It's 2016, which is bad news for the rest of baseball since the San Francisco Giants seem to win every time it is an even numbered year. The Giants seem well aware of this little fact as well, seeing as they had a very nice off-season with the players they have managed to acquire.  All streaks are meant to come to an end though and the Giants will have a tough road ahead of them with the vastly improved Diamondbacks, and the always competitive Dodgers.

5. Colorado Rockies

If the Rockies are ever going to find their way out of the cellar of this division they are going to need to develop and sing some pitchers.  For years now the Rockies have had one of the better offense in baseball but consistently rank at the bottom in terms of pitching.

 Last year the Rockies didn't have a single starting pitcher with an ERA under 4.00 and had only one reliever with at least 30 innings with an ERA under 4.00

Things are going to be even harder for them this year though.  Their pitching is as suspect as ever but now they will be without Troy Tulowitzki, and Corey Dickerson who were both keys to their offense.  With a greatly weekend offense and a pitching staff that will still underwhelm, expect another last place finish out of the Rockies this year.

4. San Diego Padres

After last season's failed experiment during which they traded for and singed a ton of new talent, the Padres are once again starting over new.  The Padres have very little to scare opposing teams pitchers as an aged and skill diminished Matt Kemp is far and away their best overall hitter.  

The Padres have virtually no pop in their lineup, and all three of their top starting pitchers are said to be on the trading block.  Guys like Andrew Cashner, and Tyson Ross have been sought after commodities for a while now, and with the Padres in as bad of shape as they are they may be traded before the season even starts.  This is going to be a year where the Padres call up some of their prospects, so that they can develop a plan for the future.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers have been regular season front runners in this division for a while not but their reign may be over.  The dodgers have a new manager this year, who will be managing a team that has some talented youth at some position, but is also aged at other positions.  

Adrian Gonzalez is past his prime, as is Carl Crawford who is scheduled to start in left field this season.  The Dodgers were only middle of the pack offensively last year, and I'd be surprised if they improve upon that this year.

A big reason for their past success was because of their pitching staff.  The rotation is still pretty good with Kershaw leading the way, but they did lose Zack Greinke who was actually their top pitcher last year.  

Scott Kazmir is a good pitcher but he simply can't replace the unbelievable production that Greinke provided.  Despite the Dodgers having a very good bullpen as well, the other teams in this division just seem to be able to match the Dodgers strong points, and top them in their weak points.

2. San Francisco Giants

Putting the Giants at second was a very difficult decision for me, because I truly believe they have what it takes to win their division this year, with their off-season moves.  The Giants have a lethal bullpen with Johnny Cueto, Madison Bumgarner, and Jeff Samardzija who should have a rebound year.  The Giants have a decent bullpen, but with so many starters that are capable of going deep into games, their lack of overall depth shouldn't hurt them too much in the long run.  

The Giants lineup is fairly solid, but it is missing that one big bopper, as their main homerun threat is Buster Posey, who does have good pop but is not that 30 or more home-run threat that the Giants are missing.  If the Giants get repeat offensive seasons out of guys like Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik, and Brandon Belt, they could win the division, but I don't see them going this season without some drop in output after having a career seasons last year.  

1. Arizona Diamondbacks

This pick is not simply because the Diamondbacks went and had a monster off-season.  The Diamondbacks were only  few pieces away from competing, having only finished four games under .500 last year.  The Diamondbacks had a really good offense last year, but they were missing the pitching to compete and make the playoffs.  

New with the additions of Shelby Miller, and Zack Greinke to the rotation the D-Backs have more than enough pitching. Not to mention Patrick Corbin looked good in the second half last year, and will make more than a serviceable number three.

While the rotation pretty much falls line in terms of talent with the Dodgers and Giants, the D-Backs distance themselves from the other two teams with their offense, and bullpen.  The D-Backs have one of the best hitters in baseball in Paul Goldschmidt, and a very good center fielder in A.J. Pollock who can be considered a five tool player if he can replicate last years results.  

The D-Backs also have a very underrated bullpen.  Brad Ziegler Has proven to be a more than capable closer.  The Diamondbacks have also added Tyler Clippard to the pen has had a very nice career since making the switch from the rotation to the pen.  The D-Backs were top 10 in hitting last year, and have enough potential to make it to the top ten in pitching statistics this year, making them strong candidates to be division winners and make a run in the playoffs.