The GatewayNational League West
Long story short, this is the Los Angeles Dodgers’ division to lose. Despite the Padres’ furious outfield spending spree, the Dodgers still have the most imposing lineup in the division, as well as one of the most intimidating one-two punches, rotation-wise, with Clayton Kershaw and Zach Greinke. While the Padres did improve, their graveyard of a ballpark will do no favours for their three prized outfield acquisitions. While James Shields will love pitching at Petco Park, offensive players won’t enjoy it nearly as much.
Meanwhile, the defending champion Giants lost one of their best hitters in Pablo Sandoval, but still have World Series hero Madison Bumgarner heading the pitching rotation.
Knowing the Giants, they’ll hang around a wild-card spot. As for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks, neither of them are anything to write home about. The Rockies do have the best shortstop in baseball and a formidable lineup that’ll probably explode for a ton of runs in the hitter-friendly confines of Coor’s Field, but their rotation would struggle to intimidate even the weakest little league hitter. There were times last year where you would see the Rockies up, like 6-0 in a game, then you would check back an hour later and they would be down 15-11 because they’re more of a slow-pitch team than a Major League Baseball team. I expect that to happen a lot this year. The Diamondbacks have a very real chance of being the worst team in baseball. Enough said.
National League Central
With the Cubs landing the offseason’s biggest fish, ace Jon Lester, there’s definitely room to hope in Chi-Town. Despite that, the St. Louis Cardinals are the favourite to win the Central for what seems like the millionth year in a row. The addition of Jason Heyward only makes the Cardinals better, and they’re a team with very few obvious weaknesses. The Pirates lost heart and soul catcher Russell Martin to the Blue Jays, but will still contend for a Wild Card spot, as will the Cubs.
The biggest story in Chicago might actually be Kris Bryant, who will start the season in AAA, and is considered by many to be the best prospect in baseball. If Bryant can contribute whenever he’s called up this year, the Cubs could challenge the Cardinals and Pirates for a playoff spot. Meanwhile, the Brewers and Reds both field decidedly average rosters, and will be in tough to compete against the top half of the division. But, both Johnny Cueto and Aroldis Chapman continue to wow fans of exceptional pitching, and Ryan Braun continues to attempt to compensate for the fact that his team’s best starting pitcher is Matt Garza.
National League East
Washington is looking to ride their Marianas Trench of pitching depth to their second straight division title, and on the surface, there isn’t much standing in their way. Their rotation was more than fine last year, but the Nationals landed the other huge pitching free agent, Max Scherzer. Now Doug Fister is their number-five starter, even though he could probably be an ace on at least five other teams. While one could write endlessly about how terrifying the Nationals’ pitching staff is, this may be the year that the Miami Marlins make a playoff push.
Led by Giancarlo Stanton’s massive contract and even more massive offensive talent, along with outfield partner Christian Yelich, the Marlins boast a formidable run scoring attack. Getting Jose Fernandez back from Tommy John surgery will bolster a rotation that is also improved from last year with the addition of Mat Latos. The Mets will look to make a splash with an excellent stable of young arms, but will probably look to the future for sustained success. The Phillies are a shell of their former selves, and the biggest buzz around the team this year will probably be Cole Hamels trade speculation. The Braves field one of the weakest lineups in baseball, and will probably be involved in plenty of 3-1 and 4-2 losses this year.
National League Predictions
The Dodgers should win the West fairly easily, with the Giants competing for a wild card spot. Even though the Padres went all in for their outfield, the combination of not having a proper centre fielder and Petco Park’s adverse affect on offence will leave them on the outside looking in. The Central looks to be firmly in the Cardinals’ control, with the Cubs being built more to contend in 2016 than this year. Despite the fact that the Pirates lost one of their best players in Russell Martin, they should still compete for a wild-card spot.
In the East, the Nationals are the healthy favourites, and for good reason. The Marlins will look to compete for a wild card, with the New York Mets, who are lot like the Cubs, being built to contend in future years. In terms of the Cy Young race, Clayton Kershaw has a stranglehold on it, and the only way he won’t win it for a second straight year is if he get injured or the league ceases to exist. The Marlins’ boast both a strong MVP candidate and breakout candidate, and they both reside in their outfield. Giancarlo Stanton will have to play at MVP level if the Marlins are to make a playoff push, and it is something he is more than capable of, so expect at least 40 homers and 100 RBIs barring injury, or, you know, the league ceasing to exist.
