went 15-6 with a 2.27 ERA and 173 strikeouts over 27 starts. This year, expect more and better. There is no question that he is the best pitcher in the National League. Brian Lawrence is consistent. You know you will have a 200 innings and an ERA around the high threes or low fours. It is not spectacular, but you know what to expect each year. Eaton’s ERA and IP fluctuate and he is coming off a career-worse year with an ERA of 4.61 in a career-high 199.1 IP. Woody Williams is an older Brian Lawrence. They need to find a #5 pitcher somewhere.
Dave Roberts is terrible for the leadoff position. They need to find someone different. Mark Lorretta’s batting average has gone up for five years now and has reached the point where he will probably tail off from the .335 and 208 hits he had last year, but not much. Brian Giles fell below his career average last year batting .284, but expect a rebound and expect him to take more pitches and regain his status as one of the league leaders in walks. We know what to expect out of Nevins and Klesko. Ramon Hernandez has improved both at and behind the plate over the last few seasons. Greene is a sore spot at short stop. Burroughs is a terrible fielder but an up-and-coming hitter.
San Diego is a solid team. There are few holes and they have the ability and prospects to close them either from within or outside the organization.
Projected Record: 87-75
The San Francisco Giants are just as average as is the division.
Jason Schmidt has become one of the better pitchers the last three years. Kirk Rueter is not that good. His only good years were 1997 and 2002. That is not worth calling home about. Tomko had his best season since his rookie year last year, but that still only produced an 11-7 record with a 4.04 ERA in less than 200 innings pitched. Noah Lowry did well in limited action last year and is prepared to take the four spot for his rookie season. Jerome Williams has had two decent seasons. Herges settles back into a much more likable setup role for Armando Benitez.
Durham is good for around a .285 batting average and decent fielding. Omar Vizquel should be named “Mr. Unpredictable” as he has not had two consecutive seasons with a batting average within twenty points higher or lower of the previous year since the 1997-1998 campaigns! We all know about Bonds. Moises Alou is a very good player. Edgardo Alfonzo is alright. Snow is a great fielder and became a decent hitter the past couple seasons. Grissom is unpredictable at the plate. Matheny is horrible at it and one of the best behind it.
The team has holes and has stars. If they make some trades they can turn the corner and win the division. But they have very little tradable players…..
Projected Record: 81-81
The Arizona Diamondbacks have nowhere to go but up. And up they will go and then some.
They maneuvered their way to competitiveness through trades and unloading Randy Johnson. The new pitching staff is only a little worse than when they won the World Series in 2001.
Russ Ortiz, Brandon Webb, and Javier Vasquez are all consistent with mid-3.00s ERAs and all have 150 or more Ks each year. Given, Ortiz and Vasquez are coming off of bad seasons, but both should rebound easily. Estes is not that good and there will be a battle between rookies for the number five spot. They lack depth in the bullpen however.
Jose Cruz Jr. is not a good hitter and was a good fielder until last season. Craig Counsell is an average player, but he is the most clutch player in the Majors. Luis Gonzalez is average. Glaus is a terrible hitter and an even more atrocious fielder. Shawn Green is average. Chad Tracy had a good rookie season and was absolutely terrible in the field. Both Hill and Snyder have little experience behind the plate. Clayton is a below average hitter and a very good fielder.
The team has a lot of holes in the lineup, but they have a nice pitching staff and a better lineup than last year.
Projected Record: 77-85
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been great on the mound and pathetic off of it.
This year, they are average on the mound and almost as pathetic off of it.
Odalis Perez and Brad Penny are both inconsistent and coming off of very good seasons. When they recover they’ll be good, hopefully. Lowe fell flat after one good season. He is a very below average and maybe even a poor starting pitcher. Weaver is consistent when he isn’t wearing Pin Stripes. Ishii is OK.
Izturis has improved both hitting and fielding the ball and is now an average leadoff man. Werth is young and inexperienced. JD Drew is a solid mix of a little power and good baseball sense. Jeff Kent has the same stat averages every year and these are good averages. God knows what to expect out of Milton Bradley. Hee Seop Choi is inexperienced and not that impressive when he did play. Jose Valentin has been a consistently lower-average fielder and a terrible hitter. How is he STILL in the majors? David Ross is good behind the plate only.
The team is so not that good.
Projected Record: 73-89
The Colorado Rockies are back to being the bottom dwellers in this division.
Jennings is good for pitching in Colorado. Joe Kennedy had been terrible ERA-wise until he came to Colorado. There’s something I’ve never seen before. Shacon was terrible out of the pen but should be good when he returns and gets inserted into the lineup. Cook did well last year for Colorado, but may not make the lineup. They do have possibilities for #4 and #5 starters. They are weak and inexperienced in the 8th and 9th innings but should have solid middle relief from whoever fails to get the starting role and Darren Oliver.
Miles is good. Barmes is inexperienced. Helton is a great hitter and a great fielder. Preston Wilson is decent, but is he really a cleanup hitter? Holiday had a good rookie season. Atkins is inexperienced. Mohr is below average. Closser is inexperienced.
Get the picture?
Don’t expect much from Colorado.
Projected Record: 69-93
