State of the NL West

For my final “State Of” article, I will address the NL West.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers: The first thing you think of when you think about this team is one person: Yasiel Puig. With a .306 BA, 12 HR’s and 50 RBI’s he is easily the most explosive player in LA. He is getting some help though which is a large reason for the Dodgers creeping back into the NL West race and ultimately regaining the lead. Adrian Gonzalez has a whopping 59 RBI’s as well as 14 HR’s. Dee Gordon has been a revelation as the youngster has shown he can actually hit (.298 BA) to go along with his 42 stolen bases so far. The pitching staff is actually playing some good baseball as well. Clayton Kershaw is the obvious ace of this staff with a 11-2 record and a sensational 1.78 ERA. Josh Beckett owns a no hitter this year but also has an impressive 2.26 ERA. Zach Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu have had great years as well (11-5, 2.73 ERA/9-4, 3.08 ERA respectively). This is a dangerous team who has shown tremendous success when it gets hot. The Dodgers could be a real threat this postseason.
2. San Francisco Giants: Everyone finally saw what they were capable of as soon as Tim Lincecum threw his second no hitter. But then they started wilting and have surrendered the lead in the NL West back to the Dodgers. Despite the rockiness, people forget that this is very deep pitching staff that could surprise come playoff time. Madison Bumgarner and Tim Hudson have both been excellent with ERA’s below or around 3.00. Michael Morse leads this team in HR’s and RBI’s (14 and 46 respectively) and Hunter Pence and Buster Posey have each been big factors in the offense as well. One of the biggest issues however, is the closer role as Sergio Romo has just been removed from the role. This will be a two team race with the Dodgers for the rest of the year, but this squad is built for the postseason and could be a factor deep in October.
3. San Diego Padres: Against all odds the Padres are starting to play a little better baseball. Nevertheless there is a huge gap between second and third place in this division and it by no means seem certain of changing. The Padres are defined by an anaemic offense ranking 30th in almost all major categories (runs, batting average, slugging percentage and on base percentage) and some solid pitching (4th in ERA). Tyson Ross has been solid but is getting no help (7-8, 2.93 ERA). They seem poised for a big dump of talent trying to accumulate prospects to build for the future. Maybe a guy like Seth Smith who leads this team in every major category gets sent to a contender. It will be a long season for Padres fans.
4. Colorado Rockies: To think that two teams could be below the San Diego Padres speaks to the big issues being dealt with from the teams below. Gone is the fast start that put this team in the national spotlight going 22-14 before the rough stretch of 16-39 since. For this team they couldn’t be more different than the Padres. They have prolific offense led by Troy Tulowitzki who is batting a sizzling .350 with 20 HR’s and 49 RBI’s. Justin Morneau has also had a nice career revival here with a .315 BA, 13 HR’s and an incredible 59 RBI’s. The pitching is a gruesome sight however. To call Jorge De La Rosa your best pitcher is a joke (9-6, 4.75 ERA). He is more of a number 4 or 5 pitcher. The team is ERA is a horrific 5.00. If the offense has an average night they are almost certainly in trouble. They could trade for some pitching prospects at the deadline and have them develop for the future. Either way it wont be enough this year despite All Star numbers from Tulowitzki and Morneau.
5. Arizona Diamondbacks: So if the Padres cant hit and the Rockies cant pitch, what is wrong with the Diamondbacks? The short answer is everything. The long answer is that this team just doesn’t have any real strengths. Sure Paul Goldschmidt is a great hitter (.312/16/61) but the rest of the offense is suspect at best. The pitching sure beats the Rockies but isn’t anything to be proud of especially when your best pitchers are Bronson Arroyo and Wade Miley (on top of that, Arroyo is about to be done for the year after Tommy John surgery). They will also be making some moves to get younger before the deadline but having one of the worst records in baseball at this point has got to be depressing. They appear to be headed for the worst record in baseball when this season is over.

Thanks for staying with me throughout the whole series and I will continue to bring you more big time baseball news as it happens. Get ready for the Trade Deadline baseball fans!

[Photo: Denver Post]