The National League's West division appears primed to be baseball's most competitive division once again after last season when its top three teams finished the season separated by only a game and a half.

Last summer the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers played musical chairs for the top spot in the West with the Diamondbacks eventually taking the pennant and the Rockies finishing a close second to earn the NL wild card.

Both of the divisions playoff teams then advanced to the NL Championship Series as the Rockies defeated the Diamondbacks to move on to the World Series.

A disappointing second half led to a fourth-place finish for the Dodgers and caused some major changes in Tinseltown starting with the firing of manager Grady Little and high-profile hiring of legendary Yankees' manager Joe Torre.

Less than two months later the Dodgers signed marquee free agent Andruw Jones to a two-year contract worth $36.2 million.

The Diamondbacks also made headlines in the offseason by acquiring Oakland ace Dan Haren in a deal that arguably gives Arizona the most intimidating 1–2-3 pitching punch in the National League with Brandon Webb, Haren and Randy Johnson.

Predictions:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

If ace Jason Schmidt can stay healthy all season and Andruw Jones is able to regain his power stroke, Joe Torre will be working with the most talented team in the division.

Jones' power bat in the middle of the Dodgers' lineup will ease the burden on Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent and his presence in the clubhouse will aid the development of the Dodgers' wealth of young talent including Matt Kemp, James Loney, Andre Eithier and Andy LaRoche.  

Torre will have one of the deepest benches in the major leagues at his disposal which will work to the Dodgers' advantage down the stretch of the season.

The last piece of the puzzle for the Dodgers may be the transition of Chad Billingsley from blue-chip prospect into a legitimate major league starter. Billingsley pitching well in the four spot behind Schmidt, Brad Penny and Derek Lowe would give the Dodgers the slight advantage they will need to win the West.

2. Arizona Diamondbacks

The dilemma here is whether the edge goes to the pitching of the Arizona Diamondbacks or the high octane lineup of the Colorado Rockies.

The addition of Dan Haren and the strong possibility of a healthy Randy Johnson to compliment former Cy Young winner Brandon Webb makes it hard to bet against the D-backs.

Outfielder Eric Byrnes enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2007 and played the role of veteran leader on an extremely young Arizona team that fought hard down the stretch without Johnson and star second basemen Orlando Hudson to finish with the best record in the National League. 

Hudson's return will bolster a young Arizona lineup that was outscored by opponents in 2007 in large part due to the lack of a true power hitter in the middle of the order. Chris Young and Conor Jackson have shown flashes of the power that the Diamondbacks need desperately to repeat as champs.

3. Colorado Rockies

The defending National League champion Colorado Rockies feature the only proven high-powered offense in a division with some of the strongest pitching rotations in the National League.

Outfielder Matt Holliday returns from his MVP season as the NL West's only true superstar. However, lingering questions surrounding the Rockies' starting rotation make them the underdog yet again the division.

The Rockies return a starting lineup which deserves consideration as one of the best in baseball. It's so good, in fact, on many nights the Rockies put up so many runs that pitching becomes far less important.

The Rockies core of Holliday, Todd Helton, Garrett Atkins and Brad Hawpe added an upcoming star last season with the emergence of shortstop Troy Tulowitzki in his rookie season.

The Rockies need Tulowitki to avoid the sophomore slump and its pitching rotation to stay healthy and hold its own in the West in order for the team to again have a chance at making the playoffs.

4. San Diego Padres

The Padres should find themselves in the top five in major league baseball in team ERA once again, but like past years will lack the offensive firepower to get it done on a nightly basis.

Adrian Gonzalez has developed into one of the great young power hitters in baseball. The Padres lost center fielder Mike Cameron, though, and failed to make any significant additions to a lineup that was one of the least productive in the National League.

Even with their shortcomings on offense the Padres could wind up at the top of the West division standings if Mark Prior can successfully revitalize his once promising career. While the odds are stacked against the oft-injured Prior, his re-emergence could push the Padres right back into contention.

5. San Francisco Giants

The youth movement should have officially started in San Francisco after an ugly departure by Barry Bonds.

The only problem is this Giants team is still one of the oldest in the majors with the likes of Omar Vizquel (40), Ray Durham (36), Rich Aurilia (36), and Dave Roberts (35) slated to start in 2008.

The youth movement is more evident in the starting rotation where the Giants are stronger than many would think. Lefty Barry Zito and young flamethrowers Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum anchor a staff which reflects the promising future Giants' management sees down the road.

It will be a struggle for the Giants in their first season since 1992 without Barry Bonds, though. Free-agent signee Aaron Rowand will be looked upon to help fill the void left by Bonds as no other player on the Giants team hit 20 home runs last season.

NL West MVP:

Matt Holliday, Colorado Rockies

NL West Cy Young:

Dan Haren, Arizona Diamondbacks

NL West Manager of the Year:

Joe Torre, Los Angeles Dodgers