MLB Preview: 2016 National League team-by-team capsules

Who will win the National League in 2016? L.A. Daily News columnist Mark Whicker breaks down the league.

NL WEST

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

2015 Record: 84-78.

Wins, last 5 seasons: 84, 88, 76, 94, 86.

Rank in Runs Scored: 5th.

Runs Allowed: 6th.

Manager: Bruce Bochy.

Rotation: Madison Bumgaer, Johy Cueto, Jeff Samardzija,, Jake Peavy, Matt Cain/Chirs Heston.

Bullpen: Sergio Romo, Hunter Strickland, Jeff Osich, George Kontos, Javier Lopez, Cody Guerrin,

Closer: Santiago Casilla.

Lineup: 1B Brandon Belt, 2B Joe Panik, SS Brandon Crawford 3B Matt Duffy, C Buster Posey LF Angel Pagan/Gregor Blanco CF Denard Span RF Hunter Pence.

Fun Fact: Crawford led N.L. shortstops in home runs and RBI.

Best Case: Samardzija remembers how to win again.

Worst Case: They get the same injury bug that wrecked them last year.

Forecast: First. Full of functional players entering their prime.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

2015 Record: 79--83.

Wins, last 5 seasons: 79, 64, 81, 81, 94.

Rank in Runs Scored: 2nd.

Runs Allowed: 9th.

Manager: Chip Hale.

Rotation: Zack Greinke, Shelby Miller, Patrick Corbin, Rubby De La Rosa, Robbie Ray.

Bullpen: Tyler Clippard, Daniel Hudson, Andrew Chafin, Silvino Bracho, Randall Delgado, Enrique Burgos, Josh Collmenter, Matt Reynolds.

Closer: Brad Ziegler.

Lineup: 1B Paul Goldschmidt, 2B Chris Owings, SS Jean Segura/Nick Ahmed, 3B Jake Lamb, C Wellington Castillo, LF Yasmany Tomas, CF A.J. Pollock, RF David Peralta.

Fun Fact: With the Braves, Miller had 21 quality starts out of 33 and went 6-17.

Best Case: Corbin pitches like his pre-injury self.

Worst Case: Off-season bullpen moves don’t work.

Forecast: Second. Already a top offensive and defensive team, Diamondbacks will make playoffs if they can save games for Greinke and Miller.

LA DODGERS

2015 Record: 92--70.

Wins, last 5 seasons: 92, 94, 92, 78, 82.

Rank In Runs Scored: 8th.

Runs Allowed: 2nd.

Manager: Dave Roberts

Rotation: Clayton Kershaw, Scott Kazmir, Kenta Maeda, Alex Wood, Ross Stripling.

Bullpen: Yimi Garcia, Pedro Baez, J.P. Howell, Chris Hatcher, Louis Coleman, Luis Avilan.

Closer: Kenley Jansen.

Lineup: 1B Adrian Gonzalez, 2B Chase Utley/Enrique Heandez, SS Corey Seager, 3B Justin Tuer, C A.J. Ellis/Austin Baes, LF Carl Crawford/Scott Van Slyke, CF Joc Pederson, RF Yasiel Puig.

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DL: C Yasmani Grandal, P Hyun-Jin Ryu, P Brendan McCarthy, P Frankie Montas, 2B Howie Kendrick, P Brett Anderson, P Mike Bolsinger, OF Andre Ethier..

Fun Fact: Dodgers led the N.L. in home runs for the first since 1983.

Best Case: Maeda stays healthy and misses a lot of bats.

Worst Case: Puig is actually not a whole new man after all.

Forecast: Third. They diluted their strength (starting pitching) and didn’t address their weaknesses. Plus, they’ve become Dodger Blue Cross.

COLORADO ROCKIES

2015 Record: 68--94.

Wins, last 5 years: 68, 66, 74, 64, 73.

Rank in Runs Scored: 1st.

Runs Allowed: 15th.

Manager; Walt Weiss.

Rotation: Jorge De La Rosa, Chad Bettis, Jordan Lyles, Chris Rusin, Tyler Chatwood.

Bullpen: Justin Miller, Boone Logan, Scott Oberg, Jason Gurka , Miguel Castro, Christian Bergman.

Closer: Jake McGee/Chad Qualls.

Lineup: 1B Ben Paulsen, 2B David LeMahieu, SS Trevor Story 3B Nolan Arenado, C Nick Hundley, LF Gerardo Parra, CF Charlie Blackmon, RF Carlos Gonzalez.

DL: P Adam Ottavino, P Jon Gray. P Jason Motte.

Suspended; SS Jose Reyes.

Fun Fact: Gonzalez went from 11 homers to a career-high 40.

Best Case: Gray gets healthy, fulfills expectations in the rotation.

Worst Case: Motte and McGee can’t handle Coors Field, like many first-time Colorado pitchers.

Forecast: Fourth. Cut and paste from the last five or 10 seasons..

SAN DIEGO PADRES

2015 Record: 74-88.

Wins, last 5 years: 74, 77, 76, 76, 71.

Rank in Runs Scored: 10th.

Runs Allowed: 6th.

Manager: Andy Green.

Rotation: James Shields, Tyler Ross, Andrew Cashner, Colin Rea, Robbie Erlin.

Bullpen: Kevin Quackenbush, Brandon Maurer, Matt Thoton, Carlos Villanueva, Josh Martin, Drew Pomeran..

Closer: Feando Rodney.

Lineup: 1B Wil Myers, 2B Corey Spangenberg, SS Alexei Ramirez, 3B.Yangervis Solarte, C Derek Norris. LF Melvin Upton Jr. CF Jon Jay RF Matt Kemp.

Fun Fact: Myers’ next 350 plate-appearance season will be his first. He has played 235 games in three years.

Best Case: Spangenberg is ready to play fulltime.

Worst Case: Rodney tus into a hand grenade.

Forecast: Fifth. No team is better at changing its approach and finishing in the same place.

NL CENTRAL

CHICAGO CUBS

2016 Record: 97--65.

Wins, last 5 years: 97, 73, 66, 61, 71..

Rank in Runs Scored: 6th.

Runs Allowed: 4th.

Manager: Joe Maddon.

Rotation: Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester, John Lackey, Jason Hammel, Kyle Hendricks.

Bullpen: Pedro Strop, Adam Warren, Jason Grimm, Travis Wood, Trevor Cahill, Neil Ramirez, Clayton Richard.

Closer: Hector Rondon.

Lineup: 1B Anthony Rizzo, 2B Ben Zobrist, SS Addison Russell, 3B Kris Bryant, C Miguel Montero, LF Kyle Schwarber CF Dexter Fowler, RF Jason Heyward.

DL: 2B Javier Baez.

Fun Fact: Bryant hit .388 with men in scoring position, tops in the league.

Best Case: Lester pitches like an ace again.

Worst Case: The bullpen lets too many games get away.

Forecast: First. May disappoint fans by falling short of 162-0, however.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

2016 Record: 100-62.

Wins, last 5 years: 100, 90, 97, 88, 90.

Rank in Runs Scored: 11th.

Runs Allowed: 1st.

Manager; Mike Matheny.

Rotation: Adam Wainwright, Jaime Garcia, Michael Wacha, Mike Leake, Carlos Martinez.

Bullpen: Kyle Siegrist, Seth Maness, Jonathan Broxton, Jordan Walden, Tyler Lyons, Seung Hwan Oh, Mitch Harris.

Closer: Trevor Rosenthal.

Lineup: 1B Brandon Moss/Matt Adams 2B Kolten Wong SS Jedd Gyorko 3B Matt Carpenter, C Yadier Molina LF Matt Holliday, CF Randal Grichuk, RF Stephen Piscotty.

DL: P Lance Ly, SS Jhoy Peralta, SS Ruben Tejada.

Fun Fact: Piscotty got 71 hits in his first 63 major league games.

Best Case: Wainwright makes yet another comeback.

Worst Case: Shortstop is a problem until Peralta retus.

Forecast: Second. They won 101 games with big, long-lasting injuries. Not intimidated by the Cubs.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

2016 Record: 98--64.

Wins, last 5 years: 98, 88, 94, 79, 72.

Rank in Runs Scored: 4th.

Runs Allowed: 3rd.

Manager: Clint Hurdle.

Rotation: Francisco Liriano, Garrit Cole, Jon Niese, Jeff Locke, Juan Nicasio.

Bullpen: Tony Watson, Neftali Feliz, Kyle Lobstein, Arquimedes Caminero, Rob Scahill, Cory Luebke, Ryan Vogelsong.

Closer: Mark Melancon.

Lineup: 1B John Jaso 2B Josh Harrison SS Jordy Mercer 3B David Freese C Francisco Cervelli LF Sterling Marte, CF Andrew McCutchen, RF Gregory Polanco.

DL: 3B Jung Ho Kang, P Jered Hughes.

Fun Fact: Watson, who has worked 155 games the past two years, hasn’t given up a homer to a lefthander since Aug. 26, 2014 (Adam LaRoche).

Best Case: The NL’s best young outfield takes another step.

Worst Case: The lower half of the rotation remains questionable.

Forecast: Third. Lost a lot in the winter, but this is a restorative organization.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS

2015 Record: 68-94.

Wins, last 5 years: 68, 82, 74, 83, 96.

Rank in Runs Scored: 9th.

Runs Allowed: 11th.

Manager: Craig Counsell.

Rotation: Wily Peralta, Jimmy Nelson, Matt Garza, Trevor Jungma, Chase Anderson.

Bullpen: Michael Blazek, Tyler Thoburg, David Goforth, Tyler Cravy, Chris Capuano.

Closer: Corey Knebel.

Lineup: 1B Chris Carter, 2B Scooter Geett, SS Jonathan Villar, 3B Aaron Hill, C Jonathan Lucroy, LF Ryan Braun, CF Kirk Nieuwenhuis, RF Domingo Santana.

DL: P Will Smith.

Fun Fact: Garza made $25 million with the Brewers the last two years and went 14-22 with a 4.59 ERA.

Best Case: Carter’s power thrives in cozy Miller Park.

Worst Case: They can’t replace closer Francisco Rodriguez.

Forecast: Fourth. New GM David Steas, 31, follows the familiar tear-it-down playbook.

CINCINNATI REDS

2016 Record: 64--98.

Wins, last 5 years: 64, 76, 90, 97, 79.

Rank in Runs Scored: 12th

Runs Allowed: 12th.

Manager: Bryan Price.

Rotation: Anthony DeSclafani, Alfredo Simon, Raisel Iglesias, Brandon Fiegan, Jon Mosscot.

Bullpen: Tony Cingrani, Jumbo Diaz, Sal Romano, J.J. Hoover, Blake Wood, Keyvius Sampson,

Closer: J.J. Hoover.

Lineup: 1B Joey Votto 2B Brandon Phillips, SS Zack Cozart, 3B Eugenio Suarez, C Devin Mesoraco, LF Adam Duvall, CF Billy Hamilton, RF Jay Bruce.

DL: P Homer Bailey, P Michael Lorenzen, P John Lamb.

Fun Fact: Only two Reds teams (1934 and 1982) lost more games than last year’s.

Best Case: Bailey comes back from Tommy John surgery at some point.

Worst Case: The bullpen is as undefined and messy and it looks.

Forecast: Fifth. Rebuilding teams in the N.L. Central get severely hammered.

N.L. EAST

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

2015 Record: 83--79.

Wins, last 5 years: 83, 96, 86, 98, 80.

Rank in Runs Scored: 3rd.

Runs Allowed: 7th.

Manager: Dusty Baker.

Rotation: Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Taer Roark, Joe Ross.

Bullpen: Shawn Kelley, Aaron Barrett, Oliver Perez, Yusmeiro Petit, Blake Treinen, Trevor Gott, Felipe Rivero.

Closer: Jonathan Papelbon.

Lineup: 1B Ryan Zimmerman, 2B Daniel Murphy, SS Day Espinosa, 3B Anthony Rendon,C Wilson Ramos, LF Jayson Werth, CF Ben Revere, RF Bryce Harper.

DL:

Fun Fact: Harper had 23 more homers, 31 more RBI, 43 more runs and 79 more walks than any teammate.

Best Case: Werth, Zimmerman and Rendon play 130-plus games.

Worst Case: Roark and Gonzalez don’t bounce back.

Forecast: First. Baker has tued worse teams around. Health would help.

NEW YORK METS

2015 Record: 90--72.

Wins, last 5 years: 90, 79, 74, 74, 77.

Rank in Runs Scored: 7th.

Runs Allowed: 5th.

Manager: Terry Collins.

Rotation: Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Stephen Matz, Bartolo Colon.

Bullpen: Addison Reed, Hansel Robles, Anotnio Bastardo, Jerry Blevins, Sean Gilmartin, Erik Goeddel, Jim Henderson.

Closer: Jeurys Familia.

DL: P Zack Wheeler.

Lineup: 1B Lucas Duda, 2B Neil Walker, SS Asdrubal Cabrera, 3B David Wright,C Travis d’Aaud, LF Michael Conforto, CF Yoenis Cespedes, RF Curtis Granderson.

Fun Fact: Of the 10 Mets’ pitchers who worked 39 or more games, five averaged at least one strikeout per iing.

Best Case: Wheeler completes his comeback in midsummer, joins rotation.

Worst Case: Wright, 38, can’t get through the season.

Forecast: Second. They and Nationals will take it to the wire.

MIAMI MARLINS

2015 Record: 71-91.

Wins, last 5 years: 71, 77, 62, 69, 72.

Rank in Runs Scored: 14th.

Runs Allowed: 8th.

Manager: Don Mattingly.

Rotation: Jose Feandez, Tom Koehler, Wei-Yin Chen, Adam Conley, Jarred Cosart.

Bullpen: Bryan Morris, Mike Du, Brad Hand, Raudel Lazo.

Closer: A.J. Ramos.

Lineup: 1B Justin Bour 2B Dee Gordon, SS Adeiny Hechevarria 3B Martin Prado, C J.T. Realmuto, LF Christian Yelich, CF Marcell Ozuna, RF Giancarlo Stanton.

Fun Fact: Gordon, the league batting champ, also became the first man since Marquis Grissom (‘91-’92) to lead MLB in steals in back-to-back seasons.

Best Case: Feandez takes his 6-1 finish and challenges for a Cy Young Award.

Worst Case: Ozuna, who lost 87 OPS points last year, can’t find them.

Forecast: Third. They build nice sand castles , then stomp them flat..

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

2015 Record: 63-99.

Wins, last 5 years; 63, 78 73, 81, 102.

Rank in Runs Scored: 13th.

Runs Allowed: 14th.

Manager: Pete Mackanin.

Rotation: Jeremy Hellickson, Charlie Morton, Aaron Nola, Vince Velasquez, Jerad Eickhoff.

Bullpen: Luis Garcia, Jeanmar Gomez, Elvis Araujo, Hector Neris, Daniel Stumpf, Dalier Hinojosa, Brett Oberholtzer.

Closer: David Heandez.

Lineup: 1B Ryan Howard 2B Cesar Heandez, SS Freddie Galvis, 3B Maikel Franco, C Cameron Rupp/Carlos Ruiz, LF Cody Asche, CF Odubel Herrera, RF Peter Bourjos.

Fun Fact: Heralded rookie Franco hit eight homers in June, four thereafter.

Best Case: Nola, Velasquez and Eickhoff form the outline of tomorrow’s rotation.

Worst Case: Leaky bullpen blows the few chances Phillies have to win.

Forecast: Fourth. Will not improve enough to recover their crowds.

ATLANTA BRAVES

2015 Record: 67-95.

Wins, last 5 years: 67, 79, 96, 94, 89.

Rank in Runs Scored: 15th.

Runs Allowed: 14th.

Manager: Fredi Gonzalez.

Rotation: Julio Teheran, Bud Norris, Matt Wisler,Jhoulys Chacin, Williams Perez.

Bullpen: Jason Grilli, Jim Johnson, Alexei Ogando, Daniel Winkler, Jose Ramirez.

Closer: Arodys Vizcaino.

Lineup: 1B Freddie Freeman 2B Jace Peterson SS Erick Aybar, 3B Adonis Garcia, C A.J. Pierzynski LF Hector Olvera CF Ender Inciarte RF Nick Markakis.

Fun Fact: Grilli’s 1.129 WHIP was a career-best, and he saved 24 games after he came over from the Angels.

Best Case: Freeman is healthy enough to make people buy tickets.

Worst Case: Teheran doesn’t solve his 2015 problems.

Forecast; Fifth. The Braves loaded up on prospects like Dansby Swanson and Sean Holcomb, who may be seen in late summer.