FanSided

NL West 2022 division preview shows how Dodgers rivals stack up

By Michael Higgins |
DENVER, COLORADO - SEPTEMBER 23: Max Muncy #13 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is congratulated by Justin Turner #10 as he heads to the dugout after hitting a 2 RBI home run against the Colorado Rockies in the tenth inning at Coors Field on September 23, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO - SEPTEMBER 23: Max Muncy #13 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is congratulated by Justin Turner #10 as he heads to the dugout after hitting a 2 RBI home run against the Colorado Rockies in the tenth inning at Coors Field on September 23, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA – MARCH 21: David Peralta #6 of the Arizona Diamondbacks poses during Photo Day at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on March 21, 2022 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA – MARCH 21: David Peralta #6 of the Arizona Diamondbacks poses during Photo Day at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on March 21, 2022 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) /

The NL West has seen significant changes from top to bottom since the conclusion of the 2021 MLB season. This rings true of most divisions in baseball, as ever since the lockout ended, teams have been very committed to either starting a rebuild or starting to build a championship caliber roster.

For the last decade, the NL West has seemingly been the Dodgers’ division to lose, and while it still may be that way for the upcoming season, division rivals have certainly made a push to compete.

We’ll take this step by step — expectations are high, and the Dodgers are primed to compete for the division title, at the very least, yet again.

But what other changes have occurred?

Dodgers’ NL West Division Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks seem to be the true bottom feeders of the division. This is a team that finished with only 52 wins in 2021, and they made no key additions to their roster for the upcoming season. Ketel Marte and Luke Weaver seem to be the only bright spots for the team, and even they won’t move the needle for this extremely underwhelming unit.

On the bright side, Arizona has four top-100 prospects, three of which are in the top 25 of MLB Pipeline’s latest rankings. However, none of these prospects will be ready to help at the major league level in 2022. If it was hard to tell, I have the Diamondbacks finishing in last place in the NL West by a significant margin, similar to last year. As for a final record prediction, 55-107 sounds fair for the 2022 season.

Dodgers’ NL West Division Preview: Colorado Rockies

Another team that had a disappointing 2021 season and will seemingly continue on that track in 2022 is the Colorado Rockies.

The Rockies finished last season with 74 wins and lost two franchise staples this offseason. Before the lockout, Jon Gray signed a lucrative four-year deal with the Texas Rangers, while longtime shortstop Trevor Story signed a massive contract with the Boston Red Sox.

At the time of writing this, news has also been broken that the Rockies have traded their leadoff hitter, Raimel Tapia, to the Toronto Blue Jays for Randal Grichuk, which could be seen as a significant lineup downgrade. At the very least, Grichuk is an entirely different type of player.

It seems that all that is left of their core is Charlie Blackmon, who has definitely shown his age in the last season or two. With only one prospect ranked in the Top 100, it doesn’t seem like this will be a quick rebuild, either. Luckily, for Rockies fans, that is where the bad news ends, as they found a nice replacement for Trevor Story in Kris Bryant this offseason, signing the 30-year old third baseman to a seven-year contract. As for where they finish in the standings, I see them getting worse without changing their seeding, finishing with a record of 62-100.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 14: Brandon Crawford #35 of the San Francisco Giants makes a play against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the second inning in game 5 of the National League Division Series at Oracle Park on October 14, 2021 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 14: Brandon Crawford #35 of the San Francisco Giants makes a play against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the second inning in game 5 of the National League Division Series at Oracle Park on October 14, 2021 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Dodgers’ NL West Division Preview: San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants have certainly been a surprise in the last two seasons, as they have been significantly better than anyone anticipated.

Last season, they made an extremely competitive series go to five games against the Dodgers in the NLDS.

With that being said, they did lose a few key pieces. Core players such as Kris Bryant, Kevin Gausman, and Donovan Solano all left for different ball clubs, while they also lost Buster Posey to retirement. They seemed to have immediately replaced Gausman’s production with Carlos Rodón, who can be expected to be the Giants’ ace moving forward.

While they did bring in Joc Pederson, it is asking a lot of him to fill the shoes of Kris Bryant and/or Donovan Solano. Joey Bart is also in line to be the starting catcher, as he has been a top prospect in baseball for years now. 2022 will be Bart’s 25-year-old season and he seems to be ready to contribute for the team this year. It does seem like they haven’t improved this offseason, which is why I have them finishing in third place in the division with a record of 84-78.

Dodgers’ NL West Division Preview: San Diego Padres

A significant injury to Fernando Tatis Jr. certainly complicates things for the San Diego Padres, but I am choosing to look at this team with a glass half-full.

Tatis is looking at a late June return if everything goes as planned, which would be about halfway through the season. Luckily for San Diego, they have a top-10 prospect in CJ Abrams, who may be able to help fill the shoes of Tatis until he returns. While that is all too much to ask of a prospect who has yet to make any significant contribution to the MLB roster, it is certainly a help. The Padres also lost key pieces in Matt Strahm, Mark Melancon, Daniel Hudson, and Tommy Pham to free agency. However, that is where the losses end, as they traded for power-hitting first baseman Luke Voit and signed pitchers Nick Martinez and Luis Garcia in the offseason.

Another point to be made is that the Padres will be getting Mike Clevinger back and, hopefully, fully healthy. Clevinger is a dominant pitcher who can provide a great lift to that struggling rotation.

In 2021, the Padres started off hot and became ice cold for the second half of the season. For 2022, I expect the exact opposite, as I think the return of Fernando Tatis Jr. in June or July will provide a spark for them to clinch a playoff spot, finishing with a record of 87-75.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 12: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates with Ozzie Albies #1 after hitting a home run during the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in game four of the National League Division Series at Truist Park on October 12, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 12: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates with Ozzie Albies #1 after hitting a home run during the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in game four of the National League Division Series at Truist Park on October 12, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /

Your Los Angeles Dodgers: First in the NL West

Now for the team you are presumably reading this article for, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

These Dodgers may be the team to experience the most turnover in the offseason amongst the entire division. Kenley Jansen, Max Scherzer, Corey Seager, Joe Kelly, and Corey Knebel have all left for new teams in 2022. That is star production that will be nearly impossible to replace, but Andrew Friedman definitely tried his best.

Signing Freddie Freeman to a six-year contract was a good start, as this offense may be even deadlier than last year when fully healthy. To bolster the pitching staff, the front office brought in Andrew Heaney from the Yankees, who is looking for a bounce back season. Tyler Anderson and Daniel Hudson are also being brought in to provide key innings, whether it be as a starter or a reliever.

As for a season outlook, the Dodgers are clearly favorites to not only win, but run away with the NL West. Even if they sustain injuries, they have the organizational depth to fill numerous holes without missing a beat.

To end 2022, I have the Dodgers finishing with a record of 104-58.

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