With Opening day coming this weekend, Sports World News is kicking off our MLB 2014 season preview starting with the National League West. This division is the Dodgers’ to lose for the foreseeable future, but is there a possibility of a Wild Card team coming out of the west?
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1. Los Angeles Dodgers (97-65): With a payroll that rivals the Yankees, the Dodgers have given themselves a team that can compete for a championship. Pitching is clearly this teams strength and Clayton Kershaw is the best starting pitcher in all of baseball. After Kershaw the rotation is solidified by Zach Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu who had incredible 2013 campaigns. The Dodgers struck out on Masahiro Tanaka, but with Paul Maholm and Josh Beckett at the bottom of the rotation they are fine. The lineup needs someone to step up toward the bottom before being considered truly dangerous, but with Yasiel Puig, Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp (eventually) and Carl Crawford the Dodgers should be fine.
2. Arizona Diamondbacks (88-74): The addition of Mark Trumbo is huge for a lineup that was begging for player to protect Paul Goldschmidt. Bronson Arroyo is a very solid addiction to the rotation that straighten the consistency in Arizona. The D-Backs live and die by the improvement of Miguel Montero in the lineup and the arm of Archie Bradley in the rotation. They are the make or break for Arizona’s wild card hopes.
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3. San Francisco Giants (87-75): The rotation is what keeps this team in contention. Buster Posey is the only reliable superstar bat the lineup contains and after him the lineup falls to the bottom of the league. Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence need to put a consistent season together and up and coming Brandon Belt needs to grow in stride to give the Giants a chance. You know what your getting with Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum, Tim Hudson and Ryan Vogelsong. All will play as expected and keep the games close.
4. Colorado Rockies (75-87): The Rockies can light up the scoreboard at Coors Field, but can they pitch? Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez are the backbone of the team now that Todd Helton is gone. Management added names like Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau to replace Helton’s presence for the long run. The issue lies in Jhoulys Chacin, Brett Anderson and Jorge De La Rosa. Can they put together a whole season as opposed to the hot start in 2013 only to flame out. Thats the difference from 2013 to 2014 for the Rockies, will the pitching improve or push them to last?
5. San Diego Padres (70-92): Ian Kennedy and Andrew Cashner are the stars of the rotation even with Kennedy’s disappointing 2013, but add Josh Johnson and Tyson Ross to the equation and you have a very good rotation. Chase Headley and Carlos Quentin are the center pieces to the rebuild process for as long as they remain in San Diego. The rebuild starts with Jedd Gyorko and Yonder Alonso, but if/when Headley is traded the Padres will have to have a back up plan to mentor the future. 2014 is about getting experience and staying above water while figuring out Headley’s future.
How do you think the NL West goes? Is it the Dodgers to lose? Tell us @SportsWN
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