Sports

2019 National League West Division Preview

April 01, 2019 | Sports,

By Ethan Salm
The road to October glory will once again run through the Southern California hills and Dodger Stadium.
The quality of players that the Dodgers have once again this season is just a step above the rest of the National League West. Los Angeles lost major pieces like Yasmani Grandal, Alex Wood, Yasiel Puig, and Matt Kemp. Even so, they moved right on by getting players like AJ Pollock from Arizona and moving some of their deep bench into the starting lineup. Look for Joc Pederson to have a larger role next year in the outfield. Star shortstop Cory Seager is back healthy after missing almost the entire 2018 season. Cody Bellinger is looking to have a season more like his 2017 rookie year after a bit of a sophomore slump in 2018. The starting lineup is headed by Clayton Kershaw once again, although he will miss some time at the beginning of this season. The rotation is in good hands without Kershaw for the time being though. Rich Hill, Walker Buehler, Kenta Maeda, and Hyun-Jin Ryu can carry the load without Kershaw. Kenley Jansen is a steady anchor at the back of that bullpen and the Dodgers look like heavy favorites to bring home the division crown again.
In second, I have the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies have Nolan Arenado and he has the ability to push this team towards the playoff’s year in and year out. Trevor Story and Charlie Blackmon are stars at the plate and in the field. Daniel Murphy brings firepower to the offense, and David Dahl is developing into a stud. German Marquez and Kyle Freeland are decent starters. The bullpen lost Adam Ottavino to the Yankees, but they return star closer Wade Davis. This team can push for a wild card spot again. The Manny Machado led San Diego Padres come in third here.
San Diego is not in last (or second to last). What a time to be alive. Manny Machado makes the difference here. I said it when I talked about the White Sox in the American League Central column, but Manny Machado can move a team up a tier. In this case he takes a team from the bottom to the middle of the pack. His talent combined with Hosmer and Renfroe can win games. Top prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. will play in the Major Leagues. The pitching isn’t there- but this team will at least  be fun to watch. They will start to turn heads.
Fourth place goes to the desert dwellers. The Arizona Diamondbacks lost Patrick Corbin, AJ Pollock, and Paul Goldschmidt. That is devastating. That dooms them for this year. Yes, they still have Zach Greinke but he is not enough. Robbie Ray is an All-Star, but they lost the star power. The Padres will jump them.
In last we have the San Francisco Giants. This is sad for me because they were a dynasty just a few years ago. Now they are an example of what can go wrong. Someone has to finish last.
2018 Final Standings:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Colorado
3. Arizona
4. San Francisco
5. San Diego

Ethan’s Projection for 2019

1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Colorado
3. San Diego
4. Arizona
5. San Francisco

Playoff teams: Los Angeles Dodgers.
Edited by Garrett Jones | gcjh23@mail.missouri.edu