A division dominated by the St. Louis Cardinals, who finished with a 7.5 game lead over the second place Cubs. This year, I expect the Cards to stay atop the division.
1. St. Louis Cardinals
By far the class of the division, the Cardinals have two great offensive stars in Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday. Holliday will play in an outfield with Colby Rasmus and Ryan Ludwick, which is definitely a solid outfield. The infield contains Pujols, Brendan Ryan, and David Freese. At second base, there could be a battle between Skip Schumaker and Felipe Lopez, which I think Lopez will win. Yadier Molina will be the man behind the plate, and will return as one of the best defensive catchers in baseball. The bench will not be anything special, so health could be an issue for the Cards. The rotation will once again carry the great duo of Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainright, two Cy Young candidates from last year. Behind them will be veterans Brad Penny, Kyle Lohse, and Jaime Garcia. The bullpen will likely be book ended by closer Ryan Franklin, with Jason Motte and Kyle McClellan will be strong arms in the pen. Overall, I can see the Cardinals making another playoff appearance this year.
2. Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers have always been a team in the playoff race, but have never been able to take the division. This year I think they will close the gap between them and the Cardinals, and be in the Wild Card hunt and possibly even the division hunt. The Brewers outfield is led by corner outfielders Ryan Braun and Corey Hart, two outstanding hitters, with recent acquisition, speedster Carlos Gomez in center. In the infield big Prince Fielder will start at first, with Rickie Weeks at second and Casey McGehee at third. The trade of JJ Hardy (to the Twins for Gomez) opened up the shortstop spot to top prospect Alcides Escobar, who will get his first full season at the major league level this year. Behind the plate is veteran Gregg Zaun, but catching prospect Jonathan Lucroy could come up late this year or early next year. The pitching in Milwaukee leaves tons to be desired, but should be made up for by the powerful offense. Yovani Gallardo is their ace, followed by veteran lefties Doug Davis and Randy Wolf, then Dave Bush and Manny Parra. The bullpen looks solid, with Todd Coffee, Mitch Stetter, and LaTroy Hawkins, followed by Trevor Hoffman to close out games. The Brewers have a solid team, but injuries and pitching depth could hurt them down the stretch.
3. Chicago Cubs
Year 102 for Cubs fans, and this year could be a year where the Cubbies make the playoffs. The outfield is led by Alfonso Soriano and Kosuke Fukudome at the corners, with Marlon Byrd in center. The infield has stayed the same this year, with power hitting corner guys Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, and Mike Fontenot and Ryan Theriot provide solid defense up the middle. Geovany Soto will be behind the plate and will try to bounce back and return to 2008 form where he was rookie of the year. Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster will lead the rotation, followed by 12 game winner Randy Wells, then Carlos Silva (acquired from Mariners for Milton Bradley) and Tom Gorzelanny finish off the rotation. The leading arms out of the bullpen this year will be Jeff Samardzija, Sean Marshall, and John Grabow. Carlos Marmol will likely do the closing for the Cubs this season. In the end, I think the cubs will a solid season, but might not make the playoffs.
4. Houston Astros
The Astros have a chance at staying in the playoff race later in the year, and could play one of their best season in a while. Their outfield is led by Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee, two dangerous hitters in the middle of their lineup. Speedy Michael Bourn starts in center, and will retain his role as leadoff man. The infield isn't as good as many, with Pedro Feliz at third, Tommy Manzella at short, Kazuo Matsui at second, and Geoff Blum will start the year at first, but will move out of the lineup when Lance Berkman returns from injuries. Behind the plate will be Humberto Quintero. The bench consists of JR Towles, Jeff Keppinger, Chris Johnson, Cory Sullivan, and Jason Michaels. The rotation is anchored by the aging Roy Oswalt, whom injuries are becoming a major concern for. Wandy Rodriguez will hope to build off of a solid season last year, followed by Brett Myers. Bud Norris and Felipe Paulino are two young pitchers with potential for high strikeout numbers, but sometimes struggle to get the ball in the zone. Sammy Gervacio and Chris Sampson will be arms out of the bullpen, as well as whoever doesn't get the closer job between Brandon Lyon and Matt Lindstrom. Overall, the Astros could have a good future, but they aren't ready for serious playoff contention yet.
5. Cincinnati Reds
The Reds made some expensive offseason moves (Aroldis Chapman 6/30.25 million), and are looking to improve. The outfield features power hitting RF Jay Bruce along with young Chris Dickerson and Drew Stubbs. The infield is pretty solid, with the right side containing the Reds' stars, Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto, with the left side showcasing the defensive talents of veterans Scott Rolen and Orlando Cabrera. Ramon Hernandez will do most of the catching for this ballcup this year. The bench contains Jonny Gomes, a solid hitter against left handed pitching, Laynce Nix, Juan Francisco, a third baseman with some potential, Paul Janish, Miguel Cairo, and Ryan Hanigan. The pitching rotation starts with two veterans in Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo, followed by youngsters Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey, and Mike Leake. Leake was the eight pick in the first round of the 2009 draft, so he is really on a fast track. Aroldis Chapman, the Cuban defector signed in the offseason, will start the year in AAA and could come up early in the year. Edinson Volquez missed last year with Tommy John surgery, and had some setbacks in recovery putting his return later in the year than expected. Arthur Rhodes, Nick Masset, Daniel Ray Herrera, and Micah Owings will lead into solid closer Francisco Cordero. Youth and potential give the Reds high hopes for the future, but like the Astros need to let their young talent develop before they are serious contenders.
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates are the basement of the NL Central, one of the worst teams in baseball, a team notorious for trading away stars to contenders right when they become all stars. The outfield has very solid potential, with Garrett Jones and Lastings Milledge, and future superstar Andrew McCutchen starring in the grasses of PNC Park. Andy LaRoche, Ronny Cedeno, Jeff Clement, and new addition Aki Iwamura star in an improved infield, and the catcher will be Ryan Doumit, who has enjoyed periods of success offensively in previous years. The bench will contain a good bat in Ryan Church, as well as Delwyn Young, John Raynor, Bobby Crosby, and Jason Jaramillo. Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, Ross Ohlendorf, Charlie Morton, and Daniel McCutchen make up the Pittsburgh rotation. Brendan Donnelly is a good acquisition for the bullpen, and Octavio Dotel will do the closing this year. The Pirates could have a bright future, but right now they don't have the pieces to rise from the bottom of the division.
So now that the Central is finished, the next preview will be about the NL East, followed by the AL division from West to East. Enjoy some great baseball this week!
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