NL Central Preview

A look at the NL Central:

Dave's Projected Finish:

1. St. Louis: Lost in all the hype of the Phillies bringing in Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay was the fact that the Cardinals were able to maintain two of the best combos in baseball. The re-signing of outfielder Matt Holliday to back up Albert Pujols and Cy Young runner-up Adam Wainwright to bolster a rotation that already contained former Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter not only makes the Cards favorites to take the Central, but makes them a legit dark horse to knock off the Phils for the NL crown in October. They'll need some help from the kids though. Outside of Pujols and Holliday, the lineup is littered with prospects like 2B Skip Schumaker and outfielders Colby Rasmus and Ryan Ludwick. Of the trio, Ludwick is the most proven, hitting 59 homers combined in the last two seasons. His production will be vital if the Cards are going to trade bombs with a lineup as stacked as the Phillies(or even the Brewers, for that matter). As for the pitching, the Cards are walking a thin line hoping Carpenter can stave off the DL for most of the season after his big comeback last year. The team will also hope pitching coach Dave Duncan's magic can work with journeymen Kyle Lohse and Brad Penny. The team will also have to settle on a reliable closer. Ryan Franklin saved 38 games last season but he's hardly someone who batters fear in the 9th inning.

With all that said, the Cards still have the best hitter in baseball in reigning MVP Albert Pujols and, in years past, that alone has been good enough to carry this team pretty far. Now, with some help from guys like Holliday and Ludwick and some quality pitching from a top-heavy rotation, the Cards may not be the team you're talking about now but they could be the team you're talking about in October.

2. Milwaukee: Speaking of formidable combinations in the middle of batting order, the Brewers possess a scary 1-2 punch in the humongous Prince Fielder(.299, 44 HRs, 141 RBIs and a scary 2 SBs.....at 270lbs) and "The Hebrew Hammer" Ryan Braun(.320, 32 HRs, 114 RBIs, 20 SBs). Surrounding that dynamic duo will be Mark Brooks' twin brother, Casey McGehee(.301, 16 HR and 66 RBI) and speedy Carlos Gomez(47 SBs in the last two seasons). That foursome makes the Brewers' lineup solid, but to make them great, they will need some production from once-promising 2B Rickie Weeks and disappointing young outfielder Corey Hart. If Hart and Weeks fufill their potential, this is a dangerous lineup especially playing in a bandbox like Miller Park.

So we know the Brewers can rake, but what about the pitching? Well, beyond star-in-the-making Yovanni Gallardo, there isn't much to talk about. The rest of Milwaukee's rotation are made up of washed-up former innings eaters. Jeff Suppan, Doug Davis, and Randy Wolf might have been a nice rotation if this was 2001, but it's hard to be optimistic handing the ball to those guys this time around. The bullpen has even more prehistoric relics. Setting up geriatric closer Trevor Hoffman is the equally biblical LaTroy Hawkins. What? Was Robb Nen unavailable? Could the Brewers not reach an agreement with Charlie Hough? The lack of proven hurlers is what keeps the Brewers below St. Louis. As great as the lineup is, the Brewers can't expect to win 9-8 games every night and they can't expect a dinosaur like Hoffman to be able to fool hitters down the stretch with guile and veteran know-how. If the Brew Crew needs to dangle a floundering young bat like Weeks or Hart to bring in some quality starters, then so be it, but like Rick Pitino would say, Ben Sheets isn't walking through that door.

3. Chicago: Another season of false hope for Cubs fans. After making a move for Rich Harden and signing Milton Bradley, the Cubs looked poised to break that century-long curse of theirs. However, Harden maintained his reputation for being fragile and Bradley flew off the deep end early. Both men are gone and their replacements leave much to be desired. Overrated Japanese "slugger" Kosuke Fukudome returns for another season of being hated by Cubs fans for being, among many things, a big name with warning track power. Ted Lilly takes over for Harden as the team's #2 behind equally overrated starter Carlos Zambrano. Lilly has been adequate since coming over two years ago, notching a winning record and double digit wins in both seasons with the Cubbies, but he's hardly someone that gives you confidence in the playoffs. The lineup could use some sprucing up and an awakening from overpaid outfielder Alfonso Soriano and sophomore slumping catcher Geovany Soto would be a good start if the Cubs are going to compete with artillery that St. Louis and Milwaukee are packing. 3B Aramis Ramirez and 1B Derrek Lee still remain productive underrated options at their positions but the days of them carrying the team are over.

The Cubs' fortunes rely on manager Lou Pinella's ability to get something out of his underproducing bunch, Soriano in particular. If Soriano continues to be a wooden glove in the field and a strikeout machine at the plate, the team has to hope someone will be dumb enough to trade something of value for the former 40-40 star. If they can't and Soriano continues to be a waste of space, Cubs fans will endure yet another season of watching World Series celebrations from the sidelines.

4. Cincinnati: A good mixture of young studs and cagey veterans could make the Reds a dark horse in the Central. A nice young core of 2B Brandon Phillips(.276, 20 HR, 98 RBI 25 SB), 1B Joey Votto(.322, 25 HR, 84 RBI) and Jay Bruce(22 HR, 58 RBI) certainly makes this team promising down the road. Veterans Scott Rolen, Orlando Cabrera and Ramon Hernandez will not only play the role of mentors for the young Reds but try to use up the backwash left in the tank of their once-storied careers. The rotation possesses some decent young arms led by gigantic hurler Aaron Harang and followed by youngsters Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey as well as former BoSox hero Bronson Arroyo. The Reds also went out and snagged Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman, considered one of the top pitchers in Cuba, to bolster the rotation. The 22-year old Chapman is yet another young, promising arm in a staff filled with potential. As for the bullpen, closer Francisco Cordero converted 39 of his 43 tries and posted a 2.16 ERA. He'll be setup by reliable veteran Arthur Rhodes.

Playing inside a ballpark known for being a launching pad will make this young rotation's ability to keep the ball in the park that much more important. If Chapman proves to be as good as his billing, Cueto and Harang return to All-Star form and Bailey can avoid tossing gopher balls, this rotation, combined with their solid middle of the order, will need to be avoided in late August and September when teams like the Brewers and Cardinals are trying to lock down the division.

5. Houston: Once a team known for solid young pitching and a scary lineup, the Astros now have neither. Roy Oswalt returns for another season to further kill his trade value as he tries to keep his fastball from leaving the Astros' Little League sized ballpark. Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman still have some pop but when they aren't getting long in the tooth, they're holding down the DL spots. Youngster Hunter Pence has some promise, but he can't carry this team. The same for starter Wandy Rodriguez. Lightning-quick leadoff man Michael Bourn may steal more bases than the Astros win games and the bullpen is shaky at best. Current closer Brandon Lyon has to be a sure-shot to lose his 9th inning job to former Marlin Matt Lindstrom by June. As for the rotation beyond Oswalt and Rodriguez, how do you feel about Phillies cast off Brett Myers as your 4th starter, Astros fans? How about Bud Norris? Yeah, I'd rather have Bud Bundy. The best hope for the Astros might be to just wave the white flag early and try to get some young prospects for its still marketable stars. Oswalt has been on the block for years and they owe it to him to move him to a contender. Berkman and Lee are probably too high-priced to be moved but, if a team gets desperate, Houston shouldn't think twice about moving them. With the rest of the division making moves to improve, the Astros have been on a downward spiral since their World Series appearance a few years ago. The time to rebuild might not be any better than right now.

6. Pittsburgh: I'll tell you what: You give send me a legitimate reason why I should bother wasting any more space on a Pirates team this is poised to have its 18th straight losing season and I will gladly write it in this spot. Until then, Pittsburgh fans, enjoy the Penguins and Steelers and hope Big Ben doesn't get raped in jail. Sorry, Sean.



Gabe's Projected Finished

1. St. Louis Cardinals - This team won the division by 7 games last year, and, in my opinion, are they only team in the division that won't be right around .500 or worse. They are as good as almost anyone at the top of their rotation with Carpenter and Wainwright. They have arguably the best player in the game in Albert Pujols and have great protection for him in Matt Holliday. Unlike Dave, I think Ryan Franklin is a reliable closer, even though he is getting older. He was an All Star last year. The keys for the Cards will be their stars staying healthy, especially Carpenter, and them getting production out of some of their young guys. I think they are going to be breakout seasons from guys like Colby Rasmus. The good news for St. Louis is the division is very winnable for them because the rest of the Central is not good.

2. Chicago Cubs - The Cubs have lots of great hitters, albeit aging great hitters, in the middle of their order with Derrick Lee, Aramis Ramirez, and Alfonso Soriano. And after those guys, the rest of the line-up, Fukudome and Theriot, etc., ain't exactly young either. They do have the potential to be dangerous, as long as they stay healthy and Pinella motivates them. Their pitching is also good with the incredible, but emotional, Carlos Zambrano at the top. I think Carlos Marmol is going to be a solid closer. There are questions about everybody else in their rotation though. The Cubs and Brewers will battle it out for second all season and will probably finish with very similar records. I think the Cubs pitching will be enough to get them past everyone in the division, except the Cardinals.

3. Milwaukee Brewers - The heart of the Brewers' batter order is young and good, really good. I know this because for most of the year last year I had Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Casey McGehee, and Corey Hart on my fantasy baseball team. (1st place fantasy baseball team that is.) They will score some runs. Their relief pitching is old, but solid. Expect LaTroy Hawkins to set-up all-time closer Trevor Hoffman. Their starting pitching is old, but not good. Jeff Suppan and Randy Wolf ain't scarin' anyone.

4. Cincinnati Reds - The big story all off-season with the Reds is the arrival of Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman, probably the most talked about new-comer not named Strasburg. I think Chapman will bring a spark and some excitement to this team. They have some players with some talent, like Aaron Harang, Scott Rolen, and Joey Votto, but they have too many holes to compete.

5. Houston Astros - As I looked at their roster these were my reactions..."Roy Oswalt is still pretty good. Carlos Lee might still have something in the tank. Holy crap! Lance Berkman and Kazuo Matsui are still in the majors?" They are going to stink. But they won't be as bad as....

6. Pittsburgh Pirates - When the Pirates stop acting like a minor league team, cultivating talent for the rest of the NL, then I'll care enough to think they won't finish last. Done and done.