It hasn’t been seismic, but a power shift has occurred on the left coast. No longer is the National League West viewed as a non-BCS conference. The Giants have won two of the past three World Series. The Dodgers’ player payroll is slightly shy of Luxembourg’s gross national product. Arizona, always bold in trades, remade huge chunks of its roster while bolstering the rotation. And the Padres quietly were the division’s best team in the second half last season.
“It’s a tough division, maybe more than some realize,” said Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez. “There’s a lot of great pitching. There will be definitely be competition for the top spots.”
The challenge for the Rockies is steep. A closer look:
Giants
2012: 94-68, first place (won the World Series)
Outlook: The Giants retained their most important pieces and could spark dynasty talk if they win another World Series title. This team is built around pitching and catcher Buster Posey, the NL’s reigning MVP. If Sergio Romo proves he can handle the closer role for a full season, the Giants again will thrive in low-scoring games:
PROJECTED LINEUP
CF Angel Pagan
2B Marco Scutaro
3B Pablo Sandoval
C Buster Posey
RF Hunter Pence
1B Brandon Belt
LF Gregor Blanco
SS Brandon Crawford
PROJECTED ROTATION
RHP Matt Cain
LHP Madison Bumgarner
RHP Tim Lincecum
LHP Barry Zito
RHP Ryan Vogelsong
Closer: Sergio Romo
Dodgers
2012: 86-76, second place
Outlook: The Dodgers have become the Yankees, a bloated $230 million player payroll creating wild expectations. On paper, this roster has parts that don’t fit. Hanley Ramirez’s two-month injury absence is troubling, primarily because it’s uncertain whether he can still play shortstop even when healthy. Though talented, the rotation is blanketed with questions because of health concerns surrounding Zack Greinke and Chad Billingsley. The surprise of Dodgers camp was Yasiel Puig, who is pushing to be in a platoon with Carl Crawford or Andre Ethier.
PROJECTED LINEUP
LF Carl Crawford
2B Mark Ellis
CF Matt Kemp
1B Adrian Gonzalez
RF Andre Ethier
SS Luis Cruz
3B Scott Hairston
C A.J. Ellis
PROJECTED ROTATION
LHP Clayton Kershaw
RHP Zack Greinke
LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu
RHP Josh Beckett
RHP Chad Billingsley
Closer: Brandon League
Diamondbacks
2012: 81-81, third place
Outlook: General manager Kevin Towers lived up to his gunslinger reputation during the winter, trading two of Arizona’s most talented young players: former all-star Justin Upton and former top draft pick Trevor Bauer. The season hinges on Martin Prado’s performance and an improved rotation.
PROJECTED LINEUP
CF Gerardo Parra
3B Martin Prado
2B Aaron Hill
C Miguel Montero
1B Paul Goldschmidt
LF Jason Kubel
RF Cody Ross
SS Cliff Pennington
PROJECTED ROTATION
RHP Ian Kennedy
RHP Trevor Cahill
LHP Wade Miley
RHP Brandon McCarthy
RHP Patrick Corbin
Closer: J.J. Putz
Padres
2012: 76-86, fourth place
Outlook: The starting rotation is about as imposing as a butterfly. But if Edinson Volquez and Clayton Richard can log innings, the bullpen will be good. The key is getting more offense from veteran Carlos Quentin and rookie Jedd Gyorko — especially if Chase Headley, last year’s RBI champ, is slow to re- cover from a thumb injury.
PROJECTED LINEUP
SS Everth Cabrera
RF Wil Venable
1B Yonder Alonso
LF Carlos Quentin
C Nick Hundley
2B Jedd Gyorko
3B Alexi Amarista
CF Cameron Maybin
PROJECTED ROTATION
RHP Edinson Volquez
LHP Clayton Richard
RHP Jason Marquis
LHP Eric Stults
RHP Tyson Ross
Closer: Huston Street
Rockies
2012: 64-98, fifth place
Outlook: The basement performance was well earned, with awful starting pitching and porous starting pitching. The Rockies are counting heavily on the improved health of Jhoulys Chacin, Jorge De La Rosa, Juan Nicasio and all-star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to restore hope. The lineup is very good.
PROJECTED LINEUP
CF Dexter Fowler
2B Josh Rutledge
LF Carlos Gonzalez
SS Troy Tulowitzki
RF Michael Cuddyer
1B Todd Helton
C Wilin Rosario
3B Chris Nelson
PROJECTED ROTATION
RHP Jhoulys Chacin
LHP Jorge De La Rosa
RHP Juan Nicasio
LHP Jeff Francis
RHP Jon Garland
Closer: Rafael Betancourt
