Prediction Poll: Will the Arizona Diamondbacks Win the NL West?

Here at the all-star break, the Arizona Diamondbacks have a record of 50-45, which puts them 2 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers.It's already been a weird season for the D-backs, with injuries and surprisingly poor -- or, in rare cases, good -- performances from players, and...

By Matthew Hendley

July 16, 2013

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

Here at the all-star break, the Arizona Diamondbacks have a record of 50-45, which puts them 2 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers.

It's already been a weird season for the D-backs, with injuries and surprisingly poor -- or, in rare cases, good -- performances from players, and it's only going to get weirder.

See also:
-How the Arizona Diamondbacks Have Managed to Cling to First Place
-Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers' "Moneyball" Strategy Isn't Madness

One thing is for certain, and it's that General Manager Kevin Towers certainly knew what the hell he was doing with his off-season dealings.

Remember that nut Trevor Bauer? In his last start with his new team, the Cleveland Indians, he almost made it out of the first inning, but was pulled after throwing 49 pitches, and giving up five runs and six hits.

Remember Justin Upton? He's hitting .255. He was swapped for Martin Prado -- who actually plays hard -- but is hitting a comparable .253.

But when New Times met with Towers before the season started, he wanted to stress the fact that the D-backs landed Randall Delgado in the Upton/Prado trade. It may not have made much sense at the time, but Delgado has started seven games in the majors due to injuries, and five of those ended up being quality starts (at least six innings pitched, three or fewer earned runs given up).

Other parts of the pitching staff haven't been so great. Ian Kennedy has been awful, and reliever Heath Bell has been mostly awful. Trevor Cahill, Brandon McCarthy, and Matt Reynolds have been injured. Daniel Hudson re-injured his arm.

However, Patrick Corbin's an all-star. On the fielding side, Paul Goldschmidt's been incredible, and guys like Adam Eaton and Aaron Hill are just getting back into the lineup from injuries.

It's pretty hard to tell how the Diamondbacks are going to do, especially with the allegedly surging Dodgers.

Let's make some predictions. Will the Diamondbacks win the NL West?

Cast your vote below:

Send feedback and tips to the author.
Follow Matthew Hendley on Twitter at @MatthewHendley.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.