Welcome back, everyone, to the final edition of the Most Important Players in MLB series. This last stop takes us to the NL West, home of the 2014 World Series champion, San Francisco Giants. For those who have been following the series but missed out on the AL West edition, just follow the link.
The Most Important Players in 2015: NL West
As a whole, the NL West had a very active offseason, highlighted by major moves from the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers. Aside from the Padres and Dodgers blockbuster trades, the Arizona Diamondbacks brought in the latest Cuban slugger, Yasmany Tomas. Meanwhile the San Francisco Giants watched as fan favorite Pablo ‘Panda’ Sandoval left for Boston and the Colorado Rockies let go of Michael Cuddyer and his .332 batting average over the past two seasons. With a flurry of activity over the past two months in this division, the expectations for each team seem to have altered a bit.
As defined in the previous articles, a team’s MIP is not the same as the team’s MVP. In some cases a team’s MIP will also be their MVP, but in most cases they will not. These are those players for the NL West’s teams.
Side Note: Teams are listed in inverse order from their finish in the standings last season.
Arizona Diamondbacks: 1B, Paul Goldschmidt
There’s just no way around it, Paul Goldschmidt is far and away the most important player on the Diamondbacks. If any confirmation of this was needed prior to last season, his injury on August 1 proves it. Prior to Goldschmidt’s unfortunate hand injury, the Diamondbacks were 48-62, by no means a competing team but also not a miserable squad either. From that point on however, the D-backs fell apart as they went 16-36 without their star first baseman down the stretch on their way to the MLB’s worst record. The team’s OPS plummeted nearly 100 points from .701 to .602, as telling a figure as any of the importance Goldschmidt holds in this lineup.
While the Diamondbacks do not appear to be gearing up for a playoff run or even a competitive 2015 at this point, they are a completely different team with Goldschmidt in the lineup. As one of the only players in the league capable of putting up a 30/100/.300 line, Goldschmidt is perhaps the best hitter in the National League when healthy. Even if the Diamondbacks do end up at the basement of the NL West in 2015, the team and the rest of baseball will be better off with Goldschmidt on the field taking pitchers deep.
Colorado Rockies: 3B, Nolan Arenado
If we could ever count on seeing 600+ plate appearances from either Troy Tulowitzki or Carlos Gonzalez, the Rockies would have a real chance at making the postseason. So while this team on paper has a good deal of talent, they are always handicapped, pun intended. That’s where Nolan Arenado comes in however. The young third baseman is coming off an improved 2014 campaign in which he improved both his BB% and K% in addition to playing Gold Glove winning defense on his way to a 4.1 WAR season. Entering his age 24 season, Arenado appears to be the Rockies’ franchise player moving forward.
Much like the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Rockies don’t seem to be in position to make a run at the NL West title in 2015. If Arenado is able to continue improving on his already impressive numbers though, this team will be in good position to compete moving forward. Whether Tulo and Cargo are able to stay healthy remains to be seen, but what we do know about the Rockies in 2015, is that Arenado is well on his way to being the new main attraction at Coors Field.
San Diego Padres: CF, Wil Myers
The Padres’ pitching staff looks rock solid. Top to bottom it has a shot at being the best in baseball in 2015. Where this team is going to struggle however will be on defense (and potentially offense depending how the new acquisitions adjust to Petco). One of the positions to keep an eye on in particular will be center field where the Padres are slated to put Myers. Myers has started only six games in his MLB career in CF, an enormous red flag for the team. If Myers is unable to handle the defensive burden of playing up the middle, the Padres are going to have to make some adjustments, and that could mean taking Myers’ bat out of the lineup.
Besides just having to step up into an unfamiliar position, Myers will also be coming back from wrist injury that prematurely ended his 2014 season. While this is still only his age 24 season, questions have been swirling around Myers thanks to his disappointing 2014 even when he was healthy. The Padres paid a handsome fortune for him this offseason so if he is unable to live up to expectations the team will struggle to compete in the NL West.
San Francisco Giants: 1B, Brandon Belt
The loss of Pablo Sandoval has been downplayed this offseason in my opinion. While many teams could probably afford to lose the streaky switch-hitting third baseman, I’d argue the Giants were a team that in spite of their recent success may not have an answer to his departure. With Pablo in the lineup, there really isn’t an impact left-handed hitter in this batting order. That is unless Brandon Belt can finally elevate his game for a whole season. After a very encouraging 2013, Belt opened the 2014 season on a tear bashing nine home runs before he broke his hand on May 10th. When he returned in July he wasn’t able to really find his groove again until around mid-September.
Besides just the fact that the Giants desperately need Belt to be their impact left-handed bat, the Giants’ outfield situation also appears grim. With Hunter Pence out for the first few weeks of the season, and Angel Pagan already being bothered by his back again, Belt may need to play some games in the outfield to start the year. While Belt is a well above average defender at first base (4 Rtot in an abbreviated 2014) he has struggled in the past in the outfield. For the Giants to have any chance of competing with the Dodgers and going for a repeat, they’ll need Belt to not only stay healthy and produce with the bat, but also to field his position(s) exceptionally.
Los Angeles Dodgers: RP, J.P. Howell and RP, Joel Peralta
Our final team’s MIP is the first tie of the series. The Dodgers bullpen has been extremely problematic each of the past two seasons. With Kenley Jansen out until at least late April, the team will need the supporting cast to step up more than ever. That’s where Howell and Peralta come in. Howell posted decent numbers last season with a 2.39 ERA (but a 3.30 FIP) to go along with 5.7 H/9 and 0.4 HR/9. Meanwhile Peralta posted a 3.40 FIP and a 74:15 K:BB ratio in 63.1 innings last season with the Rays.
The Dodgers have talent all over this roster even with the losses of Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez. The starting rotation remains one of the most fearsome in all of baseball however when teams have been able to get to the Dodger bullpen early, they regularly find success. If the Dodgers want to finally elevate themselves to clear frontrunner in the NL West, Howell and Peralta’s performances in 2015 will play a large role in that. The two are the most experienced arms in the Dodgers’ pen and without Jansen they’ll be relied upon perhaps more than ever to push their team to the playoffs.
That will do it, folks! This is the conclusion of the Most Important Players in MLB series. Thanks to all of those loyal readers who have followed me on this journey.
Main Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
