NL West: How the Wild West Will Be Won

The race for the 2007 National League West ended just like the old adage—wildly. 

Colorado Rockies

The Rockies, winners of 23 of their last 24 before ultimately losing to the Red Sox in four games, face some tough questions going into 2008. 

Can their pitching, who came up clutch in the playoffs before facing the Red Sox, sustain their success over 162 games? 

There is no doubt about their hitting, with Matt Holliday anchoring an offense that saw at least five members with over 500 plate appearances with an average OPS of .911. 

What does that mean in layman's terms?  This team can flat out hit, not only at Coors Field, but away from it as well. 

Unfortunately, hitting comes second to pitching, and the Rockies have only one pitcher with over 200 innings in 2007.  That means a bullpen that has to carry the load. 

I see the Rockies finishing third this year. 

Los Angeles Dodgers

The team with the most upside, the most potential, has to be the Joe Torre led Los Angeles Dodgers. 

The Dodgers have a young arsenal of hitters in James Loney, Matt Kemp, and Andre Ethier.  Mix in steady veteran performers Jeff Kent, Rafael Furcal, and Nomar Garciaparra, and you've got the potential to finish far above the 82 win total of '07. 

The Dodgers, like the Rockies, face several tough questions.  First and foremost, can Jason Schmidt return from injury and produce like he did in '06?  The Dodgers will need him to pitch close to 200 innings. 

Will Hiroki Kuroda perform like Kei Igawa or Daisuke Matsuzaka?  And, can newly acquired free agent Andruw Jones shake off the 2006 year that saw him hit 41 percentage points below his career average? 

What happens to Juan Pierre, who led the team in at-bats and steals?  Will Torre go with youth at third as Andy LaRoche looks to take the starting job from Los Angeles fan favorite Nomar Garciaparra? 

Lastly, there's that old locker room chemistry thing.  Joe Torre definitely has enough on his plate this year. 

I see the Dodgers finishing a strong second, right around 90 wins. 

San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants will have new locker room chemistry this year with the absence of Barry Bonds. 

Long gone are the days of the long ball in San Francisco, as there will be fewer and fewer "splash hits" into McCovey Cove. 

Bruce Bochy will go back to typical National League baseball and move runners over with speed and strategy. 

Oh wait, let's not forget that the Giants surrounded Mr. Bonds with veteran players that could handle the distractions of a record home run chase.  Although Barry's gone, those savvy veterans are still around. 

Thirty year olds don't steal bases. 

Look for the Giants to finish with fewer than 70 wins. 

San Franciscans are hoping that the Niners turn it around soon.

San Diego Padres

The Padres have the reigning National League Cy Young Award Winner in Jake Peavy.  He's pitched over 200+ innings the past three years. 

Greg Maddux was two innings shy of 200 innings in '07, ending a streak of four years with at least 200 innings.  Maddux, a Hall of Famer to be, will produce another fine year, but the big question, or should I say gamble, is that of the opposite of Maddux, Mark Prior. 

Prior, in his best year in the majors, reached 166 innings back in 2005.  There are durability and health issues there. 

There are also durability issues with the new center fielder. 

In his prime, Jim Edmunds was the definition of Web Gem, but there's a lot of green in Petco Park and I'm not quite sure Edmonds, who turns 38 in June, will be able to cover all the ground for a full 162. 

Take away Mike Cameron and Milton Bradley, and I see the Padres finishing tied for third with the Rockies. 

Arizona Diamondbacks

That brings me to my choice to win the NL West, the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

The D'Backs approach of steady hitting and lights out pitching only got better with the addition of Dan Haren this offseason.  Haren has pitched over 200 innings the past three years. 

Throw in the 2006 Cy Young Award Winner in Brandon Webb, along with Randy Johnson and Doug Davis, and you could quite possibly have four pitchers going over 200 innings—unspeakable! 

The D'Backs didn't do much to alter their lineup.  They lost the savvy veteran Tony Clark, but picked up Trot Nixon.  Nixon won a World Series with the Red Sox back in '04, so he knows what it takes to win. 

Let's not forget the all-out play of Eric Byrnes. 

Finally, Brandon Webb takes over the closers role, with Jose Valverde taking his NL league leading 47 saves to Houston. 

With all that said, I see a tight race in the NL West, with the winner being decided in the last week of play. 

The D'backs will finish with 96 wins this year.