For Better Or For Worse? NL West Division.

In this post, we'll be taking a look at NL West division, or "There's No Dodging This Giant Struggle, Padre."

NL WEST:

Arizona Diamondbacks - Well, at least the Diamondbacks are still doing better than the Pirates. That being said, there's not a lot the D-backs have going for them. Things may have been all right for them, but with a surprising display of dominance from both the Giants and Padres, it seemed fated from Opening Day that these Diamondbacks weren't going to experience any sort of victory in '10. Even though they spent nearly all year at the bottom of the division, there were a few highlights: Mark Reynolds and Adam LaRoche, the men at the corners of the infield, combined for 57 home runs (and 383 strikeouts); outfielder Justin Upton provided just as much defensive power as offensive (only committing 4 errors all season); and Edwin Jackson threw the first no-hitter in a franchise that also housed Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. However, of these 4 players, arguably the best ones the Diamondbacks had last year, 3 of them are now playing on different teams, 2 of them in the other league. Only Justin Upton remains, and there is heavy speculation that he'll be traded sometime in 2011. They did pick up nearly-perfect pitcher Armando Galarraga from the Tigers, but their other acquisitions were mainly assorted ineffective players that most likely won't have much of an impact. The offseason dried up the last remaining drops of water keeping this arid lineup sustained, so expect to see these desert dwellers gasping for air in 2011.

Colorado Rockies - Rocky Mountain High? Not just yet. After showing everyone that they were strong enough to make it to the Fall Classic (so what if they got swept by the Red Sox?), the Rockies have truly been a force to be reckoned with in the NL West. 2010 held a lot of promise for them: Ubaldo Jimenez threw the first no-hitter in franchise history (along with posting an ERA under 1.00 for the first half of his starts), outfielder Carlos Gonzalez hit .336, which was good enough for the best batting average in the National League, and 2nd overall only to the Rangers' Josh Hamilton and his .359 BA, and Troy Tulowitzki turned September into his own personal offensive punching bag, hitting .376/15/40 in that month alone (not to mention, this came after he missed most of June and July). Even after 83 wins, they only managed to place 3rd in the division and missed the playoffs, a disappointing outcome for a team that had such a strong season. In the offseason, they added super utility man Ty Wigginton from the Orioles, who is sure to add a large degree of pop to a lineup that's already a mile above most other lineups. Their biggest stories this winter, however, were those regarding the contracts they bestowed upon the golden boys CarGo and Tulo: Gonzalez got a 7 year deal, while Tulowitzki is signed through the next 10 years. With these big names and big bats signed for the majority of the next decade, don't be surprised if these Colorado boys rock the division pretty hard in 2011.

Los Angeles Dodgers - Mannywood is now Hollywood once more. In reality, Mannywood ended sometime in October 2009, seeing as the Dodgers spent the majority of the time they had with him before they shipped him off to the White Sox without him. And, shockingly enough, they still managed to win games! Can you believe it? Still, they ended up in 4th place, completely missing the playoffs a year after making it to October for the fourth time in the past 10 seasons. 2010 wasn't a stellar season for the Blue Crew: Clayton Kershaw led the rotation with only 13 wins, Matt Kemp led the lineup with only 28 home runs, and Jonathan Broxton led the bullpen with only 22 saves (and his loss of control in the second half led to manager Joe Torre shutting him down for the rest of the year). These unimpressive numbers were indicative of the mediocre season for the NL LA team, so they're hoping that 2011 will be a little kinder to them. With Torre calling it a career and handing the reins over to fellow legend Don Mattingly, and the addition of utility player (and member of the 2010 world champion Giants) Juan Uribe as a full-time power-hitting second baseman, things sure are looking up for the Dodgers; however, with the resurgence of the Giants...and the Padres...and the Rockies...well, let's just say that it's a long, uphill battle for these boys to get back into the top of the West.

San Diego Padres - Bless me, Padre, for I have sinned...in 2010, I was given an amazing opportunity, to potentially win a World Series, something I have never experienced. I had a large lead over the second place team in the division, and I got too comfortable and blew the lead in a stunning 10-game losing streak that eventually led not only to that second place team toppling me in the division, but they went on to win the World Series from occupying the space that should have been mine. I know I had a great young pitcher who I neglected to let fully develop (Mat Latos, 14-10, 2.92, 189 Ks), a star first baseman I sent to the opposite side of the country after he did all he could to help me (Adrian Gonzalez, .298/31/101), and a closer who saved so much, even when I didn't deserve it (Heath Bell, 47 saves, 1.93 ERA). And even though I did so much to squander the blessing bestowed upon me, Padre, I ask your forgiveness. Yes, I let my first baseman go, but will bringing in Orlando Hudson at second and a promising young outfielder in Cameron Maybin redeem me? Is there a large enough number of how many times I must say "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" to absolve my sin of letting go of such a large lead in such a tough division to be dominant in? Oh, Padre, please tell me, will 2011 yield a holier me? Or are my problems too big to overcome? Metaphorically, do I have a Giant problem? In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Selig.

San Francisco Giants - The Giants won the 2010 World Series! Hooray!! ...Now what? Normally, when a team wins it all one year, the analysts, experts, and the Baseball Freak predict that the team will repeat, or at least make it back to the first round of the playoffs. This year, though, it seems like everyone focused on the losing team's chances of returning more than the winning team's. Hell, the fact that the Giants made it into the playoffs was unexpected in itself, seeing as the Padres led the division for roughly 2/3 of the season. 2-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum led a rotation that racked up wins like Aubrey Huff, Juan Uribe, and rookie phenom Buster Posey racked up runs to support those wins, and the feared Beard, Brian Wilson, successfully saved 48 of the 92 wins this team made (by the way, that's over half of their wins...the Beard should indeed be feared). Of course, I can't go without mentioning the fact that the rest of the rotation and lineup played a highly integral part in this team's run to October, so I'll simply say that 2010 was a Giant dream come true. They let go of Juan Uribe and World Series MVP Edgar Renteria, but brought in another veteran shortstop in Miguel Tejada; other than that, they have basically the same team that won the first championship title for the franchise since the 1950s, so who's to say that they couldn't do it again? With a 2-years-in-a-row Cy Young winner on the mound, a Rookie of the Year catcher who's quickly maturing into one of the best offensive and defensive backstops in the game (look out, Mauer), a superstitious thong-wearing first baseman who led the team in every offensive statistical category (.290/26/86), and the scariest facial hair this side of Jayson Werth saving games that weren't in any danger, it's a safe bet that, even if they don't repeat in October, they'll damn sure get there yet again in 2011.

Projected 2011 NL West Standings:
San Francisco Giants - stay the same
Colorado Rockies - move 1 spot up
San Diego Padres - move 1 spot down
Los Angeles Dodgers - stay the same
Arizona Diamondbacks - stay the same

And so, our analysis of all 30 teams comes to a close. In just a short month and a half, we'll begin to see how 2011 will be. But one thing's for sure: no matter what, it'll be exponentially more exciting than 2010, a thrilling year on its own. Stick around throughout spring training for any more important updates before Opening Day.