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| San Francisco Giants celebrate World Series title |
The NL West lost one of it's biggest stars in Adrian Gonzalez but it is still one of the deepest divisions in baseball. The San Diego Padres will surely find it harder to score runs without Gonzalez but their pitching will still be top notch. Colorado is a scrappy team and San Francisco has it's core group back from their World Series title team in 2010. Also, the Dodgers still have a good team but with all the problems going on in the front office it wouldn't be surprising to see them perform like they did last year. The Diamondbacks have struggled to win games the past few years but they do have some young talent.
1. Colorado Rockies
Ubaldo Jimenez wowedthe crowds and baffled the hitters in 2010 but can he do it now that people are starting to figure him out? Last year he was somewhat of a surprise and he struggled as the year went on. The Rockies have four other pitchers who are steady and get the job done. At the plate, Carlos Gonzalez flirted with the Triple Crown last year so we will see, like Jimenez, if he can do it again now that people have figured him out. Troy Tulowitzki is a player on the rise and leads the Rocks. Colorado nearly made it to the World Series a few years ago and don't be surprised if they are contending for it this year also.
2. San Francisco Giants
The defending champs are looking strong once again because everybody is back. The crazy thing is, they won the NL West last year but barely. It easily could have been somebody else and we would have had a different World Series champion. This year the race will be close again and the Giants will rely on their pitching of Tim Lincecum, Johnathan Sanchez and Matt Cain. Brian Wilson is scary in the bullpen and the lineup is filled with good hitters. All in all, it could go either way between the Rockies and Giants and we should see a great race down the stretch.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
Such a talented roster should never have the kind of season the Dodgers did last year. Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and James Loney can all hit the ball and the same can be said for Casey Blake and Rafael Furcal. All those players mentioned are good players but for some reason it just wasn't working last year. Clayton Kershaw heads a rotation while Jonathan Broxton is a force in the bullpen. LA should be better this year and hopefully the drama in the front office doesn't affect the performance on the field.
4. San Diego Padres
As mentioned before, the Padres will feel the loss of Adrian Gonzalez and so will their ballpark seats. Who will put people in the seats? There is no superstar on this team anymore and that is a problem. Rarely does a team of everyday players with no superstar win their division, much less the World Series. Mat Latos and Clayton Richard will have to carry the Padres if they want to win the West.
5. Arizona Diamondbacks
Perhaps they can climb out of the basement this year if they can find some hitting...and some pitching. They don't have much of either. Justin Upton needs to break out and be the superstar we are waiting for him to be. Chris Young and Melvin Mora are decent but definitely not the players to carry a team to a division title.
Best Pitching Staff: San Francisco Giants
Best Player: Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies
Best Pitcher: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
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