Coming off a season in which the National League West division was the personal punching bag of the Pittsburgh Pirates, one of baseball’s most improved divisions will seek to turn the tides of fortune in their favor in 2016.
As part of the lead up to the 2016 season, we continue a weekly preview of the National League and the competition the Pittsburgh Pirates will be facing. The next segment in the series looks at an absolutely unpredictable division, the NL West.
San Diego Padres
It’s almost a foregone conclusion that the biggest game that will be played at Petco Park in 2016 will be the All-Star game. That could change for the almost unanimous winners of the 2014-2015 offseason. General manager A.J. Preller was touted as an early candidate for GM of the Year when he acquired Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Wil Myers, James Shields, Derek Norris, Brandon Morrow, and Brandon Maurer. While individual players experienced mild to moderate success, the experiment overall was widely considered a failure for the team, as the Padres finished in the cellar of the NL West. Now in 2016, the Padres enter the season mired in the predicament of neither being expected to compete, nor being expected to rebuild. For Preller to commit to a rebuild could mean the end of his tenure as general manager, possibly before the All-Star break. To stay the course may result in San Diego fans enjoying one of the nicest environments to watch big name players play out their final games without even so much as a whiff of reaching the playoffs.
2015 record: 74-88 (2-5 against Pirates)
2016 record projection: 74-88
Player(s) to watch: James Shields, Matt Kemp
[table id=92 /]Colorado Rockies
Whether it was as the manager of the Rockies or the hitting coach for the Rangers, winning has followed Clint Hurdle wherever he has gone, which bodes well for a talented Pirates team. But winning has been one thing the Rockies have been short on since reaching the 2007 World Series under Hurdle. Much like the Pirates, the Rockies have a wealth of pitching depth in the minors, which only increased after the face of the franchise Troy Tulowitzki fetched a king’s ransom last season in a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. As it stands now, not even the power friendly confines of Coors Field can save the Rockies from a fight to stay out of the bottom of the division. Rumors swirled around Carlos Gonzalez all off-season, but it very well may be Jorge de la Rosa that gets the early attention leading up to the trade deadline this season. Outside of the vacuum that is pitching in Colorado, the 34-year-old veteran has the potential to be a great addition to the back of the rotation on a contending team heading into the final year of his contract. However, the Rockies may look to keep de la Rosa to provide leadership as the “ace” of a relatively inexperienced rotation.
2015 record: 68-94 (1-6 against Pirates)
2016 record projection: 74-88
Player(s) to watch: Carlos Gonzalez, Tyler Chatwood, Jorge de la Rosa
[table id=93 /]Los Angeles Dodgers
One of baseball’s most storied franchises has also proven to be one of baseball’s best the last few years. After a very successful 2015 that ended in a winner-take-all elimination game against the New York Mets in the National League Division Series (NLDS), the Dodgers look to build on that success heading into this season with a core group of talented young players. Notorious for rushing prospects well beyond the pace many teams take in minor league development, manager Dave Roberts will have a chance to attempt to groom a few more prospects into a World Series contending team. Coming off a powerful, yet poor 2015 campaign, Joc Pederson looks to rebound. He’s joined by a Tulowitzki-type shortstop in Corey Seager. Perennial Cy Young candidate Clayton Kershaw is joined by off-season additions Scott Kazmir and Kenta Maeda. If Brett Anderson under-performs, the Dodgers may rush 19-year-old top LHP prospect Julio Urias to the majors at some point in 2016, although a pair of poor starts at the Triple-A level at the end of last season should give the front office concern to rushing him anymore than they already have. Maeda is one of the biggest question marks. Much like Masahiro Tanaka entering 2014, Maeda had carved quite a career for himself dominating the competition in Japan.
2015 record: 92-70 (1-5 against Pirates)
2016 record projection: 91-71
Player(s) to watch: Joc Pederson, Corey Seager, Kenta Maeda, Yasiel Puig
[table id=94 /]Arizona Diamondbacks
Following an off-season in which they pulled off their best impersonation of the 2014-2015 Padres, the Diamondbacks look to finally take the step towards returning to contention for the first time in five seasons. They clearly aspire to be more fortunate than the disappointment that was the Padres, as they emptied the coffers of their farm system to acquire players to round out a roster that included significant investments, both in name and in price. They better hope it pays off because their farm system is more shallow than the water level in the Arizona desert. In the first off-season after signing a 20-year, $1.5 billion television deal, the Diamondbacks outbid everyone to acquire Zack Greinke, while also getting quality setup man Tyler Clippard later in the off-season. The rotation is chock-full of talent, but outside of Brad Ziegler and Tyler Clippard, the bullpen looks rather ineffective. The Pirates should also benefit from the Diamondbacks’ moves, even if they cannot repeat the success they experienced against them in 2015. The Milwaukee Brewers sent Jean Segura to Arizona, a shortstop that struck fear into the hearts of any Pirates pitcher, especially in 2015 when he took them to the woodshed to the tune of a .320 average. The Pirates will only have to face him and the rest of the Diamondbacks six times in 2016.
2015 record: 79-83 (1-5 against Pirates)
2016 record projection: 79-83
Player(s) to watch: Zack Greinke, David Peralta, Robbie Ray
[table id=95 /]San Francisco Giants
There’s an old saying about whether lightning will strike twice. It turns out it can strike thrice as the Giants proved in 2014. Now entering 2016, they have the opportunity to continue the even-year pattern of winning the World Series for a fourth consecutive time. Doing so would cement their place as one of the greatest franchises in the second decade of this century. The Giants rotation certainly appears to be a World Series-caliber rotation at first glance. The additions of Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija create an enviable dilemma. Jake Peavy, Matt Cain, and Chris Heston will enter spring training competing for two rotation spots. The loser will be relegated to the bullpen, or in Heston’s case, he may find himself with the Sacramento River Cats, if the Giants choose to option him. he bullpen is rather unimpressive, but a solid amount of pitching depth at the upper levels could provide reinforcement, or possible replacements. Unfortunately for the Giants, they lack such positional depth in the upper levels of the minor league system, which shouldn’t be a problem if a quality, albeit aging, lineup can stay healthy. It would be one of the biggest sports stories of the century if the Giants can continue their unique dynasty, but it also happens to be one of the least likely scenarios to play out in 2016.
2015 record: 84-78 (1-6 against Pirates)
2016 record projection: 85-77
Player(s) to watch: Buster Posey, Matt Duffy, Joe Panik
[table id=96 /]Summary: The Pittsburgh Pirates went 27-6 against teams from the NL West last season, and just as with the NL East, the Pirates had the best record against the NL West of any NL Central team. Also, just as with the NL East, the Pirates may find it difficult to perform so greatly against a single division in 2016, especially one against which they have historically struggled. The Giants are unlikely to continue their championship trend, but their odd fortune can never be counted out. The Dodgers will likely be one of the best teams in baseball once again, but the projections seem to sell the Diamondbacks short. The Padres and Rockies should be to the NL West what the Reds and Brewers will almost certainly be to the NL Central: punching bags. Speaking of the NL Central, next week, we turn our attention towards the Cincinnati Reds, as we shift gears towards an in-depth, team-by-team analysis of the Pirates division foes.
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