I continue my assault of Major League Baseball this week by tearing apart the teams in the National League Central.I think there is a myriad of teams here that are under performing, much to the dismay of the fans, but not to the fat cats stuffing their pockets in the front office.This division is saturated in baseball lure and history, but years from now what will anybody remember anything about these teams, Albert Pujols will be the only thing worth remembering.So here goes nothing, or shall I say a little of something...under perform and nothing shall be remembered, over perform and live on forever.
Chicago Cubs
I'm not liking what the Cubs have done so far this offseason.Were they seriously dangling Mark Prior; were they really going to give him up for Miguel Tejada, the ole pitching for offense move that never works out?There are questionable moves all over, especially the signing of Jaque Jones.If this team seriously wants to rid itself of it's World Series hex, I don't think they are going to do it on the back of Jones.As an Orioles fan I am laughing that they gave Jerry Hairston a $2.3 million deal for one year, at least they got something out of the Sammy Sosa deal though.I like the trade for Juan Pierre to patrol centerfield.If he can return to form, get on base and steal bases like the Hamburgler steals Big Macs…he'll help this team a lot.I see this being another wasted season In Chi-town, well at least this part of Chi-town.I don’t think Dusty Baker can hold on to his job much longer, and I would be surprised to see Jim Hendry heading out of town with him.Sometimes teams become lackadaisical when they sputter year in and year out.I say the solution is a massive shakeup.I’d have a barnstorm fire sale of the veterans and re-energize this organization with some youth if I was in charge, but alas I’m not so things here will go unchanged.
Starting Lineup:1B Derrek Lee 2B Todd Walker SS Ronny Cedeno 3B: Aramis Ramirez LF: Matt Murton CF: Juan Pierre RF: Jacque Jones C: Michael Barrett Util: Jerry Hairston Jr.
Starting Pitchers:Mark Prior, Carlos Zambrano, Kerry Wood, Greg Maddux, Glendon Rusch, Jerome Williams
Bench:1B: John Mabry 2B: Jerry Hairston Jr.SS: Neifi Perez 3B: Neifi Perez LF: Marquis Grissom CF: Jerry Hairston Jr.RF: John Mabry C: Henry Blanco
Bullpen:Ryan Dempster, Bob Howry, Scott Eyre, Michael Wuertz, Scott Williamson, Todd Wellemeyer, Will Ohman
Additions: RP Scott Eyre, OF Marquis Grissom (minor league deal), RP Bob Howry, OF Jacque Jones, OF/INF John Mabry, P Wade Miller (minor league deal), INF Neifi Perez, CF Juan Pierre (traded from Marlins), SP Glendon Rusch, P Jason Simontacchi (minor league deal)
Subtractions: OF Jeromy Burnitz (Pirates; one-year contract), SS Nomar Garciaparra, OF Todd Hollandsworth (minor league deal), C Mark Johnson (Brewers; minor league deal), RP Sergio Mitre (traded to Marlins), OF Corey Patterson (traded to Orioles), RP Mike Remlinger minor league deal)
My Prediction:3rd in the NL Central, 74-88
Rumors:Rumors don’t matter because nothing is happening with this team this year unless a blockbuster deal goes down.
Cincinnati Reds
Talk about having no pitching, WOW!I’m not even going to critique the pitching staff, on to the offense.They have some good young talent, it’s just where to put it and who to ship out.Will Griffey stand another year in Cincy?I can see the Reds shipping out some offense for pitching…don’t they have to?Something needs to give, and I say give up the offense and bring in the pitchers by the numbers.Other than that I think this is a team I can save my team on and focus on another one, one that will make the playoffs.
Starting Lineup:1B: Adam Dunn 2B: Ryan Freel SS: Felipe Lopez 3B: Edwin Encarnacion LF: Wily Mo Pena CF: Ken Griffey Jr.RF: Austin Kearns C: Jason LaRue Util: Rich Aurilia
Starting Pitchers:Aaron Harang, Paul Wilson, Eric Milton, Brandon Claussen, Dave Williams, Luke Hudson
Bench:1B: Javier Valentin 2B: Tony Womack SS: Ray Olmedo 3B: Rich Aurilia LF: Adam Dunn CF: Chris Denorfia RF: Jacob Cruz C: Javier Valentin
Bullpen: David Weathers, Ryan Wagner, Kent Mercker, Todd Coffey, Matt Belisle, Chris Hammond, Jason Standridge
Additions: INF Rich Aurilia, RP Grant Balfour, RP Chris Hammond, INF Frank Menechino (minor league deal), SP Dave Williams (traded from Pirates), INF/OF Tony Womack (traded from Yankees)
Subtractions: 1B Sean Casey (traded to Pirates), 2B D'Angelo Jimenez (Rangers; minor league deal), SP Ramon Ortiz
My Prediction:6th in the NL Central, 68-94
Rumors:Trade an outfielder for some pitching.
Houston Astros
There is some nice young talent on this team.Willy Taveras is a very impressive centerfielder going into his sophomore season; he has a great combination of speed along with a knack of getting on base.I think third baseman Morgan Ensberg is one of the better players on this team.He combines a great glove with a bat that when hot is one of the better in the league at producing runs.The top of the rotation is strong, especially if the Astros can lure back future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens back in May.I think it’s going to take a trade during spring training or a huge pick up before the trade deadline to help this team to make it deep into the playoffs this year.If the Jeff Bagwell insurance claim goes through it will open up a Pandora’s box of sorts and give this organization a lot of leeway.However it’s too late this offseason to put money like that to use, unless it’s for Roger Clemens.
Starting Lineup:1B: Lance Berkman 2B: Craig Biggio SS: Adam Everett 3B: Morgan Ensberg LF: Preston Wilson CF: Willy Taveras RF: Jason Lane C: Brad Ausmus Util/Retirement: Jeff Bagwell
Bench:1B: Jeff Bagwell 2B: Chris Burke SS: Eric Bruntlett 3B: Mike Lamb LF: Lance Berkman CF: Orlando Palmeiro RF: Chris Burke C: Raul Chavez
Bullpen:Brad Lidge, Dan Wheeler, Russ Springer, Mike Gallo, Chad Qualls, Trever Miller
Additions: C Brad Ausmus, 1B/3B Mike Lamb, OF Orlando Palmeiro, RP Russ Springer, OF Preston Wilson (one-year deal)
Subtractions: RP Scott Strickland, INF Jose Vizcaino
My Prediction:2nd in the NL Central, 87-75
Rumors:Get some help for the offense.
Milwaukee Brewers
I like the youth movement on offense for the Brewers.I’m excited to see how hyped prospects Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks pan out.I’m a fan of pitcher Ben Sheets, but it looks to me like he is the only starter on the whole staff.Until this team can get some pitching help I don’t think they’ll have a chance.The Brewers are building a nice foundation; hopefully they can keep the team together once it is built though.Besides the prospects and Ben Sheets I think Billy the Brewer is going to be the most entertaining thing to watch this summer in Milwaukee.
Starting Lineup:1B: Prince Fielder 2B: Rickie Weeks SS: J.J. Hardy 3B: Corey Koskie LF: Carlos Lee CF: Brady Clark RF: Geoff Jenkins C: Damian Miller Util: Jeff Cirillo
Starting Pitchers:Ben Sheets, Doug Davis, Tomo Ohka, Chris Capuano, Rick Helling
Bench:1B: Jeff Cirillo 2B: Bill Hall SS: Bill Hall 3B: Jeff Cirillo LF: Geoff Jenkins CF: Corey Hart RF: Gabe Gross C: Chad Moeller
Bullpen:Derrick Turnbow, Dan Kolb, Matt Wise, Jorge de la Rosa, Jose Capellan, Dana Eveland, Justin Lehr
Additions: 2B Brent Abernathy (minor league deal), SP David Bush (traded from Blue Jays), 3B Jeff Cirillo, 2B Brian Dallimore (minor league deal), RP Jared Fernandez (minor league deal), SP Rick Helling, C Mark Johnson (minor league deal), 3B Corey Koskie (traded from Blue Jays), C Chad Moeller
Subtractions: 1B/3B Wes Helms, 1B Lyle Overbay (traded to Blue Jays), RP Julio Santana
My Prediction:5th in the NL Central, 70-92
Rumors:Get this team some pitching.
Pittsburgh Pirates
I really hope the front office in Pittsburgh keeps this young rotation together.Zach Duke barring injury is going to be one of the best pitchers of his time I feel.I just hope the Pirates can give him the run support he will need to be ultra successful.The pick-ups of Sean Casey, Joe Randa, and Jeromy Burnitz will give this team a nice veteran presence but they won’t help in the long run.Just think, if the Pirates had kept their homegrown talent in place this team would be pretty well off.A few names one can throw out there are Aramis Ramirez and Brian Giles.Combine them with Jason Bay, Zach Duke, and Oliver Perez and this would have been a nice small market franchise.I look for the Pirates to continue to improve this season, but once again miss the playoffs.
Starting Lineup:1B: Sean Casey 2B: Jose Castillo SS: Jack Wilson 3B: Joe Randa LF: Jason Bay CF: Chris Duffy RF: Jeromy Burnitz C: Humberto Cota Util: Craig Wilson
Starting Pitchers:Oliver Perez, Zach Duke, Kip Wells, Ian Snell, Paul Maholm
Bench:1B: Brad Eldred 2B: Freddy Sanchez SS: Freddy Sanchez 3B: Mike Edwards LF: Jody Gerut CF: Nate McLouth RF: Craig Wilson C: Ryan Doumit
Bullpen:Mike Gonzalez, Roberto Hernandez, Damaso Marte, Salomon Torres, John Grabow, Ryan Vogelsong, Mike Johnston
Additions: RP Terry Adams (minor league deal), OF Jeromy Burnitz, 1B Sean Casey (traded from Reds), RP Roberto Hernandez, RP Damaso Marte (traded from White Sox), 3B Joe Randa, RP Scott Strickland (minor league deal).
Subtractions: SS Alfredo Amezaga, INF Rob Mackowiak (traded to White Sox), RP Jose Mesa, 3B Ty Wigginton, SP Dave Williams (traded to Reds)
My Prediction:4th in the NL Central, 72-90
Rumors:Get this team some offense, the pitching staff is young and promising.
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals are getting old and their window is starting to close.They always seem to have one of the nicer pitching staffs in the National League, but I’m not as impressed this year.The loss of Matt Morris and the addition of Sir Sidney Ponson are going to hurt this team.Keep a close eye on how Scott Rolen looks this year after returning from an injury plagued ’05 campaign.David Eckstein should continue to help set the table for the offense this year, and most people overlook his defense, don’t be one of them.Besides Edmonds I am not a fan of their outfield.They will have to hit the market before the trade deadline and add a corner outfielder to help them out.I’d like to see Griffey end up in St. Louis and play outfield next to fellow highlight reel Edmonds. Oh yeah, Albert Pujols is the man...
Starting Lineup:1B: Albert Pujols 2B: Aaron Miles SS: David Eckstein 3B: Scott Rolen LF: Larry Bigbie CF: Jim Edmonds RF: Juan Encarnacion C: Yadier Molina Util: Junior Spivey
Starting Pitchers:Chris Carpenter, Mark Mulder, Jason Marquis, Jeff Suppan, Sidney Ponson
Bench:1B: Chris Duncan 2B: Junior Spivey SS: Deivi Cruz 3B: Hector Luna LF: John Rodriguez CF: So Taguchi RF: John Rodriguez C: Gary Bennett
Bullpen:Jason Isringhausen, Braden Looper, Ricardo Rincon, Tyler Johnson, Brad Thompson, Randy Flores, Carmen Cali
Additions: C Gary Bennett, OF Larry Bigbie, INF Deivi Cruz, OF Juan Encarnacion, RP Braden Looper, 2B Aaron Miles (traded from Rockies), RP Jeff Nelson (minor league deal), SP Sidney Ponson, RP Ricardo Rincon, 2B Junior Spivey
Subtractions: C Einar Diaz, 2B Mark Grudzielanek, RP Ray King (traded to Rockies), OF/INF John Mabry, SP Matt Morris, OF/INF Abraham Nunez, OF Reggie Sanders, RP Julian Tavarez, OF Larry Walker
the brewers starting pitching will be ok if...1. big ben can stay healthy for a change, 2. chris capuano and doug davis continue to improve as they did last season, 3. and either rick helling or tomo ohka has a near .500 type season.
the bullpen, in my opinion, will be solid, as will the outfield, and the left side of the infield. 1st base is a concern on defense, with the trade of lyle overbay to toronto. on offense, we'll have to wait and see if cecil's little boy prince fielder can be patient at the plate hitting every day. if not, we may see why the brewers went ahead and acquired corey koskie. it will provide valuable depth and allow either he or billy hall to move to 1st base should fielder struggle.
at catcher, i'm not thrilled with any of the 3 guys on the spring training depth chart, but damien miller is a solid defensive catcher, and will probably hit around .250-.260 in 100-110 games as the starter.
carlos lee will need prince fielder's bat, along with geoff jenkins to protect him in the heart of the batting order, which should look something like this....
1. brady clark, 2. j.j. hardy, 3. prince fielder, 4. carlos lee, 5. geoff jenkins, 6. corey koskie, 7. rickie weeks, 8. damien miller, with the pitcher batting #9 of course. after watching a number of games last year, i cant look at this lineup and not be disappointed that billy hall isnt in it, as he was the best hitter the last 6 weeks of the season.
Last edited by cuziffer on February 12th at 11:46 PM.
The predictions are probably very accurate. Though I might consider the Astros a contender to move ahead of the Cards. We'll see.
The Cubs improved their team...though many will dispute that. Jones is a good pick-up, despite criticism. Lee & Aramis will be the heavy hitters, while Jones and Pierre will create more opportunities. The organization should just forget depending on Wood as a starter...and move on. Even without him, Prior and Zambrano bring a solid top two in the rotation.
My Pirates are looking better...but maybe not good enough. The pitching has the potential to be outstanding, and could bail out this year's group. Burnitz & Casey will have to be incredible to make this offense dangerous. Would very much like to have Aramis Ramirez back. As for Giles, we got Oliver Perez and Jason Bay in that deal. 2 all-stars for one declining star. The Aramis deal...uhh, not so good.
Cards, Astros, Cubs, Brewers, Reds, Pirates? The Pirates play in the Majors? I thought the Pirates were more of a hot plate for the Cubs. Keep the good players warm until the trading deadline nears, then deal to Chicago. Shooter, thanks for Ramirez. We'll give him back, but you have to take Dusty Baker too.
St. Louis will be ahead by 10-12 games by the all-star game. No like the Cards, but must give props.
Kc: Yeah, they got the better end of THAT deal. But they have gotten #### every other time. It seems that before the tradeline...they just give their good players to the Cubs for mediocre prospects.
For the life of me, why did they trade Aramis Ramirez? Now, they whine about not having a solid 3rd baseman. Duhh...what do they expect. Oh yeah, I'm trying to be positive about this year. Uhhh...go Joe Randa! Uggghh...
now that's what i like to see on my blog...two guys fighting it out over their mediocre teams like the cubs and pirates...shall we make it three, i'll start talking about my phillies and orioles haha...the nl central may be boring this year, but you guys talking smack makes it all interesting...
I like the Cubs in this one. I know you don't like their offseason so far but I like the additions of Pierre and Jones and Miller. Pierre is much better than Patterson and I'll take Jones over Burnitz any day. If Miller gets healthy and pitches to his ability he will be a steal. But I know, as well as all of you know, what it comes down to for the Cubs is the health of Prior and Wood. I think Prior will be healthy and Wood will make 25 starts and that should be enough for them to win it. Lee is legit, Aramis is underrated, Murton will surprise, and Zambrano is a stud. The Cubs have the talent to win the division and all they need to do is stay healthy. Sounds simple right? We'll see.
I know the easy pick here is the Cards but I see this team in a decline right now. I don't think Puljos and Carpenter will be able to carry this team by themselves.
The Astros without Clemmens are a mess and the Pirates are the Pirates. Watch out for those young Brewers though, I think they will challenge for the Wild Card. They are loaded with young talent and they have more pitching than most give credit for. Keep an eye on them.
Wood? 25 Starts? If by start, you mean starting the ambulance engine 25 times...then maybe you're right.
Nothing more pathetic than a fan backing up his mediocre team (I'm talking about myself).
I actually think the Cubs will be good. That won't prevent me from some spirited trash talk though. Prior is among the elite pitchers, and Zambrano is close to that level.
I can't wait to see who the Pirates hand over this year. Jason Bay, sure...you can have him. But we want Neifi Perez...and some cracker jacks.
O's and Phillies? Ouch. I thought I was in bad shape.
Don't start the whose team sucks worse chatter. The Pirates and the Cubbies are in the "Who can draft the next Ben Dover" sweepstakes.
Cubs are going to bring Wood along slowly. Start him out in the bull-pen. I predict he goes on the DL after a breaking a rib out in Mesa. The old, I hurt myself sneezing incident, made famous by SSosa. April? Ha! I say thee nay. It shall be March.
You know Smoke, sometimes sneezing does hurt. But why did Sosa admit it? Come on. At least say a beefy prostitute injured you...some kind of better story than sneezing.
From now on, let any MLB pitcher arm trouble be known as: "Wood stiffness"
Junior Spivey is the probable starter at second for the Cards and I predict that John Rodriguez gets the most starts in left field. Sydney Ponson will have every chance to fill the fifth spot in the rotation, but I'm not impressed and it very well could be rookie Anthony Reyes, which I hope. Also, did you know teams are only allowed 25 players?
yes i know of the roster size limits...some of the players listed have been signed to minor league deals, and after spring training some of the players listed may get cut...thanks for counting how many players i listed though, you're one heck of an indepth reader...i'm gonna have to watch myself next post i make, you're very attentive timpcrk87...
An O`s fan questioning the Cubs offseason moves(How about Corey Patterson in your CF?) and saying the Reds have zero pitching. Sure, kinda like Baltimore huh? Anywho, the Cards are still the class of this division though there are some serious age & injury concerns. I know it sounds crazy, but the Brew crew could step up IF youngsters like Weeks and Fielder are ready. They have decent pitching and a plan, which is more than the hapless Reds, Pirates or Cubs can say. I`ll say the Brewers have a great season and win 86 games and finish 6 behind St. Louis.
if you read my blog you'd know i am an avid angelos hater...i wrote a nl central preview, i've never held up the orioles as the best team that everyone should envy or copy off of...a lot of you bloggers have some serious anger issues...must be a fellow sucky team fan huh, is it cincy slammin6???
I'm a huge sports fan. I call Pennsylvania home for the time being. I dedicate this blog to my late Uncle Bill. He's passed on his habit to me, staying up late at night writing articles. Hope you enjoy my daily rant with a variety of sports related blogs, predominantly about MLB.
