Baseball is around the corner, and I’m itching for things to get going. In the meantime, I’ll predict the 2012 standings for the National League Central.
- Cincinnati Reds
The Reds won the NL Central in 2010 behind their explosive bats. That power was consistent last year, but the Cincinnati club lacked reliable pitching. So what did they do? They went shopping for the talented, young starter Mat Latos and also added bullpen depth by acquiring Sean Marshall and Ryan Madson.
How they win the division: Latos proves he is the ace he’s been hyped up to be and Joey Votto leads a powerful offense and makes a case for MVP.
- Milwaukee Brewers
The reigning Central champs received a huge boost last Thursday when the MLB exonerated Ryan Braun from his 50-game suspension. Unfortunately for the Brewers, the MLB can’t bring Prince Fielder back. Still, the Brew Crew went out and nabbed Aramis Ramirez from the rival Cubs and improved the defense by signing shortstop Alex Gonzalez. Prince is a big loss, but the Brewers still boast one of the better rotations in the NL.
How they win: The rotation stays healthy and first baseman Mat Gamel steps up in his first full-time job in the ‘Bigs.’
- Saint Louis Cardinals
I understand it’s tough not to put the defending World Series champions at the top of their division, but Albert Pujols is a giant loss. Yes, they added Carlos Beltran, but this Cardinals team will depend a lot on veteran players and plenty of other questions surrounding St. Louis remain unanswered; Can Lance Berkman repeat his wild performance from last year? How will Adam Wainwright respond from Tommy John surgery? I think ultimately the older Cardinals will struggle to compete for a full season.
How they win: Third baseman David Freese picks up where he left off in the postseason leading a dangerous offense that includes Berkman, Beltran, and Matt Holliday. Meanwhile, Wainwright comes off Tommy John and pitches like the Cy Young winner he was before surgery.
- Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates are headed in the right direction. They have quite a few young players led by dark-horse MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen. Plus, they added some solid starters in Erik Bedard and A.J. Burnett, but in the end the NL Central is too good for the Pirates this year.
How they win: As Burnett returns to the NL, he starts pitching like he’s 25 again and leads one of the better rotations in the MLB.
- Chicago Cubs
The Cubbies haven’t won the World Series in over 100 years, and don’t expect that to change this season. Their rotation is weak and there are really no reliable hitters on the roster other than shortstop Starlin Castro. There’s reason to be optimistic in Chicago because Theo Epstein is now in charge of the franchise, but even Theo cant turn this club around in a couple months.
How they win: Epstein brings some of his Boston magic to Chicago and breaks yet another century long baseball curse.
- Houston Astros
Not a good time to be an Astros fan. Honestly, they have about as good of a shot at winning the division as the chance that it snows in July. The Astros right now are focused on rebuilding, rebuilding, and rebuilding. They own one of the better farm systems in the majors and will try to add to it by shopping veterans. Look for Carlos Lee, Wandy Rodriguez, and Bud Norris to come up in trade talks in June.
How they (somehow) win: The stars align and every other team deals with devastating injuries to all their players and the Astros sneak through in one of the most improbable seasons in all of baseball history.