Someone responded to my NL Central predictions by telling me that Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun were better than Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday. This after people told me there was no way the Mets would win the NL East. So I fully expect a rebuttal to this post explaining why the San Diego Padres are going to the World Series, because that seems to be the trend every time I post new division picks.
Enjoy reading part three of six…
NL West
1) San Francisco Giants – The Giants added some critical pieces last year and in the offseason. Aubrey Huff, despite a down 2009, is a consistent player and a great glove at first base. Just two years ago he hit .304 with 32 HRs and 108 RBIs. Freddy Sanchez is among the best second basemen in baseball, Edgar Renteria is an improvement at shortstop, and Mark DeRosa will be able to benefit from playing every day. They should have no scoring problems this season. Don’t forget about the rotation, which includes Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Barry Zito and Jonathan Sanchez.
2) Arizona Diamondbacks – Mark this team down as the league’s most improved, and don’t be surprised if A.J. Hinch wins manager of the year. A healthy Brandon Webb and the addition of Edwin Jackson gives the Diamondbacks one of the best rotations in baseball. Justin Upton, Chris Young and Mark Reynolds will all be good again, so it’s up to guys like Conor Jackson and Miguel Montero to fill the offensive void. The biggest issue may be the bullpen, where setup man Bob Howry and closer Chad Qualls are both average at best.
3) Los Angeles Dodgers – If everyone in the lineup pulls off repeat performances of 2009, I’ll be way off in my third place prediction. But I don’t think that will be the case, especially with Matt Kemp and Manny Ramirez. Ronnie Belliard and Casey Blake are getting up there in years as well, with neither adding much to an already suspect lineup. The bullpen is solid with Jonathan Broxton and George Sherrill, but the rotation has holes with the departure of Randy Wolf. Hiroki Kuroda and Vicente Padilla are in now, with a fifth starter yet to be decided.
4) Colorado Rockies – Jason Giambi and Paul Lo Duca are looking to awake from the dead in the thin Denver air, but it won’t happen with this supporting cast. Ian Stewart needs to hit better than .228, Dexter Fowler needs to hit better than .266 and Carlos Gonzalez needs to play a full season before I believe this offense can score even in the friendly altitude. To make matters worse, the rotation is terrible now that Jason Marquis is gone. Ubaldo Jiminez would not be an ace on most teams, but he will have to carry the load for the Rockies staff.
5) San Diego Padres – The Padres acquired Scott Hairston from Oakland and signed Jon Garland and Yorvit Torrealba this offseason. Even with a somewhat decent pitching staff, there is nobody surrounding Adrian Gonzalez. Nobody on the current starting depth chart hit more than 17 home runs or had better than a .265 average last season. The good news is that they are all young. If they can somehow keep Gonzalez in San Diego for another year or two, this team could be good. Until then, get used to a lot of Gonzalez intentional walks.
Saturday: AL East predictions
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