Welcome to the wild, wild National League West where nothing has gone as expected throughout the first six weeks. The Colorado Rockies own the best record in the division. The Los Angeles Dodgers, who were favorite to win the NL West, currently sit third in the division. Finally, the San Francisco Giants are seven games below .500 and look nothing like the team that was expected to contend for a playoff spot this season. Can the Rockies actually win an NL West title this season? Will the Giants eventually turn things around? Here is a look at the weakest link for each National League West team.
Colorado Rockies: Outfield
Colorado has scored enough runs to match the best record in the National League through 40 games. However, the consensus is that the Rockies have underachieved at the plate. Ian Desmond’s return to health should help in that area. However, Colorado still has a major hole in left field that has been a weak link. David Dahl has been sidelined with a rib injury that he suffered in the spring. Gerardo Parra’s struggles have forced Colorado’s hand at the position and the result has been Desmond getting some playing time there. Desmond has some pop in him but the Rockies still need more consistency from Parra. Carlos Gonzalez is another outfielder that hasn’t lived up to expectations early on this season. Eventually, Desmond, Gonzalez and Dahl should make up a solid outfield group. In the meantime, the Rockies need more production out of Parra when he is called on to play left field.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Catcher
Arizona is off to an excellent start. Chris Iannetta and Jeff Mathis have been solid defensively for the Diamondbacks. However, the platoon has provided next to nothing for Arizona at the plate. Iannetta and Mathis deserve some credit for helping the Diamondbacks pitching staff lower its ERA from an MLB-worst 5.09 mark a year ago to a 3.79 mark this season. However, it has come at the cost of a major hole in the Diamondbacks lineup. Arizona will likely stick with its current duo at the position. That means it will be on Iannetta and Mathis to turn things around at the plate.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Center Field
The Dodgers are off to a better start than San Francisco. That said, there is definitely room for improvement. The center field position in particular has been an obvious weak link. Joc Pederson is never going to win a batting title. However, his power made him a reliable option in center field up until this year when he has struggled in that area. Pederson’s walk rate is down and he has just one home run in his first 88 plate appearances. Kike Hernandez has struggled at the plate and Andrew Toles is out for the year with a torn ACL. The Dodgers desperately need Pederson to turn things around and give them a reliable power hitter option at the center field position.
San Francisco Giants: Left Field
It’s impossible to blame San Francisco’s struggles on just one position. However, left field might very well be the weakest link among many for the Giants this season. San Francisco has already had eight different players line up in left field, which is absolutely ridiculous this early in the year. 2016 All-Star Eduardo Nunez was the obvious answer to the Giants struggles in left field but he has hit just .115 with a .332 OPS in games where he has played in left field this season. San Francisco might eventually decide to give top prospect Mac Williamson an opportunity now that he is healthy in Triple-A, but that will stretch a thin farm system even further. The Giants have a number of pressing issues throughout their roster. The left field position has been a major sore spot among many for San Francisco so far this season.
San Diego Padres: Catcher
The Padres moved Derek Norris in the offseason in order to clear room for Austin Hedges to make an immediate impact after he delivered a monster season in Triple-A in 2016. However, Hedges has struggled early on with a .221 batting average. The good news is that Hedges has provided some pop with eight home runs and 20 RBI in 122 plate appearances. The bad news is that San Diego has the worst record in the NL West and they need more consistency from their young catcher at the plate. The Padres are committed to Hedges both in the long and short term. If he can maintain his power stroke while raising his average then Hedges could turn a weak link in to a positive for San Diego.
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