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NL West Power Rankings After One Month of Baseball

Sep 28, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) and right fielder Hunter Pence (8) and shortstop Daniel Descalso (3) and center fielder Charlie Blackmon (19) and right fielder Carlos Gonzalez (5) celebrate after the end of the game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park the Colorado Rockies defeated the San Francisco Giants 2 to 0. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 28, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) and right fielder Hunter Pence (8) and shortstop Daniel Descalso (3) and center fielder Charlie Blackmon (19) and right fielder Carlos Gonzalez (5) celebrate after the end of the game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park the Colorado Rockies defeated the San Francisco Giants 2 to 0. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
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San Francisco Giants NL West
Apr 2, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Chris Owings celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk off single in the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants during opening day at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

They’re second in the west, but have faltered a bit in recent weeks. After starting out 7-1, they’ve gone 9-10 since. The Diamondbacks at their best were probably going to be close to .500 in 2017, and that seems relatively likely.

Their pitching has been extremely good, as they are now second the NL in ERA as a pitching staff. They also have the second best average, and have scored the third most runs in the National League. However, you can ask the Rockies about runs. They don’t win the NL West, it’s the pitching.

Look, I think these Diamondbacks are playing way better than people anticipated. Also, you have to remember that this is only 16% of the season. Even the Braves had a winning record in one month during their 2016 campaign. It’s also not to say they can’t continue this.

However, the Diamondbacks have pretty well evened out after their hot start. While other teams are starting to return to what we expect of them, the D-Backs are doing the same. In reality, they’re probably a .500 team, or slightly better. Their pitching won’t continue to be this good. However, D-Backs fans will be impressed with the return to power of Patrick Corbin. Corbin’s numbers are beginning to resemble those of his all-star 2013 season. If he and Zack Greinke can continue to be good, the Diamondbacks have a shot at surprising quite a few people, including me.

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