Can Kirk Gibson's Arizona Diamondbacks Repeat as NL West Champs?

Last year, the Arizona Diamondbacks had an incredible and unlikely run to win the NL West crown. They were able to outlast quality teams such as the LA Dodgers, Colorado Rockies and the defending world champions, the San Francisco Giants.

To be honest, there really is nothing about this that people could have expected. Arizona had injuries at the beginning of the season and started off fairly sluggish.

In a division with so much talent, it was tough to foresee the Diamondbacks making it to the postseason. However, lo and behold, manager Kirk Gibson was able to take this team and win.

Unfortunately, it will take much more than a hot streak to keep this team afloat to beat out those teams mentioned earlier. It is not to say that it is a guarantee the D-Backs will fail, merely that it is highly unlikely they can have the same success as the year prior.

Stephen Drew

Luckily for the Arizona Diamondbacks, their championship in the NL West was achieved even without shortstop Stephen Drew, who was lost to injury during the regular season.

During the regular season, Drew had a .270 batting average and a .442 slugging percentage. When returning, his bat should relieve some of the pressure on teammate Justin Upton. Upton was forced to do most of the heavy lifting in the lineup due to Drew’s absence.

Also, in 2007, during Drew's first and only postseason appearance, his batting average actually rose to .294. Luckily for the Diamondbacks, Drew should be getting back to 100 percent health and returning next season from his ankle injury.

We can expect a steadier batting lineup with his return as well as better defense at the shortstop position.

Starting Pitchers

Starting pitchers Ian Kennedy, Joe Saunders and Daniel Hudson had phenomenal years, and it is most likely that they will not be able to maintain the high expectations of them after this season.

Kennedy led the team in most statistical categories for a pitcher. He had 21 total wins, a 2.88 ERA and 198 total strikeouts. Kennedy was one of the main reasons the Diamondbacks were able to win the NL West crown.

Saunders finished the entire regular season with a 3.69 ERA, while Hudson pitched to an ERA of 3.49. Both these stats are respectable and in fact pretty good when considering the batting the rest of the NL West was able to put forth.

If these pitchers can keep up this pace, then Arizona might have a chance. However, all three of these pitchers exceeded expectations from the spring season and played excellent ball.

It looks like this was more so just a good season for them, and it will be difficult to maintain this pace going into next season.

Justin Upton

Justin Upton was one of the biggest reasons for the Diamondbacks' success. He had full control of the bat and consistently played well for the organization.

He led the club in all major batting statistical categories. His batting average was at .298 while hitting 31 home runs with 171 hits during the regular season. Upton had 88 RBI, while his OBP leveled out at a steady .369 by the end of the season.

Upton is one of the few players in the Diamondbacks clubhouse that looks like he can consistently put up numbers this efficient in years to come. However, the only issue with Upton is his health.

This was the first season in the past few years in which he played at least 159 games. Recently he has been plagued with injury that has prevented him from showing the fans his true potential. If he can manage his health and play most of the season, the Diamondbacks will have a solid showing next season (from Upton at least).

Kirk Gibson

Kirk Gibson should be voted Manager of the Year for his squad being an unlikely champion in the NL West.

He was able to assemble a lineup that used its weapons efficiently, as well as inspire a clubhouse that was not even given a shot at winning the NL West crown.

Arizona also led the major leagues in comeback wins with a league-high 48 wins when trailing. Whether that be the players or the opponents faltering late in games, Gibson is given the praise for his ability to maneuver players into a more favorable position.

Overall, Gibson has done an fantastic job with this ballclub, and hopefully his players can play with the same intensity and drive that pushed them to the championship in the previous year.

The Payroll

Unfortunately, there are some big holes in the squad that might prevent them from becoming consistent contenders in the league.

They are struggling at the first and second base positions with little contribution from the current players.

Luckily for them, the rest of the team was playing lights out and could compensate for the lack of production in those players. However, going into next year, they will have a target on their back, and opponents will try to exploit these holes.

The only real way to solve this is by the front office opening up the purse and picking up some better players. If management is able to increase payroll and pick up some names, this team just might have a shot at repeating as NL West champs.

The Results

It looks like the Arizona Diamondbacks have some good pieces to make a run for the crown. However, they just have pieces and cannot expect their players to continue playing at the pace they are currently at.

Upton and the starting pitchers have been playing extremely well and are the main reasons that the D-Backs were able to do what they did.

However, it is difficult to rely on these players to play at this level day in and day out without wear and tear. As stated earlier, unless management decides to spend some money to get players who can benefit the ballclub, it will be hard to see Arizona repeating as champs.

Until the roster starts to see some tweaks and additions, the Diamondbacks will just be a good team that can contend once in a while instead of contending year in and year out.