Purple Row, a Colorado Rockies community

It’s no mystery that the Frank McCourt debacle played a heavy role in how the Los Angeles Dodgers finished (82-79) last year. Sure they had a winning record, but they were capable of so much more. Manager Don Mattingly has done a great job, despite the outside influences, in crafting a winning ballclub. He has helped center fielder Matt Kemp find his game again and did he ever. Kemp hit .324/.399/.586 with 39 home runs, 126 RBI and 40 stolen bases, but was absolutely robbed of a MVP trophy despite nearly winning the vaunted Triple Crown.

After finishing 90-72 and behind the World Series Champions San Francisco Giants in 2010, the Padres followed that up with a disappointing 71-91 mark and a dead last finish in 2011. The team traded away star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox for first baseman Anthony Rizzo, pitcher Casey Kelly, and outfielder Reymond Fuentes who were considered the first, third, and eighteenth-best prospect in the system, respectively. As indicated by their record the team as a whole struggled, especially at the dish where they ranked dead last in batting average and slugging percentage, and 15th in on-base percentage. Their most consistent hitter was 3B Chase Headley (.289/.374/.399) who swatted four home runs, drove in 44 runs and stole 13 bases.