2016 NL West Bold Predictions

With the regular season almost here, we fin ourselves in the midst of prediction season. Here our 2016 NL West bold predictions.

The MLB season is finally coming upon us, and the National League West is looking strong. With the Arizona Diamondbacks Arizona and San Francisco Giants going big in the off-season, the competition for playoff spots will be intense. As we get closer to the start of the regular season, LWOS will be releasing a series of bold predictions that we think could play out this year. Here our 2016 NL West bold predictions.

The Diamondbacks will finish above Dodgers.

So much of the Dodgers success last year was predicated on their pitching, and they lost a key piece of their rotation to division-rival Arizona. The Diamondbacks boast a rotation now headlined by said key piece: Zack Greinke. Toeing the line behind Greinke, they have two young stud pitchers who don’t have a whole lot of innings on their arms. Shelby Miller is likely their number two starter after he had a great statistical season in Atlanta. His wins and losses were handicapped by having to rely on that Braves team for run support.

However, Patrick Corbin, the third starter, is a pretty big question mark; he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2014. This will be Corbin’s first full season after the surgery, so we’ll see who he is now. With a great defensive team behind the mound, a solid bullpen, and a half-way decent lineup, the Diamondbacks should be a major player in the NL West this year. Overall, I think their pitching staff is about level with L.A.’s, so it depends on whether or not the Diamondbacks can manufacture runs. If they be in the top-eight in runs scored for the NL, I expect them to finish above L.A. in the standings.

The Giants will have a rookie in their rotation by the trade deadline.

The Giants farm system never seems to be ranked very high by the “experts,” yet they continue to produce “farm-grown” players who play integral roles in championships. The Giants currently boast a solid starting five, but have a few question marks on the back end. Jake Peavy and Matt Cain haven’t played a full season since 2014 and 2012, respectively. I don’t see either of them making it a full 162 games without a stint on the disabled list.

The question this: do the Giants have the depth in their rotation to withstand those losses? The answer is definitely yes. They boast 2-3 arms that are Major League ready, the most heralded being Tyler Beede. Behind that group, there are another two pitchers who are expected to be Major League ready around August. If Peavy struggles or falls to injury, Beede would be the top candidate to fill in. If Beede is half-way decent, expect him to stick in the rotation. The Giants are going to be set for a few more years with the rotational depth they have in the farm system.

The Colorado Rockies will trade Carlos Gonzalez this season.

Carlos Gonzalez is one of the best outfielders in all of baseball. He’s a five tool guy who flourishes in the spacious Coors Field. He also has seen how former teammate Troy Tulowitzki was able to engineer a move away from a Rockies team that has a lot of hope for success a few years down the road. Pitching is key to winning in Coors, and Colorado will be looking for young pitching talent to bring help to their organization. Not many teams have left field covered with a MVP-caliber player, so he’d be a great fit virtually anywhere that has young pitching talent to give up in exchange. The Rockies aren’t expected to contend this season, so if they can get a solid haul of prospects in return, expect them to pull the trigger.

The Dodgers Will Miss The Playoffs This Year

The Dodgers are a large question mark this season. Will their pitching staff miss a beat without Greinke? Will they score enough runs? Will Dave Roberts unite the clubhouse? The statistics show that their pitching staff may be a little more evened out with Ryu returning and the addition of Kenta Maeda, but they’ll miss the large contribution from Greinke in the wins column.

They didn’t really add anybody significant to bolster their run production, and while their defense is great, it doesn’t help them score runs. Corey Seager will have to step up big-time to help their run production, and Joc Pederson will need to have more than 3 good months. On top of that, it will be Dave Roberts’ first season managing ever. A brand new manager in charge of a team with a whole lot of question marks may prove just too much to overcome this season. Don’t get me wrong, this Dodger team is still good. I expect them to be above .500, but it won’t be enough to make the post-season.

The San Diego Padres will cause some problems

The Padres had a lot of ridiculous expectations put on them last season, and they basically flopped face-first. Yet again, the Padres aren’t going to be contenders. But much like last season’s Arizona Diamondbacks, they’ll be annoying and cause some problems for the contenders. They’re a good enough team to win close to eighty games, but they aren’t good enough to contend for the wildcard. Of course, all you need is a few trades to change that. But the issue for the Padres is that their track record when it comes to trades is pretty poor.

They improved their defense, and have a relatively respectable back-end of the rotation this season. Their problem is offense, and they failed to re-sign or replace their offensive leader from a team that was last in offense in the 2015 season. They can change their ballpark dimensions all they want, but all it will do is hurt their pitching until they get elite offense in Petco Park. And the only way that is happening this season is when their opponents bring their bats to town. They’ll pitch and play defense well enough to win a few games, but they can’t hit well enough to contend. Still, in a division that is heavy on pitcher-friendly ballparks, they’ll cause problems for teams like the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, and Giants. Plus, the bottom of the NL is so stinking bad that they’ll pick up a ton of wins off of those teams.

Predicted NL West Standings/Records: