National League West: What Needs to Go Right for Each Team
The National League West has been dominated by the Dodgers in recent years, a trend that should continue for at least another year.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have gone division by division highlighting what needs to go right for each team in 2019. I last discussed the American League Central, now let’s move on to the National League West.
It was a big winter for many teams as they either positioned themselves for the 2019 playoff race or distanced themselves for future success. The off-season was also a quiet time for some teams that didn’t seem to have a clear path toward contention or rebuilding.
Regardless of how successful or disappointing each team’s off-season was, every team has things that can break right for them this season. Whether that means enough things go well that a surprise team sneaks into the playoffs, a juggernaut hits on all cylinders and wins the World Series or a rebuilding team has young players develop in positive ways.
While there is a clear favorite in the National League West this season, there are still multiple teams that could challenge them for the title. With an established powerhouse, up and comers and soon to be rebuilding clubs, this division has it all. Each team in this division can very well have a successful season whether they make the playoffs or not. They just need enough things to break right.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers won the National League West last year for the sixth consecutive season and the pennant for the second year in a row, yet they haven’t been able to win that allusive championship. Obviously, a lot has to go right for a team to have this level of sustained success and this year is no different.
The Dodgers possibly have more depth than any other team in the league, so they should be able to withstand a fair share of injuries. However, there are some key injuries that need to be less serious than they could be. Club ace, Clayton Kershaw, has been slowed this spring by a shoulder issue, another ailment on a growing list of injuries for the future hall of famer. While the Dodgers have plenty of quality arms that can start games for them, they will need a healthy and productive Kershaw come October.
The bullpen will likely be the weak spot for the 2019 Dodgers. They still have Kenley Jansen, but he isn’t the pitcher he used to be. The rest of this group is a hodgepodge of lottery tickets that need to provide quality innings. The Dodgers are of course loaded with talented assets in the minors that can be dealt mid-season to bolster this group as needed. Kenley Jansen will need to regain some of his old form and get some help from his bullpen mates if the Dodgers are going to get as far as they want to go.
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres made one of the biggest splashes of the off-season by signing Manny Machado to a 10 year, $300 million free agent contract. Machado joins a tremendous crop of young players that look ready to make some noise in the National League West. It may be another year before the Padres actually make a legitimate run at the playoffs, but they will give it everything they have to push the Dodgers in the division and attempt to make the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
In order to shock the world the Padres are going to need some of their young, talented hitters to take a step in the right direction starting with shortstop wunderkind, Fernando Tatis Jr. If the Padres are serious about competing in 2019, Tatis will need to have a remarkable season similar to that of Ronald Acuña Jr and Juan Soto from a year ago. This is not out of his reach as he is one of the most talented prospects in years.
The Padres will also need some productive seasons from unsuspected rotation members. Joey Lucchesi had a promising rookie season a year ago that many are expecting him to build on, and Chris Paddack is expected to have a strong rookie season based on his minor league track record. While there aren’t many promising options behind them, it’ll be up to this next group of pitchers to keep the team competitive throughout the season. This team will likely go as far as its pitching staff can take them.
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are in the midst of one of the best runs in franchise history. The Rockies have made it to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time and they’re trying to make it three straight in 2019. The road will be much tougher this year with a more competitive National League. It’s certainly possible for this team to make a return trip to the post-season, but it’ll take most everything going right.
2018 saw breakout seasons from both Kyle Freeland and German Marquez which led them to the playoffs. The 2019 version of this club will need repeat performances from this duo as well as a resurgent season from former ace, Jon Gray. In addition to the rotation, the bullpen will need to bounce all the way back from a dismal 2018 if they really want to be competitive once again.
The Rockies also need to see some life out of their lineup. A resurgent year from Ian Desmond would be more than welcomed and a breakout season from the oft-injured David Dahl seems almost necessary. Frankly, a lot has to go right up and down this roster for the Rockies to have a successful season, but they do have the names that could get it done.
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks seemingly embarked upon a rebuild this winter when they traded away franchise icon, Paul Goldschmidt, but they have refused to go all the way down the hole for the moment. They have begun the young season 6-6 and are projected for 78 wins. Of course, 78 wins is not going to get them in the playoffs, but it also wouldn’t be a complete tank job. I would imagine that they are waiting to see what happens over the first couple months of the season before they strip down the rest of their roster.
The Diamondbacks need their veterans to have strong starts to the season. Perhaps everyone plays really well and they’re actually within shouting distance at the trade deadline and they can add to make a push. However, the more likely scenario would be that they can flip all of their quality veterans at the deadline for prospects.
Speaking of prospects, the Diamondbacks have an excellent chance to add to their farm system this summer. Not only can they add via trade, but they could have one of the biggest draft hauls of the past decade. The franchise will have seven picks in the first 80 selections, giving them a tremendous opportunity to bolster their minor league system. Probably more important than anything that happens at the big league level for the D-Backs this season will be the success of these draft picks.
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are in a strange place as an organization in 2019. The team won three world series championships during the decade so no one can blame how things have gone since, but that doesn’t fix the fact that the major league roster is rough and the minor league system is even worse. So how can a team in no man’s land like the Giants have a successful 2019 season? They could surprise people in the National League West but more likely will be looking for development out of their top prospects.
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You can squint and see a path to this team being competitive, but everything will have to click. The Giants have a lot of big names in their lineup that could theoretically all have resurgent seasons and become a formidable offense. The team also has an interesting bullpen that could be a strength for the team. The rotation is rough but Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija are no scrubs and they could always acquire rotation help mid-season if everything else is working out for them.
The more realistic scenario, however, is that the team struggles through the first few months and the Giants are able to flip their best major league assets for minor leaguers. In that situation Joey Bart becomes the most critical player in the organization. After being drafted second overall last June, Bart’s development will be key to rebuilding this organization. If Bart can climb through the system and prove that he can be a building block for the next good Giants team, then 2019 can be considered something of a success.
Next. What needs to go right or each NL Central team. dark
The Dodgers may be the odds on favorites to win the National League West in 2019, but there are other interesting teams in the division. It wouldn’t be shocking if any of the five teams in the division kept pace with the other playoff contenders all season long. The Padres and Rockies might even be able to sneak their way into post-season play. Regardless of how the standings play out, these teams will cause fits for the rest of the National League all season.