3/27/18: Episode 74 - NL West Preview

We’re just 48 hours from baseball cutting loose and letting it all hang out. The excitement of Opening Day is hard to replicate. Here is the Chroncast’s way of priming the pump for what’s sure to be a baseball binge for some of you and a “I can’t wait to watch Ty Blach hit a home run off of Clayton Kershaw” day of preparation for the rest of you.

Eric Stephen of True Blue LA talks about how the Dodgers might not have a unanimous rookie of the year on their roster this season and that because of the competitive balance tax won’t have the infuriating level of depth in starting pitching. Will these weaknesses help the Giants stay in the NL West race? Probably not.

Roy Thomasson comes over from Gaslamp Ball to describe a Padres team that feels like a complete unknown populated by total strangers to remind us that Wil Myers, Eric Hosmer, and Chase Headley (yes, that Chase Headley) are anything but strangers and that the Padres, while being in a transition year, are still carrying a lot of interesting players who will make the Giants miserable. Again.

Jen Mac Ramos chimes in with Diamondbacks notes and how the shift in organizational philosophy helped them get competitive in a hurry, but also warns that their belief in their own quality of talent depth might not match the reality. They also talk about how Tim Lincecum inspired a writing pursuit involving Filipino food.

And, Adam Peterson of Purple Row grants us an interview not to gloat about his dead-on predictions concerning last year’s Rockies team but to talk about how this year’s prediction is tougher now that the team and organization have real expectations.