Not only did the NL West provide a lot of fireworks last season, but it was by far the most interesting division. A team that won over 100 games finished in second place in their division and was forced to play in a Wild Card game. Could we see that again this season?
The San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers led the race for the NL West title all season long. It was a two-horse race, and it very well may be that way again this season. The Los Angeles Dodgers got much better over the offseason with one trade.
Will it take 107 wins to beat the rest of the division again this season? That said, let’s dig a little deeper into the NL West Division so you can make your bets against the MLB NL Division Odds.
NL West Season Predictions: Winner and Upset | MLB Betting
NL West Winner: Los Angeles Dodgers Potential Pick
The Los Angeles Dodgers played a great season last year, and it was still not enough to take down the San Francisco Giants. Over the offseason, they lost Max Scherzer to the New York Mets.
They did sign Freddie Freeman to a deal, and he will take over as the first baseman for the Dodgers. They also re-signed Clayton Kershaw and will add him back into the rotation.
The Dodgers managed for most of the season and only received 11 starts out of Scherzer after the trade deadline. Walker Buehler will continue to lead the rotation, finishing with a 16-4 record in 33 starts last season. The first three pitchers will also include Kershaw and Julio Jurias, who were outstanding last season for the Dodgers.
After the top three, the final two spots in the rotation may be changing quite a bit depending on who is available and who is pitching well at the time. Names like Andrew Heaney, Tony Gonsolin, David Price, and Tyler Anderson could fill those final two spots.
From an offensive perspective, the Dodgers will be loaded. Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Cody Bellinger, Trea Turner, I mean, should we continue? I feel bad for pitchers in the National League and in the NL West.
The Dodgers did not lose a ton and did not overpay for Scherzer. That is a win within itself, and with the DH, they can use Max Muncy in that role.
The Dodgers are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the 2022 season.
Upset: San Diego Padres Potential Pick
This really may not be much of an upset, but this team thoroughly under-achieved last season. The San Diego Padres finished with a losing record at 79-83. They struggled down the stretch of the season and fell short of making the playoffs.
They will be without Fernando Tatis Jr. for some time due to lingering injuries and issues from last season and through the offseason. That will hurt the team, but the Padres do have a solid pitching staff. They may have the best starting rotation in baseball with Joe Musgrove, Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, and Mike Clevinger.
San Diego did add a power bat by trading for Luke Voit, who can play first base and serve as the DH as well. If the Padres can find a way to compete with the Dodgers, it should be a very interesting season in the NL West.
NL West Standings Predictions
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- San Diego Padres
- San Francisco Giants
- Colorado Rockies
- Arizona Diamondbacks