Part 3 of 7 previewing the upcoming MLB season. This week, I cover the NL Central division.
CHICAGO CUBS
This is a team that did very well last year but faded towards the end and lost the division to St. Louis. Very minimal moves during the offseason but the trade was sending Milton Bradley to Seattle for pitcher Carlos Silva, who joins a great rotation that also includes Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster & Ted Lilly. The lineup looks solid as well with the addition of Marlon Byrd (3-year deal), but also contains Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Kosuke Fukudome & Xavier Nady. Manager Lou Pinella's team will definitely big strong and will be around for the playoffs.
CINCINNATI REDS
This is a young team with a lot of talent. Finished 4th in the standings last year, this year it could be a surprise team come October. Young guns like Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez (coming off Tommy John Surgery) will be a factor on the back end of the rotation, but the front end needs to be consistent as well with Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang. The hitting and defense will also step up this year after good performances from Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, Drew Stubbs and Jonny Gomes. They do have a great prospect in the farm system...Todd Frazier (went to HS with him) who can play throughout the infield and left-field as well. He may not make the club to start this year, but expect him in a Reds jersey sometime in the near future. They may not make the playoffs this season, but look for them to be better in years to come.
HOUSTON ASTROS
Houston is a team that is going through a rebuilding year, like the Angels and the D-Backs. Roy Oswalt is the main starter but the rotation also is questionable and injury-prone, especially newly acquired Brett Myers. The lineup is also questionable but they do have great hitters like Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee, Kaz Matsui and even Jeff Keppinger. New manager Brad Mills (former BoSox bench coach) will make a good impression and this is a time that will be good in a few years. Like I said, this is a rebuilding year for the club.
MILWAUKEE BREWERS
The Brew Crew is a fun team to watch but also made alot of moves during the offseason which could help the team or not. Started off the season strong, they faded by the end of the summer. Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun are some of the big names in the lineup, joined by Carlos Gomez, Richie Weeks and Corey Hart. The pitching rotation includes Jeff Suppan, Dave Bush, Doug Davis, Randy Wolf and Manny Parra. The closer is the career-saves leader Trevor Hoffman and he will continue to be a key asset to this team which will definitely improve from last year.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Talk about a team cleaning house. That's what the pirates did and are expecting to have the lowest payroll in the league this season. With a rotation that includes Zach Duke & Paul Maholm, there are too many questions to ask during spring training like who will fill up the other starters. The batters and defense have veterans including Akinori Iwamura and Ryan Church to young guns like Jose Tabata and Andrew McCutchen. Honestly I see this team struggle this year and don't have them winning any more than 55 games. Definitely needs a lot of work, but they do have talent for fantasy leagues like McCutchen and Garrett Jones.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Lastly, the defending division champs: the Cardinals. Tony LaRussa returns as manager and Mark McGwire joins the club as a hitting coach, and has come clean after his steroid use. The Cards also signed Matt Holliday to a 7-year, $120 million contract and he will continue to be dominant in the NL and continues the 1-2 punch with Albert Pujols and that could be tough for teams to face, but it will continue to pay off throughout the season. Pitching also remains tough with Adam Wainwright & Chris Carpenter at the front end of the rotation. Brad Penny was also signed with the club after Joel Pineiro signed with the Angels. The only concern I have is who's gonna be the closer: Ryan Franklin, Kyle McClellan or Mitchell Boggs? Definitely gonna be fun to see who wins the job during spring training.
PREDICTION FOR THE DIVISION
Like what we've seen in the last few years, it's gonna be once again a horse race all season between St. Louis, Chicago and Milwaukee but in the end, I think St. Louis wins it, but it will be close.
Next week: AL Central
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Don't forget about Ryan Doumit from Pittsburgh as a fantasy pick for catchers. Sure, he strikes out a lot, but his power is great when he actually hits the ball. Also, I think that this could be a great year for the Brewers, they're a veteran team, full of aging players, so if they don't do it this year, I wouldn't hold much hope for next, but this year could be big for them.
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