National League West projections

• Posted by motle on March 4th, 2008 filed in MLB Banter

Today is the NL West projections. Be sure to check out the other bloggers from the Cardinals United Bloggers.

National League West

1. San Diego Padres Bud Black
2008 Picks: 88 wins
The faces of the team: Jake Peavy, Chris Young, Trevor Hoffman, Adrian Gonzalez, Khalil Greene.

Looking at them: At the age of 42, Maddux will be out trying to earn the $10 million per year the Padres were willing to pay him for another year of service. As so goes Maddux, so may go the Padres.
Overall: The Padres have one of those offenses that just seems to get the job done. This year, the one consistent piece, Adrian Gonzalez (30 HR’s, 100 RBI’s) will be backed up by the addition of Jim Edmonds. A good move. The rest of the order is about piecing together runs– Khalil Greene and Kevin Kouzmanoff meet the veteran ability of Brian Giles and the addition of Tadahito Iguchi.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers Joe Torre
2008 Picks: 87 wins
The faces of the team: Takashi Saito, Brad Penny, Derek Lowe, Rafael Furcal.
Looking at them: Andruw Jones needs to remember how to hit the ball out of the park, or at least just hit the ball, period. But, without steroids anymore, maybe his best days are gone forever. In the rotation, if they can get a full season of RHP Chad Billingsley throwing like he did last year, it could be a great season.
Overall: Torre is in town. And the Dodgers win the division in even years (lately), so maybe the stars are aligned this year. The Dodgers batting order is an NL version of the Yankees. Sort of.. But think about it: Furcal, Kent, Loney, Jones, Kemp, Martin, Garciaparra, and Pierre. It may not be rock solid, but it’s got a lot of potential

3. Colorado Rockies Clint Hurdle
2008 Picks: 86 wins
The faces of the team: Matt Holiday, Jeff Francis, Brad Hawpe, Troy Tulowitzki

Looking at them: Well, if they can win 13 of 14 to end this season just like last, then the rest of the season might not really matter.
Overall: The Rockies are now an inspired bunch that not only believe they can win, they know they have done it. Also, the line-up is finally built to deliver the runs a Denver-based team should, given the high-altitude. However, heartbreak could await. It won’t be easy to repeat.

4. Arizona Diamondbacks Bob Melvin
2008 Picks: 82

The faces of the team: Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, Chris Young, Eric Byrnes.

Looking at them: 1B Conor Jackson is an up-and-coming hitter. But the fact that he’s the D-Backs clean-up hitter shows how the line-up is all downhill from there. So there will be some pressure on young OF Justin Upton to deliver run production.
Overall: Arizona has 3 great starting pitchers (Webb, Haren, and The Unit). And the first 3 bats in the line-up (Young, Hudson, and Byrnes) are big too. The key to success depends on the other pieces– guys like SP Doug Davis or SP Micah Owings, Closer Brandon Lyon, and OF Justin Upton. If the D-Backs can get some spark from some of these names, they could land back in the playoffs.

5. San Francisco Giants Bruce Bochy
2008 Picks: 73 wins

The faces of the team: Barry Zito, Aaron Rowand.
Looking at them: Barry Zito needs to pitch like he gets paid $126m for 7 years

Overall: It’s a very fresh start without Bonds, but the Giants can take 2 tracks at the same time. SF has a slew of veteran bats to rely on (from Molina to Vizquel, Roberts, and Aurilia) while they wait to see if young talent can deliver (OF Nate Schierholtz, 3B Kevin Frandsen, 1B Dan Ortmeier. The pitching is expected to be the glue holding this team from a worst-in-the-NL season.