While the Giants may not have competition from every team in the division, their long time rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, spent tons of money in the off-season in hopes of dethroning the champs and bringing a title to Chavez Ravine.
The National League West features three teams with young talent (Arizona, Colorado and San Diego) and two teams who are top heavy and will be fighting all season long atop the standings. The Giants and Dodgers open the 2013 season against each other and we will see the fireworks from the very beginning, and hopefully until the very end.
Here is a quick look at each of the teams in the National League West:
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
 |
| Martin Prado |
Fans of the Diamondbacks will be asking themselves that all season long, especially when the team fades out of contention sometime around the middle of June, if not earlier. Arizona did land a couple of nice players in all of their deals this winter, including Martin Prado, who the Braves sent to Arizona in the Upton trade. Prado can play any infield position and corner outfield, but he will start at third base for the Diamondbacks in 2013. The Diamondbacks spent all winter looking for a shortstop, and the end result was landing prospect Didi Gregorius. Gregorius will not start the season as the teams shortstop, but expect him to be the man at the position before the end of the season.
Miguel Montero, Paul Goldschmidt and Aaron Hill are guys who return to anchor a lineup that with some help from the young guys on the roster could be formidable in a division that is loaded with top flight pitching. Veteran free agent signing Cody Ross will start the season on the disabled list, but will bring some much needed grit to the lineup upon his return.
The one thing Diamondbacks fans can be excited about is all of their young pitching. Arizona will not contend in 2013, and their young starters will struggle at times, but over the next few years, the young trio of Trevor Cahill, Wade Miley and Patrick Corbin will give Opening Day starter Ian Kennedy some much needed help in the rotation. Brandon McCarthy was brought in to provide veteran leadership to a young rotation. The bullpen is solid as well, with J.J. Putz closing out games and David Hernandez and Heath Bell scheduled to bridge from the starters to the ninth inning.
COLORADO ROCKIES
| Troy Tulowitzki |
There is no denying the raw talent and ability of Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. But the issue is keeping him healthy over a full season. From 2009-2011, Tulowitzki played in at least 122 games, with a high of 151 in 2009. He averaged right at 30 home runs during those seasons and averaged 99 RBI. Given that the Rockies have other talented offensive players like Carlos Gonzalez and rising star Wilin Rosario, a healthy Tulowitzki is key for the Rockies to have any chance of competing in their division. Todd Helton is an aging star on his last leg, and the Rockies have young talent like Nolan Arenado waiting his turn in Triple-A. Dexter Fowler and Tyler Colvin had career years in 2012, and look to build on that in 2013.
Pitching at Coors Field is never easy, and the Rockies will struggle even more with an inexperienced and unimpressive rotation, led by Jhoulys Chacin and Jorge De La Rosa. The bullpen as a whole is not very talented either, but Rafael Betancourt is able to shut down opponents in the final inning if the Rockies hand him a lead to defend.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS
 |
| Clayton Kershaw |
When you spend over $100 million on a starting pitcher, you would think he would be your ace. Not the case when you are talking about Zack Greinke. Greinke is a very good starting pitcher, but he will be second in the rotation behind Clayton Kershaw, perhaps the second best pitcher in the game behind Justin Verlander. Josh Beckett will be looking to revive his career in Chavez Ravine, and the Dodgers have foreign import Hyun-Jin Ryu penciled in as their fifth starter. The Dodgers have enough starting pitching to scare any team in the division. The bullpen will be tested early, as their are questions about anointed closer Brandon League and his ability to close out games consistently. If he fails, Kenley Jansen will be the next in line to close games.
The Dodgers hope that they get everyone in their lineup healthy as soon as possible. The heart of the order for Los Angeles will feature Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, but guys around them will include Hanley Ramirez, Carl Crawford and the surprise of 2012, A.J. Ellis. Veteran Mark Ellis will be the starter at second base, and Luis Cruz will start the season at shortstop to replace the injured Ramirez. Once Ramirez returns, Cruz will move over to third base, where he will replace Juan Uribe.
SAN DIEGO PADRES
 |
| Yonder Alonso |
The Padres have one true star, Chase Headley, but he will miss the first month of the season with an injury he suffered in Spring Training. Yonder Alonso hit five long balls in Cactus League play, but he hit just nine during all of 2012. There is a little bit of hope however, as Jedd Gyorko appears to be ready to take over as an everyday player in the San Diego infield. Gyorko is going to fill in for Headley at third base to open the season and then move over to second base upon his return. Carlos Quentin and Cameron Maybin will return as starters in the outfield, and an increase in their production would help the Padres tremendously.
The Padres will struggle on the mound even more so than they will at the plate in 2013. Edinson Volquez is a quality starter, but is not quite talented enough to be the ace of any staff. Jason Marquis is a crafty veteran, but not effective enough to get people out consistently. Clayton Richard, Eric Stults and Tyson Ross will round out the rotation, each hoping to make a name for themselves, although Richard had a solid 2012. Huston Street will close games for the Padres, but their best reliever is set-up guy Luke Gregerson.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
 |
| Matt Cain |
The Giants return the same lineup as their 2012 version, including Pablo Sandoval, who exploded in the World Series, including a three homer game. Angel Pagan will be back in center field for San Francisco after leading Puerto Rico to the World Baseball Classic finals. Perhaps the two players needing to find more consistent results are Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford, who will both enter the season with no worries of being replaced, at least for now.
The Giants rotation is as talented as almost any other in the National League, being led at the top by Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner. Rounding out the rotation are Tim Lincecum, Ryan Vogelsong and Barry Zito, all three of which have attained some level of success in their careers, especially Lincecum. Lincecum has struggled in recent years, but the Giants hope he can return to Cy Young form. The bullpen will once again be relied upon heavily, including Sergio Romo, who is back as the closer. Javier Lopez, Jeremy Affeldt and Santiago Casilla will each play key roles as well in 2013.
2013 All National League West Team
C: Buster Posey, Giants
1B: Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers
2B: Marco Scutaro, Giants
3B: Martin Prado, Diamondbacks
SS: Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies
LF: Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies
CF: Matt Kemp, Dodgers
RF: Hunter Pence, Giants
SP: Matt Cain, Giants
SP: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
SP: Zack Greinke, Dodgers
SP: Ian Kennedy, Diamondbacks
SP: Madison Bumgarner, Giants
RP: Kenley Jansen, Dodgers
RP: Luke Gregerson, Padres
CP: Sergio Romo, Giants
2013 Pre-Season National League West Awards
MVP: Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers
Cy Young: Matt Cain, Giants
Rookie of the Year: Hyun-Jin Ryu, Dodgers
2013 Projected Order of Finish
1. San Francisco Giants
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres
No comments:
Post a Comment