MLB 2011 Preview & Predictions – NL West
It took until late in the season, but the San Francisco Giants worked their way to the top of the NL West with a 92-70 record and a two-game lead over San Diego. The Giants’ run was just getting started and did not stop until they brought home a World Series Title with series wins over Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Texas along the way.
The Padres’ valiant effort last season ended up being in vain after blowing the division lead down the stretch. Colorado finished third at 83-79, but also came unglued at the end of the season. Los Angeles finished a disappointing fourth at 80-82 after winning the West in 2009. The only constant in the division was Arizona bringing up the rear with a dismal 62-97 record.
Here is a brief preview of all the teams in the NL West along with their future odds to win the division as posted by BetUs.com.
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San Francisco Giants +145
The defending champions return with basically the same roster as last season. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and left hander Jonathan Sanchez will once again lead the starting rotation and Aubrey Huff, Buster Posey, and Pat Burrell should continue to provide the offensive firepower. The Giants may not win 92 games again, but should win enough to lock-up a second straight division title.
Colorado Rockies +190
If Ubaldo Jimenez can produce the same kind of numbers he did in 2010 with a 19-10 record and an ERA of just 2.8 and the rest of the rotation remains intact, Colorado could make this race very interesting. The Rockies plugged a hole in the infield with the acquisition of 2B Jose Lopez and still have a solid lineup led by Carlos Gonzalez and Todd Helton.
Los Angeles Dodgers +275
Los Angeles is counting on its new skipper Don Mattingly to turn things around after last season’s nightmare. If the Dodgers can get more production out of Matt Kemp and Andre Either, who are both coming off a less than stellar 2010, they should stay in the race late into summer. Clayton Kershaw anchors a solid starting rotation but the bullpen could be a source of concern as the season wears on.
San Diego Padres +1000
San Diego over-achieved last season so the offseason loss of Adrian Gonzalez, Miguel Tejada, and Tony Gwynn Jr. makes it highly unlikely that this team will come anywhere close to reaching last season’s 90 wins. The Padres also lost Jon Garland which will hurt a pitching staff that was second in the NL last season with a team ERA of 3.39. Staff ‘ace’ Mat Latos and Tim Stuaffer need to have monster years for San Diego to have any kind of chance in the West this season.
Arizona Diamondbacks +1500
New general manager Kevin Towers’ intentions were well-placed with a number of offseason moves designed at making this team more competitive, but anything more than 70 wins in 2011 would be highly unlikely. The Diamondbacks still have a couple of studs in Justin Upton and Ian Kennedy but the holes run deep throughout this organization.
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