The Cardinals and Brewers both lost superstar First Basemen in the offseason. Will that prevent them from making a run at the division title this season?
The National League Central race is set to get a little more interesting now that Prince Fielder (signed with Detroit) and Albert Pujols (signed with the Los Angeles Angels) are no longer around. Both Milwaukee and St. Louis lost a big hole in their offense that will take some time to fill. Milwaukee still has Ryan Braun, but he is facing a 50-game suspension from Major League Baseball.
The Pirates took some steps last year towards getting better, but they fell apart in the second half. Chicago and Houston are still rebuilding, and Cincinnati is looking to comeback from a very disappointing season. Here is the question: Who is actually going to win the wide-open National League Central Division?
- Cincinnati Reds: The Reds took a step back last year, missing the playoffs after winning the Central in 2010. This is a team that has stars on the right side of the field: Second Baseman Brandon Philips, First Baseman Joey Votto, and Right Fielder Jay Bruce. These guys are big bats in a lineup that now has a very solid pitching staff. In addition to Jonny Cueto, the Reds got Mat Latos in a trade from San Diego, and they signed Ryan Madson to be their closer, replacing Francisco Cordero. The Reds are now the frontrunners in the Central.
- St. Louis Cardinals: It appears that it is anybody’s race for second place. Even though the Cardinals lost Pujols, they still have a solid roster. Lance Berkman, Matt Holliday, and David Freese, the 2011 World Series MVP, are the anchors in this lineup. Carlos Beltran was a great pickup for this Cardinals team. At the top of the rotation, there is Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, a very strong 1-2 punch. At first glance, the loss of Pujols hurts, but when you take a second look, it is actually not that bad in St. Louis.
- Milwaukee Brewers: The loss of Fielder to Detroit and the possibility of losing Braun for 50 games really put the Brewers in a tough spot. Finding somebody to replace the combined 231 Runs Batted In is going to be a challenge for Milwaukee. Guys like Rickie Weeks and Aramis Ramirez are going to need to step up. Milwaukee does have a strong pitching staff, which should take some of the burden off the offense. Zach Grienke, Yovani Gallardo, and Shaun Marcum anchor the rotation, and the key pieces of the bullpen are Francisco Rodriguez, and closer John Axford. This team may not score many runs, but they will not be giving up many, neither.
- Pittsburgh Pirates: The Pirates made some progress, and made the division race interesting for a short amount of time. The Pirates have a lot of young talent on this team, including Center Fielder Andrew McCutchen and Second Baseman Neil Walker. The Pirates made a good move for their rotation by signing Erik Bedard this offseason. Gerrit Cole will be making his debut in the big leagues very early into the 2012 season, and will make an impact immediately. If Charlie Morton and Kevin Correia can continue to improve, the Pirates can make a bigger step this season.
- Chicago Cubs: The Cubs do not have a lot going for them, and it appears it is going to be another year without World Series Championship. Some bright spots for this team are young Shortstop Starlin Castro, catcher Geovany Soto, and pitchers Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza. Closer Carlos Marmol brings some stability to the bullpen. This team is rebuilding and it will be a few years until they are once again contending for the division.
- Houston Astros: I think it was pretty evident that the Astros were headed for a rebuilding year when they traded away their two best players in 2011, sending Michael Bourn to Atlanta and Hunter Pence to Philadelphia. The Astros still have three effective starting pitchers in Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez, and J.A. Happ. Besides first baseman Carlos Lee, the rest of the starting position players are relatively young and inexperienced. The Astros may be spending a lot of time in last place, but it will still be good for these young guys to get some playing time.
Copyright Robert Edgcomb. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
Robert Edgcomb - I have been a sports enthusiast my entire life. I have strong opinions and I use facts and statistics to support everything I write.
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