Thursday, March 02, 2006
NL Central predictions:
1. Cardinals- In one sense the 2006 Cardinals are a bit like the Florida Marlins, they lost a ton of players this offseason. Among the departed are Reggie Sanders, Larry Walker, former staff ace Matt Morris, bench jack of all trades Abraham Nunez and bullpen stalwarts Ray King and Julian Tavarez. That however is where the simularities between these two clubs end, for the Cardinals unlike the Marlins still have a veteran nucleas and did a better job of replacing their departed. Besides any team that features both the reigning Cy Young Winner(Chris Carpenter) and the reigning MVP (Albert Pujols) is starting off ahead of the game.
Thank you, may I have another Cy Young please, sir?
2. Astros- Will the Rocket return? If he doesn't the 'Stros chances take a significant hit. I'm betting that he will though and that will make this the division's best rotation. Add in a good bullpen backed by the best young closer in the game(Brad Lidge) and you've got a whale of a pitching staff. Now if only they could find someone to hit. Outside of Lance Berkman, there really aren't any other regulars you'd want near your fantasy team(unless of course you're a Preston Wilson fan). Still with Clemens this is largely the same team that went to the Series last year so don't write them off.
3. Cubs- This team could either be marvelous or terrible. It completely depends on the health and well being of a pitching staff that's spent more time on the shelf than Season 3 of Chappelle Show. Kerry Wood and Mark Prior are both phenomenal talents, with significant injury questions. Add in the fact that two other pitcher's on this staff are either 40 (Greg Maddux) or historically lousy(Glendon Rusch) and Carlos Zambrano looks like the only lock to have a great year. Still the Cubs did add Juan Pierre to the top of the lineup and assuming that Derek Lee continues his heroics and the Cubs offense should be better this year. I do really like their bullpen, Dempster was solid as the closer and the setup group is terrific. Healthy starters could mean a flag for the little bears from the windy place in '06.
4. Brewers- Did Milwaukee really make it to .500 a year ago? A check of last year's standings reveals that yes, the Men of Beer did in fact, win as many as they lost a year ago. However taking that next step may require some more tinkering. Davis and Capuano gave the Cheeseheads something they hadn't seen in a long time last year, good starting pitching. Add in closer Derrick Turnbow's 39 saves and you have the makings of a very solid pitching staff(as long as they keep Dan Kolb away from the ninth inning). A solid batting order which combines productive vets(Geoff Jenkins, Carlos Lee), with talented youngsters(Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks) gives the Brewers even more reason for optimism. However in a division packed tighter than an LA courtroom during a celebrity murder trial, it may be hard to see much improvement in the record. Look for the major movement to come in '07.
5. Pirates- There are things I like about the Pirates. They have a beautiful ballpark, some nice young pitching(Kip Wells, Zach Duke) and some thunder in their lineup(Jason Bay, Jeromy Burnitz when healthy). However they have too many weak spots to really be considered a contender. First off Scott Strickland closing? Not my first choice, and how does Roberto Hernandez keep getting MLB contracts? Does this guy have naked pictures of most baseball GMs? If that Steeler fan thought Jerome Bettis was heart attack inducing, wait until he watches Roberto pitch. His buddies will have to prop him up like Terry Kiser in Weekend at Bernie's by the All Star break.
6. Reds- Remember the Big Red Machine? After years of watching Ken Griffey, Jr. not play, neither does Cincinnati. This team is all Thunder and no Lightning. They have a group of players who collectively could lead the majors in homers, and a group of pitchers who surrender almost as many in return. Eric Milton gave out more roundtrippers last season(40) than most frequent flyer programs and he's their number 2 starter, yikes. I'm fully expecting the Great American ballpark scoreboard operator to develop carpal tunnel this year. Eventually this team may emerge from the mire, but it won't be this season.
When you're ready to fly Eric Milton can send you there.
1. Cardinals- In one sense the 2006 Cardinals are a bit like the Florida Marlins, they lost a ton of players this offseason. Among the departed are Reggie Sanders, Larry Walker, former staff ace Matt Morris, bench jack of all trades Abraham Nunez and bullpen stalwarts Ray King and Julian Tavarez. That however is where the simularities between these two clubs end, for the Cardinals unlike the Marlins still have a veteran nucleas and did a better job of replacing their departed. Besides any team that features both the reigning Cy Young Winner(Chris Carpenter) and the reigning MVP (Albert Pujols) is starting off ahead of the game.
Thank you, may I have another Cy Young please, sir?
2. Astros- Will the Rocket return? If he doesn't the 'Stros chances take a significant hit. I'm betting that he will though and that will make this the division's best rotation. Add in a good bullpen backed by the best young closer in the game(Brad Lidge) and you've got a whale of a pitching staff. Now if only they could find someone to hit. Outside of Lance Berkman, there really aren't any other regulars you'd want near your fantasy team(unless of course you're a Preston Wilson fan). Still with Clemens this is largely the same team that went to the Series last year so don't write them off.
3. Cubs- This team could either be marvelous or terrible. It completely depends on the health and well being of a pitching staff that's spent more time on the shelf than Season 3 of Chappelle Show. Kerry Wood and Mark Prior are both phenomenal talents, with significant injury questions. Add in the fact that two other pitcher's on this staff are either 40 (Greg Maddux) or historically lousy(Glendon Rusch) and Carlos Zambrano looks like the only lock to have a great year. Still the Cubs did add Juan Pierre to the top of the lineup and assuming that Derek Lee continues his heroics and the Cubs offense should be better this year. I do really like their bullpen, Dempster was solid as the closer and the setup group is terrific. Healthy starters could mean a flag for the little bears from the windy place in '06.
4. Brewers- Did Milwaukee really make it to .500 a year ago? A check of last year's standings reveals that yes, the Men of Beer did in fact, win as many as they lost a year ago. However taking that next step may require some more tinkering. Davis and Capuano gave the Cheeseheads something they hadn't seen in a long time last year, good starting pitching. Add in closer Derrick Turnbow's 39 saves and you have the makings of a very solid pitching staff(as long as they keep Dan Kolb away from the ninth inning). A solid batting order which combines productive vets(Geoff Jenkins, Carlos Lee), with talented youngsters(Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks) gives the Brewers even more reason for optimism. However in a division packed tighter than an LA courtroom during a celebrity murder trial, it may be hard to see much improvement in the record. Look for the major movement to come in '07.
5. Pirates- There are things I like about the Pirates. They have a beautiful ballpark, some nice young pitching(Kip Wells, Zach Duke) and some thunder in their lineup(Jason Bay, Jeromy Burnitz when healthy). However they have too many weak spots to really be considered a contender. First off Scott Strickland closing? Not my first choice, and how does Roberto Hernandez keep getting MLB contracts? Does this guy have naked pictures of most baseball GMs? If that Steeler fan thought Jerome Bettis was heart attack inducing, wait until he watches Roberto pitch. His buddies will have to prop him up like Terry Kiser in Weekend at Bernie's by the All Star break.
6. Reds- Remember the Big Red Machine? After years of watching Ken Griffey, Jr. not play, neither does Cincinnati. This team is all Thunder and no Lightning. They have a group of players who collectively could lead the majors in homers, and a group of pitchers who surrender almost as many in return. Eric Milton gave out more roundtrippers last season(40) than most frequent flyer programs and he's their number 2 starter, yikes. I'm fully expecting the Great American ballpark scoreboard operator to develop carpal tunnel this year. Eventually this team may emerge from the mire, but it won't be this season.
When you're ready to fly Eric Milton can send you there.
