MLB: NL West Preview
The NL West is the most evenly matched
division in baseball with four teams
having a great chance to come out on
top.
The common
denominator for each of these squads
is strong pitching with all five teams
among the NL’s Top 8 in ERA
last year. Click here for a list of all
the future odds at Sportsbook.com.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles is 3:2 to win the NL West,
6:1 to win the National League, and 17:1
to win the World Series. Their Over/Under
win total is 87 games.
The Dodgers have a couple of big, new
additions on the team, but the biggest
upgrade is Manager Joe Torre coming over
from the Yankees to replace Grady Little.
Torre will rely heavily on a starting
rotation which was bolstered by Japanese
signing Hiroki Kuroda. If Jason Schmidt
can return healthy soon, then the Dodgers
will have five solid starters. Offensively,
L.A. is hoping that free agent acquisition,
Andruw Jones, can jumpstart a lineup
that features a good mix of veterans
and young players.
Overall, it appears that the Dodgers
have all the pieces to compete for a
pennant, now Torre has to work his magic
and put the puzzle together.
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Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona is 9:5 to win the NL West, 8:1
to win the National League, and 25:1
to win the World Series. Their Over/Under
win total is 87 games.
Arizona
won the NL West last year with a 90-72
record, but they certainly didn’t
rest on their laurels in the off-season.
The Diamondbacks traded a number of
good prospects to Oakland for starter
Dan Haren, giving them a great one-two
punch to go along with Brandon Webb.
The offense only finished 26th last year
in MLB, and while there were no big additions,
they should improve with another year
of experience for their slew of young
players.
The key
to the whole team could be the status
of lefty Randy Johnson. If he can stay
healthy, the team’s chances
of success improve dramatically.
Colorado Rockies
Colorado is 7:2 to win the NL West,
12:1 to win the National League, and
25:1 to win the World Series. Their Over/Under
win total is 84 games.
Colorado had a great run to the World
Series last year before being overmatched
by the Red Sox. Can they do it again?
The Rockies scored the 5th most runs
in baseball last year. Part of the reason
was due to playing in Coors Field and
part of it was because they have some
really good hitters. The pitching staff
in 2007 was a marked improvement over
recent years, and they hope to improve
again with a full season from number
two starter Aaron Cook.
If Cook comes through in a big way,
Colorado could not only return to the
World Series, but this time they could
be leaving as victors.
San Diego Padres
San Diego is 7:2 to win the NL West,
12:1 to win the National League, and
30:1 to win the World Series. Their Over/Under
win total is 84.5 games.
Surf is up in Southern California, but
Padres fans are more concerned about
how their beloved team is going to do
this season.
San Diego lost their final three games
last year to miss the playoffs. To avoid
a similar fate this season, Jim Edmonds
was added to patrol centerfield and he
will try to add some punch to a mediocre
batting lineup. The starting pitching
staff remains the gem of the team with
Jake Peavy, Chris Young and Greg Maddux
leading the rotation.
If former Cub, Mark Prior can return
to the team in June and be healthy, then
these 7:2 odds to win the division start
looking a lot more attractive.
San Francisco Giants
San Francisco is 18:1 to win the NL
West, 40:1 to win the National League,
and 100:1 to win the World Series. Their
Over/Under win total is 72 games.
The Barry
Bonds era is over and while that makes
the anti-steroids crowd happy, it doesn’t
make San Francisco a better team.
Sure, you can make the case that Bonds
was just a shadow of his former self,
but he still had an OPS of 1.045 last
year. The bottom line is that a poor
hitting team just got worse. Fortunately,
there is some good news on the pitching
front with Matt Cain, Barry Zito, and
Tim Lincecum forming a very respectable
trio at the top of the rotation.
The Giants finished 71-91 last season
and in last place. Last place looks like
a lock again this year, and their Over/
Under win total of 72 is looking overly
optimistic.
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