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2012 National League West Preview: The Circus is in Town...
You just never know what to expect with this division... Maybe it's the 3 pitchers parks and 2 hitter heavens they play in? Maybe it's all those late West Coast starting times? One thing is for sure, this year should be entertaining to say the least, which "act" is gonna come out on top??
The Bearded Lady
I thought the Rockies had a chance, I really did, with them bringing in some veteran hitters to surround their two young stars Tulo and Cargo...but then they went and did it... They instantly became the side show of the circus by announcing 49 year old Jamie Moyer a part of the rotation. They didn't just just name him a starter, he's their number TWO guy entering the season. Who knows, maybe this is just management doing him a solid, or maybe 41 year old Jason Giambi needs a roommate. Whatever the case may be it isn't a good sign for the staff.
They should have a respectable offense with the previously mentioned vets (M.Scutaro, R.Hernandez, M.Cuddyer) they brought in to go with T.Tulowitzki, C.Gonzalez, T.Helton, and R.Fowler, but my very unsophisticated trickle-down-shitty-pitcher theory tells me their young arms just aren't ready. If they were, Moyer would be on a set somewhere doing his own NL West Preview instead of preparing for a start in 4-5 days...
Projection: Last Place
The Magician
By the All-Star Break these guys will have you scratching your heads and dumbfounded. "How are the Padres still hanging around?" you'll be asking. Now it wont really be magic, just more of an illusion... You see, the Padres don't have a single star on their roster, but this doesn't mean they can't play a little bit. They may not have an ace, but they do have five serviceable guys in E.Volquez, C.Luebke, D.Moseley, C.Richard, and T.Stauffer.
As we all know, every good magician has props, and the Padres have a huge one in Petco Park. It is their great equalizer. Without it, they wouldn't be able to pull off this trick of competing until the break without one validated star player. Seems like no matter who's pitcher or playing in San Diego, every time I look it's something like 2-1 in the seventh inning...
These guys will entertain in their usual underdog role, but will eventually be outmatched by the more popular acts of the circus...
Projection: Respectable Fourth Place
The Snake Charmer
Look for the vicious and unpredictable Diamondbacks of a year ago to be hypnotized by the Snake Charmer this year. They snuck up on guys last year with 48 come from behind wins..., you can bet your bottom dollar that wont happen again. Their lineup is filled with good young hitters that I think surprised a lot of guys, I think the book is out and opposing pitchers will be looking to exact revenge. They will hit again this year because they play in a hitters park, but I expect a couple down years from this lineup in 2012... Then there's Ian Kennedy, who won 22 games and almost won the Cy Young..., another thing I can promise wont happen. Many think the acquisition of T.Cahill keeps these guys on pace to repeat, but I just don't see him having a great year. The sinker-baller from Oakland has either been really good or pretty bad throughout his career and with the fast infield and great hitting conditions in Arizona, I see him winning about 12 games with an ERA in the high 3's or maybe even 4's. J.Collmenter was lights out to start last year, but as guys started to figure out his changeup, he became very average, very fast! Never been a fan of left handed starter J.Saunders, another guy I think had a "fluke" season...
The Charmer will be a busy man in 2012...
Projection: Third Place
The Fire Breathing Juggler
The Top of the Giants rotation is the fire, everything else seems to be a juggling act...
We know Lincecum, Cain, and maybe even Bumgarner are gonna have great years. It's what to expect from the rest of this team that is up in the air. Will Zito be in the rotation all year? (Most likely NOT) Who will be in the outfield? They have about 6 guys that will be rotating in and out..(M.Cabrera, A.Pagan, G.Blanco, B.Belt, N.Schierholtz, A.Huff) All this after letting 4-5 proven outfielders go in the off season. Will Posey be able to catch the whole year after returning from his brutal leg injury? Who's gonna end up the double play combination? (Crawford, Theriot, Burress, Sanchez) All these questions are still being juggled around by the organization as the season gets ready to start...(Oddly enough, that clown they have at closer is one of the pillars of the organization and should have another good year.)
Even with all this uncertainty, when the juggling act is finally straightened out, I feel the fire will bring them home strong and probably into one of the Wild Card Spots...
Projection: Second Place
The High Wire Act
And for the main attraction... We have the Dodgers! Who knows how much money Magic Johnson has invested into this team, all we need to know is that he is the new "Owner"!! And even though most of you would love to see his new team fall off the wire, they wont...
They have the Cy Young Winner and MVP (Braun cheated) of the National League, improved depth, and motivated ownership. If you don't think they're going to be buyers at the break, you're crazy! They overpaid by 700 Million Dollars to get the club, what's 20 mil to bring in a few band-aids??
They have 3 veterans filling out the rotation, (T.Lilly, A.Harang, C.Capuano) they are gonna need a good year out of one of them, whoever struggles will be replaced at the break. This same strategy will probably be applied to the pen...
Much like a high wire walker, the Dodgers don't have the option of failing. You can't spend 2 Billion Dollars for a team and lose, you just can't... It would be like falling off the wire.
Projection: First Place
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Originally Posted by warriorfan707
