NL West Breakdown

Winston-Salem, NC -- We switch leagues now and head over to the NL West, arguably the toughes division to predict. With the exception of the Giants, this division houses four legitimate contenders. The Rockies, fresh off an appearance in the World Series, are still very young and strong. The D-Backs, with the acquisition of Dan Haren and an appearance in the NLCS, will be back. The Dodgers, with the addition of Joe Torre, will be in the mix. And, let's not forget the Padres, who have a great 1-2 punch in Peavy and Chris Young, and the best bullpen in the game. Here's my rundown...

1. Arizona Diamondbacks
2. San Diego Padres
3. Colorado Rockies
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
5. San Francisco Giants

I like the D-Backs because of their blend of youth mixed with seasoned veterans. They have two aces in Webb and Haren, and a wild card in Randy Johnson. Their lineup isn't stacked, but it's solid. They have a thirst to get back in the postseason, especially after having a bad taste lest in their mouths by the red hot Rockies.

The Padres will be in the thick of the race until the end. If Chris Young can remain injury-free, I see this team taking Arizona until the final game. Their outfield offense is a bit weak, but it'll be their pitching that carries them.

There's something about teams reaching/winning the World Series, and then having a hangover the next season. I'm predicting just that with the Rockies. Their starting pitching is a little suspect. They are the converse to the Padres; there bats will carry this team as far as it will go.

I like the hiring of Joe Torre and all, but I don't think the Dodgers have the pieces to be a legitimate contender. They have strong starting pitching and that's about it. Garciaparra, Furcal, Kent, and Ethier are all injury-prone. Who knows what kind of production they'll get out of Andruw Jones? Matt Kemp is a star in the making.

The Giants, as their own manager calls them, are horrific. See my earlier blog about Rowand. They aren't even worth mentioning.