The National League West is shaping up to be the most exciting division in the league, as three teams are in the hunt for the division crown, and the other two have a legitimate shot of making the playoffs as a wildcard contender.
While the Los Angeles Dodgers have dominated this division in recent history, winning eight straight division crowns from 2013-2020, the San Francisco Giants proved last year that a team can get ahead of Los Angeles and grab the crown. With San Diego playing exceptionally well, this is the division that can easily go down to the wire.
Odds To Win The NL West Division
The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the season with the best odds of winning the division (-200) and that has only fluctuated slightly, as they are now at -275 entering June. The Dodgers had the best winning percentage in the National League at the end of May and it has been a dominating pitching staff, ranked tops in baseball that has led the way. However, this is not a one-dimensional team. The Dodgers rank in the top three in batting average and rank in the top three in the National League in homeruns.
The San Diego Padres entered the season at +250 in their odds have only slightly declined to +300. Many had San Diego battling Los Angeles for the division crown last season, but they grossly underperformed, finishing in third after a solid second place finish the season before. This is a team that has an outstanding pitching staff and a solid lineup, who have performed quite well despite the fact that star Fernando Tatis has not been on the field and is not expected to return until July. His return will only make this team better.
The San Francisco Giants surprised everyone by grabbing the division crown last season, and were given +450 odds entering the 2022 campaign. They have fallen slightly to +700, but this is a team that may be playing above their heads. They rank in the top five in both ERA and hitting through the first month of the season, but the pitching staff had the fourth worst ERA in May, and that will keep this team from being able to compete.
The Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies are both at +20,000. In mid-May, all five teams in this division were above .500. Both Colorado and Arizona have slumped recently, but there is enough talent to keep these teams battling and in the thick of at least a wildcard race. Neither is going to win the division as they do not have the pitching or offense to be able to compete with the Dodgers.
Arizona has a big bat lineup, ranked in the top six in homeruns, but they struggle to get on base, and all that power is doing very little good when no one is ever on base. The Rockies have the traditional problem. Great at home, but struggle on the road. A team has to win at least 50% of the road contests to win this division, and Colorado is simply not going to be able to do that.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the obvious choice. If you are looking to jump in on the NL West futures, that would be the team to go with. However, if you are looking to try to walk away with some money, then San Diego is a way to go. The truth is that this team has a pitching staff that can match Los Angeles, and when Tatis returns, they are going to be a very difficult team to beat, even more so.