7 days until opening day.

With only one week without baseball in our lives, it is time to keep evaluating this year’s teams. Now, onto the NL Central.
1. Pittsburgh Pirates-I think it says a lot about a team’s hopes for the season when their opening day promotion is for "Buc Night". That’s right, tickets for opening day are only $1. Also, there are $1 hot dogs and $1 sodas (or "pops" if you want to be a dick about it). It is truly sad to see how far this organization has fallen in a city with such a rich tradition of baseball and all other sports, and such a great stadium. However, needless to say, my review of the team will not aid their struggle. The Pirates pitching is terrible, all of their starters in their late 20s and no one has heard of them, and none are making more than a million dollars. There is really no hope for this rotation. Paul Maholm is their "ace", who has some decent stuff, but nothing exceptional. If he were on any decent team, he’s be 3rd or 4th in the rotation. Their bullpen isn’t as bad though. Matt Capps is their closer, although who knows how many save situations he’ll have. They also have a good middle reliever named John Grabow, who I want to call "Gabbo".
Offensively, this team has a few sparkplugs, but no power and no one to anchor the offense. Adam LaRoche is their only long-ball threat since they traded Jason Bay. He has the power to be dangerous if he had any decent hitter after him. Opposing teams will give this guy a lot of walks just so they don’t have to fear a homer. They do have another "LaRoche" at third, named Andy, but I couldn’t find out if they were related. The LaRoche duo, with Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson, makes a pretty good infield. Sanchez and Wilson have been very good infielders for the last couple years, with quality fielding and good to get on base. However, with nothing to speak of in the outfield whatsoever, the good infield gets wasted. The Pirates outfield consists of Brandon Moss, Nate McLouth, and Nyjer Morgan, and I can bet their names won’t become more familiar as the season drags on in pittsburgh.
All in all, its gonna be a rough season at the confluence of the Ohio, Alleghany, and Monongahila rivers. 67 wins last year, don’t count on much of an improvement.
2. Cincinnati Reds-This team has much more promise and much more talent than the pirates, but fails in their execution. Edinson Volquez was a dynamite pitcher last year going 17-6 with 206 Ks and 3.21 ERA. This kid has some great stuff and can really shut other teams down. However, the Reds #1 starter, Aaron Harang, was awful last year with a 6-17 record, and an ERA the size of Britney Spears’ carbon footprint. Also, I’ve always thought Bronson Arroyo was a douche, but he has the ability to pitch well, and could do so this year. If Harang and Arroyo have good years, this could be a dangerous club. Francisco Cordero is a decent closer and the rest of their bullpen is a little iffy, anchored by David Weathers who is 39 years old.
On offense, the Reds lost Adam Dunn and gained Ramon Hernandez. Not exactly trading up. Ramon Hernandez is probably the least inspiring 7.5 million dollar acquisition I can think of in the last 5 years (someone will call me out on this but whatever). The guy hit .257 with 15 homers last year, which is about his average season. The Reds do have a few young hitters who are promising. Jay Bruce is the young potential phenom in right field. He had a good rookie season, and the expectations are high for him to continue. Also, Joey Votto had a very good year, with 24 homers and hit just under .300. These two guys could really anchor this team’s power. Also, Brandon Phillips really showed some good stuff last year and had Cleveland fans lamenting his departure (as usual). Those three players could be the core that this club needs to improve and be competitive.
However, I think this team needs to improve their pitching and let their young stars develop before this team goes anywhere. I see the Reds become better and better over the next few years, but this year is not going to be very good. I would see that if they end up .500, it’s a huge victory for Cincy.
3. Houston Astros-This team’s pitching staff has been destroyed since last year. They lost Randy Wolf to the Dodgers; Brandon Backe has had numerous injuries (tommy john surgery, then a rib injury) and will probably be released very soon. And they picked up Mike Hampton, who has only pitched 13 games since 2005, and has extremely low expectations. The Astros only glimmer of hope is Roy Oswalt, who, for the last 5 seasons, has been about as consistent as you can be. He has some great stuff, but no matter how well he does, there are still four other rotation spots that need to be filled. Their next starter is Wandy Rodriguez, I’m guessing his mom is named Wendy and his dad is named Andy, and they combined their names. While, he has a name that sounds like what a good curveball is supposed to do, he will not aid Oswalt in anchoring this pitching staff. Also, Jose Valverde is a great closer, but without the right pitching in the early innings, their bullpen wont be of much use.
The Houston offense is very night and day. On one hand, you have the all-star powers of Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman. Both had just under 30 homers and had batting averages around .310. Both have the ability to drive in lots of runs and provide headaches for many pitching staffs. On the other hand, you have Miguel Tejada and Ivan Rodriguez. Both of them have had a rough couple years. Add the fact that both have been mauled by steroid talks, and that Tejada has to juggle his play with visiting his probation officer. Maybe Tejada should try out for the Bengals to feel more at home. I foresee both Tejada and I-Rod having less than stellar years. Unfortuanetly, I hate to see I-Rod’s career end on this note, but oh well. Kaz Matsui, who the Astros got before the 2008 season, did not have a great year because he missed half the season due to injuries. However, he may provide a very good strength on the basepaths and in the field.
All in all, this team has many strengths, but many more weaknesses. The injuries and off-the-field dramas for this team will dominate their play and this team will end up about .500.
4. Milwaukee Brewers-do not expect the same magic in 2009 for the land of beers. First, no more CC Fattington, second, Ben Sheets is out most of the season as well with a torn elbow muscle. Reports are that Sheets may be back around the all-star break, at best. Those two reasons right there spell moderate disaster for this team in 2009. But wait, they picked up a 41 year old Trevor Hoffman as closer. Nope, that wont do it. Their new "ace" is Yovani Gallardo, who started 4 games last year, uh oh. Him, with Jeff Suppan and Braden Looper, is what the Brewers have to offer this season. If you are a Brewer fan, better start drowning your sorrows in Brats. Mmmmmm, brats.
On offense, the Brewers do have Tony Gwynn..........Jr........on the bench. Man, I wish that guy would break out, I loved watching his dad. The rest of their outfield consists of Ryan Braun, who had a hell of a year last year, with 37 homeruns and 106 RBIs. This guy, along with Prince Fielder, could really do some damage. Oh, and the Brew Crew has Mike Cameron ("let my Cameron go" a la Ferris Bueller). The Brewers outfield, with Braun, Cameron, and Corey Hart is pretty solid. Then with JJ Hardy and Fielder on the infield, this team has a lot of offense and even more POWER!
I would like this team to really do some damage, but their pitching is........well......crap. I think this team will have to wait til next year, with the return of Sheets, and the addition/development of new pitching, to be solid.
5. St. Louis Cardinals-The Cardinals were in 2008 what the Brewers will do in 2009. The Cards did win 86 games last year, but should have done much better. Last year, their pitching failed them. They lost their Ace, Cris Carpenter, the first week, and never recovered. Adam Wainwright had a very good year, going 11-3, with a 3.20 ERA. However, the Cards success is dependent on Carpenter coming back to full strength. Carpenter has been pitching in spring ball, but reports are not promising. His status is key. Kyle Lohse is a good pitcher and solid #4 starter as well. Their bullpen with Jason Motte and Ryan Franklin is quality, and could be strong in the late innings.
As far as hitting, you cant say enough good things about Pujols. This guy is one of the top 3 hitters in baseball, no doubt. I think the only guy in the game with a more clean swing is Manny Ramirez. Pujols is 29 and he has 319 career homers. Wow! Also, Ryan Ludwick hit 37 homers last year. I’m shocked as well. He has very high expectations for this year as well, and hopefully for st. louis, he can have another solid year.
Troy Glaus, at third, will start the year on the DL again. The Cards have been having trouble keeping their third basemen healthy for a while (Scott Rolen). However, the addition of Khalil Greene could pay off big. Greene, who came from San Diego, had a horrible year last year, but definitely has the talent to improve this team on offense and defense. Rick Ankiel, the so-called "feel good story of the year", also had quite a breakout year. Just like Ludwick, he has a lot to prove.
In sum, this team has a lot of hopefuls and a lot of question marks. The only guy on this team you can count on is Pujols. If this team can get all these question marks to get hot at the same team, they will be dangerous, but don’t count on it. I see this team being very streaky, winning a lot at teams, and looking horrible the next week. This team needs a season to meld together before it can challenge for the playoffs. I think this team will finish a bit over .500.
6. Chicago Cubs-I can’t say that the Cubs are the best team in the NL Central, but they are the most well-rounded. This is a team with consistent pitching and hitting, but neither are great. On pitching, Carlos Zambrano has been consistent his whole career. For the last 6 seasons, he has given the Cubs good pitching all season long. He’s had few injuries and has been a leader on the club. At 27, I think he has many good years left and will do a very good job this year. However, with more quality starters in the rotation, I think the pressure on him to achieve will be less and he will be able to relax more. Rich Harden and Ryan Dempster, both Canadian, are very solid #2 and #3 pitchers for this rotation. Harden had a great year last year and made a good adjustment when he came to the cubs in a trade mid-season. However, Harden had a small tear in his shoulder in January and may miss some of the season. This will be a big loss if he can’t be around in April. Dempster, who had previously been a reliever in Chicago, moved to the starting rotation and went 17-6. A good move obviously, and if he can compound this success, he will help the club out by filling the void by Harden. Their #4, Ted Lilly, I have always been very critical of his play since he managed to get 8 million from the cubs. But he’s gone 15-8 and 17-9 the last two years. This rotation, coupled with former Marlin Kevin Gregg at closer, makes this pitching staff the best in the division. However, per my notes supra, that isn’t saying much. But, this is a very good rotation, but the injury to Hardin could be huge.
On hitting, Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, and Derrick Lee all had good years, but can all do better. All three can and should be hitting 30 homers a year. Ramirez and Soriano came close, but I think they could do it this year. Lee had an off-year, only hitting 20 dingers and hitting .291; a good season, but we know he can do so much more. All that power, plus with the other bats of Ryan Theriot (shortstop) and Geovany Soto (catcher), the cubs have a lot of offense.
However, the loss of Mark DeRosa to the tribe, leaves the Cubs with a big whole at second, now filled by Mike Fontenot. He had a good year last year, hitting .305 in 243 at-bats. He will see a lot of good pitches this year because of who is around him.
Also, the addition of Milton Bradley at right field could be amazing or horrible. Bradley really is the TO of baseball. Lots of talent, which is usually overshadowed by his ego and mouth. Honestly, all the success of this team’s talent could be destroyed and overshadowed by Bradley’s clubhouse cancer. As I’ve said, this team is very consistent and very talented, but a complaining festival by Bradley could send this train off the tracks.
Overall, this division has some really bad teams (Cincy and Pittsburgh), and some teams that have some talent but not a good team (Houston, Milwaukee, and St. Louis). I believe that the Cubs are the best of the division, and will win it without too much of a problem. However, injuries and the Bradley effect may prove that all wrong. Watch out.