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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Inside the NL | The days of the 'NL Worst' are gone for good

Two years ago, the playoff-bound San Diego Padres earned themselves a dubious nickname: the "Best of the Worst."

The '05 Pads came dangerously close to doing something no major league team has ever done before: making the postseason without posting a winning record. Manager Bruce Bochy's squad narrowly avoided that fate, winning five of its last six to take the NL West with a barely-respectable record of 82-80.

It was a rough year for San Diego's entire division as all five teams, from the Padres at the top, down to the cellar-dwelling Colorado Rockies, came to be collectively known as the "NL Worst."

Two years later, the tables have turned.

Whereas the senior circuit was once dominated by the two-party rule of the Central's St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros, those two teams appear doomed to mediocrity this time around, while the West has suddenly emerged as arguably the best division in baseball.

No division has seen more parity in recent years than the NL West, which saw four different champions between 2002 and '05 - the Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Padres - followed by an L.A.-San Diego tie in last year's standings.

Coming into this year, many picked the two rivals in Southern California as the two teams to beat. Both squads returned strong starting rotations, as the Dodgers boasted a core of Jason Schmidt, Derek Lowe and Brad Penny, while the Padres countered with Jake Peavy, Chris Young and former Dodger Greg Maddux.

After the season's first week, however, it appears that the division's true frontrunner lies a few hundred miles to the east. Despite starting the season with a lineup card full of people most have never heard of, the Diamondbacks have emerged as one of the best teams in baseball.

So far, the D-Backs' two unlikely heroes have been a pair of veteran American League castoffs - 31-year-old journeyman Eric Byrnes, who started his career in Oakland seven years ago, and former Toronto Blue Jay Orlando Hudson, who looks to have a career year in Arizona at age 29.

Neither player has ever hit .300 in a full season, and yet both have had monstrous starts to their 2007 campaigns. Byrnes homered twice in the Diamondbacks' season-opening seven-game road trip, driving in seven runs, while Hudson slugged his second homer in Arizona's home opener Monday, driving in the winning run as the D-Backs topped the Cincinnati Reds 3-2.

Beyond the surprising Byrnes-Hudson duo, there are plenty of other stars on the rise in Phoenix. Shortstop Stephen Drew, the 24-year-old brother of Boston Red Sox outfielder J.D., has yet to play a full season, but hit .316 after breaking into the Majors in July. At third base, Arizona has Chad Tracy, who at 26 already has two 20-homer seasons under his belt. And first baseman Conor Jackson, the team's first pick in the 2003 draft, hit .291 last season with 15 homers.

The most talented youngster of all, however, may be none of the above. Centerfielder Chris Young, no relation to the aforementioned pitcher, is the heavy favorite to win National League Rookie of the Year. In his last three seasons in the minor leagues, Young hit .273 in the Arizona farm system, slugging 71 home runs and stealing 80 bases. Young brings the perfect combination of power and speed to the Diamondbacks' already-stacked lineup.

And by the way, Arizona has the reigning Cy Young winner on the mound. Righty workhorse Brandon Webb won 16 games in 2006, and with the amount of offensive firepower supporting him this time around, there's no reason he can't win 20. The team's weak link, however, might be the rest of its rotation, as a lot depends on whether journeymen Livan Hernandez and Doug Davis can perform in a Diamondbacks uniform and whether returning hero Randy Johnson can bounce back from injury and perform effectively at age 43.

If the D-Backs fall short of expectations, Los Angeles and San Diego will be waiting in the wings to reclaim their division. Both squads have had solid starts, having exhibited some strong offensive output to complement their strong rotations.

A pair of Gonzalezes are leading the two lineups so far. Padres first baseman Adrian has gone deep three times already this season, hitting .344 and driving in nine runs, and Los Angeles veteran Luis has already homered twice in Dodger blue.

The battle for NL West supremacy heats up this weekend, as the Dodgers and Padres face off in Los Angeles tonight. The pitching match-up features a pair of Red Sox castoffs, as Lowe faces aging Padre southpaw David Wells.