National League Preview - NL Central

The major league baseball season is just a week away and to get you prepared we continue the shallowest preview and predictions you will find.

NL Central

St. Louis Cardinals – The class of the NL Central and a good bet to be playing in October, they have one giant cog that makes them tick – Albert Pujols. The slugging first baseman is the most feared hitter in baseball. He makes pitchers make mistakes and those that stay away from him will have to face the other deadly hitters in the Cards lineup, namely Matt Holliday and Ryan Ludwick. The pitching staff is no slouch either. At the top of the rotation is Cy Young candidates Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter. They are supported by Kyle Lohse and Brad Penny, a very formidable 4 man rotation. Ryan Franklin will be the teams closer again after finishing with 38 saves last year. The Cardinals are the favorites and if they can avoid injury to their stars, look for at least 100 win season from them.

Chicago Cubs – The lovable losers are back in contention! Although, they might not win the division they will do their best to be in the Wild Card hunt come September. The Cubbies have assembled some decent talent, but the question remains can manager Lou Pinella put it all together to win under the intense pressure that comes in Chicago. The Cubs will be led by those holding down the corners – Aramis Ramirez at third and Derek Lee at first. The outfield is solid with Soriano, Byrd and Fukodome and will get on base and score runs. The pitching staff has had some injury concerns, including those to Ted Lilly. Look for closer Carlos Marmol and ace Carlos Zambrano to anchor the Cubs this season and allow them to contend.

Milwaukee Brewers – These guys are not shy to hit the cover off the ball. I think the Brewers ownership built the team to hit home runs so they could keep Bernie Brewer employed and going down the HR Slide. With the likes of Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun you are likely to see some fireworks when the Brewers play. Those fireworks unfortunately, just won’t be coming from the Brewer bats. An inexperienced pitching staff will keep the Brewers short of the playoffs, no matter how much future Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman will keep the 9th inning clean.

Cincinnati Reds – The Reds have some youngsters that they will be counting on heavily this season. Namely, Canadian first baseman Joey Votto. Votto battled depression last season but not even that could keep him from finishing in the NL Top 5 in batting average (.322), OBP (.414) and slugging percentage (.567) in '09. The other bat they will be counting on is LF Jay Bruce. Bruce will have to up his production slightly for the Reds to a chance to move up in the standings. The pitching staff has some “names”, but some of those pitchers are a little passed their best seasons. The Reds will have a tough time finishing near the top of the Central.

Houston Astros – The Astros have long counted on their veterans to produce, all the way back to the Biggio and Bagwell days. This season, they will look to the last remaining ‘B’, Lance Berkman to lead the way. With veterans Cliff Leff, infielder Kaz Matsui and up and coming RF Hunter Pence filling in the rest of the day to day, it will be tough sledding for the Astros this year. The pitching staff is light, with the sole bright spot being Roy Oswalt. Oswalt is fighting injury to start the season, but will be the ace of the staff. The Astros are a good distance from contending in the NL Central.

Pittsburgh Pirates – Memorize these names – Ryan Doumit, Jeff Clement, Akinori Iwamura, Ronny Cedeno, Adam LaRoche, Garrett Jones, Andrew McCutcheon, and Lastings Milledge. If you know these guys you are better than most general managers. The Pirates are the least regonizable franchise according to an ESPN survey and there is a 95% chance that all of these guys will be dealt by September. The ace of the pitching staff is Zach Duke and it will be tough for him to take the hill every 5 days knowing his team doesn’t have much chance of winning. Good luck Bucs fans…