MLB players: The biggest difference makers in 2020
National League West
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I am going to give the Dodgers not one but two x-factors for their 2020 season: Mookie Betts and David Price. It is simple why they are the two most important MLB players on the Dodgers this season.
The Dodgers didn’t trade for the second-best player in baseball and now the best player in the National League in Mookie Betts just to lose in the World Series again.
And don’t forget that they gave up Jeter Downs and Alex Verdugo–two of their future starters– along with utility/backup catcher Connor Wong for ONE year of Betts and three of Price.
So, in my opinion, this is the most under pressure team ever entering a season to win the World Series in MLB history and the Betts/Price combination is going to have to work this season or else the Dodgers might just be trying to get Downs and Verdugo back from Boston.
The Padres could have made the argument that they would have had their first winning season in nine years last season if Fernando Tatis Jr. was healthy, as they were a .500 ballclub at the All-Star Break.
But Tatis only played 77 games thanks to a hamstring injury suffered in April and a back strain that sidelined him for the remainder of his rookie season.
But when he was on the field he was the most exciting player on the field, hitting .317 as the leadoff hitter.
If he can stay healthy this season he will create a lot more scoring opportunities for guys like Tommy Pham, Manny Machado, and Eric Hosmer behind him which could lead to a Wild Card berth.
Madison Bumgarner seems like the logical option here but I am going to go with Starling Marte, who was acquired this offseason.
Marte wanted out of Pittsburgh, and rightfully so, but the big question is if he can be an anchor at the top of a lineup that includes Ketel Marte, Kole Calhoun, David Peralta, and Christian Walker.
The Giants are in their first year without two key people that were famous for donning the Giants uniform–Madison Bumgarner and Bruce Bochy–and I don’t see there being very many sellouts throughout the season because the team is in a retooling stage.
So, I am going to go with Johhny Cueto as the key player for San Francisco this season. He has been hurt the past few seasons so this year is an opportunity for him to prove that he can still be a big contributor atop Gabe Kapler‘s rotation.
He is still under contract for two more years after the 2020 season so it will be very important for the Giants to get their veteran starters back to the form that they were when they signed their huge contracts.
Nolan Arenado is clearly the x-factor in Colorado. They still have their core of MLB players together–Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, and Trevor Story–but if Colorado gets off to a slow start and it is clear that teams in the division like the Dodgers, D-backs, and Padres are surging towards contention then it is going to be a huge question of whether or not Nolan will be traded.
So, in other words, Nolan Arenado is the center of attention because the team’s play will likely decide if he will be a Rockie or in another uniform come the Trade Deadline.