By The Wild Wild West. The NL West was the host of two teams winning at least 106 games a season ago. Something that is just unheard of. A team disappointed mightily but is very capable of rebounding back to contention in 2022. The other two, well, they are just kind of there. Let’s break down the NL West.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Another year, another 100-win season for the Los Angeles Dodgers. At 106-56, it was the 3rd time in the last 4 full seasons the Dodgers won at least 100 games. Once again, they made the NLCS but would lose in 6 games to the Braves. The scary part is that they might have improved this offseason.
No surprise, fans peg the Dodgers the NL West favorites. They may have had the biggest signing of the offseason luring Freddie Freeman away from Atlanta on a 6 year contract. You add him to a lineup that already features elite talent like Mookie Betts and Trea Turner and its the best 1,2,3 in baseball. If that is not enough they retained their whole lineup, and hope Gavin Lux can take a step and Cody Bellinger can remember how to be an MVP again. Their offense is going to be top tier again.
The staff lost Max Scherzer, but he was just a rental they acquired in July. Julio Urias and Walker Buehler are both ace-level pitchers and can only get better with their potential. Clayton Kershaw is back and seems healthy which hopefully lasts in their case because he can still be an above-average pitcher in his older age. The Dodgers lost Kenley Jansen but were quick to replace him by trading for 8-time All-Star Craig Kimbrel. The Dodgers will continue their dominance of late and will be World Series contenders for years to come.
San Francisco Giants
One of the most surprising teams of 2021 was the San Francisco Giants. San Fran went 107-55, the best record in the MLB, but would lose to the division-rival Dodgers in 5 games in the NLDS. The Giants lost some pieces, but should still be able to compete for the NL West.
The Giants were unable to retain both Kris Bryant and Kevin Gausman having both of them leave in free agency. Face of the franchise catcher Buster Posey hung up the cleats a little earlier than expected, despite having a solid season last year. The Giants were able to sign Carlos Rodon to replace Gausman at the top of their rotation. Both he and Logan Webb had breakout seasons last year and could carry the Giants’ staff. They also took shots on Alex Cobb and Matthew Boyd to have some more options to fill out the rotation. Just taking chances on guys who have had some success is never a bad way to go.
Their offense on the other hand is a bit of concern. Bryant was arguably their best hitter when acquired at the deadline and they did nothing to replace his bat. Their best bat acquisition was Joc Pederson who offers good power, but might be limited to a platoon player because of how bad he is against lefties. Catcher Joey Bart (No. 16 prospect in 2021) may get a full chance to show what he has got with Posey’s retirement, and the Giants could use a bat presence. Their pitching is fairly solid, but the offense worries me a bit, but it is a similar team to the one that just won 107 games so I expect the Giants to contend for the NL West still.
San Diego Padres
I think the most disappointing team of 2021 was the San Diego Padres. The Padres had a lot of hype coming into the year and only managed to go 79-83 good for 3rd in the NL West. This team can surely bounce back with the talent on their roster.
San Diego will have the tough task of opening the year without Fernando Tatis. An offseason wrist injury will sideline the superstar for at least a few months. They lost closer Mark Melancon but were able to replace him by trading for lefty Taylor Rogers. Tommy Pham and Adam Frazier left in free agency and San Diego is hoping their current roster’s position flexibility can fill their void. CJ Abrams (No. 9 Prospect) made it through final cuts and will get a chance to play with Tatis’s injury. The Padres also acquired Luke Voit, taking advantage of their new DH spot, as well as giving them the option of trading Eric Hosmer if they want. Manny Machado will be counted on to be the big presence in the lineup while Tatis is on the shelf.
Their pitching has the potential to be a top staff in the league, but it is surrounded by question marks. Mike Clevinger seemed ready to make a long-awaited return but has already found himself on the injured list. Blake Snell was a bounce-back candidate, but he too has already found himself on the injured list. Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove will be relied on to spearhead this rotation even more now. Mackenzie Gore (No. 85 prospect, was No. 3 in 2020) has not panned out as they have hoped but may get some opportunity in the bigs with the early injury trouble. The Padres need some things to go right, but this is a talented roster that I do not think I can write off as being a possible Wild Card team.
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies did not have much steam going into 2021 and it showed. They finished at a pedestrian 74-87, and I do not expect them to better in 2022.
The Rockies had one of the more surprising signings of the offseason landing Kris Bryant for the next 7 years. A move that is very confusing after they let both Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story go. Also, not trading Story for any kind of return at the deadline last year could not be more confusing when you are just going to lose him in free agency. Anyways, they have a new franchise player to replace the one they lost. They also brought in Randall Grichuk who has decent power and could benefit from Coors Field.
Jon Gray, who has been a staple of their rotation for the past few years, also signed elsewhere as he probably did not want to deal with pitching at Coors Field anymore. German Marquez is the team’s “ace” and could be a trade piece come the deadline, or not with the way this front office works. Getting pitchers to play in Colorado is just so difficult because of their home field. The balls carry way more and it is just bound to balloon players’ ERAs. The Rockies lineup is going to produce, but their weak pitching will hold this team to the bottom of the NL West.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Last year was a year to forget for the D-Backs. The Arizona Diamondbacks were tied for a league-worst 52-110 and will look to get out of the gutter in 2022. After the offseason, I do not think they will.
The D-Backs were not that active in the free agency market. They signed 4-time All-Star closer Mark Melancon to a 2 year deal. The only other notable move made was extending one-time All-Star Ketel Marte through 2027. Marte has consistently been one of their better hitters when he is healthy. Other than that, it is a similar lineup to the team that just won 52 games. There is a possibility that either outfielder Alek Thomas (No. 18 Prospect) or outfielder Corbin Carroll (No. 19 Prospect) could be a mid-late season call-up. This team does not have these great players that have to play every day, so seeing how promising prospects look in the bigs is never a bad idea.
The pitching staff, like the lineup, is similar to last year. Zach Davies is the only new face who was a late offseason addition to the rotation. Davies is an innings eater who is primarily a contact pitcher, and nothing really exciting. Madison Bumgarner has been on a downslope, so hopefully, he can find some sort of his Giants’ form. Zac Gallen has shown that he could be a solid pitcher for Arizona, but he has had to battle some injuries. Both Arizona’s lineup and pitching are lackluster and they are still years away from competing in the NL West, so they should just see what their young talent can do.
(All prospect rankings come from MLB Top 100)
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