The Los Angeles Dodgers have won four straight National League West titles. There is a good chance they extend that impressive run in 2017. The Dodgers are the sports betting favorite to win another division title. It’s difficult to tell whether the San Francisco Giants did enough in the offseason to expect them to bounce back. However, the Colorado Rockies have made some impressive upgrades and could be on the verge of breaking through with a little luck. Here is a look at how to bet on the National League West this season.
The Favorite: Los Angeles Dodgers
Odds To Win National League West: -165
The fact that Los Angeles won an NL West title last year even though Clayton Kershaw missed time due to injury is pretty impressive. Kershaw is healthy again. He leads an impressive starting rotation that features Rich Hill, Kenta Maeda and Julio Urias. Meanwhile, the offense has the potential to be better if Yasiel Puig and Joc Pederson could both take another step forward. Puig in particular is an incredible talent but he hasn’t come close to tapping in to his immense potential. Corey Seager, Adrian Gonzalez and Justin Turner lead an impressive offense that has the potential to put up big numbers again this season. The Dodgers are the clear favorites in the NL East for a reason. It will be very interesting to see if they can stay healthy and challenge the Chicago Cubs for NL supremacy in 2017.
The Dark Horse: Colorado Rockies
Odds To Win National League West: +1400
The Rockies are an excellent sleeper choice to contend in the NL West. Colorado’s offense is absolutely stacked with Ian Desmond joining D.J. LeMahieu, Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez and Nolan Arenado. The Rockies have an opportunity to flat out punish opposing hitters and it will be interesting to see how they fare in terms of their home and road splits once again. Meanwhile, the home and road splits will also be interesting for an intriguing young pitching staff led by Jon Gray and Chad Bettis. Colorado’s starting rotation has the potential to be very good. If they can survive playing half of their games at Coors Field, then the starting rotation could solidify the Rockies position as playoff contenders in 2017.
The Disappointment San Francisco Giants
Odds To Win National League West: +225
Los Angeles might not have won the NL East last season if it weren’t for a brutal collapse by the Giants bullpen. San Francisco said goodbye to Sergio Romo, Chris Heston and Santiago Casilla. The Giants brought in Mark Melancon with the hope that he can help solidify their bullpen in the closer role. That is a lot to ask for from Melancon, especially since they didn’t sign any help to set him up. Meanwhile, the starting rotation should be solid with Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto leading the way once again. However, the offense could be very average after failing to upgrade in the offseason. San Francisco’s depth is very average and their lack of power could be an issue. The Giants are expected to challenge Los Angeles for NL East supremacy in 2017. However, the more realistic expectation might be contending for an NL Wild Card spot. San Francisco could make it back to the postseason but don’t expect them to take down the Dodgers at the top of their division.
Best Regular Season Win Total To Bet: Padres Under 66
It seems like just last offseason, the Padres were loading up. Oh wait – that was last offseason. And the year before. This time, the Padres have been quiet. In the long run, it should be good. In the short term, there will be lots of pain. You simply can’t dump Andrew Cashner, Matt Kemp, Fernando Rodney, Drew Pomeranz, Melvin Upton Jr and a few others and expect to still be good. The rebuild is what they needed but they just don’t have a ton of talent that’s ready to make them better right now. Last year, they were a 68-win team. This year, they’ll probably be even worse. Things will turn around for them in 2018 and on.
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