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Dodgers: Pre-Spring Training NL West Positional Power Rankings
The Dodgers will enter spring training as favorites to win their sixth consecutive NL West title. In order to complete that goal, they need to outperform their division foes. Here is a power ranking of each NL West positional group entering spring training.
The NL West was the best division in baseball, producing 3 of the 5 National League playoff teams. The 3 playoff teams haven’t regressed much if at all. While the Giants have made some improvements in order to shrink the gap between them and the top 3.
The division isn’t all rough as the Padres are still in rebuild mode and won’t be relevant in the near future let alone 2018. Even with the lowly Padres, this division will be a tough one. The Dodgers will have to put up another great season if they want that six-peat as NL West champions.
The Dodgers have some of the best depth in all of baseball. The beauty of the team last season was you never knew who would get the job done on any given night. Whether it’d be a position player or a pitcher, it was going to be a team effort every night. Each positional group had something they could bring to help this team win games.
This meant that they had some of the best positional groups in all of baseball. The Dodgers still have just that. We will see how each positional group of the Dodgers stacks up against the rest of the deep NL West. Here are the pre-spring training positional power rankings in the NL West.
Infield
Dodgers
I’ve already proclaimed them as the best infield in all of baseball, without even factoring in the 2 top 10 catchers Grandal and Barnes. Add them into the equation and there is no question. Featuring two young stars in Seager and Bellinger, plus savvy veterans Forsythe and Turner, the Dodgers have the best overall infield. Might not have the best infielder but as a group, they are the best in the division.
Rockies
This is where it gets real tight. You could put these 3 teams in any order really and have a solid argument. But I went with the Rockies here because they have 2 proven studs with Arenado and Lemahieu. Weaknesses lie at the other 3 spots. But at first base rookie, Ryan McMahon from local Mater Dei high school has mashed in the minors and playing at Coors will certainly help. Trevor Story can still give you 25 plus bombs and Chris Iannetta is an average catcher.
Giants
The Giants get the nod here because of overall depth in the infield. They have 3 gold glove winners with Longoria, Posey, and Crawford. Posey is the best catcher in baseball and one of the best players in the bigs. Brandon Belt is an above average first baseman who has one all-star game under his belt. Joe Panik is a nice option at second base. Aging with Longo and Posey are what put them just under Colorado
D-Backs
Question marks up the middle with Marte and Drury. Al Avila was a nice addition he is a good hitter and good receiver of the baseball. The real strength of this infield is on the corners. Paul Goldschmidt might be the best player in the division. Jake Lamb really stepped up last season and was the second best hitter on the team before JD Martinez came to town. But Goldy is the main story here; just a special player.
Padres
No surprise here. Did make some minor upgrades from last season. They added a solid shortstop with Freddy Galvis and reacquired Chase Headley to play third base. The best player on this team and infield is, of course, Wil Myers. Finally finding a home in San Diego, Myers has always been used as trade bait over the years but has now become the face of this franchise and will likely be that during this rebuilding process.
Outfield
Dodgers
A familiar spot for the Dodgers as last season. Center and right field are set and left field is up for grabs in spring training. CT3 had a tremendous season and is got better defensively as the season wore on. Puig should be Gold Glover and he seemed to figure it out offensively. Left field is not set in stone but whether it’s Kemp, Pederson, Toles, Hernandez or a combination of them all, it won’t matter because all of them have proven they are more than capable of playing good baseball.
Rockies
The Rox will be bringing a vastly underrated group back for 2018. This outfield could be very dangerous. Chuck nasty (Charlie Blackmon) was an MVP candidate last season. He was overshadowed by teammate Arenado but his numbers were just as good offensively. Ian Desmond was hampered by injuries last season but if healthy he is a dangerous force in the lineup. Gerardo Parra is an elite defender and nifty with the bat, this outfield is very good.
D-Backs
A healthy AJ Pollock is always good. Pollock suffered a season-ending injury before he got it going. When healthy he is a solid defender and a great table setter in this lineup. David Peralta is basically Gerardo Parra. Great defender who hits for average and can do damage if the pitcher makes a mistake. Yasmany Tomas is your typical corner outfielder who has a strong arm and hits for power. JD Martinez would put them over the Rockies but, it does not look like he will be staying in Arizona.
Giants
Every one of these players has good name value. Andrew McCutchen, Hunter Pence, and Austin Jackson. They were all at one point all-stars and top players at their respective positions. This outfield would be scary if it were 2010. These guys have passed their prime. We saw Hunter Pence regress big time last year. McCutchen is no longer the perennial MVP candidate he once was and Jackson hasn’t played a full season since 2015.
Padres
Yeah, they’re not very good. Hunter Renfroe could give them 25 plus home runs but he’ll hit in the low .200’s. Manuel Margot is only 23 and flashed some signs of brilliance but lack of consistency will hurt him. Same as the Dodgers they don’t have a set left fielder but unlike the Dodgers, it is because they don’t have anyone good enough.
Starting Pitching
Dodgers
The best pitcher on planet earth wears Dodger blue. That should be a good enough argument to put them number 1. If you’re not yet convinced, Rich Hill has had a 3.02 ERA and 1.029 WHIP since joining the Dodgers. Alex Wood has finally emerged into the pitcher many expected him to be in 2017. Kenta Maeda has been terrific. Hyun-Jin Ryu when healthy could be the best 5th starter in baseball. The Dodgers also have two young stars looming with Urias and Buehler. Depth is bountiful in La La land and the starting pitching is no exception
D-Backs
Zack Greinke is a top 10 pitcher in baseball. He leads the way for this young starting staff. Greinke is the only one above the age of 30. Robbie Ray showed Dodger fans how good he could be as he dominated the Dodgers last season. Taijuan Walker may have had a bad playoff start against the Dodgers but he still has the stuff to be a very good pitcher. If Patrick Corbin can remain healthy he is a very good option at number 4. Zack Godly has a very good breaking ball to complement his fastball and is a solid number 5 in a rotation.
Giants
I was going to go the Rockies here but I couldn’t get over the fact that they don’t have a legit number 1 starter. Madison Bumgarner suffered a freak injury and will be back with a vengeance in 2018. He could be a dark horse for the NL Cy Young. Johnny Cueto signed a big contract and flopped but he is a veteran who should be able to bounce back. Jeff Samardzija has had below average years but he eats innings. Stratton and Beede are both young and could prove a lot this season.
Rockies
Their lack of a legitimate ace has them down here. Jon Gray is a good pitcher he is just not what anyone would consider being an ace. But the front office in Colorado has picked up pitchers who could thrive in the hitter-friendly Coors field. Anderson throws a heavy fastball that produces a lot of ground balls. Aside from being a great story off the field has the perfect pitches to succeed in Colorado. The entire staff has the repertoire suited for the mile high city.
Padres
No point in discussing the dumpster fire they have going on in their starting rotation. Bottom line; their “ace” Clayton Richard had a 4.79 ERA last year.
Bullpen
Dodgers
The Dodgers sweep every category. The best closer in baseball anchors this bullpen. Kenley Jansen has been absolutely amazing. The Bullpen is strong with Pedro Baez, Tony Cingrani and Yimi Garcia among others. The Dodgers also added two lesser-known names with Tom Koehler and Scott Alexander. Both of whom were very productive out of the bullpen and will only strengthen this already deep bullpen.
Rockies
The signing of Wade Davis was HUGE for this bullpen. Essentially bringing back the same pieces as last year with McGee, Rusin, and Ottavino. They upgraded the closer with Davis instead of Holland and added a very good reliever in Bryan Shaw to their bullpen. This bullpen is more than capable of helping the Rockies compete in October. Wade Davis adds a sense of relief knowing the game is over when you hand him the ball.
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D-Backs
Archie Bradley will make or break this bullpen. After struggling as a starter for many years, Bradley made the move to the bullpen and was brilliant. He was not the closer but he was their best reliever. This year he will be the closer. If last year was just a flash in the pan, Arizona is in trouble. The rest of their bullpen is filled with nice pieces but nobody who would pick up the slack if Bradley falters.
Padres
AT LAST the Padres aren’t in last place! Brad Hand is the basically the sole reason why. He was as dominant a closer as anyone in the bigs. The only problem was he did not get as many opportunities to get saves because, well, the Padres are not good. Not be overlooked is Craig Stammen who posted a 3.14 ERA out of the bullpen last year. He could be a nice setup man for Hand if the Padres ever get a lead.
Giants
This will be a problem for the Giants. They gave a big contract to Mark Melancon and he flopped. Now it looks like Sam Dyson who had a 6.09 ERA last season is going to be their closer. That is not a number you want to see from any pitcher let alone the guy you entrust to win the game for you in the 9th inning.
Next: How would the Dodgers benefit from a luxury tax reset?
There you have it the positional power rankings before spring training. The Dodgers dominated this. They are the best and deepest team in this division and maybe even the entire MLB. With no major moves by the Front office this offseason, the Dodgers enter 2018 as dominant as they exited 2017.