THE NL WEST

Since 2003 every team in the NL West has won the division title except for one, and that one team has been to a Division and World Series two of the last three years by way of the Wildcard. So my odds for predicting in March how the division will look in October/November are about as good as Manny Ramirez legitimately passing a drug test, but I will make an attempt nonetheless.
The 2009-2010 season was extremely competitive at the top with the Dodgers, Rockies and Giants. The Padres made a stong push at the tail end of the season and the Diamondbacks when healthy, may boast the best pitching staff in the division. However I think this season may be more of the same leaving the 2011-2012 season for the young Pads and oft injured Dbacks to put themselves in serious contention. This lets the Dodgers, Giants and Rockies battle for the division crown. With that being said, no team this offseason has done anything to clearly seperate themselves from the pack. Which is why I believe this division is as up for grabs as any in baseball. I mean this is a division where the big free agent pickups were Edwin Jackson, Aubrey Huff, Melvin Mora, Jon Garland, and Garrett Anderson. Yes you read that right....hardly household names to say the least. The average baseball fan may not even know these players exist, but with the likes of Manny Ramirez and Matt Kemp, Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, Todd Helton and Troy Tulowitzki, Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell, Brandon Webb and Dan Haren the division does maintain some star power. So as it stands today, I have no choice but to unveil my projection of the how the division will play out:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

2. San Francisco Giants

3. Colorado Rockies

4. San Diego Padres

5. Arizona Diamondbacks

All five in depth team previews to follow.......