Arizona Diamondbacks

Contributor: Drew Bienhoff, mvn.com/mlb-rockies

2007 Record: 90-72

2007 Summary: The Diamondbacks were one of the top surprises in the National League in 2007, winning the West division after three straight seasons under .500. Brandon Webb was the ace of Arizona's rotation, putting together a Cy Young worthy campaign with a 3.01 ERA and 18 wins on the season to go along with a 42 inning scoreless streak in the month of July.

When combined with a stingy bullpen anchored by Jose Valverde, Brandon Lyon, and Tony Pena, the Diamondbacks pitching staff was good enough to overcome an offense that put up only 712 runs, twenty fewer than the pitching staff allowed. This incredible statistic means that Arizona had the best record in the National League despite a negative run differential.

The postseason was a bittersweet experience for the Diamondbacks. A three game sweep of the Cubs in the NLDS was satisfying, but the wins proved to be their last of the season. Arizona ran into a white hot Colorado squad and was swept both out of the playoffs and out of the path of the Rockies' historic run to a National League pennant.

2008 Key Additions: The addition of Dan Haren to bolster the rotation was the biggest move made by any team in the NL West, and the additions of Chad Qualls in the bullpen and Chris Burke to the bench will help with depth.

2008 Key Losses: The trade of closer Jose Valverde to Houston could hurt, as it may create a bit of uncertainty at the back end of the Arizona bullpen at the beginning of the season.

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

2008 Starting Rotation: Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, Doug Davis, Micah Owings, Randy Johnson

2008 Closer: Brandon Lyon

2008 MVP: Chris Young, CF - If Young can improve upon the .237 batting average and .295 on-base percentage that he posted in 2007, he could be a catalyst out of the leadoff position for a offense that needs to find the table set early and often in order to boost its production. He's likely set for another 25/25 campaign, but an OBP over .330 would do wonders toward establishing Chris as one of the best center fielders in the National League.

2008 Season Prediction: This Diamondbacks team will be in the thick of the National League West race again, with Webb and Haren leading the way towards contention. Ultimately, Arizona's lack of offense will come back to hurt them, as they won't be able to count on some of the fortunate circumstances that led them to better their expected Pythagorean record (79-83) by 11 games last year. Still, the pitching is strong enough that this team has an excellent shot at snagging the Wild Card.

Standings Prediction:
1. Colorado Rockies
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
4. San Diego Padres
5. San Francisco Giants