2012 NL Central Preview

We have less than a week till baseball season starts, and I need to catch up. Here's my look at the NL Central division.

CHICAGO CUBS
The Cubs in the offseason hired Theo Epstein to be the new President of Baseball Operations, and he hired Jed Hoyer to be the new General Manager and Dale Sveum to be the team manager, good moves in my opinion. Also the Cubbies signed David DeJesus to a 2-year deal and joins a young lineup including shortstop Starlin Castro, outfielder Marlon Byrd and catcher Geovany Soto. The rotation is anchored by Rnady Wells & Ryan Dempster, while Carlos Zambrano went to Miami. I see this team improving but it will take a few years to be playoff-caliber.

CINCINNATI REDS
One manager in the hot seat this year is Dusty Baker, and his Cincinnati Reds needs some spark. The team did well last season, but did finish 3 games under .500. Pitcher Mat Latos joined the Reds via trade from San Diego and joining him in the starting rotation is Aroldis Chapman, Johnny Cueto, Bronson Arroyo and Homer Bailey. The Reds also signed closer Ryan Madson to a contract, but he will miss the season due to Tommy John Surgery, so Sean Marshall will take his place. Toms River's own Todd Frazier joins a lineup that features 1B Joey Votto, OF Jay Bruce and OF Ryan Ludwick. If Cincy wants to compete, they need to be consistent all season.

HOUSTON ASTROS
The Astros were disappointing in 2011, but this is still a young team under manager Brad Mills. The big story this season is where pitcher Wandy Rodriguez and 1B Carlos Lee will be with the team all year or will be traded. The rest of the team is very young and will have trouble to win games. The lineup includes Jed Lowrie (traded from Boston for P Mark Melancon), Chris Johnson, Jordan Schafer and Brian Bogusevic. The pitching rotation includes Brett Myers, Bud Norris, J.A. Happ and Wandy Rodriguez.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Most of the off-season was centered around reigning NL MVP Ryan Braun and his alleged PED use. He was suspended for 50 games by MLB, but that was lifted after the outfielder won his appeal. The other story around the Brew Crew was losing 1B Prince Fielder (free-agent) to Detroit, so his replacement is Mat Gamel. Also in the lineup is OF Corey Hart, catcher Jonathan Lucroy (signed a 5-year extension in offseason), and 3B Aramis Ramirez (signed as free-agent). The rotation includes Zach Greinke, Shaun Marcum, Randy Wolf and Yovani Gallardo. This team will do well and will compete for a playoff spot.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES
The Pirates were one of the most-improved teams in 2011, even leading the standings during the All-Star Break. The Bucs continued to improve in the off-season, trading for pitcher A.J. Burnett and signing Erik Bedard, joining a rotation that features Kevin Correia and Daniel McCutchen. The young, talented lineup consists of outfielders Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata, 2B Neil Walker, 3B Pedro Alvarez and catcher Rod Barajas. Manager Clint Hurdle's team will do well, but won't be in the playoffs come October.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
The 2011 World Series Champions lost free-agent 1B Albert Pujols to LA and manager Tony LaRussa decided to retire, so in-house coach Mike Matheny will be his replacement. The Cardinals also re-signed SS Rafael Furcal to a 2-year deal, catcher Yadier Molina to a 5-year extension and outfielder Carlos Beltran to a 2-year contract. They join outfielder Matt Holliday and 3B David Freese in a solid lineup. Pitcher Adam Wainwright returned from Tommy John Surgery and anchors a rotation that consists of Chris Carpenter, Kyle Lohse and Jaime Garcia. This team will be good, but won't have the same power as last year.


I'm going to take Milwaukee over St. Louis for the division. Both teams are strong, but I think the Brewers have the advantage mostly due to Ryan Braun.