Arizona Diamondbacks

2007: Arizona entered the season expected to compete in a tight NL West race, and managed to come out on top, despite being outscored overall by their opponents. The offense, in particular, struggled mightily to score runs, with highly touted prospect Carlos Quentin proving a damp squib, and sent down to Tucson mid-season. Stephen Drew also struggled at shortstop, but the pitching kept the team alive. Brandon Webb followed up his Cy Young season by improving his stats, and the bullpen was very impressive, led by Jose Valverde’s major-league leading 47 saves. They won the division, just pipping the Padres and Rockies, then swept the Cubs in the Division Series, but were swept in turn by the wild-card Rockies in the Championship Series.

Off-season Additions: RHP Dan Haren, RHP Chad Qualls, INF Chris Burke, RHP Billy Buckner, RHP Juan Gutierrez

Off-season Losses: RHP Livan Hernandez, RHP Jose Valverde, 1B Tony Clark, OF Jeff Davanon, OF Carlos Quentin, LHP Dana Eveland, INF Alberto Callaspo

2008 Projected Lineup:
1. Chris Young, CF
2. Orlando Hudson, 2B
3. Conor Jackson, 1B
4. Eric Byrnes, LF
5. Mark Reynolds, 3B
6. Justin Upton, RF
7. Stephen Drew, SS
8. Chris Snyder, C

2008 Projected Staff:
1. Brandon Webb
2. Dan Haren
3. Randy Johnson
4. Doug Davis
5. Micah Owings
Setup: Chad Qualls, Tony Peña
Closer: Brandon Lyon

Fantasy Stud: Brandon Lyon moves from the set-up role to close, and should post 30 or more saves, even if he allows more homers (only two in 74 innings last year). Brandon Webb will continue to be among the best pitchers in the NL. He’s made 100 starts in the past three seasons, and only once has failed to finish five innings. On the offense, there’s no prototypical “big bopper,” but center fielder Chris Young could lead the team in homers once again. He had 32 homers last season, and stole 27 bases, a rare combination for a rookie. However, his batting average (.237 in 2007) needs to improve for him to become a true stud.

Fantasy Dud: With a young team, age and experience should lead to improvements at most positions. One question mark might be Eric Byrnes, who signed a three-year contract in the middle of last season, and then hit .243 over the last two months. This may just have been his usual second-half slump; in his career, his average there is 51 points lower than his first-half mark (.239 to .290). He may still be worth a flyer, but be sure to trade him by the All-Star break.

Under The Radar: Don’t be fooled if Jackson starts off slowly. He had a wretched April, hitting .217, but rebounded to bat .296 the rest of the way, and in the second-half, had a better SLG than Derrek Lee or Todd Helton. With Tony Clark gone, he’ll get extra plate appearances, though may be somewhat platooned with Chad Tracy, if Tracy is healthy. He’ll never be Albert Pujols, but a .300 season with twenty homers is not out of the question.

Prospect Watch: Arizona’s farm system is no longer one of the best in the majors, with most of the gems now either having reached the majors, or been traded away [outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, for example, was one of the main cogs in the trade for Dan Haren]. First-round pick Max Scherzer made his pro debut last season, allowing just five hits and 30 K’s in seventeen innings at High-A Visalia, and finished the season at Double-A. His role is still uncertain: he has been a starter, but he may be moved to the bullpen. His impact in 2008 will likely be limited, but he could well be the closer of the future.

Jim McLennan was born in the UK, but has been obsessed with the Diamondbacks since their formation in 1998. He writes about them at the AZ Snakepit and also founded Diamondbacks Bullpen, the premier unofficial team forum.

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Colorado Rockies

2007: The Rockies and Padres finished tied for second in the National League West after 162 games, each with a record of 89-73, so the two teams engaged in a one-game playoff to see who would advance to MLB’s post-season. The Rockies beat Jake Peavy in that contest and went on to sweep the Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS and NLCS, respectively, before getting a taste of their own medicine against the Red Sox in the World Series.

Off-season Additions: 2B Marcus Giles, RP Luis Vizcaino, RP Jose Capellan, SP Kip Wells

Off-season Losses: 2B Kaz Matsui, RP LaTroy Hawkins, RP Denny Bautista, RP Elmer Dessens, IF Jamey Carroll

2008 Projected Lineup:
1. Willy Taveras, CF
2. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
3. Todd Helton, 1B
4. Matt Holliday, LF
5. Garrett Atkins, 3B
6. Brad Hawpe, RF
7. Yorvit Torrealba, C
8. Ian Stewart/Jayson Nix/Marcus Giles, 2B

2008 Projected Staff:
1. Jeff Francis
2. Aaron Cook
3. Ubaldo Jimenez
4. Franklin Morales
5. Jason Hirsh
6. Mark Redman
7. Kip Wells
Setup: Brian Fuentes, Taylor Buchholz
Closer: Manny Corpas

Fantasy Stud: Matt Holliday was deserving of the 2007 National League MVP award, but so was Jimmy Rollins. Holliday will continue to be a top-five player in fantasy baseball. Troy Tulowitzki burst onto the scene in a big way and earned a record-setting contract extension for his efforts. He’s regarded as highly as perennial All-Star Derek Jeter is in fantasy drafts.

Fantasy Dud: Brian Fuentes lost his closer’s job mid-way through last season, and with the success Manny Corpas had in the role, Fuentes is unlikely to regain it. The back-end of the rotation is filled with young pitchers with upside, but Jimenez, Morales and Hirsch are far from sure things.

Under The Radar: Garrett Atkins may be overlooked at third base thanks to the glut of talent at the position—think A-Rod, David Wright, Miguel Cabrera, Ryan Braun—and his own superstar teammates. Still, Matt Holliday’s best friend provides great lineup protection should Clint Hurdle decide to swap Holliday and Helton in the batting order as has been discussed.

Prospect Watch: The second-base job is wide open. Ian Stewart, previously a top third base prospect, could shift to the middle infield in an effort to provide offense from the position. As a 22-year-old in Triple-A, Stewart hit .304/.379/.478 with 15 HR and 65 RBI. Jayson Nix is a more natural second baseman, but he doesn’t provide as much offensive upside.

This profile was written by the noble lads over at Seamless Baseball, which is MVN’s fantasy baseball wing. The team includes Cory Humes and Derek Nelson, who together founded Roster, and Edwin Van Bibber-Orr, a PhD student at Yale.

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Los Angeles Dodgers

2007: We failed. What happened was that a team with World Series talent and capabilities managed to finish fourth in its own division. There was a very obvious identity crisis last year under former manager Grady Little, and a team that wasn’t supposed to score many runs stayed true to its billing, as management flip-flopped on whether to go with the vets or embrace the popular L.A. youth movement.

There was turmoil in the locker room, and they completely faded down the stretch. After .500 or better records in the first four months of the season, the Dodgers went 25-32 in the last two months and watched their playoff hopes crumble as everyone pointed fingers.

Injuries to the pitching staff didn’t help much at all; 15 Million-Dollar-Man, Jason Schmidt, was lost for the season early on, as was Randy Wolf, Yhency Brazoban, Hong-Chih Kuo, and Chin-Hui Tsao. An overall 82-80 record doesn’t even begin to explain the disappointment of having to watch division foes Arizona and Colorado compete for a chance to get swept in the World Series.

Off-season Additions: Manager Joe Torre, OF Andruw Jones, SP Hiroki Kuroda, C Gary Bennett, LHP Mike Myers, LHP Tom Martin

Off-season Losses: OF Luis Gonzalez, SP Randy Wolf, IF Olmedo Saenz, LHP Mark Hendrickson, SP David Wells, C Mike Lieberthal to retirement, IF Wilson Valdez, SP D.J. Houlton

2008 Projected Lineup:
1. Rafael Furcal, SS
2. Russell Martin, C
3. Matt Kemp, RF
4. Andruw Jones, CF
5. Jeff Kent, 2B
6. James Loney, 1B
7. Nomar Garciapara/Andy LaRoche, 3B
8. Juan Pierre/Andre Ethier, LF

2008 Projected Staff:
1. Derek Lowe
2. Brad Penny
3. Chad Billingsley
4. Hiroki Kuroda
5. Jason Schmidt
6. Esteban Loaiza
Setup: Jon Broxton, Scott Proctor, Joe Beimel, Rudy Seanez
Closer: Takashi Saito

Fantasy Stud: Russell Martin. At a position not generally known for its fantasy offensive prowess, Russ led all NL catchers in games, at-bats, runs, hits, home runs, total bases, stolen bases, batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage last year. Coming off his 19 home runs and 21 stolen bases, you have to believe Martin has a shot to become the first 20-20 Dodger since Shawn Green hit 49 jacks and stole 20 bases in 2001.

Fantasy Dud: Derek Lowe. He’s probably the most complete pitcher on the Dodger staff right now, and don’t get me wrong, I love him to death and we’re super lucky to have him. This isn’t an easy topic to answer—which guy on your favorite team is going to be a “dud”—but statistic-wise, if history finds a way to repeat itself, Derek might be in fantasy trouble yet again. He did win 16 games two years ago, but his 12-14 record last year didn’t get close to doing justice to his 199 innings and 3.88 ERA. The Dodgers have gotten into a bad habit of not scoring runs for him, and in the four games last year in which he pitched eight innings or more, Lowe somehow ended taking the loss in three of them. Tough luck.

Under The Radar: Actually, in his third year with the Dodgers, it’s probably leadoff hitter Rafael Furcal. Furcal is heading into the final year of his three-year deal, and you have to believe that he doesn’t want this to be his last season in L.A. After initially injuring his ankle in spring training last season, Furcal never returned to form all year.

Get this; since his breakout year in 2003 (five seasons ago), Furcal notched lows in games played, runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, walks, stolen bases, batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage all last season. Go ahead and read that back again. If you think a player of Rafael Furcal’s caliber is ever going to have a season like that again, you’re crazy.

Prospect Watch: Andy LaRoche is going to be given a legitimate shot to outplay Nomar and win the starting third base job straight out of spring training. If he doesn’t he’ll most likely start the season back in Triple-A, but there’s no way Nomar makes it through the season fully healthy. Even if LaRoche doesn’t win the job in May, it could be his for good come July or August. He got all of his 93 major-league at-bats last season, getting only 10 RBI and managing a measly .312 SLG.

His 2006 and 2007 minor-league numbers, however, were off the charts. Check this out: he put together a .399 OBP and .589 SLG at Vegas last year, after posting a .410 OBP and .514 SLG in 2006 between Vegas and Jacksonville.

Aaron Sapiro writes about the Los Angeles Dodgers at Rockin’ the Ravine. He also contributed to The Hardball Times Season Preview, available for purchase at ACTA Sports.

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San Diego Padres

2007: The Padres had high expectations after winning the NL West each of the previous two seasons. Jake Peavy looked to improve on his relatively lackluster 2006, while Adrian Gonzalez was busy establishing himself as an emerging star at first base. With future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux joining the rotation and former Angels pitching coach Bud Black taking over as manager, the Padres figured to be in the thick of things yet again. In a much improved NL West, though, there were no guarantees. Thanks to inconsistency at the back end of the rotation and a late-season surge by Colorado, the Padres finished on the outside looking in for the first time since 2004.

Off-season Additions: 1B Tony Clark, 2B/OF Callix Crabbe, OF Jim Edmonds, RHP Michael Gardner, RHP Carlos Guevara, 2B Tadahito Iguchi, RHP Mark Prior, SS Luis Rodriguez, LHP Chris Young, RHP Mauro Zarate

Off-season Losses: INF Geoff Blum, OF Milton Bradley, RHP Doug Brocail, OF Mike Cameron, RHP Jack Cassel, OF Brady Clark, 3B Morgan Ensberg, 2B Marcus Giles, OF Jason Lane, OF Rob Mackowiak, RHP Brett Tomko

2008 Projected Lineup:
1. Brian Giles, RF
2. Tadahito Iguchi, 2B
3. Kevin Kouzmanoff, 3B
4. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
5. Khalil Greene, SS
6. Jim Edmonds, CF
7. Josh Bard/Michael Barrett, C
8. Scott Hairston/Chase Headley, LF

2008 Projected Staff:
1. Jake Peavy
2. Chris Young
3. Greg Maddux
4. Randy Wolf
5. Shawn Estes
6. Justin Germano
7. Wil Ledezma
8. Glendon Rusch
9. Clay Hensley (DL)
10. Mark Prior (DL)
Setup: Heath Bell, Cla Meredith
Closer: Trevor Hoffman

Fantasy Stud: Even if Jake Peavy regresses some, he’ll still be an elite pitcher. After a dismal start to his rookie campaign, Kevin Kouzmanoff established himself as an offensive presence at third base. Expect an improvement on his overall numbers from last year. Adrian Gonzalez’s batting average slipped a bit last year, but his on-base skills and power improved. Now entering his peak years, he could see additional growth.

Fantasy Dud: Tadahito Iguchi will find hitting at Petco Park a little different from hitting at Citizens Bank Park. Expect numbers more in line with the decline he was starting to show during his stay with the White Sox last year. Trevor Hoffman has done a remarkable job keeping Father Time at bay, but his margin for error is very slim; this could be the year that his ERA rises above 3.00.

Under The Radar: Scott Hairston was a top prospect just a few years ago. Injuries have stalled his progress, but he flashed some serious power for the Padres down the stretch in 2007. If he gets 500+ plate appearances, look for 20-25 home runs.

Prospect Watch: Chase Headley broke through with a .330/437/.580 campaign at Double-A San Antonio in 2007. Blocked by Kouzmanoff at third base, Headley will get some looks in left field this spring. If he takes to the position, he could earn at least a share of the playing time there. If not, he could surface with the big club later in the season.

Geoff Young writes about the San Diego Padres at Ducksnorts, and about baseball in general at Knuckle Curve, Hardball Times and Baseball Digest Daily. His latest book on the Padres, The Ducknorts 2008 Baseball Annual, is available at http://ducksnorts.com/book.

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San Francisco Giants

2007: After the Giants inked Barry Zito to a seven-year, $126 million deal last off-season, some fans expected the team to contend, following a third place, 76-85 finish in 2006. Unfortunately, the Giants suffered from the decline of numerous aging players, primarily infielders Ray Durham and Omar Vizquel, but also first-year center fielder Dave Roberts. As the only team heading downward in a hotly contested division full of organizations on the rise, the Giants gave their fans few reasons to remain engaged—Barry Bonds’ run at Hank Aaron’s career home runs record was one of them, and the debut season of top prospect Tim Lincecum was another. With Bonds now gone, the focus will be entirely on the starting rotation in 2008, as a front three of Barry Zito, Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum could be among the National League’s best, assuming the de facto ace rebounds from a disappointing season.

Off-season Additions: CF Aaron Rowand, RHP Scott Williamson, RHP Jose Capellan

Off-season Losses: LF Barry Bonds, 1B Ryan Klesko, RHP Scott Atchison, 3B Pedro Feliz

2008 Projected Lineup:
1. Dave Roberts/Rajai Davis, LF
2. Omar Vizquel/Kevin Frandsen, SS/3B
3. Randy Winn, RF
4. Bengie Molina, C
5. Aaron Rowand, CF
6. Ray Durham, 2B
7. Daniel Ortmeier, 1B
8. Rich Aurilia/Omar Vizquel, 3B/SS

2008 Projected Staff:
1. Barry Zito
2. Matt Cain
3. Noah Lowry
4. Tim Lincecum
5. Kevin Correia
6. Jonathan Sanchez
7. Patrick Misch
Setup: Brad Hennessey, Tyler Walker
Closer: Brian Wilson

Fantasy Stud: There aren’t many players on this team who are likely to help out in fantasy baseball, but Tim Lincecum is certainly atop that list. The sophomore righty is coming off a rookie season during which he allowed just 122 hits in 146.1 innings of work while striking out 150 batters. If he stays healthy, Lincecum is more than worth drafting anywhere from round 8 to 11; make sure, though, that you stock up on wins with your other SPs because the Giants lineup won’t give Timmy much help. Fellow starter Matt Cain—who could post a similar ERA and WHIP to Lincecum, though he’ll likely strike out fewer batters—is also worth taking a look at around the 10th round, with the same caveat regarding wins. Offensively, if he gets the full-time job in left-field, Dave Roberts could be worth a late-round flyer for 60 or so runs and 30-35 steals; the same goes for Rajai Davis, but if Bruce Bochy opts for a platoon, stay away.

Fantasy Dud: Rowand hit .309/.374/.515 with 27 homers, 89 RBI and 109 runs last season, the best of his career. However, he’s almost certainly going to regress far below those numbers, for several reasons—including the move from a hitters’ haven at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia to pitcher-friendly AT&T, and the transition from hitting alongside the likes of Ryan Howard and Chase Utley to being surrounded by the hollow bats of Ray Durham and Daniel Ortmeier. Unless you can snag Rowand after round 15, he probably isn’t worth the risk. (The same goes for every hitter in the Giants lineup, by the way.)

Under The Radar: New closer Brian Wilson has a live arm, and an 8.84 minor-league K/9 rate to prove it. In 24 appearances out of the Giants’ bullpen last season, Wilson allowed 16 hits and seven walks, while striking-out 18 batters in 23.2 innings of 2.28 ERA, 0.97 WHIP ball. He recorded six saves in seven tries, emerging as one of the view viable relievers in a largely unreliable bullpen in the final month of the year. Though the Giants aren’t likely to win many games in 2008, the majority of their victories figure to be close contests, considering their lackluster offense. That in mind, Wilson could be worth a flyer in rounds 17-20 as a second or third closer; 25 saves and a passable ERA and WHIP are certainly not out of the question.

Prospect Watch: With one of the worst farm systems in the majors, the Giants don’t really have any prospects worth keeping tabs on. All of the kids who have a chance of contributing in 2008 made their debuts last season. That said, outfielder Nate Schierholtz is worth keeping an eye on, after he batted .304 in 112 at-bats last season. Schierholtz won’t start, because he’s blocked at every outfield position, but the former second-round pick owns an impressive minor-league line of .305/.353/.504. He could very easily take the Todd Linden route to mediocrity, but if one of the Giants’ mediocre offensive prospects does pan out, Schierholtz is the most likely to do it.

Daniel Rathman writes about the San Francisco Giants at Giants Cove and Major League Baseball at The MLB Source.