Baseball Update: NL West

The Baseball Update takes a look at the happenings around Major League Baseball

At the beginning of the year, did you think the NL West would be the most competitive division in baseball? I am assuming no. I, like the rest of you, thought the NL West would be a one-man show with the Dodgers. And after the first month it looked like that was going to happen. But since the beginning of June, the NL West has become the best division in the National League. The Los Angeles Dodgers have the best record in baseball, the Giants have the second best record in the NL and lead the Wild Card, while the Rockies are only a 0.5 game behind the Giants.

Fortunately for these teams, injuries have not decimated them. All three of the teams have sorta of remained healthy throughout the year so far. This of course could all change. But for right now, the NL West is the best division in baseball right behind the AL East.

They are going to regret this: The San Francisco Giants are going to regret not trading for Mark DeRosa. And to make matters worse, the team they will battle for the Wild Card spot, the Cardinals, picked DeRosa up in a trade. DeRosa is only batting .267, but he has hit 13 home runs and 50 RBI's. And the one problem the Giants have is the one bat in their lineup that can drive in runs on a consistent basis. DeRosa would have fit in perfectly for the Giants, because he can play multiple positions. Also the Cardinals gave up next to nothing for him. The Giants could have given up a couple of prospects to pick up DeRosa. They will regret not trading for him.

They miss Manny: The Los Angeles Dodgers did quite well at first without suspended star Manny Ramirez. But right now, they miss his bat in the lineup. Opposing teams are not afraid of the Dodgers lineup without Ramirez. With Manny in the lineup it's a different story. The other Dodger hitters can relax at the plate and mash with the best lineups in baseball. The Dodger hitters will be glad to see Ramirez return at the beginning of July.

The Panda!: San Francisco Giants 3rd baseman Pablo 'Panda' Sandoval has finally turned into the hitter the Giants expected at the first part of the season. Last season the Giants called up Sandoval in the September call-ups. He impressed the team so much, that he was almost guaranteed a starting spot at the end of last season.

At the beginning of the season Sandoval struggled mightily. He swung at too many bad pitches and struck out a lot. But since the beginning of June, Sandoval has turned into the hitter the Giants expected. He is still young, Sandoval turned 23 last week, and he has the potential to be a Manny Ramirez type of hitter. Right now, Sandoval still hasn't figured out how to hit with runners in scoring position but in time he will. Whenever Sandoval figures out how to be a complete hitter, he will be one of the best players in baseball.

Red hot: After starting the season off poorly and firing their manager, the Colorado Rockies have been red hot. In June the Rockies have a 20-6 record. The big reason the Rockies have turned around their season is because their starting pitching has turned things around. The team ERA is at 4.47 with 489 strikeouts. The addition of Houston Street as their closer has also improved the staff mightily. Street has only one blown save in the season.

The Rockies will stay in the hunt for a playoff spot for the rest of the season. The majority of their lineup played in the World Series two years ago. So they do know how to win.