The Z Files: NL West Playing Time Preview

And then there was one. We're down to the last stop on our tour of MLB, wrapping up out west. We'll kick things off in the City of Angels, or is that the City of Dodgers, before heading south to the desert. Next, we'll grab our skis and head a mile high. Finally, we'll complete our six-week long journey in the Golden State, first stopping where it's perpetually 72 degrees and sunny before finishing in the City by the Bay. Yes friends, it's time to review the playing time scenarios for the National League West.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Catcher

Despite being a Statcast darling, Yasmani Grandal's days as the Dodgers' bell-cow backstop could be over. Actually, his time in Los Angeles could be coming to an end as the club is dangling him in trades. Austin Barnes lines up as the beneficiary.

Infield

Current roster construct lands Cody Bellinger as the full-time first baseman. That leaves second base as the primary position battle with Logan Forsythe the leading in-house candidate. Chris Taylor could move back to the keystone, depending how the outfield fleshes out. Forsythe is a risk in early mixed drafts. By the time NL-only formats get going, we should know more.

Outfield

The assumption is Matt Kemp won't play an inning with the Dodgers in his return to the club. If this is the case, Forsythe is much safer at second, but until then, an outfield of Kemp, Joc Pederson and Yasiel Puig is, at minimum, plausible. The wild card is prized outfielder Alex Verdugo, currently 26th on James Anderson's Top 400 Fantasy Baseball Prospects. Verdugo is expected to begin the season in Triple-A Oklahoma City, with a likely call-up mid-season. This could also shift Taylor back to the infield.

Starting Pitching

It will be interesting to see if MLB allows the Dodgers to treat the 10-day DL like a 26th roster spot again, as they have the same array of talented but risky arms comprising their rotation. That starts at the top with Clayton Kershaw. My approach with the lanky lefty is he's no longer in play as the top overall player in fantasy. However, while I won't argue if someone prefers Max Scherzer, he's still the top hurler. The numbers say he needs 24 starts to be a first rounder. He's only fallen short of that once, in 2016. It depends on the format, but Kershaw is in play for me with the eighth overall pick.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

Catcher

Unless you believe Jeff Mathis is going to catch 100 games, the Diamondbacks don't have their regular receiver on the roster currently. I'd like to see Jonathan Lucroy sign with Arizona, but that's just me speculating so please don't tweet I said Lucroy to Arizona is close. Other in-house options are Chris Herrmann and John Ryan Murphy, hence the Lucroy notion.

Infield

Up the middle is up in the air, with Chris Owings, Brandon Drury, Ketel Marte and Nick Ahmed the primary combatants for the spots. Owings and Drury are the best two hitters, but neither is really a shortstop. Nick Ahmed is slick with the leather, but his bat is weak. This could clear a path for Marte to slide in as the starting shortstop, though that's far from certain. Investing in any of these in early drafts is risky, unless the cost is an early reserve spot.

Outfield

Losing J.D. Martinez to free agency is huge, though the Snakes knew that was the case when they traded for him. Yasmany Tomas is the top in-house option to grab the open spot, though there's still plenty of time for Arizona to address the situation, including by bringing Martinez back.

Starting Pitching

Whither the humidor? Even with it this season, the rotation still has few intriguing names. Zack Godley is close to the point that he's received so much industry love his potential profit has evaporated. I'm still not sold on Patrick Corbin and never have been, even before Tommy John surgery.

Bullpen

Here's where it gets interesting for fantasy purposes. Archie Bradley deserves to close, going by old-school thinking. However, he also can play the multi-inning matchup role. Regardless, in today's climate, you want his arm on your team. The Diamondbacks have other ninth-inning options in Brad Boxberger and Yoshihisa Hirano. Boxberger has the dominance desired from a closer but has control and health issues. Hirano closed in Japan, but he'll be 34 years old next April and his strikeout rate has been trending in the wrong direction while toiling for the Orix Buffaloes. I can see him getting chances if the plan is to use Bradley when the game is on the line earlier than the ninth, but I don't see him beating Bradley out for the job.

COLORADO ROCKIES

Infield

The only question is will the Rockies hand the first-base keys to Ryan McMahon or Ian Desmond? There's a chance someone is brought in, as there are plenty of first baseman on the market, but there are also holes in the outfield. Desmond will play, so he's going to cost, regardless. McMahon is the enticing flyer if you can hedge him with a player with a job, a Mitch Moreland type.

Outfield

Carlos Gonzalez is a free agent, though he could opt to re-sign with Colorado. Desmond is in the mix, along with Gerardo Parra, though Parra is best served as the fourth outfielder. The key is the forgotten man, David Dahl. Dahl has begun swinging a bat, so the hope is he's ready for spring training. Even with so much time spent recovering from injuries, his dynamic talent could be a fantasy difference maker. It's too bad he lost developmental time, especially with respect to pitch recognition and plate skills, but there's still plenty of time for the soon-to-be 24-year-old to get his career back on track. If you're drafting early, now is the time to get some shares. If Dahl has a strong spring, he'll pick up more helium than the Goodyear blimp.

Starting Pitching

The club did a great job handling their promising arms last season. The problem is, Coors Field is still a mile above sea level and the park inflates runs even more than it does home runs. I could be making a mistake, but even in this pitching-poor landscape, where an argument could be tendered the gap between good Colorado pitchers and the rest of the inventory has narrowed, I'm still reticent to invest in a Rockies arm. The downside is so much more than the upside.

SAN DIEGO PADRES

Infield

It's ironic the only set-in-stone spot belongs to the newly acquired Freddy Galvis. Wil Myers will obviously be a regular, but he could swap his first baseman's mitt for an outfield glove if Eric Hosmer opts to head to Southern California. Chase Headley is the current third baseman, but there's talk he could be flipped. That leaves Carlos Asuaje, Jose Pirela and Cory Spangenberg to duke it out. Imagine the logjam if Yangervis Solarte wasn't moved. Anyway, I honestly don't know how to handicap this mess for mixed leagues. That said, does it matter? Even with a guaranteed job, this motley crew is only borderline playable in 15-team mixed leagues. By the time NL-only formats draft, things should be fleshed out. The future is Luis Urias, perhaps as early as later this summer. Scouts are mixed on both his glove (some feel it won't play at shortstop) as well as his stick. He's No. 36 on the aforementioned Top-400, with his hit tool being his strongest asset.

Outfield

There's a little more clarity in the Petco pasture with Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe, young stud duo. Left field could be Myers, or even Pirela or Spangenberg, assuming the Padres don't shift their focus off Hosmer and onto a fly chaser. Personally, I'm a big fan of Margot. I think his floor is like Byron Buxton, but more stable. Buxton, however, has the higher ceiling by a longshot. It comes down to risk profile and roster construction.

Starting Pitching

Despite the recent acquisitions of Tyson Ross and Chris Young, there's some intriguing names to consider. Dinelson Lamet is the obvious one, but don't sleep on Luis Perdomo and his extreme groundball rate or even Bryan Mitchell, acquired from the Yankees. As a point of comparison, I'd rather throw a dart at Mitchell than invest in a Rockies starter, even the better ones. Your mileage may vary.

Bullpen

Brad Hand is the incumbent closer, but is a threat to be traded. Kirby Yates or perhaps the recently signed Craig Stammen are next in line.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

Outfield

What a dumpster fire. For fantasy purposes, there's nothing, at least in terms of mixed leagues. If the season were to start today, Jarrett Parker, Steven Duggar and Hunter Pence would probably trot out to the vast grassland of AT&T Park. Duggar is worth monitoring, but really isn't ready. The name some suggest is Lorenzo Cain, but he comes at the cost of a couple of draft picks the Giants can't afford to lose. Trading for Billy Hamilton or Jackie Bradley has been bandied about, but this could be as much wishful thinking as plausible scenarios.

Starting Pitching

AT&T Park can cover up a lot of warts, but in today's fantasy environment, strikeouts are paramount and neither Ty Blach nor Chris Stratton check that box.

Bullpen

The Giants have about 46 million reasons why they hope Mark Melancon bounces back from his assorted injuries. I know even bad teams generate saves, but unless the Giants shore up their outfield and back end of their rotation, I don't see many chances for Melancon. Plus, as has been noted, you need all the strikeouts you can muster with starters throwing fewer innings. There was a time you could get away with a low-strikeout closer. Those days are gone, like the days of choking up with two strikes.

This concludes our six-part series. As always, please don't hesitate to post a question on the NL West, or any squad for that matter.

Previous installments: AL East, AL Central, AL West, NL East, NL Central