Last season, the National League West went from one of the worst divisions in baseball to arguably one of the best.The San Diego Padres came out of nowhere last season, only to crumble down the stretch and fall to the eventual World Series Champion San Francisco Giants who finished at 92-70.
Still, the Padres finished 2010 at 90-72, and even the Rockies, who finished third in the West, were 83-79, giving the NL West three teams over .500.
2011 may be a different story for the NL West. On paper, the division is much worse than it was last season.
The Padres lost Adrian Gonzalez and Miguel Tejada, who were the big bats at the center of their line-up last season and fueled the Padres to the NL West lead for the majority of the season.
The Dodgers lost manager Joe Torre, but still have the young nucleus of James Loney, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp, and also gained Juan Uribe from the Giants. In the full picture, it seems as though the Dodgers lost more with the loss of Torre than the acquisition of Uribe.
The Rockies stood fairly still in the off-season, but it is last year's road worries that still haunt them. But a healthy Troy Tulowitski and another year for Carlos Gonzalez should fix that.
The Diamondbacks did nothing to fix a disappointing 2010 season. They're hoping some young prospects could fuel their team this year.
The Giants won the World Series in 2010 and close to nothing has changed with their timely offense and nucleus of pitching.
The good thing about the NL West is that every year it is something new.
Expect the NL West to be represented well.
5. Arizona Diamondbacks
2010 Record: 65-97
Pitching
The D-Backs will be a three-horse rotation with Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson and Joe Saunders. It depends if Hudson can sustain his incredible 2010 if the D-Backs can thrive on their pitching.
Line-Up
No significant change has been made to this D-Backs line-up. The focus still remains on Stephen Drew and Justin Upton, and if Kelly Johnson can have another break-out season. But it will take more than those three to help this very weak line-up in 2011.
X-Factor
Justin Upton needs to decide whether he wants to be a superstar or just another moderately good baseball player.
Prediction
70-92 (5th in NL West)
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
2010 Record: 80-82
Pitching
Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley are the core of this rotation, but it will depend on what Ted Lilly, Hideki Kuroda and John Ely can do that will decide whether this rotation can match up to the others in the NL West. Kershaw and Billingsley have all the tools, it is just a matter of carrying them through an entire season.
Line-Up
The Dodger line-up is fueled once again by Loney, Kemp and Ethier, which aren't a bad three to build on. Although, they do lack a significant big bat, newly acquired Uribe can fit that role from time to time. I'm just not sure the Dodgers have enough depth in the offensive category.
X-Factor
Matt Kemp needs to improve on a fairly mediocre 2010. This needs to be the year Billingsley and Kershaw have break-out seasons if the Dodgers are to make a push for the NL West.
Prediction
78-84 (4th in the NL West)
3. San Diego Padres
2010 Record: 90-72
Pitching
The Padres will have to have another big season out of their rotation that surprised and impressed everyone last season. They even added Aaron Harang from the Reds to bolster it. Although everyone expects them to be just as good as last season, I'm not sure Mat Latos, Tim Stauffer and Clayton Richard can sustain such break-out seasons as they had in 2010.
Line-Up
The Padres lost the heart of their batting order, including powerhouse and Padre-fixture Adrian Gonzalez. Although they did add youngster Cameron Maybin, Jason Bartlett and Brad Hawpe, they did not replace Gonzalez as their big bat in the line-up, but not sure how you can replace him.
X-Factor
It all rests on their starting rotation. If Latos, Stauffer and Richard can even come close to the seasons they had last year, the Padres will have another chance at the NL West.
Prediction
82-80 (3rd in NL West)
2. Colorado Rockies
2010 Record: 83-79
Pitching
Ubaldo Jimenez was a stud for almost three quarters of the season and then he tapered off. But a Jimenez, De La Rosa, Chacin pitching core sounds very attractive for 2011. Can Jimenez surge through an entire season? Will Chacin get better with another season under his belt? Questions that need to be answered if the Rockies want to improve on last year.
Line-Up
2010 was a season of good and bad for the Rockies' offense. They lost Tulowitski for a good while, but saw Gonzalez bloom into a star in the making. If Gonzalez can build upon the season he had last year and Tulowitski can stay healthy, I don't see any reason why this isn't the best line-up in the NL West.
X-Factor
Two things: The Rockies will need to improve their record away from Coors Field, and Jimenez must be as dominant as he was in the first half of the season for an entire season.
Prediction
88-74 (2nd in NL West)
1. San Francisco Giants
2010 Record: 92-70
Pitching
This is where this team's bread is buttered. This may be the most solid rotation in all of baseball, and there are not many questions about any of them. Check their World Series Champion rings if you have any. If they can stay healthy, which they have a history of, then this team can run on their pitching alone.
Line-Up
GM Brian Sabean's changes to the 2010 Giants' line-up mid-season proved to be the push they needed to go all the way. With most returning, this line-up looks pretty close to the same one that won the World Series last season. But a fit Pablo Sandoval can make this line-up even better, as well as the first full season for Buster Posey.
X-Factor
The Giants' pitching rotation has shown no signs of any health problems since they have been in the MLB. That doesn't mean it can't happen. With such a dominant, young staff, the Giants better hope having the good fortune of good health these last couple of years doesn't finally come back to bite them.
Prediction
90-72 (1st in NL West)
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