OVERALL OUTLOOK
The National League West has made an incredible jump up in the past two seasons becoming probably the most competitive division in baseball.  With loads of young talent reaching the majors in recent years every team except the Giants harbors playoff aspirations, and the numbers bear that out.

The Rockies got hot at the end of the year, and rode that momentum all the way into the World Series.  They return a young maturing line-up virtually intact for another run.  The Padres had a playoff spot all but wrapped up last season, but could not close the deal in the final two games, and then fell dramatically in the one-game playoff against Colorado.  Pitching is once again the focus in spacious Petco Park, but the question is whether or not there is enough life in the bats to score some runs.  The Dodgers will be looking to integrate some young talent under new manager Joe Torre who brings his star from the Yankees looking to revitalize another storied franchise.  The Diamondbacks will be looking for a return trip to the playoffs after winning the division a season ago.  The black sheep of the group, the San Francisco Giants, should have a long season ahead of it.  Barry Bonds and his performance-enhanced controversies are gone, but so is he prodigious talent leaving behind a very thin roster and little hope of competing in this brutal division.

In the end don’t be surprised to see any of the top four teams competing for the Division crown, and possibly the Wild Card spot as well.  Just four games separate first from fourth place in our season projections, and injuries, trades, or surprise performance could significantly change the order of finish in this competitive division.

COLORADO ROCKIES
The Rockies won the wildcard last season reaching the 90 win plateau thanks to a one-game playoff win over the Padres.  This year they are out to prove that they are for real and not a one-year aberration.  Manager Clint Hurdle has the talent to make this team a consistent contender.

The lineup is led by superstar Matt Holliday.  The outfielder is a legitimate MVP candidate, and hit .340 last season with 36 home runs and 137 RBI.  He is supported by sophomore Troy Tulowitzki who already might be the most well-rounded player at his position in the game.  Brad Hawpe, Garret Atkins, and old standby Todd Helton provide even more pop for Colorado.

Pitching has always been the problem for this team, but several young players have stepped up in a big way.  Manny Corpas has brought his electric stuff as a closer pushing Brian Fuentes to a setup role.  Jeff Francis established himself as one of the better pitchers in the National League last season.  Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales both played huge roles in the playoff run last season despite their inexperience, and both should be stalwarts in the rotation this year.

New Faces:  Jimenez and Morales should spend all season in the rotation.  Jayson Nix takes over at second base for departed Kaz Matsui.  Scott Posednik was signed for a bench role in the outfield, and could provide excellent speed as a pinch runner.

Injury Concerns:  Morales is just 22 and Jimenez is only 24.  It would be wise for Colorado not to overwork their young arms especially if they are to make a playoff run.  Starter Jason Hirsh will miss the start of the season with a shoulder problem.

Expectations:  With the continued maturation of its young stars and improved pitching it would be tough not to see the Rockies as the pre-season favorite in the division.

SAN DIEGO PADRES
The Padres have had the whole off-season to think about what might have been.  Holding a two-game lead with two to go San Diego somehow managed to miss the playoffs entirely. 

Most of the core of the team returns to make another run at the playoffs, and they will try and forget what happened last season.  The Padres, like the other teams in this division, will mostly rely on their pitching staff to win them games.  Highlighted by Jake Peavy and Chris Young, the rotation will be the strength of the team.  General manager Kevin Towers has shown an incredible knack for finding bullpen pieces that play very well in spacious Petco Park.  Last year the find was Heath Bell, but Trevor Hoffman will close for at least one more season.

Top prospects Chase Headley and Matt Antonelli will not start the year with the big club, but both will likely be up at some point because their bats are too good.  First baseman Adrian Gonzalez is the star hitter of the team, and Kevin Kouzmanoff should be improved in his second season.

New Faces:  Randy Wolf should slot in the rotation behind Greg Maddux.  Yet another year removed from major injury, he is a prime bounce-back candidate and could give the Padres one of the best four men rotations in baseball.  Jim Edmonds takes over in centerfield for the departed Mike Cameron, but he is a shell of his former self.  Tadahito Iguchi was signed as a stopgap at second until Antonelli is ready, which should be sometime by midseason.

Injury Concerns:  Edmonds is already injured which has to be a serious concern for the Padres.  Petco’s outfield is one of the largest in baseball and a hobbled Edmonds will have difficulty covering all the ground to play his typical style of defense.  Mark Prior was also signed, and he is hoping to pitch in the rotation sometime in May or June.

Expectations:  The Padres will try to forget last season’s collapse and reach the playoffs.  They have the capability to get it done, but there is age and injury concerns at certain spots on the roster.  Other teams in the division have more potential due to a larger influx of youth, but San Diego should contend all year.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Joe Torre has come to town replacing Grady Little in the manager’s role.  Los Angeles led this division for most of the year, but fell apart due to a much publicized rift between the team’s veterans and young players.  Torre was brought in to fix that, and it will be interesting to see how he deals with that issue all year.  The youngsters, led by catcher Russell Martin, outfielder Matt Kemp and first baseman James Loney have shown that they need to be out on the field everyday.  Andre Ethier has raked in spring training giving Torre four options in the outfield with just three spots.

Third base will be an issue with Andy LaRoche out for two months, and Nomar Garciaparra providing very little offensively.  Young players like Delwyn Young and Chin-Hung Lu will likely make the roster and provide depth in the infield.

The strength of the team should be the rotation led by Cy-Young candidate Brad Penny.  The big righty went 16-4 last season, and should be the stalwart once again leading this staff.  Derek Lowe is as consistent as any player, and Chad Billingsley has real star potential.  Closer Takashi Saito and set-up man Jonathan Broxton provide perhaps the best one-two punch in the National League at the back end of the bullpen.

New Faces:  Japanese import Hiroki Kuroda joins the rotation, and team hopes will help stabilize it in light of injuries to several players last season.  Andruw Jones will set up shop in center field pushing Juan Pierre to left field, and perhaps the bench. 

Injury Concerns:  Saito has battled calf problems this spring, but there is Broxton waiting in the wings to back him up.  Starter Jason Schmidt missed most of last season with arm trouble, and will be out until at least May.  His return could provide a big boost to the rotation. 

Both Garciaparra and LaRoche will miss the start of the season leaving a void at third base.  While Garciaparra should return fairly soon, he has an injury-riddled past and cannot be considered durable.  LaRoche will miss two months of the season, and the Dodgers will sorely miss his bat.  Due to the massive difference in OBP, LaRoche was providing a significant boost to this team’s win total over Garciaparra in earlier simulations.  Second basemen Jeff Kent is also banged up to start the year.

Expectations:  The Dodgers would be the favorites in the division if it were completely healthy.  They are not, but there is hope in the potential with the youngsters particularly Martin, Kemp, Loney, and Billingsley.  The Dodgers would also be wise to bench Pierre and play an outfield of Ethier, Jones, and Kemp everyday.  Pierre’s contract makes that scenario unlikely, but it is yet to be seen how Torre will handle the situation.  Garciaparra is no longer much of an offensive threat, and is not good defensively at third.  Getting LaRoche back healthy will be key to the success of this squad.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
The Diamondbacks are yet another young up-and-coming team out West.  The team did not make any major changes to the position players instead deciding to let the youngsters take larger roles, and hopefully grow and mature together.  Über-prospect Justin Upton will take over in right field alongside Chris Young who made strides in his rookie campaign.  Mark Reynolds will man third with Chad Tracy out with injury.  Arizona was outscored last season and defied the numbers to reach the playoffs, but this season should change with improved offense and better pitching.  The one major move that was made in the desert was the acquisition of starter Dan Haren.  He will slot in behind Brandon Webb and form one of the best one-two punches in the National League.  Arizona is currently forecasted in fourth place, but still has a 15 percent chance to reach the playoffs which is much higher than your typical fourth place squad.

New Faces:  Haren is the new number two starter and will take some of the pressure off Webb to win every time out.  Brandon Lyon will take over the closer’s role for the departed Jose Valverde. 

Injury Concerns:  Randy Johnson is 44 and will already start out on the disabled list.  If he can provide 20 starts for Arizona it would be a huge boost for the team. Tracy is recovering from microfracture surgery back in September, but could return sometime in the first half of the season to provide another bat at the corner infield positions.

Expectations:  After defying expectations last season it would be safe assume the team thinks it should reach the postseason once again based on their young core maturing and getting better.  The rest of the division however is expecting the same kind of progress so the going will be very tough out West.  The Diamondbacks should play more towards how their run differential indicates it should this season meaning the team very well could be better than last season, but not achieve the same kind of success on the field.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
The big news of course is that Barry Bonds if finally gone after spending more than a decade as the face of the franchise.  He is replaced by Phillies import Aaron Rowand in the outfield, but it will be much more a team approach from here on out leading this team.  The Giants will need to rebuild, but that task appears daunting as there is little in the way of positional talent in the organization.

Youngsters Rajai Davis and Fred Lewis should see plenty of time in the outfield, but there is very little other quality prospects on the horizon.  Dave Roberts, Rich Aurilia, Ray Durham, and Omar Vizquel are all on the wrong side of 35 and Bengie Molina and Randy Winn will both turn 34 this season.

The pitching staff looks positively pre-pubescent in comparison to the lineup with youngsters like Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain providing two very good building blocks.  Barry Zito is overpaid, but he will provide 200 innings and serve as the veteran leader of the staff.  Another youngster in Jonathan Sanchez will start out in the rotation with the injury to Noah Lowry, another player with a bright future.  Brian Wilson takes over the closer role from Armando Benitez much to the delight of Giants fans everywhere.

New Faces:  Rowand takes over in centerfield leaving one of the best hitters’ parks in the majors to one of the worst.  The same could be said of the lineup around him so don’t expect him to repeat the career numbers he put up in 2007. 

Injury Concerns:  Lowry starts the season on the disabled list with a forearm problem.  With such youth throughout the rotation, monitoring injuries and innings will be important for the Giants’ future.  Durham and Vizquel are showing their age, and both likely won’t be ready on Opening Day.  The lineup is the opposite of the rotation having significant age throughout which makes all of them potential injury risks.

Expectations: There are very few real expectations in San Francisico except perhaps to finish last in the division.  This team simply does not have the talent in the lineup to compete consistently in such tough rivals.  For all the distractions Bonds brought to the clubhouse he was still an elite offensive force.  By all accounts the chemistry is much better without him, but chemistry can’t score runs.  There is hope in the surplus of young pitching, but that will likely be the lone bright spot by the bay this season.