NL West

One guy already did it for the NL Central. Now it's time for the NL West!

There's many talented players in this division. And one of them happens to be the defending World Champions (Giants)

The division's been considered a joke for a little bit now, but let's see who the best and second best is.

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For 15 years, Giants managers were blessed with one of the easiest lineup decisions in history—putting Barry Bonds in left field. And for 15 years, it was a position that didn't need to concern fans or coaches—if you had a five-year-old making the lineups for the San Francisco Giants, they would, without fail, know who to put in left field. 

Then they had Fred Lewis, Randy Winn, Eugenio Velez, John Bowker, and Brian Horwitz. That's right, those guys.

1. San Francisco Giants (92-70)

They may have barely snuck into the playoffs last year, but their rings show just how well put together this team is.

With a starting rotation that features some of the best young arms the league has to offer, their offense can afford to put up relatively low totals as they watch the opposing hitters sit down one by one.

The 2011 Colorado Rockies have a lot of potential firepower in their mostly very young lineup.  Jim Tracy has yet to make a final decision on an opening day roster, but in looking at his spring training games so far, piecing a projected lineup together is getting a little easier.

The Rockies have a couple of the game's hottest bats right now and this could be a breakout year for them, which in turn could lead to a very good year for the Rockies.  A few questions remain, but let's take a look at what the Rockies lineup might look like on opening day.

Once again, the Arizona Diamondbacks ended the season at the bottom of the NL West. The Diamondbacks went just 65-97 in 2010, their worst record since going 51-111 in 2004.

The Diamondbacks are turning to general manager Kevin Towers, who was signed in September of last year. Towers wasted little time renovating the Diamondbacks roster.

The Colorado Rockies were unable to make it back to the postseason for a third time in four years, as they finished 2010 third in the division with a record of 83-79.

The Rockies, however, have the pieces in place to make it back to the playoffs this season, as they have a ton of great players on the field and on the mound. Colorado should contend for its first NL West crown in team history.

The San Diego Padres will have to find a way to overcome a terrible finish to the 2010 season. The Padres were atop the National League at 76-49 on Aug. 25, but fell apart down the stretch, going just 14-23 to finish the year.

San Diego ended up finishing second in the division to the San Francisco Giants, who eventually won the World Series.

Last season, The San Francisco Giants took advantage of a late-season collapse by the San Diego Padres to win the National League West with a record of 92-70. San Francisco carried that momentum all the way to the World Series, where they beat the Texas Ranges.

With a top level pitching staff secured for year to come, San Francisco is no doubt a threat to not only repeat in the NL West, but to return to the World Series this year.

It wasn't the season the Los Angeles Dodgers were hoping for in the final year under manager Joe Torre. The Dodgers didn't exactly play badly at 80-82, but finished fourth in the NL West. Torre's replacement is Don Mattingly, who will try and bring life to an organization that hasn't made the playoffs since 2006.

As defending World Series champions, the San Francisco Giants had a relatively quiet offseason. 

General Manager Brian Sabean felt little need to shake up an intriguing roster filled with castoffs, journeyman and young talents starting to reach their potential. 

Sabean let World Series MVP Edgar Renteria leave for a one-year, $3 million deal with the defending NL Central champion Cincinnati Reds.