2012 NL West Odds to Win
(The Spread) – If odds have anything to say about how the National League West Division will play out this season, it’ll be a two-team race to the finish.
Oddsmakers currently list the San Francisco Giants as a +140 money line favorite, while the Arizona Diamondbacks are right behind them at +150. The Colorado Rockies have the next best odds at +450 while the Los Angeles Dodgers are +550 and the San Diego Padres are the long shots at +3000.
PADRES: San Diego got a makeover this winter thanks to new GM Josh Byrnes. Gone are pitchers Mat Latos, Heath Bell and Aaron Harang, but the Padres’ starting rotation still boasts plenty of talent. Clayton Richard and Edinson Volquez will be the top arms in the rotation followed by Tim Stauffer, Dustin Moseley and Cory Luebke. Byrnes signed Huston Street to replace Bell, while also adding bats Carlos Quentin, Yonder Alonso and Mark Kotsay. But while the Padres will have a new look this season, they simply don’t have enough overall talent to make a push at the division crown.
ROCKIES: Offense once again won’t be a problem in Colorado this season. On top of already boasting the likes of Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton, the Rockies also acquired Michael Cuddyer, Casey Blake, Marco Scutaro and Ramon Hernandez to help fill out the lineup. Pitching, however, will likely be the club’s downfall. As many as 10 players are vying for the five starting rotation spots, which doesn’t include lefty Jorge De La Rosa, who is expected to be out until late May while recovering from Tommy John Surgery. The Rockies may score runs in bunches this season but they’ll need to in order to make up for their lackluster pitching.
DODGERS: L.A. will look similar to the club that won 82 games last year despite a mountain of off-field distractions. Back are ace Clayton Kershaw, who won the NL Cy Young Award last season, as well as Matt Kemp, who was the runner-up for the NL MVP award. Gone is starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda (Yankees) but the team did well to acquire Aaron Harang from the Padres. This club has some talent but it’ll need players like James Loney, Andre Ethier and Juan Uribe to step up if the Dodgers want to contend in the NL West.
GIANTS: 2011 didn’t exactly go as planned for a Giants team that won it all in 2010. Injuries absolutely ravaged the club, as Buster Posey, Freddy Sanchez, Pablo Sandoval and Brian Wilson all spent considerable time on the disabled list. In the cases of Posey and Sanchez, the pair was lost for the season early on and the Giants never recovered. In efforts to boost the offense, GM Brian Sabean traded erratic starter Jonathan Sanchez to the Royals in exchange for outfielder Melky Cabrera, who has turned some heads this spring. Sabean also dealt Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez to the Mets in exchange for Angel Pagan, who will play centerfield and leadoff for the Giants this season. Thanks to a starting rotation that features Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and 2011 All-Star Ryan Vogelsong, the Giants will contend all year. But they’ll need Posey and Sanchez to bounce back from their injuries and for Sandoval and Cabrera to help carry the offense. It would also be nice to see youngster Brandon Belt get more playing time, seeing as how he’s one of the best hitters in the organization. But alas, manager Bruce Bochy’s preference for veterans like Aubrey Huff could get in the way.
DIAMONDBACKS: Arizona took full advantage of the Giants’ misfortunes last year by winning 94 games and making a postseason appearance. Ian Kennedy had a career-best 21-4 record with a 2.88 ERA while amassing 198 strikeouts in 222 innings pitched. Daniel Hudson also went 16-12 with a 3.49 ERA and Joe Saunders held his ERA in check as well. Offense could be an issue again (specifically team batting average), but Justin Upton is a stud and he’ll have help thanks to Miguel Montero, Chris Young and Gerardo Parra.
2012 National League West Division Odds to Win
Arizona Diamondbacks +150
Colorado Rockies +450
Los Angeles Dodgers +550
San Diego Padres +3000
San Francisco Giants +140
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