This is a ranking of the best players at each position in the National League West.  I ranked each player by how valuable I think they are going to be this year compared to the other players in the division.

Catcher:

1-      Miguel Montero

2-      Bengie Molina

3-      Russell Martin

4-      Chris Iannetta

5-      Nick Hundely

Montero had a fantastic year and was the obvious pick for #1.  Bengie Molina hit 20 HR’s last year, but his AVG/OBP were not good and he’ll be 36 in July.  Russell Martin had a bad year and he’s injured to start the year.  Iannetta showed decent power and OBP, but his AVG was pathetic at .228.  Hundley made strides last year defensively and showed that he could hit a little bit in September. (.323/.386/.565)

First Base:

1-      Adrian Gonzalez

2-      Todd Helton

3-      Adam LaRoche

4-      James Loney

5-      Aubrey Huff

This was another easy pick.  Adrian Gonzalez is a super star that is held back by the park he plays in.  Todd Helton had another good year.  LaRoche and Loney are both average first basemen, at best, and Huff is a question mark.  He was below average last year, but has produced like a star as recently as 2008.

Second Base:

1-      Freddie Sanchez

2-      Clint Barmes

3-      Kelly Johnson

4-      Blake Dewitt

5-      David Eckstein

This one was tough.  There isn’t a whole lot of talent at second base in this division.  Sanchez can be great, but he hasn’t been since 2007 and he’s going to start the year injured.  Barmes showed some power, but didn’t hit well for AVG or OBP and wasn’t an efficient base stealer. He was also terrible away from Coors Field.  Johnson has potential, but he had a terrible year.  Dewitt looks like a utility player at best.  Eckstein does all the small things right, but lacks all the important skills like power, speed, OBP, and range.

Third Base:

1-      Pablo Sandoval

2-      Mark Reynolds

3-      Casey Blake

4-      Chase Headley

5-      Ian Stewart

Sandoval is a rising star and an easy choice for #1.  Reynolds had a big year, but his record-breaking strikeouts bother me.  I don’t expect him to duplicate what he did last year.  Blake is a solid third baseman offensively and defensively.  Headley could have a breakout year now that he’s back at his natural position.  Stewart showed good power but, lacked AVG and OBP.

Shortstop:

1-      Troy Tulowitzki

2-      Stephen Drew

3-      Everth Cabrera

4-      Rafael Furcal

5-      Edgar Renteria

Tulo is easily the best shortstop in the division.  Drew has been somewhat disappointing, but still has the potential to be an above average shortstop.  Cabrera came out of nowhere to be one of the best rookies in baseball last year.  I expect him to maintain his AVG/OBP and steal 40+ bases while improving his throwing accuracy.  Furcal hasn't played very well since 07 and isn’t the stolen base threat he once was.  Renteria is an aging veteran that had a bad year. 

Left Field:

1-      Manny Ramirez

2-      Kyle Blanks

3-      Carlos Gonzalez

4-      Conor Jackson

5-      Mark DeRosa

This was another easy choice.  When Manny wants to, he is one of the best hitters in the game, although he did come back down to Earth after being suspended for performance enhancing drugs.  Will Manny be the same without the juice?  I expect big things from Blanks this year.  Gonzalez looked good during his call up last year.  Jackson was very good before the injury and DeRosa is solid and can play multiple positions.

Center Field:

1-      Matt Kemp

2-      Dexter Fowler

3-      Aaron Rowand

4-      Chris Young

5-      Tony Gwynn/Scott Hairston

Kemp is a stud, but I’m not sure if he can improve upon last year.  I’m a big fan of Fowler and expect him to have a good year.  Rowand is a solid player, but he’s not getting any younger.  It seems like the more time that goes by, the worse Young gets.  I don’t know what to expect from him.  I couldn’t give a platoon anything, but last place.  However, I do think the Padres will get good production from the duo.  Gwynn hit RHP pretty well last year and Hairston crushes LHP. 

Right Field:

1-      Justin Upton

2-      Andre Ethier

3-      Brad Hawpe

4-      Will Venable

5-      Nate Schierholtz

Upton is a rising star.  I expect so much out of him that I ranked him above Ethier who had a breakout year.  I expect Ethier to have another good year that is not quite as good as last year.  Hawpe had another solid year.  I was very impressed by Venable this spring.  He’s learning to lay off the ball in the dirt that gave him so much trouble at the end of last year.  Corey Brock asked Bell who he was most impressed with in camp and his answer was Venable.  Bell also said he’s showing more power than anyone expected.  Schierholtz looks like a 4^th outfielder to me with a chance to be a solid regular.

Rotation:

1-      Giants

2-      Rockies

3-      Padres

4-      Dodgers

5-      DBacks

The Giants have two of the best pitchers at the front with Lincecum and Cain, two solid pitchers in Zito and Sanchez and a question mark at #5 until Bumgarner is ready.  The Rockies have Jimenez at the top and a bunch of solid guys rounding out the rotation with Cook, Francis, De La Rosa and Hammel, although Francis will be starting the year on the DL with Greg Smith filling in.  The Padres have CY at the top who can be as good as anybody if he’s healthy.  That’s a big "if."  After CY, they have a bunch of solid pitchers and a ton of young depth.  The Dodgers have two solid guys at the top with Kershaw and Billingsly, but beyond that their rotation does not look good.  Kuroda is solid, but Padilla and Haeger are not good.  The DBacks have Webb and Haren at the top, but Webb’s health is a huge question mark.  I’m not sold on Jackson who has been very inconsistent and I’m not a fan of Kennedy or anyone else who will factor into their rotation.. 

Bullpen:

1-      Padres

2-      Dodgers

3-      Giants

4-      Rockies

5-      DBacks

I think Bell/Adams/Gregerson could be one of the best late inning tandems in baseball.  The Dodgers have a great bullpen headed by Broxton.  The Giants are solid headed by Wilson.  The Rockies and DBacks have some arms out there, but Street is going to start the year injured and Betancourt has had some nagging injuries this spring.

Bench:

1-      Rockies

2-      Padres

3-      Dodgers

4-      DBacks

5-      Giants

Every team in the division has a strong bench.  You could put them in any order and it would be hard to argue who’s is the best.

Padres: #1- 2, #2- 2, #3- 2, #4- 2, #5- 3

Rockies: #1- 2, #2- 4, #3- 2, #4- 2, #5- 1

Dodgers: #1- 2, #2- 2, #3- 3, #4- 4, #5- 0

Giants: #1- 3, #2- 1, #3- 2, #4- 0, #5- 5

DBacks: #1- 2, #2- 2, #3- 2, #4- 3, #5- 2

Conclusion:

The only conclusion I could come up with is that this division is going to be close from top to bottom.  There isn’t a team that sticks out and there isn’t a particularly bad team.  Obviously these rankings are subjectively my opinion, but it’s hard to argue how close these teams are talent-wise.  I think the Rockies are the team to beat, but it’s anyone's division.