Warm Stove:
Western Barbecue

Dave Paisley

This week I'm going to bounce into the National League West to take a peek at what's brewing for the defending NL champs and previous World Series winners. Not to mention those pesky Dodgers, Padres and Rockies. That leaves the NL East and AL West coming up in the next two weeks. Whether we'll know if anyone's going to pick up Kenny Rogers or Chuck Finley by then is anyone's guess. Maybe not, though. I mean, there's so much quality pitching talent out there it's no wonder these guys are still polishing their golf games.

But let's hustle on to the rib tickling adventures that await us in the Land of the Giants. here's how my dispassionate analysis sees the NL West going:

Team	OPS	ERA	Runs Scored	Runs Allowed	Wins
Giants	.760	3.96	831	703	94
Diamondbacks	.733	3.82	777	680	92
Dodgers	.694	3.87	699	687	82
Padres	.706	4.43	723	8779	75
Rockies	.748	5.10	807	889	73

As you can see, the Giants and Diamondbacks are once again the cream of the crop. The Giants could be so much better if it wasn't for brain dead moves like keeping J. T. Snow and picking up Neifi "my hero is Rey Ordonez" Perez. Losing Jeff Kent will hurt the offense, because of the aforementioned gaffes and the fact that Edgardo Alfonzo won't be the player they hoped for. So on offense it's Barry Bonds and a cast of midgets. Still, if Barry has another year like the last two, the Giants will be near the top of the league in scoring.

The pitching doesn't change much - swap Damian Moss in for Russ Ortiz and it's about a wash from last year. Which means it will be pretty good, of course. All that adds up to 94 wins and the best record in the NL.

The D'backs trail the Giants by only a hair - worse offense, better pitching. Without a really stellar bat, the offense is a bit ho-hum, but they also lack the black hole that is Neifi Perez (although Tony Womack gets close on occasion.) Luis Gonzalez and Steve Finley are getting a bit long in the tooth, so an offensive collapse could happen. Still, Randy Johnson, and Curt Schilling are unlikely to fall off any cliffs this year, so the pitching should be alright. Elmer Dessens, though? Really, an odd pickup. With Matt Mantei back as closer, it gives Byung-Hyun Kim a chance to play at being a starter. On any other team that might be a daunting prospect, but behind Johnson and Schilling, and even Batista, Kim should be OK. Until Mantei gets injured again and he has to close again, of course. I reckon that happens sometime in May. Overall, best pitching in the league and a mediocre offense results in 92 wins for the Snakes.

While the Dodgers have been fighting off the effects of the Fox regime for some time, last year saw a little resurgence, and this year should maintain that without any real improvement. The high spot offensively is Shawn Green. Then there's um, and yeah, er, and whatsisname. Well, to be honest, once you get past Green, an aging Fred McGriff is about all that's left. Oh, maybe Brian Jordan, too, but really, with Adrian Beltre not living up to the hype, and Cesar Izturis likely to give Neifi Perez a run for his money as the worst hitting starter in the division (if not league), this offense is going nowhere. They'll be begging for Eric Karros by Memorial Day. The pitching is fine, which is what will save the team's dignity, but not by much. 82 wins and third place. Not bad - if you're the Devil Rays. Not really up to Dodger historical standards, though.

Next we have those fumbling friars, those mendacious monks, those parsimonious priests, the San Diego Padres. So much promise, so few results. They haven't done a whole lot in the off season, so Klesko and Kotsay are about it. Add in wild card Sean Burroughs and there are hints of a decent offense, but we've seen that before and been burned. The pitching has a no-name look to it, with Lawwrence, Perez (yet another one), Jarvis, Peavy and Eaton. "Who?", you might well ask... With Trevor Hoffman out for a while, there's nary a brand name in sight - it's all store brand stuff. All that adds up to sub-par offense and sub-par pitching and 75 wins.

If the Padres were bad, how about the Rockies? Of course, some of the Padres and Dodgers offensive woes (and pitching positives) are park driven, and Coors does disguise the Rockies average offense. Walker and Helton should once again rule the thin airwaves of Denver, and Jose Hernandez and Jay Payton add some pop. But Charles Johnson's best days appear to be behind him, and Ron Belliard and Juan Uribe don't excite me in any way at all. So count them in for the third best offensive output, but in an unimpressive way.

Speaking of unimpressive, how about the second worst pitching in the league? (Milwaukee will be marginally worse, trust me...) Don't expect last year's bright spot Denny Stark to repeat his amazing performance at Coors. Do expect Denny Neagle and the rest to repeat theirs, though. No Mike Hampton to kick around, either. Still, if there is a special hell for pitchers it must be located in the Rockies. These guys have an unenviable job, and it doesn't get any prettier this year. Add it all up and there's 73 wins and a last place division finish.

So there's the NL West. But I hear you begging to know what's in store for the Braves. Tune in next week to see if they get their comeuppance...

about the author

Irate Rockies fans please send your complaints to Dave Paisley along with your ski resort preference to drdjp@strikethree.com.