As the MLB season prepares to kick off, lets go ahead and take a detailed look at which teams might hold the best MLB betting value for our futures picks. Fins out who we like in the National League West.
We are
under a month away from one of the most magical and anticipated days in the
calendar year; MLB Opening Day. With this article, I’ll be taking a look at the
NL West division, giving you their betting odds to win the World Series, along with my MLB picks and analysis for the division.
Arizona Diamondbacks 20/1
We’ll
get it started with the division winner from last season, the D-backs. Arizona
was a team with hardly any well-known names, but finished the season with a
94-68 record and an 8 game lead on the second place Giants. Led by young and
talented outfielder Justin Upton, the D-backs were one of the better lineups in
the National League last year. Arizona ranked 9th in the league in
runs scored and 8th in the league in slugging percentage. They also
have a promising young first baseman in Paul Goldschmidt.
Where
they weren’t as good was their team batting average. Some of the staples of
their lineup like Ryan Roberts and Chris Young hit under .250 on the season, while Upton finished the season with a .289 batting average. Something they
excelled in was their pitching. Ian Kennedy was a Cy Young candidate all season
and finished 4th in the balloting. Kennedy was a great ace for their
young staff. He finished the season with 21 wins, a 2.88 ERA and 198
strikeouts.
Even
though the Giants would seem to be the preseason favorites, the Diamondbacks
will still be a solid and competitive team this year. They have great starting
pitching and additions such as Jason Kubel can only help their offense. I see
them competing for yet another NL West title.
San Francisco Giants 15/1
For a
team with so many injuries and struggles on offense and defense last season,
the Giants were still able to come away with am 86-76 record, good for second
in their division. There is no doubting the talent this team possesses, as they
are just two seasons removed from winning it all.
Last
season the Giants were awful on offense. They ranked in the bottom of the
league in almost every offensive category. They had a team .242 batting average
and an on base percentage of only .303. If the Giants can improve on their
offense, they have one of the best pitching staffs in the league and will be
tough to compete with.
I expect
the NL West to be a two-team race between the Giants and the D-backs. The
Giants have the names and the talent, but Arizona will be right there with
them. Both squads have the ability to knock the ball out of the park and out
duel their opponents on the mound.
Los Angeles Dodgers 30/1
For a
team with big money concerns, they do have some great talent. They have the NL
Cy Young winner from last season and an outfielder who made the top three in MVP
voting. It’s everything else that this team lacks. They finished 82-79 last season,
but it really was a down year. Besides Clayton Kershaw and Matt Kemp, they did
not get much production from the other assets on their roster.
They did
get some better offensive production over the second half of the season, but
besides Kershaw, their pitching was suspect. Hiroki Kuroda (now with the
Yankees), Ted Lilly and Chad Billingsley were all three below average over the
season.
This
year, it’s a fresh start for a team that is in desperate need of one. I don’t
expect them to compete for a division title, but I do expect them to be more
competitive and to improve upon their 82-win season from last year.
Colorado Rockies 40/1
For a
team that has been to the World Series in the last five years, the Rockies have
taken a big down hill slide since then. They have excellent young talent, but
playing at Coors Field is a blessing and a curse for them. Guys like Carlos
Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki helped make the Rockies one of the best offensive
clubs in the league, but once again, pitching did them in.
They
traded away Ubaldo Jimenez and for the season they had a team ERA of nearly
4.50 and a WHIP of 1.38. In order for them to get back into contention, they
can’t just change the place they play, but they need to change their personnel.
They need more strikeout and ground ball pitchers.
The
Rockies finished 73-89 last season and were under .500 at Coors Field. This
will have to change if they are going to compete again. Unfortunately for them,
I don’t see it happening this season. Although they won’t be bad, I don’t
expect them to be a .500 team.
San Diego Padres 150/1
It’s
been a tough run for the Padres and their fans. Since Tony Gwynn retired, they
have not been consistently competitive. They finished in last place in their
division last season with a 71-91 record. They lost Adrian Gonzalez and there
went all of their offense. Playing in Petco Park doesn’t help at all, but they
really don’t have many weapons either.
Their
team leader in home runs had 11 and was also their leader in RBIs with 64.
Cameron Maybin led the team in batting average with a .264 average. Now,
playing in Petco will limit home runs and RBIs, but there is no reason why it
should limit batting average. If anything, playing in a park with wider and
larger gaps should help this.
They had a team batting average of .237 on the season. Aaron Harang did
have a nice season for them from the mound, but moving from Great American Ball
Park to Petco Park will help any pitcher. The Padres will once again be at the
bottom of the league in offense and will in no way compete for a division
title. Unless they are able to start spending some money, I don’t see them
returning to the Gwynn days anytime soon.