The NL West, while not quite at AL Central levels of ineptitude quite yet, is still not exactly a pristine division. The Diamondbacks were once leading the charge in the wins column, but once Pollock got injured, a chain reaction was set off leading the Rockies to eventually ascend to 1st.
Now...they're doing alright. They have a .500 record, and they have Nolan Arenado playing pretty damn well right now, as per usual. But...they're not completely amazing yet.
For one thing, the lineup is striking out too much, especially CarGo, Desmond and Story. There's not enough people hitting for average. The reliance is once again on Arenado and LeMahieu, and the latter is currently injured. Blackmon's doing well enough, but his outfield numbers have gone down. The horde of new wave position players, like Ryan McMahon and Pat Valaika, is not working, and David Dahl is just beginning to show promise.
At least the pitching's doing well. Kyle Freeland, Jon Gray, Chad Bettis and closer Wade Davis are all doing good work, despite...essentially rehaulng the new wave of pitchers they brought in last year.
This isn't a bad team, but for a first place team, they need to do a little more in order to prove themselves. They can't win a division with just this. They need to work harder, improve some numbers, and shore up some positions. Or else the Diamondbacks, or Giants, will attack from behind and make them regret not doing anything.
Coming Tomorrow- Surprisingly the best player on the Toronto Blue Jays right now.
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