2024 Division Outlook: NL West

Welcome back to another round of the division preview series, this time heading over to the west coast portion of the NL and tackling the National League West. The National League West has a lot of potential to be one of the strongest divisions in the sport. The Dodgers are obviously exist and are the favorites, but the Diamondbacks are coming off a World Series appearance and don't sleep on the Giants or Padres. With that being said, the division looks to be competitive in the new season, with a plethora of talent to be showcased. With all that being said, let's dive into the five teams that make up the National League West.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Key Additions
- 3B Eugenio Suarez
- LHP Eduardo Rodriguez
- OF/DH Joc Pederson
- OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Key Loses
- 3B Evan Longoria
- OF Tommy Pham

Coming off an improbable World Series appearance in 2023, the Diamondbacks are entering 2024 ready to go and eager to finish the job this time around. Veteran manager Torey Lovullo has a strong roster assembled for him, putting Arizona in a strong position to prove that last year was not a fluke.

Headlined by none other than Corbin Carroll, the Diamondbacks lineup can make some serious noise. The 2023 NL Rookie of the Year is coming off a sensational rookie season, where he put up 25 homes runs and 54 stolen bases, proving why the Diamondbacks extended the outfielder after only 38 career major league games. Veterans Ketel Marte, Christian Walker, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. surround Carroll at the top of the lineup, a top four that will create fear for opposing pitchers. Veteran offseason acquisitions Joc Pederson and Eugenio Suarez add some pop and depth to Arizona's lineup, with the core of the lineup being capped off by an up and coming catcher in Gabriel Moreno. Alek Thomas and Geraldo Perdomo look to round off this lineup, which is seemingly underrated heading into 2024. Looking away from the offensive production, this linuep has a chance to be one of the strongest defensive teams in the league this year. Corbin Carroll and Alek Thomas patrol the outfield like no other duo can, Christian Walker is one of the smoothest first baseman in the game, and Gabriel Moreno is already an elite defensive backstop. Watch out for this Arizona defense, as they can easily bring home a multitde of gold gloves this year.

On the pitching side, Arizona's rotation is led by Zac Gallen, an ace that is coming off a third place finish in the NL Cy Young race. At times, Gallen can straight up dominate any lineup and he's backed by an underappreciated rotation. Merrill Kelly seems to be slept on at times, but compliments Gallen as a very strong 1-2 duo atop the rotation. Even though that duo is coming back for 2024, Arizona went out and got two of the best left handed pitchers in baseball, adding Eduardo Rodriguez and Jordan Montgomery via free agency. Backed by Brandon Pfaadt, the Diamondbacks rotation follows their lineup in the sense that both seem to be heavily underrated heading into the new season.

While they don't have the star power the might Los Angeles Dodgers have, the Diamondbacks have assembled a very strong roster. With that being said, I don't seem them winning the division, but I do see them making it competitive and at least making the postseason, with a chance to do something special once again.

Team MVP: Corbin Carroll

Team Cy Young: Zac Gallen

Team X-Factor: Bullpen

The Nationals will host Arizona for a three game set from June 18-20, and travel to the desert for a three game set from July 29-31.

Colorado Rockies

Key Additions
- RHP Cal Quantrill
- RHP Dakota Hudson
- C Jacob Stallings
- LHP Jalen Beeks

Key Loses
- RHP Chris Flexen
- LHP Brent Suter

Ah, the lovely Colorado Rockies. The Rockies do exist in the NL West, but won't be nearly as competitive as the other four teams that inhabit the NL West. Due to the Rockies being the Rockies and the state they are in, I won't take too much time talking about them.

The Rockies lineup has a few bright spots, but they do play 81 game sin Coors Field, allowing anyone to have a strong offensive season. Headlined by 2023 breakout Nolan Jones, Colorado's lineup has got some work to do. In only 106 games last season, Jones posted a .931 OPS and finished fourth for National League Rookie of the Year. He also has an elite arm, posting an arm strength of 98.9 mph, putting him in the 100th percentile last year. The Rockies will enter year three of the anomaly that is the Kris Bryant contract, as they hope to get any offensive value from him. Veterans Charlie Blackmon, Ryan McMahon, Elias Diaz make up a third of their linuep, as they hope to provide some stability in Denver. The rest of Colorado's offensive attack will consist of young players trying to prove themselves as Major League players, including Brendan Rodgers, Ezequiel Tovar, Michael Toglia, and Brenton Doyle.

Colorado's lowlight will once again be their pitching, as their rotation includes Kyle Freeland, Cal Quantrill, Austin Gomber, Ryan Feltner, and Dakota Hudson. None of those names jump off the page at all, but Gomber and Feltner can hopefully develop into potential pieces for Colorado's future pitching staff. Colorado's closer looks to be Justin Lawrence, who turned in a strong 2023 season and is looking to build off that this year. Outside of those names, I really can not say much else about Colorado's pitching, so let's just leave the Rockies review at that.

Team MVP: Nolan Jones

Team Cy Young: Austin Gomber?? (No one to be honest)

Team X-Factor: It doesn't matter but Brendan Rodgers

The Nationals will travel to Coors Field for three games from June 21-23, and host Colorado for three games from August 20-22.

San Diego Padres

Key Additions
- RHP Dylan Cease
- RHP Michael King
- LHP Yuki Matsui
- LHP Wandy Peralta
- RHP Randy Vasquez
- RHP Jhony Brito
- C Kyle Higashioka

Key Loses
- OF Juan Soto
- LHP Josh Hader
- LHP Blake Snell
- RHP Nick Martinez
- RHP Michael Wacha
- OF Trent Grisham
- RHP Seth Lugo
- RHP Drew Thorpe

The San Diego Padres look to comeback from being one of the biggest disappointments in the 2023 seasons, missing the playoffs after assembling an impressive roster. AJ Preller went through a re-tooling this offseason, watching key players like Juan Soto, Blake Snell, and Josh Hader all depart, but bringing in some key guys like Dylan Cease. Will that re-tool be enough to get the Padres back into the postseason?

Their lineup obviously contains stars like Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts at the top. All three are elite run producers and a three headed monster of their own, just not nearly to the extent of the Dodgers monstrous lineup. Jake Cronenworth is aiming for a bounce back season, while Ha-Seong Kim tries to replicate his 2023 offensive breakout season. Luis Campusano and Jackson Merrill are two players to keep an eye on, as they both look to standout this season and prove themselves as pieces of the future of the Padres core. The Padres struggled massively with runnners in scoring position last year, and that metric this year will once again drastically impact their postseason odds.

The aforementioned Dylan Cease joins a rotation that already has Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish, creating a somewhat boom or bust rotation in my opinion. All three have ace caliber performances, but all three also have their fair share of struggles with command and getting hit hard. Part of the return in the Juan Soto deal was Michael King, who broke out in his time as a starter in the Yankees rotation last year. There is some questions on whether or not King can handle a full time starting role, but only time will tell on that. Matt Waldron wraps up the Padres rotation and is a guy I don't have much to say about. Like I said, this rotation has a lot of boom or bust potential in my eyes, with new manager Mike Shildt really hoping for the boom potential to make up for the loss of Blake Snell in free agency.

Team MVP: Fernando Tatis Jr.

Team Cy Young: Dylan Cease

Team X-Factor: Michael King

The Nationals will visit the Padres for a three game set from June 24-26, and host San Diego for three games from July 23-25.

San Francisco Giants

Key Additions
- LHP Blake Snell
- 3B Matt Chapman
- DH Jorge Soler
- OF Jung Hoo Lee
- RHP Jordan Hicks
- LHP Robbie Ray

Key Loses
- SS Brandon Crawford
- OF/DH Joc Pederson
- OF Mitch Haniger
- RHP Ross Stripling
- LHP Sean Manaea
- LHP Alex Wood
- RHP Anthony DeSclafani
- RHP Jakob Junis

The San Francisco Giants had a great offseason, an offseason that seems to be rather underrated. They tried to address each part of their roster, adding rotation pieces and offensive depth. Former Athletics and Padres manager Bob Melvin has now moved over to the Giants and looks to take them back to the postseason in a crowded National League West.

Free agent acquisitions make up almost half of the Giants lineup, with Jung Hoo Lee, Matt Chapman, Jorge Soler, and Nick Ahmed all looking to make an impact. Coming over from the KBO, Lee hopes to translate this impressive contact and defensive skills in his inaugural season in the MLB. Chapman, a premier defender at the hot corner, is gonna be heavily depended on as a cornerstone of the Giants offense. His bat can be really hot and cold at times, so the Giants are hoping to get some more consistency from him. Jorge Soler then provides some much needed power on the West Coast for San Francisco. LaMonte Wade Jr., Michael Conforto, Wilmer Flores, Thairo Estrada, Mike Yastrzemski will all be contributors in the lineup. Overall, there is some serious potential in the Giants lineup, but it honestly relies on everyone performing together.

On the pitching side, there is some boom or bust to be had with the Giants rotation. Logan Webb is a perennial Cy Young award candidate every year, a trend that will continue in 2024. The Giants added the 2023 NL Cy Young award winner via free agency, but it looks to be another week or two before we see Blake Snell make his Giants debut. Despite winning the Cy Young last year, some of Snell's expected statistics were not too keen on him, leaving some question in terms of the odds of Snell's ability to repeat at that level. Regardless, it is hard to question a two time Cy Young award winner. Kyle Harrison aims to develop in 2024, and as a former top prospect, the southpaw has the talent to do so. Flamethrower Jordan Hicks has been a reliever for practically his whole career, but the Giants are aiming to turn him into a starter full time this season. HIs velocity and movement is no joke, but he can struggle massively at times, causing some concern on his ability to perform as a starter for a full season. Alex Cobb and Robbie Ray will start the year on the shelf for the Giants, but can be extremely essential reinforcements throughout the season to add serious depth to the Giants staff. As a whole unit, I expect the Giants pitching staff to perform at a top 5 level in the National League, but will it be enough to overcome the heavyweight Dodgers?

Team MVP: Logan Webb

Team Cy Young: Logan Webb

Team X-Factor: Matt Chapman

The Nationals will visit glorious Oracle Park for three games from April 8-10, and host the Giants for a four game series from August 5-8.

The National League West looks to be a competitive division in 2024, despite having a heavy favorite in the Dodgers. The Giants, Padres, and Diamondbacks all having rosters that can put them into a place to compete. While I think those three squads can be competitive in the playoff picture within the National League, I simply can not see them overtaking the Los Angeles Dodgers and the squad they have assembled. Only one other squad lives in the division, but they are relatively irrelevant, with that team being the Colorado Rockies. To wrap everything up, here are my division predictions for the NL West in 2024:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (105-57)
2. Arizona Diamondbacks (88-74)
3. San Francisco Giants (86-76)
4. San Diego Padres (82-80)
5. Colorado Rockies (59-103)