This is a series where we look at the six divisions and break down each team using four superlatives. Each writer was allowed to interpret the first three superlatives however they wanted.
The NL West is among one of the more interesting divisions in baseball, while the Dodgers are the continued leaders in the division. In a 60-game season anything is possible, with the young talent of the Padres to the deep lineup of the Diamondbacks and the Rockies and Giants still having some nice talent, any of them could surprise in 2020.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Their Strength: Lineup
In 2019, the Dodgers had the 4th best wRC+ in the MLB (111 wRC+) and put up a team slashline of .257/.338/.472 with 279 home runs (fourth in the MLB). They added one of the premier outfielders in baseball in Mookie Betts, making their lineup that much deeper. The Dodgers now have last season’s MVP Cody Bellinger, one of the top outfielders in the game in Mookie Betts, and the extremely consistent bat of Justin Turner among others. This lineup is arguably the best in baseball.
Their Weakness: Bullpen
While it's hard to pick a weakness in this Dodgers team, their bullpen is their biggest weakness. They will be relying on a rebound from Blake Treinen who took a major step back as his barrel% was a career high 7.7 and his wOBA took a leap as well going from .317 in 2018 to .336 in 2019. But if Joe Kelly, Blake Treinen, and Kenley Jansen are all pitching at or near their norm the Dodgers are going to be a hard team to consistently score on.
Their Secret Weapon: Alex Wood
Wood was with the Reds last year and struggled with injuries last year and eventually joined Los Angeles on a one-year deal in January. In his last stint with the Dodgers, Wood was one of their more reliable arms amassing 434.2 innings in four years with the club. Wood went over to Driveline to work on his delivery and not only is it cleaner and more consistent, he added a bit of velocity too-now being in the 92-93 range consistently. While the bullpen role seems like the proper positioning, Wood could sneak into a back of the rotation for the Dodgers.
The Possible out of Nowhere guy: Matt Beaty
Beaty came up last year and immediately showed his ability to play. From his walk-off home run against the Rockies to his other clutch moments for the Dodgers, Beaty was starting to become a fan favorite. He would end up hitting .265/.317/.458 with nine home runs and a .775 OPS. Beaty’s ability to hit gap-to-gap plays extremely well in the NL West. While he is blocked by Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson and AJ Pollock, Beaty could break out in a big way in 2020. Especially, with the shortened 60-game season.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Their Strength: Rotation
While the lineup could be the biggest strength here, Adding Madison Bumgarner to the already good rotation, with Robbie Ray and up and coming right-hander Luke Weaver, makes the top of the Dbacks rotation consistent with its strikeout numbers.
Dbacks rotation with K/9 numbers (2019)
Madison Bumgarner: 8.8 K/9
Robbie Ray: 12.1 K/9
Luke Weaver: 9.7 K/9
Zac Gallen: 10.9 K/9
Merill Kelly: 7.8 K/9
There might be some regression with this rotation due to less innings and a little inexperience with Zac Gallen but this lineup has a chance to go deep into games taking some pressure off of the Diamondbacks biggest weakness.
Their Weakness: Bullpen
Other than young right-hander Yoan Lopez and left-hander Andrew Chafin, the Diamondbacks had a fairly underwhelming bullpen. Sporting up a 4.26 ERA (4.40 FIP) and a 2.9 WAR in 597.2 innings pitched. We haven’t talked about the Diamondbacks biggest secret weapon if it all mixes well.
Their Secret Weapon: Archie Bradley
Yes, the Diamondbacks bullpen is their biggest weakness but Archie Bradley has slowly turned into one of the most underrated relievers in baseball. He could take on a similar role to Josh Hader, where he’s that versatile reliever that the Diamondbacks can lean on heavily with his impressive fastball/knuckle curve repertoire and his 10.9 K/9 in 71.2 innings pitched.
The Possible Out Of Nowhere Guy: Seth Beer
Beer is among one of the top prospects in the Diamondbacks system. He was acquired in the Zack Greinke trade from last year. While he profiles more as a DH/first base type, Beer’s bat is good enough to where he could surprise this year with the limited games. Beer did struggle last year after the trade hitting .205/.297/.318 with one home run and a .615 OPS at Double-A Jacksonville. However, in the Fall League he fared much better hitting .315/.375/.452 with a home run and a .827 OPS. If he recovers well from the coronavirus, Beer could net a bench role and DH some games in the latter half of the 2020 season.
San Diego Padres
Their Strength: Bullpen
While the Padres bullpen in 2019, had a 4.59 ERA the more promising numbers are they were 10th in baseball with a 9.27 K/9, and were 8th in baseball with a 4.22 FIP. AJ Preller went out and signed Drew Pomeranz and traded for Emilio Pagan. The back end of that bullpen is going to be fun to watch with Pomeranz, Pagan and Kirby Yates anchoring the bullpen that also includes Craig Stammen and Pierce Johnson who was signed out of the NPB after having his curveball rated as the best in Japan.
Their Weakness: Offense
The Padres biggest weakness is also the most inconsistent one, with the Padres having Fernando Tatis Jr, Eric Hosmer and Manny Machado in the same lineup that creates plenty of promise to produce regularly. In 2019, the Padres were 24th in baseball with a 88 wRC+ and produced a slashline of .238/.308/.410 with 219 home runs and a .718 OPS. The Padres would trade for the high on-base hitter Tommy Pham to anchor the top of the lineup and with the power potential of rookie Trent Grisham this could change in 2020.
Their Secret Weapon: Matt Strahm
Strahm has always been a versatile pitcher since he was traded to San Diego. However, he has been much better out of the bullpen in his career, pitching 30 games as a reliever (3.27 ERA and a 10.1 K/9) and 16 as a starter (5.29 ERA and a 8.9 K/9). Strahm is perfect for this type of season, his long relief abilities give the Padres some leeway with how they use their terrific bullpen in 2020.
The Possible out of Nowhere Guy: Javy Guerra
Guerra was one of the top prospects traded in the Red Sox/Padres Craig Kimbrel trade from 2015. At the time he was a defensively gifted shortstop, who had one of the rawest hit tools in the Red Sox system. After years of failure with the bat, Guerra has turned into a full time pitcher. His fastball can reach triple digits and with his control should get better as he gains more experience pitching. With how good the Padres bullpen is, Guerra shouldn’t be overlooked.
Colorado Rockies
Their Strength: Offense
Hard to imagine the Rockies not having a good offense with their home stadium being Coors-so this was a fairly obvious pick. But with an offense that includes Trevor Story, Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado it's a successful lineup. Last year, as a team they hit .265/.326/.456 with 224 home runs and a .782 OPS. Only problem is they made headlines with Nolan Arenado demanding a trade and being upset with Rockies front office. This is going to be an interesting season for Colorado.
Their Weakness: Bullpen
It's hard to find consistent pitching while playing in Coors, so the Rockies tried stacking up an elite bullpen. They signed Wade Davis and Bryan Shaw, and re-signed Jake Mcgee, this would go on to fail miserably as all three have struggled in their time in Colorado. 2020 looks to be the same with this bullpen and that could ultimately be the demise of the Rockies.
Their Secret Weapon: Scott Oberg
About that bullpen, there's one pitcher that's been consistent for the Rockies and that's Oberg. These last two seasons he’s gone 14-2 with a 2.35 ERA and a 12.17 K/9 while allowing 0.7 HR/9. If the Rockies are smart, they’ll continue to lean on him in any high leverage situations and maybe the bullpen will be a bit better in 2020.
The Possible out of Nowhere Guy: Ashton Goudeau
This is an interesting situation for the Rockies. We’re going to continue on the trend of pitching with Goudeau. Ever since he signed with the Rockies he’s been lights out, having a 2.07 ERA, .215 BAA and a 10.4 K/9 at Double-A Hartford. The 27-year-old journeyman is an arm that no one has seen before in the majors and the Rockies might benefit pretty well from this.
San Fransisco Giants:
Their Strength: Middle of the lineup
The Giants have Mike Yastrzemski and Alex Dickerson anchoring the middle of the lineup as both broke out in 2019.
Yastrezemski: .272/.334/.518 with 21 home runs and a .852 OPS
Dickerson: .276/.332/.489 with 6 home runs and a .820 OPS
The player that will also be in the middle of this order is Hunter Pence, as he too had a good 2019 hitting .297/.358/.552 with 18 home runs and a .910 OPS. Unless there's some regression the Giants have a pretty decent middle of the lineup for the 2020 season.
Their Weakness: Rotation
With the Giants having Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto this shouldn’t be a problem right? They had one of the worst rotations in baseball with a 4.77 ERA, 4.89 FIP and a 8 K/9. They also failed to make any substantial upgrades outside of Kevin Gausman. It does all depend if Cueto is fully healthy and Samardzija is pitching to his norm.
Their Secret Weapon: Trevor Gott
Gott turned the corner last year with the Giants, while finally being healthy for a full year. While he only pitched in 52.2 innings, Gott had a 4.44 ERA but had a 3.12 FIP and a 9.7 K/9. If he progresses on his 2019, this could be a potential trade chip for the Giants to add to their already growing farm system.
The Possible out of Nowhere Guy: Joey Bart
With Buster Posey deciding to opt-out on the 2020 season, this opens the door for Bart. Joey Bart is among the top prospects in baseball. No one is expecting him to be in San Francisco for another year and with limited backstop options for the Giants, Bart makes for an extremely talented option behind the plate. All in all, the Giants need a catcher and Bart is pretty much major league ready.