NL Central Breakdown

Winston-Salem, NC – Switching leagues today, we’ll take a look at the NL Central division. Last season, the Cubs spent around $360M to overhaul their roster after a dismal 2006 season. It paid immediate dividends as they captured the NL Central crown. I figure that the Brew Crew will again make some noise this year as well. The remaining four teams still have their work cut out for them – some more than others. Here’s the 2008 lineup…

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

I can’t see any team matching up to the Cubs in both pitching and hitting. Their lineup is pretty well rounded. As I mentioned before, I still think Felix Pie is the next Corey Patterson; a ton of hype and speed, but nothing else. Ramirez, Theriot, DeRosa (Brian Roberts by Opening Day, maybe?), Lee can all mash and possess Gold Gloves. Japanese import Kosuke Fukodome, along with Soriano adds both power and speed. Zambrano, Lilly, Hill, Dempster, and Marquis form a solid rotation. The only question mark on this team is who will be the closer; Carlos Marmol or Kerry Wood?

The Brewers made a nice run last year until they faded down the stretch. They may have the best lineup in the division and one of the best stables of young players out of any team. However, the beer men lack starting pitching depth. When ace Ben Sheets goes down again (as always), who will step up? Gallardo (9-5, 3.67 ERA), Suppan (12-12, 4.62 ERA), Bush (12-10, 5.12 ERA)? The starting pitching depth will haunt the Brewers all season.

It was only a couple of years ago that the Astros has one of the best rotations in the game (Clemens, Oswalt, Pettitte, Miller) and no offense to complement it. Now, it’s a role reversal with Oswalt being the last man standing. Berkman, Tejada, and Lee are a powerful trio in the middle of the lineup. However, you can’t tell me Backe, Rodriguez and Williams are sufficient starters.

This season will be one of rebuilding for the Cardinals. Their top two pitchers, Carpenter and Mulder are on the shelf. Pujols has an impending elbow ligament surgery that he’s trying to avoid. The heart and soul of the World Series team are all but gone; Eckstein, Rolen, and Edmonds have left via free agency and trades. Look, the Cardinals aren’t going to be competitive this year; why not have Pujols get the surgery over now and come back at full strength for a reloaded 2009 team?

The Reds added some nice pieces this offseason by subtracting offense (Hamilton) and adding pitching (Volquez, Cordero). The Reds are still a season or two from being competitive, but it’ll be fascinating to watch star prospect Jay Bruce take over in center field. The Reds won’t be hurting for hitting with the return of Dunn, Griffey, Phillips, and Freel. The best thing that could happen this season for the Reds would be to develop their young pitching – Volquez, Bailey, and Cueto.

The Pirates (finally) pulled the plug on GM Dave Littlefield. Littlefield was responsible for several botched free agent signings and trades (Matt Morris) and poor drafting. Frank Coonelly takes over as President of the Bucs. In addition to Coonelly, fresh off a stint as Major League Baseball's chief labor counsel, Neal Huntington took over the GM position and John Russell takes over for Jim Tracy as manager. Huntington comes from the very successful Cleveland Indians organization where he was an assistant to GM Mark Shapiro. I firmly believe that having intelligent baseball people running the front office will result in more wins on the field. Unfortunately, at this time, there’s not enough talent on the field to compete. Give the Pirates three years and they’ll have this ship turned around (no pun intended).