Last season the Los Angeles Dodgers came a little bit short in their goal of winning their first World Series since 1988, but they were the class of the National League.
But this is a whole new season and things might not work out like the Dodgers want. There is plenty of competition for the N.L pennant and several very solid teams, like the Chicago Cubs, have the same goal in mind. This a preview of which National League teams could make the postseason and how far they could go.
New York Mets: they are a team that could surprise people this season by earning the second Wild Card spot. They have a powerful one-two punch in pitchers Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, if their lineup stays healthy they could end up making a run and reaching the postseason.
Colorado Rockies: They are a team that will most likely end up battling the D-backs and Mets for one of those two Wild Card spots. With the additions of Wade Davis (closer) and Bryan Shaw (reliever), they now have a solid bullpen, but their rotation is not up to par with that of the Dodgers. They have an explosive offense led by Nolan Arenado, Chris Iannetta, and Charlie Blackmon, but all the other teams in the division also have loaded lineups full of explosive sluggers.
Arizona Diamondbacks: they may not be ready to win the N.L West just yet, but they will contend with the Rockies for the second place in the N.L West and the first Wild Card spot. The D-backs have a very special project going on and it would not be unthinkable to see them returning to the postseason because even with J.D Martinez signing with the Boston Red Sox, Arizona still has a strong offense and a solid pitching staff led by Zack Greinke.
Washington Nationals: they are the big favorites to the N.L East and they know it. They have the most pressure of any team in baseball to deliver this season and at least make it to the National League Championship Series after their disappointing postseason campaigns in their last two years. The Nationals have lost in the National League Division series in four of the last six seasons and anything other than at least winning the National League pennant could be considered a bust. They are absolutely loaded, but they must win now because this may be Bryce Harper’s last year in Washington D.C.
Los Angeles Dodgers: They have most of their guys back for 2018. As long as Clayton Kershaw is healthy this team can be a threat to win it all. Their solid rotation includes Rich Hill, Hyun-jin Ryu, and Kenta Maeda, making them a fearsome group to face all season long. In offense, Cody Bellinger is one of the top sluggers in all of baseball and it will be interesting to see how many home runs he can hit in a full season. If Bellinger and Kershaw are healthy for the whole year the Dodgers are a safe bet to at least make it to the N.LC.S.
Chicago Cubs: They reloaded in the offseason and are ready to contend for the top spot in the National League once again. They have probably the deepest rotation in baseball and the additions of Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood can only make them better. Also expect bounce-back years from guys like Addison Russell, Ben Zobrist, and Kyle Schwarber. If Kris Bryant and the rest of the Cubs offense click this season, look for them to reach the World Series.
