1) Los Angeles Dodgers2007 Record: 82-80 (4th in NL West) Manager: Joe Torre (1st Season) New Additions: CF Andruw Jones, C Gary Bennett, RHP Huroki Kuroda, RHP Chan Ho Park, RHP Tanyon Sturtze Key Losses: OF Luis Gonzalez, C Mike Lieberthal, RHP D.J. Houlton, RHP Roberto Hernandez, RHP Chin-Hui Tsao, LHP Randy Wolf, LHP Mark Hendrickson, LHP David Wells, IF Olmedo Saenz, IF Shea Hillenbrand, IF Mark Sweeney Outlook: The biggest addition to the Dodgers will be new manager Joe Torre who will put everything together and help LA win the deepest division in baseball. Andruw Jones is a nice signing as we will bounce back offensively in the dry Southern California air, and we all know what he brings to the table defensively. Getting Jason Schmidt back from injury will be a big help to a rotation that includes Brad Penny, Derek Lowe, along with up and coming Chad Billingsley. The Dodgers had the best record in the National at the end of July in 2007, but injuries and age derailed them allowing the younger D'Backs and Rockies to take advantage. The one positive was young talent such as Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, James Loney, and Andy LaRoche getting signifant playing time down the stretch. Saito and Broxton at the end of the big will ultimately be the difference in Chavez Ravine and the Dodgers will win 8-10 more games and nip the D'Backs by a narrow margin. Everyone will love Joe Torre out west, except for maybe Scott Proctor and Tanyon Sturtze. 2) Arizona Diamondbacks (wild card)2007 Record: 90-72 (1st in NL West, lost in NLCS) Manager: Bob Melvin (4th Season) New Additions: RHP Dan Haren, RHP Chad Qualls, IF Chris Burke Key Losses: RHP Jose Valverde, RHP Livan Hernandez, 1B Tony Clark, OF Jeff DaVanon, IF Alberto Callaspo Outlook: The Diamondbacks made a huge splash this offseason by acquiring Dan Haren for a bunch of prospects, giving Arizona a prolific top of the rotation with Haren and 2006 Cy Young winner Brandon Webb. Still Arizona lost solid veteran Livan Hernandez and 2007 NL save leader Jose Valverde. The bullpen, though talented, is completely unproven and the D'Backs are banking on unproven Brandon Lyon to fill the void in the 9th inning. The bullpen is what will give the Dodgers the slight advantage over the Diamondbacks in the division race. Arizona should improve offensively off a team that scored just 712 runs a season ago. The young core of Chris Young, Conor Jackson, Mark Reynolds, and Justin Upton should take a step forward. Getting Chad Tracy back from injury will helps and the D'Backs still have solid veterans Eric Byrnes and Orlando Hudson. Though Haren makes them better, keep in mind the D'Backs greatly overachieved last year and despite somehow winning 90 games they were actually outscored by 20 runs. The D'Backs need Randy Johnson to stay healthy to beat out the deeper Dodgers, but I just don't see the future Hall of Famer doing so. 3) San Diego Padres2007 Record: 89-74 (3rd Place in NL West) Manager: Bud Black (2nd Season) New Additions: CF Jim Edmons, 2B Tadahito Iguchi, LHP Randy Wolf, RHP Mark Pryor, IF Robert Fick Key Losses: LF Milton Bradley, CF Mike Cameron, 2B Marcus Giles, IF Geoff Blum, IF Morgan Ensberg Outlook: It was the Mets that had the historic collapse in 2007, but the Padres season didn't end a whole lot better. San Diego blew a 2-game wild card lead with 2 games to go, and subsequently lost in extra innings to Colorado when Trevor Hoffmann blew the save, a game started by Cy Young winner Jake Peavy. The Padres problem last year was the offense, not suprising considering you could fly a jet out of the gargantuan Petco Park. If anything, they took a step back on offense by losing key performers Bradley and Cameron. I don't think Edmonds has much left in the tank and Brian Giles is coming back from offseason surgery. The good for San Diego is that if you have pitching you'll always have a chance. Jake Peavy will make a push for back-to-back Cy Youngs, Chris Young (when healthy) is a good number two, and the Pads have Maddux, Wolf, and hope to get something out of the always injured Pryor. The bullpen is in good shape, so long as Trevor Hoffman is pitching in a regular season game against a non-New York team. Padres will win around 85 games again and finish third in the division. 4) Colorado Rockies2007 Record: 90-73 (2nd in NL West, lost in WS) Manager: Clint Hurdle (7th Season) New Additions: OF Scott Podsednik, 2B Marcus Giles, 2B Jayson Nix, RHP Kip Wells, RHP Luis Vizcaino Key Losses: 2B Kaz Matsui, RHP LaTroy Hawkins, IF Jamey Carroll, RHP Jorge Julio, LHP Jeremy Affeldt Outlook: The Rockies were the biggest surprise in baseball last season riding an unfathomable 30 game stretch to its first NL Pennent. But the glass slipper won't fit in the Mile High City this year. The Rockies are still terrific offensively with MVP candidate Matt Holliday, second year stud Troy Tulowitzki, and veterans Todd Helton, Garrett Adkins, and Brad Hawpe anchoring an offense that ranked second in the league in runs scored in 2007. I just can't see the Rockies pitching staff after Jeff Francis holding up for the long haul the way it down at the end of last season. Though Aaron Cook is solid, and Ubaldo Jimenez, Jason Hirsh, and Franklin Moralez all have tons of potential, the youngsters will hit a wall at some point in 2008. Manny Corpas, Brian Fuentes, and Luis Vizcaino are solid at the back end of the pen. The Rockies will finish around .500 this season, but will certainly be factor in September (if nothing else than as a spoiler). 5) San Francisco Giants2007 Record: 71-91 (5th in NL West) Manager: Bruce Bochy (2nd Season) New Additions: CF Aaron Roward, RHP Keiichi Yabu Key Losses: LF Barry Bonds, 3B Pedro Feliz, 1B Ryan Klesko, RHP Scott Munter, RHP Russ Ortiz Outlook: The 2008 San Francisco Giants might have the worst lineup I have ever seen. They were 29th in baseball in runs scored last year and now their only good offensive player Barry Bonds is officially gone. Pedro Feliz and Aaron Rowand swap teams, but I don't like the Rowand signing because he won't come close to the same numbers moving into a much bigger ballpark. The Giants are paying $80MM for an intangible player, and when you're a rebuilding team this seems silly. The Giants do have as many good young pitchers as anyone in baseball with fireballer Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Noah Lowry, and Barry Zito. If only Brian Sabean didn't trade Francisco Liriano and Joe Nathan for A.J. Pierzynski. At least the Giants can avoid the cloud Bonds has set over the franchise, and move on to just baseball. All you need to know about the Giants is that last year Matt Cain had a 3.65 ERA and 1.26 WHIP and still managed to go 7-16. Cain would probably be a 20 game winner and the ace of the Yankee staff. |