With almost half, 47 percent, of all games against division opponents this season, it’s vital to know what advantages you have against other teams in the division. For the D’backs, that means comparing themselves against the Dodgers, Padres, Giants and Rockies.

With that in mind, I’ll take a look at all eight fielding spots, the starting rotation, the bullpen and the coaching staff of those teams and rank them over the next month in NL West primers if you will.

This is the second of eleven posts as I take a look at first baseman. The catcher primer is here.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

Adrian Gonzalez had a bad year last season – a bad year for him. He hit .299 with 18 home runs and a 47 doubles and got on base at a .344 clip. Look, his power is now where it was supposed to be but 47 doubles is nothing to sneeze at. He also stayed patient at the plate and is a presence in the middle of the lineup. And there is always a possibility that he gets back to hitting 30 home runs a year. Even if not, he still compares pretty well to the next guy on this list.

2. Arizona Diamondbacks

Image: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Paul Goldschmidt did pretty much the opposite of what I, and many, thought he’d do last season. I thought he’d have huge power but not get on base very much. Instead, he hit a solid yet unspectacular 20 home runs and got on base at a .359 clip. He did hit 43 doubles on the season and walked 60 times for a .359 OBP. The fact that Goldschmidt showed that plate discipline is a good sign going forward, though. Goldschmidt will hit more home runs soon. Will it be this year? Not sure. He may regress just a bit this year and hit 15-18 home runs with a little lower average. He may also hit 35 home runs with another .280 average, solidifying him in the second spot here.

3. San Francisco Giants

This is another big drop off here in the division. And this is completely a gut call by me. I think Brandon Belt will have a “big” year for the Giants this season. Belt came on late in the year in 2012 and I’m betting he will continue it into this season with something like a .285/.350/.460 type numbers for San Fran.

4. San Diego Padres

This is another gut call but I like Yonder Alonso. Petco Park really depresses hitters’ numbers but Alonso is set for somewhat of a breakout year. He won’t have the power numbers to compare at home but his road numbers may be pretty impressive, giving him the fourth spot over the next guy.

5. Colorado Rockies

I hate to do this, but Todd Helton is done. It’s incredible how long Helton has been able to play at a productive level but it’s about time for Helton to hang up the spikes. Helton only played in 69 games for the Rockies last season – but in that time he struggled. He only hit .238 with seven home runs. At Coors, those are not good. And it will probably continue into this season, putting the Rockies at a severe disadvantage in the NL West.

Second base primer will be out on Friday.

Feb 24, 2012; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks executive vice president and general manager Kevin Towers during spring training at Salt River Fields. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

With Spring Training games set to begin this weekend and the focus here at Venomstrikes is giving our readers opinions on the state of the Arizona Diamondbacks  and its players, perhaps it is time to shine a light on the Man Behind the Curtain, so to speak. That would be General Manager Kevin Towers hired by the D-Backs on September 22, 2010. While many of the parts were already in place for Arizona’s meteoric rise to the 2011 National League West Championship, there is no doubt that Towers added some ingrediants to the recipe.   D-Back fans should be comforted by the fact that there should be stability in Management for the foreseeable future.

Towers is best known for being the GM of the San Diego Padres from 1995 through the 2009 season. During that span, his teams won four NL West Championships as well as the 1998 National League pennant, only the organization’s second World Series appearance in its history. Two of his early Padre trades, the first for Greg Vaughn at the 1996 trading deadline (they later won the division) and for Kevin Brown in December 1997 directly led to the Padres reaching the World Series in 1998. His trades before and during the 2006 season for Adrian Gonzalez and Cla Meredith as well as the signing of Mike Piazza ensured the Padres of a second straight division title. Notable draft picks by Towers included Jake Peavy, Xavier Nady, Jason Bartlett and Mat Latos. His tenure as the Padres GM and the team’s performance during that time could arguably be called the most successful stint in club history. (Author’s note: Many thanks to http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/gm_trade_history/  for providing this information).

So how do we properly evaluate the reign of Towers so far as GM of the D-Backs? Justin Upton was drafted by Arizona while Towers was still in San Diego. Their best pitcher, Ian Kennedy, arrived in a 2010 trade with the New York Yankees  while Towers was an assistant to Brian Cashman. Josh Collmenter and Paul Goldschmidt were called up in 2011 but were drafted by former Arizona GM Josh Byrnes. Towers’s most important contribution for 2011 was remaking the bullpen starting with the signing of closer of J.J. Putz and the trade for David Hernandez. The in-season trade for Brad Ziegler added depth to an already strong area of the team. The deals for Lyle Overbay and Aaron Hill were wise moves as well, fortifying the infield. Maybe the biggest move of all was not for a player but deciding to keep Manager Kirk Gibson. Many times, new GM’s want to select their own guy but Towers chose wisely by leaving the skipper’s spot unchanged. Only time will tell if the signings during the Winter will pay off in 2012.

You can bet if the Diamondbacks are once again contenders in 2012 that their GM will make every sensible move possible at the deadline to ensure postseason success. I would feel very secure as an Arizona fan knowing Kevin Towers is calling the shots for my team.

Follow me on Twitter @ltj41 and at www.clearthebases.net

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Not a ton of fireworks, but enough as the National League took their second consecutive game from the American League 5-1 at the All-Star Game at Chase Field on Tuesday night.  Milwaukee Brewers Prince Fielder hit a 3-run homer in the fourth inning to give the NL the lead for good.

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