Surviving the close calls is his metier

(in predicted order of finish (2008 records) )

Arizona (82-80)

3B Mark Reynolds led majors in strikeouts and errors last season, first since 1965 AL MVP Zoilo Versalles.

Dodgers (84-78)

Jonathan Broxton, 24, who arrived in 2005, has the longest tenure with the Dodgers among current players.

San Francisco (72-90)

San Francisco was 22-12 when Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum pitched last season, 50-78 when he did not.

Colorado (74-88)

In this free-swinging era, Todd Helton

has more walks

than strikeouts

for seven years running.

San Diego (63-99)

The last time

Trevor Hoffman wasn’t the Padres’ closer, in 1993, they lost 101 games. Just saying.

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KEY PLAYER

Surviving the close calls is his metier

Brian Wilson, p, Giants

The Giants might have clinched the National League West had they signed Manny Ramirez. But they passed, putting enormous pressure on the pitching staff to deliver almost nightly 2-1 victories. The Giants could have the best starting rotation in the league, with Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Randy Johnson, Jonathan Sanchez and Barry Zito, but Wilson figures to have to preserve plenty of one-run leads. He converted 41 of 47 save chances last season, his first as closer, and was an All-Star, but he had a 4.62 ERA, and put a runner on base via walk or hit batter once every two innings.

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HOT TOPIC

Rockies back at the foot of the mountain

The euphoria surrounding the Rockies’ 2007 run to the World Series vanished quickly last season, with Colorado falling below .500 for good on April 21. Still, the National League West is mediocre enough and the Rockies’ offense strong enough that Colorado could have kept its best player, Matt Holliday, and made another run at October. But, rather than risk Holliday’s walking away in free agency this fall, the Rockies traded him to Oakland for closer Huston Street, starter Greg Smith and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, preferring to build with quantity rather than gamble with quality. Oops: Neither Smith nor Gonzalez made the team.