Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2015 MLB Preview – Day 1 – NL West

Welcome to the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2015 MLB preview. Over the next few days you will get a team by team look at its key players, new faces, their potential MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year candidates, their possible starting lineup and rotation as well as a quick summary.

SOX & Dawgs 2014 MLB Preview - NL WestWe will also select a MVP candidate and Cy Young candidate for each team no matter what their predicted team outcome is.

And once again this year is some home stadium information along with dates the teams will play against the Boston Red Sox. The red shaded games are at Fenway; the blue shaded games are road games.

I hope you enjoy this look at the upcoming season.

It was a lot of work but a lot of fun compiling this preview and starting today we will take a look at the National League West. The rest of the schedule follows with a different division being profiled each day and the final day will bring you the winners, award selections and a list of managers who have a lot to prove in 2015 if they want to be on the bench in 2016.

Tomorrow you will get the American League West preview followed by the NL Central, AL Central, NL East and AL East.

National League West

Last year the Dodgers took the division by 6 games over the Giants, but it was their bitter rival who took the grand prize at seasons end when they won their 3rd World Series in the last 5 seasons. The division will look much the same this year with Padres making a serious run at contending and then the bottom will be the Diamondbacks and the Rockies.

  1. Los Angeles DodgersLos Angeles – Manager Don Mattingly (5th year)

Dodgers won the division but lost the Cardinals in the NLDS 3 games to 1. LA made some significant changes with a new GM (Farhan Zaidi) and new President (Andrew Friedman) and they made on field changes too. Out are Hanley Ramirez (signed with Boston), Brian Wilson (released), Josh Beckett (retired), OF Matt Kemp, 2B Dee Gordon and SP Dan Haren (traded). In are SS Jimmy Rollins, 2B Howie Kendrick, C Yasmani Grandal, OF Chris Heisey and SP Brandon McCarthy. I don’t think they’re as good as last year but they win the division by a nose.

RP Kenley Jansen (foot) will miss the start of the season.

Projected Record: 91-71

Home Field: Dodger Stadium; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 1962; Capacity: 56,000

2014 Attendance: 3,782,337 (1st in NL)

Key Players: 1B Adrian Gonzalez; SP Clayton Kershaw; SP Zack Greinke; RF Yasiel Puig; CF Joc Pederson

MVP Candidate: RF Yasiel Puig

Cy Young Candidate: SP Clayton Kershaw

ROY Candidate: CF Joc Pederson

Key Additions: SS Jimmy Rollins; 2B Howie Kendrick; C Yasmani Grandal; OF Chris Heisey; SP Brandon McCarthy; SP Brett Anderson; RP Joel Peralta, RP Chris Hatcher; RP Juan Nicasio; SP Brandon Beachy; RP Dustin McGowan

Possible lineup:

  1. Rollins SS
  2. Crawford LF
  3. Puig RF
  4. Gonzalez 1B
  5. Grandal C
  6. Kendrick 2B
  7. Pederson CF
  8. Uribe 3B

Possible rotation:

  1. Kershaw
  2. Greinke
  3. Ryu
  4. McCarthy
  5. Anderson

Games against Red Sox in 2015: None

  1. San Francisco GiantsSan Francisco – Manager Bruce Bochy (9th year/21st overall)

Giants made the playoff field as a wild card and then had a great postseason beating the Pirates in the NL Wild Card game, the Nationals in the NLDS, the Cardinals in the NLCS and then the upstart Royals in the World Series. They brought back most of their lineup but the key loss was 3B Pablo Sandoval as a free agent to Boston, they signed Casey McGehee to replace him but he isn’t the same quality player as Sandoval. Their other big pickup was Nori Aoki as free agent from KC to play LF.

Projected Record: 90-72

Home Field: AT&T Park; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 2000; Capacity: 41,915

2014 Attendance: 3,368,687 (3rd in NL)

Key Players: C Buster Posey; RF Hunter Pence; SS Brandon Crawford; SP Madison Bumgarner; RP Santiago Casilla

MVP Candidate: C Buster Posey

Cy Young Candidate: SP Madison Bumgarner

ROY Candidate: C Andrew Susac

Key Additions: 3B Casey McGehee; C Andrew Susac; LF Nori Aoki

RF Hunter Pence (arm) is expected to be out until mid May.

Possible lineup:

  1. Pagan CF
  2. Aoki RF
  3. Belt 1B
  4. Posey C
  5. McGehee 3B
  6. Panik 2B
  7. Blanco LF
  8. Crawford SS

Possible rotation:

  1. Bumgarner
  2. Cain
  3. Hudson
  4. Lincecum
  5. Peavy

Games against Red Sox in 2015: None

  1. San Diego PadresSan Diego – Manager Bud Black (9th year)

Brand new GM A.J. Preller tore up the roster and was able to keep his top prospects in the process as the Padres look to move up in the NL West. I think they made significant changes and while they’ll finish third again they will get over .500 and possibly challenge for a wild card spot.

SP Josh Johnson (TJS) and SP Corey Luebke (TJS) are expected to miss two-three months.

Projected Record: 85-77

Home Field: Petco Park; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 2004 Capacity: 42,524

2014 Attendance: 2,195,373 (12th in NL)

Key Players: CF Wil Myers; RF Matt Kemp; LF Justin Upton; SP James Shields; RP Joaquin Benoit

MVP Candidate: LF Justin Upton

Cy Young Candidate: SP Andrew Cashner

ROY Candidate: SP Matt Wisler

Key Additions: SP James Shields; 3B Will Middlebrooks; CF Wil Myers; LF Justin Upton; RF Matt Kemp; C Derek Norris; C Tim Federowicz; 2B/SS Clint Barmes; SP Brandon Morrow; RP Shawn Kelley; RP Brandon Maurer

Possible lineup:

  1. Gyorko 2B
  2. Myers CF
  3. Kemp RF
  4. Upton LF
  5. Alonso 1B
  6. Norris C
  7. Middlebrooks 3B
  8. Amarista SS

Possible rotation:

  1. Shields
  2. Cashner
  3. Johnson
  4. Ross
  5. Kennedy

Adjusted rotation:

  1. Shields
  2. Cashner
  3. Ross
  4. Kennedy
  5. Morrow

Games against Red Sox in 2015: None

  1. Arizona DiamondbacksArizona – Manager Chip Hale (1st year)

New manager (Chip Hale), new front office (Chief Baseball Officer Tony LaRussa, GM Dave Stewart) and new promise for an improved team on the field (64 wins in ’14). Gone are SP Wade Miley, C Miguel Montero and SS Didi Gregorios (traded) and in are free agent 3B Yasmany Tomas, SP Jeremy Hellickson, SP Rubby De La Rosa and SP Allen Webster as Arizona looks for some major improvement on the field

RP Brad Zeigler (microfracture knee) is expected to start the season on the DL. SP Bronson Arroyo (TJS), SP Patrick Corbin (TJS) and RP David Hernandez (TJS) will miss most if not all of the season.

Projected Record: 67-95

Home Field: Chase Field Playing Surface: natural grass/retractable roof; Opened: 1998; Capacity: 48,633

2014 Attendance: 2,073,730 (14th in NL)

Key Players: 1B Paul Goldschmidt; LF Mark Trumbo; CF A.J. Pollock; 3B Yasmany Tomas; SP Jeremy Hellickson

MVP Candidate: 1B Paul Goldschmidt

Cy Young Candidate: SP Jeremy Hellickson

ROY Candidate: 3B Yasmany Tomas

Key Additions: Mgr. Chip Hale; 3B Yasmany Tomas, SP Jeremy Hellickson, SP Allen Webster; SP Rubby De La Rosa; C Oscar Hernandez

Possible lineup:

  1. Pollock CF
  2. Peralta LF
  3. Goldschmidt 1B
  4. Trumbo RF
  5. Tomas 3B
  6. Hill 2B
  7. Owings SS
  8. Gosewisch C

Possible rotation:

  1. Hellickson
  2. Collmenter
  3. De La Rosa
  4. Cahill
  5. Webster

Games against Red Sox in 2015: None

  1. Colorado RockiesColorado – Manager Walt Weiss (3rd year)

Last season the Rockies finished 66-96 and in 4th place and with this being the third season under Walt Weiss you know he will be feeling some heat to bring the win total up 10-12 games this year. They lost OF Michael Cuddyer, SP Brett Anderson and RP Matt Belisle to free agency and traded away 2B Josh Rutledge and really didn’t bring much in return in additions to help on the field. With OF Carlos Gonzalez and SS Troy Tulowitzki possibly missing some time at the start of the season combined with a poor offseason I have Colorado 5th in the West and not much better than last season.

RF Carlos Gonzalez (knee) and SS Troy Tulowitzki (hip) may start the season on the DL. SP Tyler Chatwood (TJS) will most likely miss the season.

Projected Record: 64-98

Home Field: Coors Field; Playing Surface: natural grass; Opened: 1995; Capacity: 50,480

2014 Attendance: 2,680,329 (5th in NL)

Key Players: RF Carlos Gonzalez; SS Troy Tulowitzki; 1B Justin Morneau; SP Jorge De La Rosa; CF Charlie Blackmon

MVP Candidate: CF Charlie Blackmon

Cy Young Candidate: SP Jorge De La Rosa

ROY Candidate: SP Eddie Butler

Key Additions: IF Daniel Descalso; RP Jairo Diaz; SP Eddie Butler; C Nick Hundley; SP Kyle Kendrick; RP John Axford

Possible lineup:

  1. Blackmon CF
  2. Gonzalez RF
  3. Tulowitzki SS
  4. Morneau 1B
  5. Arenado 3B
  6. Dickerson LF
  7. Rosario C
  8. LeMahieu 2B

Adjusted lineup:

  1. Blackmon CF
  2. Stubbs RF
  3. Arenado 3B
  4. Morneau 1B
  5. Dickerson LF
  6. Rosario C
  7. LeMahieu 2B
  8. Descalso SS

Possible rotation:

  1. De La Rosa
  2. Chacin
  3. Lyles
  4. Kendrick
  5. Matzek

Games against Red Sox in 2015: None

Tomorrow: The American League West

Photos – AAC MBB: UConn Huskies vs Tulsa Golden Hurricane – 3/14/15

Here is a photo gallery from the UConn men’s basketball game vs the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in the semifinals of the 2015 American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament at the XL Center in Hartford, CT. The UConn Huskies won the game 47-42.

To see full size picture or slide show, please click on image
(mobile/tablet users: to scroll through photos, you can swipe left or right; to remove caption, tap photo.)

photo credits: ©2015 Ian Bethune

Video: Crowd, Boatright Propel UConn Into AAC Finals Against SMU

UConn's Ryan Boatright (11) celebrates after a three-pointer during an American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Semifinal game between the UConn Huskies and Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

UConn’s Ryan Boatright (11) celebrates after a three-pointer during an American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Semifinal game between the UConn Huskies and Tulsa Golden Hurricane. UConn will play SMU on Sunday for the title.

The UConn men’s basketball team was trailing by eight points with 3:41 to go in the game against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. It didn’t matter to the crowd at the XL Center in Hartford, CT for the American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball  Tournament semifinals.

They were going to cheer their UConn Huskies on no matter what. And believe it, it may have just helped UConn to the victory.

Using a 16-2 run to end the game, UConn came from behind to beat Tulsa 47-42 to advance to Sunday’s final against the SMU Mustangs. UConn and SMU split the regular season series.

Ryan Boatright paced the Huskies with 21 points while Rodney Purvis had 18. Daniel Hamilton, who was playing with a heavy heart after losing grandmother on Friday, led UConn with 12 rebounds and five assists. He did struggle from the field going 1-of-9 but his only basket came when his team needed it most.

Nobody from Tulsa hit double-figures in the scoring column. Shaquille Harrison led them with nine points while Rashad Ray had eight. James Woodard pulled down nine rebounds to lead the Golden Hurricane and chipped in with seven points.

UConn Huskies vs Tulsa Golden Hurricane 2015 American Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals box score

Here are UConn’s postgame quotes.

Here are Tulsa’s postgame quotes.

Here are the postgame notes from the American.

Here is a photo gallery from the game.

Video: UConn’s Rodney Purvis On Energy From The Crowd

If you were at the UConn men’s basketball game vs the Cincinnati Bearcats in the 2015 American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinals at the XL Center in Hartford, CT, you would now how loud the crowd is. You even might have heard it on television.

Watch and/or listen below as UConn Huskies G Rodney Purvis talks about the energy from the crowd.

Photos – AAC MBB: UConn Huskies vs Cincinnati Bearcats – 3/13/15

Here is a photo gallery from the UConn men’s basketball game versus the Cincinnati Bearcats in the quarterfinals of the 2015 American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament in Hartford, CT. Ryan Boatright‘s three-pointer with .2 seconds left gave the UConn Huskies a 57-54 win to advance to the semifinals.

To see full size picture or slide show, please click on image
(mobile/tablet users: to scroll through photos, you can swipe left or right; to remove caption, tap photo.)

photo credits: ©2015 Ian Bethune

Video: Redemption! Boat Sends UConn To AAC Semi’s with Buzzer-Beater

UConn men’s basketball senior Ryan Boatright had a chance to get his team a bye in the American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament last week on Senior Night. Unfortunately, his shot didn’t go in.

Just eight days later, Boatright was given that same opportunity. There was no missing the shot this time.

Ryan BoatrightUConn's Ryan Boatright (11) hoists a three-pointer to win the game during the American Athletic Conference men's championship quarter finals between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the UConn Huskies at the XL Center in Hartford, CT.

UConn’s Ryan Boatright (11) hoists a three-pointer to win the game during the American Athletic Conference men’s championship quarterfinals between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the UConn Huskies at the XL Center in Hartford, CT.

Boatright’s three-pointer with .2 seconds left gave the UConn Huskies a 57-54 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats in the quarterfinals on Friday night at the XL Center in Hartford, CT.

UConn will take on Tulsa on Saturday afternoon at approximately 5 p.m.

Boatright played all 40 minutes and led the Huskies with 18 points. His backcourt mate Rodney Purvis added 18 points.

Daniel Hamilton had a nice all-around game as well with nine points, eight rebounds and five assists. The latter two led the team for the night.

Troy Caupain led the Bearcats with 12 points. Octavius Ellis chipped in with 11 points and seven rebounds while Shaq Thomas had 10 points and seven rebounds. Gary Clark had 11 rebounds to lead Cincinnati to along with his nine points.

UConn Huskies vs Cincinnati Bearcats American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinals 3/13/15 box score

Here are UConn’s postgame quotes.

Here are Cincinnati’s postgame quotes.

Here are the postgame notes from the American.

Photo gallery from the game.

UConn’s Moriah Jefferson Selected as Finalist for Lieberman Award

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – University of Connecticut point guard Moriah Jefferson(Glenn Heights, Texas) has been named to as one of five finalists for the 2015 Nancy Lieberman Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Friday. Candidates exhibit the floor leadership, play-making abilities and ball-handling skills of Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman.

Moriah Jefferson

Moriah Jefferson is one of five finalists for the 2015 Lieberman Award as the best point guard in women’s basketball

Since its inception in 2000, three Huskies have taken home the award a total of six times. UConn point guards earned the honors in the first five consecutive years of its existence, with Sue Bird earning the award its first three years (2000-2002) and Diana Taurasi receiving the accolades in the subsequent two years after Bird (2003, 2004). Renee Montgomery was the last Husky to net the award in 2009.

The Selection Committee for the Nancy Lieberman Award is composed of top women’s college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers. The list will be narrowed down to fifteen and then a final five by mid-March. The Lieberman Award winner will be announced during the WBCA Award Show in Tampa, Florida at the Women’s Final Four.

Jefferson, who became the first Husky since Kelly Faris in 2012-13 to earn the league’s Most Improved Player accolade, has enjoyed a strong junior campaign. The Texan is averaging 12.0 points in 27.7 minutes through 33 games this season en route to a spot on the All-Conference First Team. In total, she ranks first on the team in assists (159) and steals (88) and is one of seven Huskies shooting over 50.0 percent from the floor (58.1). She provided a spark in UConn’s 87-62 victory over No. 1 South Carolina on Feb. 9, notching 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting to go along with a game-high six assists.

Jefferson’s 2.6 steals per game regular season average was tops in the American Athletic Conference. In February, she was selected to the Wooden Award Late Season Top-20 List.

In three conference tournament games, Jefferson tallied 56 points to go along with 20 assists en route to a selection on the All-Tournament squad.

The 2015 Lieberman Award winner will be announced during the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Award Show in Tampa, Florida at the Women’s Final Four. For more information on the 2015 Nancy Lieberman Award, log onto www.pointguard.org.

The winners of the 2015 American Athletic Conference Championship, UConn will await seeding and pairing for the 2015 NCAA Tournament.