The top four NL West teams are within four games of each other. The Padres could use a bat, and they may need an arm, since they're hesitant to push their young starters too hard. The Rockies (2.0 games back) are hanging around, even with Troy Tulowitzki on the DL, but they could add an infielder. The Dodgers (2.0 games back) aren't going anywhere, though they could use some pitching. And the Giants (4.0 games back) have pitching, but they wouldn't mind adding a big bat before July 31st.
Considering each team's needs, their ability to make a deal and the standings, let's tackle a tough question:
Which NL West team is best-positioned to win the division?
Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.
Why are there no votes showing in the poll?
Yep, not showing for me either. Think there’s a snafu somewhere, Ben.
It shows for me, and the results are telling.
the NL west is what makes baseball. they have a good race going and you’ll probably find out who wins the division in the last week of the season.
i love it when people to this day STILL say the NL west is the weakest division thats why 2 teams finished with 90+ wins last year and its looking more of the same this year
Because they over look nl west biased espn .
yeah. because the people from espn don’t know anything about sports.
oh yeah sorry i forgot about the east coast bias
How dare you forget about me!
its so annoying. they have the best race going and if you’re division sucks you won’t have the wild card come out of it. it should happen again this season.
That is the result of the Eastern Sports Promotion Network. The same guys who thought the Padres would be bad this year, and that the Dodgers were going to run away with the division again. Obviously they paid just as much attention as a typical Sawx and Yankee fan. That being said, this kills me as a Giants fan, but I think the Rockies will end up winning the division with LA coming in second. The Padres and Giants may end up with dead arms near the end, and September weather on the west coast takes away the advantage of the pitching staffs. If Posey stays hot, and Panda somehow resurrects himself, then the Giants may stay in it though. (I don’t see them trading away MadBum or Sanchie for a bat.)
EVERYONE thought the Padres would be bad this year.
Not me, they were one of the best teams in MLB after the Peavy trade last year. I expected them to compete, and have been commenting so in every AGon to Boston rumor thread since last fall.
the padres thought they were going to be bad this year.
Why didn’t they get serious about trading AGon last winter then? There were rumors, but nothing even close to serious discussions that I can remember. I think they thought they could compete and they had no reason to think otherwise, they held their own in the 2nd half, and the Dodgers got worse in the off season, not better, the Giants didn’t make a splash, and the Rockies didn’t do much either.
simmer down there bill. it was a joke. but they will fall off in the 2nd half. you know when a pitcher comes up and he’s good because no one has seen him. then he gets figured out and gets rocked. imagine that will the padres whole staff.
I think you are correct, to some extent. Latos is the real deal. But the other arms will be cranky and Indian Summer will shift advantage to the bats in SD and SF, which I think will be the reason that both the Pads and The Giants will slip behind Colorado and LA.
i really like latos. and hitters will adjust to their whole staff. we’ll see how well they adjust to the hitters when they have to. the giants,padres,rockies have a huge advantage in the 2nd half, they can actually make a trade that will make a difference. the dodgers don’t have a bullpen that can hang onto their division in the 2nd half.
so far this year has been a good race. reguardless of what people say, i think the trade deadline will have a lot to do with how the NL west ends up. but everyone can agree that it’s going to be a race to the end and with so much competition it tells you that the WC has a high chance of coming from the west. all 4 teams deserve to win the west but we will see what happens.
“you know when a pitcher comes up and he’s good because no one has seen him. then he gets figured out and gets rocked..”
Except that they have been around for almost 4 months now, and in 1st place most of that time. I think there will be some “dropoff” in their pitching, but no more than what happens with the Dodgers. The team the Pads should be concerned about is the Rox…. maybe this year the umpire gets the call at home correct.
I don’t think the padres will be in 1st place after july. they definitely won’t win the division. all you have to do is look at their schedule in september. they don’t stand a chance.
alright buddy, did you not hear that the dodgers came close to getting gonzalez and bell on july 31st last year? And how did the dodgers get worse in the offseason? because we didnt sign anyone? no one that great was out there. and im sorry man but everyone did think the padres would do bad again this year.
Please go back and read my comment, and then decide if you want to stay with this. Also, if I expected the Padres to compete this year, then clearly everybody didn’t think they would do poorly.
I’m a Dodger fan and I’ll agree with you the Dodgers got worse (by letting Wolf go, not necessarily Hudson), but I do think the Padres would’ve traded Adrian Gonzalez last off-season if they got the right offer. But they were in a position where they didn’t *have* to move him. Adrian Gonzalez doesn’t have a very high salary, and he is their star and brought people to the stadium even when they were doing badly. They had time to wait to move him until they got an offer they liked, just like the Blue Jays waited on Halladay.
Letting Wolf go when they were not sure what Kershaw, Billingsly, (spellling?) and Padilla were going to do this year was a serious subtraction, specifically in the NL west with its strong pitching teams. The Dodger’s line up is good, but they also had the lowest team ERA in the west for most of last year which is the reason they walked away with the division, and the reason they are merely competing in the west this year.
Dead on the money Bill. Unless Sab’s grows a pair steps up and off’s his head case for a legit threat and not another overpaid roll player, G’s don’t stand a chance. When your pitching staff feels as if it has to be perfect to protect the lack of run support it tends to more often than not come back to haunt you.
8 wins is the best we’ve got out of Sanchez thus far….. if MadBum can’t make that up, we have more glaring problems than just a hitter. The 5 spot in the rotation isn’t going to make or break you either way. give up the head case Sanchez, and lets get some runs!!
As giants fan i beileve we can still take this division are rotation is one of the best in mlb we just need some bats .The pads are the real deal im just happpy to see a team like the pads with its payroll compete on this level they need a bat just like the giants but latos is the key.The rockies are just flat out dangerous do i see 2007 all over again.The dodgers bats just batter teams around but your not going any where without true ace kershaw is not a ace .Arizona what happen the most talent with sluggers that pads and giants can dream.It really tell you this division is all about pitching .
just like any young pitcher the league will figure out the padres. they got lit up a few times right before the all-star break. i really think the giants will upgrade to pass the dodgers. but the rockies will be tough. it should come down to the rockies and giants(depends on what their upgrades are).
my god you giants fans! of course you think you will pass the dodgers. we’ll see at the end of the season alright.
the giants should be sellers and not buyers. I think they need more than one bat since sandoval is clearly on a downward spiral, burrell is not the answer, zito is looking more and more like zito each start now, cain never gets run support, etc. OH, they also get SPANKED by the NL West.
I agree with this, they switched into “win now” mode too quickly. Fortunately they have some pieces now that would bring back some value, unlike a few years ago when they were just bare. I would trade each one of Huff, Uribe, Panda, F. Sanchez, J. Sanchez, and just about the entire bullpen except Wilson (but even Wilson, in the right deal) straight up for prospects. Given that Zito has more good production than bad for the past two years, and he has always been a 2nd half pitcher even in his bad years, I would eat his contract and trade him for a couple of prospects too. I would try to do the same with Rowand, but if I couldn’t deal him by the deadline, I would flat out release him. They did great with Molina, whom I was ready to outright release when the trade happened.
not true….Posey and Ishikawa finally getting solid playing time may turn this team around for the rest of the season….finally dislodged the planet from blocking the sunlight around the stadium (molina)…They have cut Rowands playing time (worthless)..Posey is the real deal, but i bet you don’t even know about the guy? only hit 6 bombs in the last 10 games while hitting .500….The Giants need to go after a Fielder or a Willingham and they can be real dangerous for everyone in the West…If you look at the Giants roster a month in (after the padres carnage) they are a completely different team…
They still need Panda to re-establish himself which I have no real faith that he will. Ishikawa’s production on that last road trip is interesting to me, as I felt that they dismissed him too quickly this last off season. His home numbers last year were pretty good, which I think merited a serious look since home is a pitchers park. But if they had, Huff probably wouldn’t be a Giant now so… I’m willing to be flexible in my outlook if Ishi continues his production over the next few weeks, and Panda comes out strong in the 2nd half. Short of that, I expect that they will continue to slip, and right now should be in sell mode, not buy mode.
so dodgers aren’t going anywhere?
well kershaw sure as helll has been pitching like an ace. and if you say we arent going anywhere because we dont have an “ace” then the giants arent going anywhere because they dont have a legit power hitter.
I think the Dodgers will get it done. As much as we all love a good cinderella story and even after half a season proving themselves; I’m still not convinced the Padres can outpace the rest of the division. This one should be competitive right ’til the very end. Wouldn’t surprise me at all if the wild card came out of the west (again).
How many times you need to get knock out the playoff without true ace kershaw is not a ace the philles answer that already get oswalt and maybe that can change.
Explain to me how Kershaw is not an ace. Please. Oh, and I can’t wait to see the Phillies come up short this year, the Braves are winning the East dude.
he’s becoming an ace but he’s still too wild to be one. like ubaldo was the last few years. hes not quite there. and if you look at how bad the phillies have been playing the 1st half and they’re only 4 and a half back. they’re a great team and can turn it on whenever they want and walk all over their division. the braves and mets really have to turn it on to go to the playoffs.
112 innings – 128 Ks – 85 hits – 50 BBs – Kershaw
116 innings – 131 Ks – 101 hits – 48 BBs – Lincecum
Yeah youre right.. If Kershaw isnt a ace then how in Lincecum?
you’re compairing him to lincecum in his worst year. good job! lincecum has been wild and walked a lot of guys this year and kershaw has 2 more than him. he’s a really good pitcher, i’m not denying that. you just get your panties in a wad when i say he hasn’t hit his peak yet. i compaired him to ubaldo jimenez who is by far one of the best pitchers this year.
The Phillies are the third best pitching team in the east, and barely ahead of the Braves in Runs, but behind them in OPS. Granted they have had injuries, but these stats would tend to support that the Braves are a more balanced team, and with the Mets playing well also, it may be a bit too early to anoint the Phillies champs.
dude use better grammar before you try talking bad about my dodgers. And if kershaw is not an ace yet he will be by the end of the regular season.
the padres will fall off eventually. then in a few years we’ll be talking about how the padres had that great 1st half a few years ago. the dodgers are the team to beat since they won the NL west the last 2 years. other than that i think they’ll be close but nothing will come from them since its looking like they’re not going to get a starter. the giants have the potential to win it if they make a trade or two. the rockies are tough and would probably still need to trade for an infield bat. the trade deadline will tell you whose going to win the division.
I like your “(again)”. It says all it needs to say, the west has been a very under-rated division for a few years now. This year the Braves and Mets are playing better however so it may be a closer race than we are used to for that WC.
I think it should be noted that the Rockies are winning without their #2 pitcher and All Star shortstop, have the pieces in place to acquire Dan Uggla, finally have the frontline ace they’ve been waiting for, and have a healthy Street down the stretch. DLR is back now, and Tulo is due back in August. It also should be noted that the Rockies always do their best work in the second half, and they have the best start in franchise history. With their balance in the rotation, lineup, and bullpen, it would surprise me if they didn’t end up in at least the wild card spot, which will almost definitely come out of the west this year.
There are alot of question marks there; will tulo come back as he was? will dela rosa? your can’t count your chickens before they hatch….The Giants are paying 12 mil for that right now….
As a Dodger fan, knowing the Rockies tendency for the 2nd half surge, I am much more worried about them than I am the Padres or Giants. My only concern about the Giants would be that they probably have the most payroll flexibility in the division, and some solid trade chips.
Im definitely on board with these statements…as a Giants fan im more worried about the Rockies going on another august/september run and leaving the Giants behind than I am the Dodgers or Padres…If they get uggla that lineup is fierce with the return of Tulo..
No Diamondbacks on the list? Pshhh… We only have to play .750 baseball the rest of the way to get to 90 wins!
Giants first need to add a bat and Sandoval needs to come out of his slump…
If we can add a Josh Willingham or Adam Dunn as opposed to Corey Hart or David Dejesus, we will be good to make a run.
Dodgers are setting up for a second half run. Now that Bills and Padilla are back healthy and starting to pitch very well.
Padilla? That guy is the biggest scumbag in the league he definitely belongs in LA. He’s a few more beanballs away from broken legs in a dark parking lot. He will never be a consistent pitcher and neither will mental midget Billinglsey, the guy’s got the tools but is too much of a head case.
god! i hate padilla.
Padilla? that guy is the biggest scumbag in the league he belongs in LA. He’s a few more beanballs away from a dark parking lot and broken legs. He will never be a consistent pitcher, and neither will mental midget billingsley. The guy’s got the tools but is too much of a headcase.
Is ACORN stacking points for the Giants? “Hanging Chad” Billingsley’s?
All in all, this is going to be a hell of a fun & heartbreaking time for some/all in the NL West 2nd half 🙂
sorry to all you giants fans who think you can win this division but you guys just have too many ifs and needs.” if we can add this bat” and “if this guy breaks out of his slump”. and you guys think you will pass the dodgers when you guys havent even been able to beat them so far this year.
lot of baseball to be played….if the Giants take 2 out of 3 from the dodgers in LA then you might not be so boisterous..
look dude im no trying to be an @hole but i see all these comments and these giant fans think they will have no trouble passing us like if theyve played great against us, im just letting giants fans know. and yes there is lots of baseball to played thats also a good thing for the dodgers not only for the giants.
Nobody in the NL West has stepped up to take the Pads out of first. The division is wide open. There’s no reason to think the Giants can’t pass the Dodgers. The head to head matchup at this point is immaterial. Giants haven’t done well against Pads or Dodgers and are still only 4 games out of first and 2 games behind the Dodgers.
There are 30 more games vs. LA, SD, and CO. I would say that head to head with those teams is very material given our inability to beat them so far. We have improved since the beginning of the year, but not that much.
He was talking Giants Dodgers only. Of course if you add ALL the NL West games, we will need to be far more consistent.
I guess that was kind of the point of the poll, right, to see which team people think will step up and win this tight division? As of right now, the Giants are leading this poll by a pretty good margin. It’s anyone’s guess who will end up on top of this division come October. The Dodgers have just as many “if’s” as anyone else. That’s why they play the games.
The Giants have almost 100 more votes than any other team on this poll. Obviously some people have some faith. Can’t tell based on these comments though, haha.
Must be a lot of Giants fans voting, because they’re not even the 3rd best team in their division. I voted for the Rockies. They’re an all around good ball club. Pitching, speed, defense, and they can swing the bat.
As a Giants fan I have to say… I think you are right. Rockies are too dang good, and if they pick up Ugla, ouch! If the Dodgers pick up Oswalt then that may change my opinion though.
I’m going to watch the Giant/Mets game tonight, should be fun. My kid is named David and plays 3b, so his favorite player is David Wright. The Mets/Giants games in SF are always good ones.
I’m looking forward to the games also. Tonight Carlos Beltran is back. Should be an entertaining series.
Let the better team win!
The Rockies are the only concern, the Dodgers pitching it not consistent this year and they are going to fall, the Giants do not have a bat the pitching is struggling if the padres pick up Westbrook form the Indians and a bat they might give a run to the Rox.