NL West

By Dr. Jekyll,

NL West

The most exciting division in baseball, as opposed to a few years back when they toiled in mediocrity, now all teams are equally viable as top tier clubs. Top to bottom this is a good division, with only the bottom team really missing any truly noticeable pieces.

San Diego Padres: If anyone you know says they had the Padres making the playoffs, they lied. Really, no one saw this coming. As I write this I’m waiting for them to fall out of the top spot. And I still think they will by the end of the year. But that’s how you get the “us against the world” mentality that breeds Cinderella stories like this. Adrian Gonzalez deserves this team. This rotation of journeymen and young guns deserves the success. But the feel good story can’t go on, right?

San Francisco Giants: Matt Cain. Tim Lincecum. Barry Zito being a respectable number three. Aubrey Huff turning it on back like he used to with the Rays. And all this success with Kung Fu Panda slumping. The Giants are doing all they can to keep in this race, and they’ll probably be able to grab a playoff spot, be it in a wildcard showdown with their own division and the folks out east or a final over the hump push to the division crown.

Los Angeles Dodgers: This was a power hitting lineup that short circuited. Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsly need to stay strong to make the necessary run at the playoffs. This powerful outfield has been struggling a tremendous amount, and injuries to Manny Ramirez certainly don’t help that cause. Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and James Loney are as solid a middle as anywhere in the league. If the pitching can stay strong til Manny gets back, they’ll make a nice playoff run.

Colorado Rockies: Ubaldo Jimenez was all-time good. Like, absolute incredible for-the-ages good. And then the all-star break happened. The early year Dark Horse Cy Young emerged as one of the best pitchers in baseball. But that sort of dominance, with modern day players and scouting reports, isn’t going to last a season. The Rockies are a slightly above average team with a great foundation to remain competitive over many seasons. But with the Dodgers doing so well while struggling and the unbelievable year in San Diego, Colorado looks like tough luck losers. Carlos Gonzalez and Ian Stewart are both young foundation players who will be the envy of the league a few years from now, but just not this season.

Arizona Diamondbacks: This pitching staff has the worst ERA in the bigs, and nowhere near the offense to make up for that. Dontrelle Willis proved he’s still a bust after that one year in Florida, the bullpen blows leads like they’re paid by the earned run, and Dan Haren has had a year to forget. Apart from using for former member of Oakland's "big 3" as trade bait, the desert is out of good story lines until football season.