NL West

It seems like every year the San Francisco Giants enter spring training desperately looking for pieces to add on, not subtract. Guys who have nagging injuries stemming back to the previous season and a good number of non-roster invitees end up making the team.

Uncertainty came with those players (a lot of it) and the Giants' plans often went awry.

The San Francisco Giants have had a "back to business" mentality during this year's spring training.  The team has put last year's success behind them, and they are all ready to assume the task of defending their title of World Series Champions. 

Here are three reasons why the Giants will once again with the National League West.  

Begin Slideshow

Nine innings Blog will be bringing you previews of every Major League Baseball team for the next 30 days. This is in accordance with our 30 teams in 30 days series. Today, we will give you the 2011 preview of the Los Angeles Dodgers as they try to recapture prominence in the National League West division with a somewhat new look roster and a new manager in Don Mattingly.

The decision about who will comprise the back of the rotation just got a little easier for Kirk Gibson.  One of the three players vying for the fourth and fifth spots the rotation, Zach Duke, was injured on Saturday after taking a line drive off his pitching hand.  He suffered two broken bones in the hand and will be out six to eight weeks.

After being a San Francisco Giants fan since I was a little kid in 1962, and enduring so many disappointing failures, the 2010 season made it all worthwhile.  I was beginning to think the Giants winning the World Series would never happen in my lifetime. 

Although I am still basking in the afterglow of the Giants' first world championship in San Francisco, spring training is in full force.  The 2011 San Francisco Giants will be looking to defend their World Series title.

Hold the ticker tape, Giants fans. Sure, the Giants have just blazed through another week of spring training with the lowest team ERA in the Cactus League and the best overall record, but spring training numbers have historically meant almost nothing when it comes to predicting regular season success. In other words, it’s still too soon to begin preparations for another parade down Market Street.

One of the more intriguing position battles this spring is the battle for the Arizona Diamondbacks’ first-base job.

Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers 2006 first-round draft pick, has slowly been gaining steam since making his Major League debut in 2008.  He’s been highly regarded since the day he first donned a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform, but his 2010 campaign showed us just how good he could be:

13 Wins
204.1 Innings
2.91 ERA
1.18 WHIP
212 Strikeouts (9.34 K/9)
81 Walks (3.57 BB/9)
.275 BABIP

Colorado Rockies (2010 record: 83-79)

Notable additions: RHP Matt Lindstrom, INF Jose Lopez, C Jose Morales, INF/OF Ty Wiggington

Notable subtractions: 2B Clint Barmes, RHP Octavio Dotel, SP Jeff Francis, 3B Melvin Mora, C Miguel Olivo

The offense:

The only constant in life is change. The San Diego Padres and their fans are certainly finding this to be true after the heartbreaking end to their 2010 season.

Two months after the season-ending defeat to eventual-champion San Francisco on the season's final day, the Padres made the move most Friar fans saw as inevitable. Homegrown superstar Adrian Gonzalez was shipped away to Boston, and the future seemed uncertain.