The NL West, as a collective whole, has been nothing short of lackluster this season. The Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants hold a combined 0.480 winning percentage at about the halfway point of the season. When trying to describe this division, the word mediocre comes to mind.
But nonetheless, I would like to examine each NL West team with great scrutiny. Or something like that. And predict what I see for the future.
Arizona Diamondbacks (50-45)
Current Position: 1st Place
End of Season Position: 2nd Place
Let's all take a moment to acknowledge the lone plus-.500 NL West team. That's right ladies and gentleman, to earn 1st place in this train-wreck of a division all you have to do is be five games above even. To contextualize this record, the Diamondbacks would be good for 5th in the AL East. But hey that's not their fault!
Arizona has been the definition of average all season long. But they've been consistently average. At one point the team was nine games above .500 (34-25) but have since experienced a slow-and-steady decline to the dreaded .500 mark.
Bottom Line: The Diamondbacks are currently ranked 16th in batting average, 14th in on-base percentage and 26th in homeruns. Average to below average run support. They also are 10th in ERA and 13th in WHIP. Almost every category you find the Diamondbacks right around the middle of the pack. They deserve credit for being consistent, but they simply won't be able to hold 1st place being this average.
Player to Watch: Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
Los Angeles Dodgers (47-47)
Current Position: 2nd Place
End of Season Position: 1st Place
On June 19th the LA Dodgers were a dismal 29-40, but have since gone on an impressive 18-7 stretch (yay math!). The arrival of the freakazoid Yasiel Puig has been an absolute breath of fresh air in such a boring division. The man has been an absolute force to be reckoned with, batting .391 with 8 homers and 19 RBI's to match in his first 38 MLB games. But the player lost in Puigmania has been shortstop Hanley Ramirez who has batted .386 with 8 homeruns and 25 RBI's in 39 games since returning from the disabled list.
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| Puig has been nothing short of amazing so far |
It's clear the Dodgers have the most raw talent of any team in the NL West, and quite possibly the National League as a whole. But inconsistent play has been an issue for LA all season long.
Bottom Line: LA has run into its fair share of injuries and on-the-field struggles, but the team with a bottomless bank account seems to be putting it together for the 2nd half. Along with the arguably the best pitcher in baseball, Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers have put themselves in solid position to win the soft NL West.
Player to Watch: Yasiel Puig, OF... duh.
Colorado Rockies (46-50)
Current Position: 3rd Place
End of Season Position: 4th Place
The Blake Street Bombers have been a pleasant surprise. After finishing an embarrassing 64-92 last season, the Rockies currently are only four games under .500. Taking into account that this squad really didn't improve at all over the off-season, it's been great to see a group of players really buy into new manager Walt Weiss and succeed in every definition of the word based on previous expectations.
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| The Rockies have been a pleasant surprise. |
had.
Bottom Line: I just listed all the great and positive things the Rockies have accomplished thus far, but still have them finishing 4th. I just don't trust the pitching yet. I wish I did but I don't. The Rockies have to prove their worth in the consistency department because All-Stars Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez and Michael Cuddyer can't pick up that load. Until then, the Rockies stay under .500. But there are definitely things Colorado can be excited for.
Player to Watch: Tyler Chatwood, SP
San Francisco Giants (43-51)
Current Position: 4th Place
End of Season Position: 3rd Place
This has been a weird season for the Giants. The team batting power is as absent as always. Holding the 28th spot in HRs. But their pitching has been strangely below average as well. San Fran. is currently ranked 20th in team ERA and 16th in WHIP. A team that has always boasted a stout pitching staff has experienced underwhelming play from former ace Tim Lincecum (never mind the no-no he just threw).
What is more worrisome is that Matt Cain has been absolutely below-average with an alarming 5.06 ERA and a 5-6 record through 19 starts. For a team that often struggles to give pitchers run-support, the pitching has not been spectacular. It seems that the ace torch has been passed to 23-year-old Madison Baumgarner (10-5, 3.02 ERA).
Bottom Line: The pitching has been bad and the batting has been average, but there is something about the Giants and late season pushes. What the Rockies have not proved (consistency), the Giants have
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| Will the Giants celebrate again in October? Not likely. |
Player to Watch: Matt Cain, SP
San Diego Padres (42-54)
Current Position: 5th Place
End of Season Position: 5th Place
The Padres have just been all-around bad. There is no way going around that. Here are some rankings for you.
Batting: 23rd in batting average, 23rd in on-base percentage, 25th in slugging percentage.
Pitching: 25th in ERA, 27th in WHIP, 27th in opponent batting average.
In other words: yikes.
Bottom Line: I don't want to add insult to injury but it really seems like the 2010 season where San Diego finished 90-72, one game behind the wildcard position, was the last time the Padres will have a chance to be in the playoffs for a long time. When your batting order headlines a man batting .229 (Chase Headley), something is wrong.
Player to Watch: Eric Stults, SP
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