NL Central Preview

Two divisions down, four to go. Today I'll begin my preview of the National League divisions, starting with the Central. Last year the Cubs, 100 years since their last World Series title, were hoping to finally end the streak and get another championship. They were hot all season long, and were the favorites in the National League playoffs. However, they got upset by the Dodgers in the first round. The Brewers made their first postseason appearance since 1982, largely thanks to the midseason trade for C.C. Sabathia. The Cardinals also suprised people by contending for a while until fading midseason. The Pirates are still terrible, and the Reds still are slumping. The Astros are still......well who the hell knows about them. Now for a look at the division.....

Houston Astros:

Living in Texas, I get to hear what Astros fans think about their team all the time. They pretty much are sick of, but expect, the team to suck in the first half of the season and then get their act together in the second half. The question, as usual, is will they be able to put a complete season together?

The lineup is a good one. It's not the best out there, but it has some good players. Lance Berkman, though I do not like him at all, is as consistent as it comes for their team. Carlos Lee is a horse. Tejada, though he has some personal issues with his immigration and steroids, is still a good hitting shortstop, and may even play a little bit of third base. Kaz Matsui is a solid second baseman for them. One of the keys for them is Hunter Pence. He suffered somewhat of a sophomore slump after a great rookie year. Look for him to come back and put together a good season. The catching won't give them a lot hitting wise, but they have never had a great hitting catcher.

Pitching is the question for this team. Roy Oswalt is one of the best in the game, but after him things become foggy. Brandon Backe has always shown potential, but he is very inconsistent. He has to put together a complete season of quality starts. Wandy Rodriguez showed a lot of potential last year and needs to continue to build off of last year. The Astros cannot afford for him to digress. Mike Hampton is the biggest question mark of all. If healthy, he could be the Astros' X-factor. You reasonably cannot expect him to remain healthy because of his history, so that is a hole for them. Moehler and Russ Ortiz are fighting for the 5th spot and either one is decent. The bullpen is questionable as well. Jose Valverde is good, but also blows some saves. LaTroy Hawkins is inconsistent as well. If the bullpen can be solid, then the team can do some things.

Overall, a good team that has the ability to make the playoffs, but can't afford to put themselves in an early hole again.

Milwaukee Brewers:

The Brew Crew was one of the cinderella teams last year. They made the playoffs for the first time in 26 years. However, they no longer have C.C. and Ben Sheets is gone as well. The Gagne experiment is over and they replaced him with Trevor Hoffman. Gagne is still on the team but has a minimal role.

The lineup is still a young and productive one. Prince Fielder is a beast, and will continue to hit monster shots for them. Ryan Braun is the same story, and he is still getting better and better. Hardy and Hall are solid players, as is the improving Rickie Weeks. Look for Weeks to make some strides this season. Hart and Cameron are good outfielders. Kendall is still decent, but he is getting old. Overall, this lineup will produce some runs and be the strength of the team. They will have to score a lot because they are going to give up some runs....

The pitching staff is weak. Gollardo is their number one guy. Braden Looper, Dave Bush and Jeff Suppan are the next three. Decent guys, but none of them are going to scare anybody. Hoffman is the new closer, but who knows what to expect from him? Gagne is still their but he was a bust for them last year. The bullpen is full of arms that have lots of questions. This staff is going to give up runs and put pressure on their offense to score.

I like their lineup, but the rotation and bullpen are not good. I think the Brewers are going to struggle somewhat and finish around .500 or below.

St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals suprised people last year. Again, they are under the radar. I look for them to have a good season again and challenge for the playoffs behind MVP favorite Albert Pujols. The team is young and fun to watch. The one question is the closer.

The lineup is pretty good. It's always going to be dangerous as long as Pujols is around. He is going to contend for the MVP again, hitting around 45+ home runs, and 120+ RBI's, and a .330+ batting average. Ryan Ludwick was really good last year and I see him following that up with another good season this year. They now have Khalil Greene at shortstop which adds a completely new dimension to this team. He is a great glove, as well as a great middle infield bat. Yadier Molina is a good catcher, and I absolutely love Rick Ankiel. He is an exciting player, I still can't believe he used to be a pitcher!!

The rotation is also solid. The main question is Chris Carpenter. If he can be even remotely similar to his former self, they will be a team to be reckoned with in October. Wainwright, Lohse, and Wellemeyer are all solid. Pineiro is even okay for them. The biggest question of all is the bullpen. They need to find a closer. Until they find a closer, they are close to the playoffs, but out until then. Right now I see them being a team that fades in the Wild Card race. If they get a closer, they challenge for the division.

Chicago Cubs:

For the Cubs is 101 years and counting. They hope that year 101 is finally the year for the World Series win to come.

The lineup is stronger than ever. They improved it by adding Milton Bradley. Derek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, and Alfonso Soriano are awesome. Theriot, Soto, and Miles/Fontenot are all good too. The one guy that changes things is Kosuke Fukudome. He was good for the first half last year and so were the Cubs. He struggled in the second half and that's one reason why the Cubs struggled in the playoffs. They need a lefthanded bat. Bradley adds that, but they need Fukudome to be himself again. They picked up Gathright who could end up being an X-factor for them.

The pitching rotation is really good, but they have some questions. Lilly is getting somewhat old, and he struggles sometimes. He has to be consistent. Ryan Dempster must pitch better on the road. He was great at home last year and needs to continue that on the road as well. Ryan Harden was a great pickup at the trade deadline last year, but as usual with him he is injury prone and must stay healthy. The Cubs need to be careful with him. Finally Sean Marshall and Aaron Heilman are battling for the 5th spot. Both have great potential, and whichever one wins must continue to improve throughout the season while the loser must be a force in the bullpen. The bullpen is the biggest question for the Cubs. Carlos Marmol was a great player for them last year, but he struggled the last part of the season. He must return to form this year, and remain that way. The rest of the bullpen also needs to step up. This is the team to beat in the Central, but if they want to win the World Series these are the questions that must be answered.

Pittsburgh Pirates:

The Pirates are a complete joke. They plain out suck. They will again suck this year, and probably for the next five years, possibly ten.

The lineup is OKAY at best. Nate McClouth is alright, as is Freddy Sanchez. Ryan Doumit is an okay catcher. The LaRoche brothers are decent, but Adam has been a disappointment overall for the Pirates since they traded for him. Jack Wilson is a decent shortstop, not great but he won't hurt you.

The pitching absolutely is terrible. Zack Duke is nothing like he was his rookie year. Hopefully he can regain his form this year. Maholm and Snell are decent, but not great. These are the main guys for this rotation. The bullpen is the worst part of this team. I've never heard of any of their guys, and I don't expect any of them are any good. This will be the 17th consecutive losing season for the Pirates. For their sake I hope I'm wrong and they can pull a "Rays".

Cincinnati Reds:

The Reds are a team that is constantly improving. The rotation has some good arms, and the lineup has some bats. Gone are the days of Griffey and Dunn, but Bruce and Votto are now around.

Willy Taveras was a good pickup for this team. He will be a good speed guy at the top of the lineup for them. Brandon Phillips is a top second baseman. Encarnacion is a sketchy glove but a great bat. Jay Bruce is going to explode this year. He will reach the 30 home run plateau. Votto is also awesome. Gonzalez is a good fielding shortstop and a decent enough bat, especially in that park where the ball just flies out. Ramon Hernandez was a great pickup at catcher. He is good for them. The lineup as usual will score, the question is pitching.

The rotation could be good this year. Homer Bailey is young and could be ready to break out. Aaron Harang is really good, as is last year's suprise Edinson Volquez. Look for him to continue to be great, and even improve. He'll contend for a Cy Young. Bronson Arroyo is decent, and could be okay for them. He needs to be consistent, he is always too hot and cold. Johnny Cueto has tons of potential and might live up to it this year. I also like Micah Owings a lot. He is not only a good pitcher, but also a good bat! Even the bullpen is good, with Francisco Cordero, Arthur Rhodes, and Dave Weathers.

Dusty Baker is one of my favorite managers in the game, and I look for the Reds to shock people this year and actually contend for a playoff spot.

Here is my prediction for the final NL Central standings come playoff time in 2009:

1. Chicago Cubs
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Cincinnati Reds
4. Houston Astros
5. Milwaukee Brewers
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

Up next is the first of the two power divisions, the NL East.