Part 2, 2008 Baseball Season Preview.........NL Central

Last week, I previewed the NL West. This week, it is the NL Central's turn. Despite turning out the only NL World Series champion in the last several years in the St. Louis Cardinals and two of the last three representatives in the big dance, the NL Central is sort of the forgotten, maligned, redheaded step child of the National League. It just doesn't seem that ANY team in the Central is getting a whole lot of credit. But one team may have every reason to believe this is their year to shine, and it may just be that they have the best chance to represent the NL Central in the playoffs this year. But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Do you realize there is an entire generation of baseball fans who A.) don't realize that one Barry Bonds, a skinny kid with power and lightning speed, once played for the Pirates, that B.) Bobby Bonilia was once considered a stud player and was coveted by the New York Mets (I was at a game, when Bobby B was with the Pirates, where Mets fans were chanting his name), proving that everyone MUST be careful what they wish for and C.) That there was a player named Andy vanSlyke who was pretty damn good? That is how bad the Pirates have been for nearly 20 years now. They have been a team in utter chaos, offering their fanbase nothing to root for. Fanbase? Actually, how could one expect there to BE a fanbase left in Pittsburgh? Seriously, at this point, there are kids getting ready to go to college who have NEVER seen the Pirates play meaningful baseball in their lives. There are kids getting ready to GRADUATE from college who may have some vague recollection of their team being decent.

Well, 2008 promises to be more of the same, unfortunately.

Tom Gorzelanny and Ian Snell make for a capable, and relatively young, one-two punch that gave opposing lineups trouble last year, and Damaso Marte was able to prove himself an effective set-up man for Matt Capps last year. But the rest of the bullpen and rotation are thin, with the likes of washed up Matt Morris and never washed Zack Duke holding down spots in the one through five. And the lineup really isn't anything to write home about either. Jason Bay is the only legit, big time player on the team, but he has been grumbling for some time now, and it certainly isn't beyond all comprehension that Bay will end the 2008 season in a different uniform than the one he began with. After that, Xavier Nady is a nice player, as is Freddy Sanchez, and Adam LaRoche is one of those professional, solid players who will be around for a long, long time, but there is, as one would expect, a unique lack of star power on this team, especially for this new era in baseball where even the bottom dwellers seem to have two or even three star quality players to point to.

The Pirates season promises to be another in a long line of "hey, they still have a team there" types of seasons. The fanbase, what it is, deserves better.

Houston Astros: If anyone is looking, and no one was, when I made out my predictions for last year, I picked the Astros to win the division. Admitting that kinda makes me feel like Hugh Grant admitting that he had solicited a prostitute who looked like Charles Oakley after a 36 hour run at a Vegas Casino. Sometimes, it might just be better to deny, deny, deny.

So, this year, I am looking for the Astros to have the type of season they deserve to have after screwing me so badly last year. I don't like this team. I especially don't like their pitching. I don't like the move they made getting Miguel Tejada because Tejada may be facing criminal charges over his lying to a federal grand jury about his HGH use in the past. I don't like this team's bullpen, and I don't think that any team can just win trying to outslug every team they face, especially if the offense just isn't that great.

Don't get me wrong, there is some talent in that lineup. Assuming that Tejada isn't forced to go Harrison Ford in Fugitive on everyone at some point in the summer, joining him with Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee, a revitalized Kaz Matsui, and the up and coming Hunter Pence should get the Stros a good amount of wins they were looking at when they put this team together: 8-7 slug fests. My problem is that I truly believe they will be at the wrong end of a lot of those decisions this year.

Roy Oswalt is still a master, and one of the best pitchers in the game, but after that you have Woody Williams, a shaky third starter, never mind a number two, Wayne Rodriguez, Brandon Bracke, and Felipe Paulino, the one "upside" youngster they have this year. That isn't exactly a HOF caliber 2-5 with which the Astros have surrounded Oswalt. And, if you're looking for the bullpen to save their ass and pitch them to glory, you have another thing coming. Doug Brocail is the setup man to Jose Valverde. That's right Houston, you're gonna get your 8-7 games, you're just not gonna win too many of them.

St. Louis Cardinals: A team just removed from a world series title by one year, and they are at the bottom of the league? Yepper. Have you taken a look at what St. Louis lost and WHAT they brought back?

No team has had the type of turnover the Cardinals have had. Bye bye long time Red Birds' Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen. See yah later to Preston Wilson and David Eckstein. Nope, these aren't your 2006 St. Louis Cardinals. They ain't even your 2007 squad. This team has had an overhaul, and I don't know if all the pieces are gonna fit.

Of course, the mainstay of the team, Albert Pujols, is there, and promises to add another HOF caliber year to his already amazing resume. The red birds traded for Troy Glaus to take over for Scott Rolen, whose obvious dislike for manager Tony LaRussa (who seemed all too willing to return the favor) made staying in St. Louis almost an impossibility. Youngsters' Rick Ankiel and Chris Duncan will make up the bulk of the Cardinal outfield, and many within the organization hope, and feel, that they are the future of the team. That is a big if.

But this team's failures have everything to do with injuries and turnover and little to do with everyday players. The Cardinals will start the season with Adam Wainwright as their ace. That's because Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder (who may never be healthy again in his career) are both out until probably close to the All Star game. Look at the rotation the red birds will trot out there for the first half of the season. Wainwright, Braden Looper - another failed closer, whom Mets fans remember well - Joel Piniero, on his 8th team in the last two seasons it seems like, Anthony Reyes and Matt Clement. Are you kidding me? The bullpen is still manned by Izzy, Jason Isringhausen, and Ryan Franklin should find a home as a set-up man, but you have to GET to the bullpen first, before they can have an impact.

With everyone healthy, I still think the Cardinals are an average team, at best. Pujols and Glaus should provide some power and offense, but who knows how Ankiel will respond and how Duncan will be in year two. And without Carpenter or even Mulder, the rotation is just too weak. This will be a long season in St. Louis, one that will find the Cards battling the Astros for the fifth spot.

Cincinnatti Reds: Every year I root for the Reds to be good and almost every year I am disappointed. Maybe it's because I just love the uniforms, the history of the ball club, and Ken Griffey Jr. Or, maybe it's because I am always taken in by the younger talent they seem to trot out there every year. This year? I think they are right on the cusp.

The mix is really good. If Griffey can stay healthy, as he did for most of the season last year, and Dunn can do what Dunn does, which is mash, those two will anchor what is a very talented young lineup. Brandon Phillips estblished himself as one of the best young second basemen in the league. Edwin Encarnacion had a solid year last year, and many believe there is significant room to grow, while youngster Joey Votto will get a chance to man first base for an entire year, and prove that the impressive skill set he showed at the plater was not a fluke. Losing cinderella story Josh Hamilton to Texas in a trade was tough, and ultimately perhaps the wrong choice, because it forces Ryan Freel, best served as a "little of everything" utility guy to be an everyday player, that is until minor league player of the year Jay Bruce is ready for prime time. But that shouldn't stop the Reds from having a dynamic lineup overall.

Pitching? AHHHH, the big question, as it always is. If Bronson Arroyo can have the type of success he had in the first half of the season as opposed to the second, he could once again make a one-two punch of he and Aaron Harang, the team's bonafide ace, a tough matchup for opposing teams. But the big question mark is Homer Bailey. Think Phil Hughes of Joba Chamberlain or Clay Bucholtz when you think Homer Bailer. Yeah, he's that good. He has all the tools to be a top flight pitcher in this league. If he steps up, proves his worth, takes a leap towards being a top end type of guy, it makes the Reds very, very formidable. If not, they will probably have a hard time sustaining any long win streaks.

The bullpen received a shot in the arm with Francisco Cordero coming over from Texas (which sent Hamilton over to the Rangers, a large price to pay for a relief pitcher) and it gives them a legit end of the game guy to try and protect leads. The rest of the bullpen should be okay, with veteran pitchers David Weathers and Mike Stanton hopefully serving as back-up to the much younger, more talented reliever Jeremy Affeldt. And while new manager Dusty Baker isn't exactly Casey Stengal wrapped up in Tom Kelly, he is still a proven motivator with a world series appearance to his credit. That can't help but be a positive for this team who haven't sniffed the playoffs in years.

Watch this team, they should be a lot of fun and should give their fans something to root for down the stretch.

Milwaukee Brewers: You thought last year was gonna be their year, didn't yah? You could smell it. You could taste it. The mecca of Selig offspring was finally going to go back to the playoffs. But, then, everyone remembered they're the Brewers. They come from Milwaukee. They don't go to the playoffs. It isn't their thing.

Could this year be the year they forget who they are and ride off into the sunset? Maybe, but I don't think so.

I like everything the Brewers did this offseason. I like getting veteran players Jason Kendall and Mike Cameron. Neither one will be expected to be anything other than an add-on player, an environment that should allow them to thrive. Salomon Torres was a nice pick up, and should go well with new closer Eric Gagne. Yes, we all know how bad he was for the Red Sox, but he showed that he could stay healthy the entire year and, while in Texas, he had impressed, which is why he was traded for in the first place. It will be interesting to see how all the shifting and manuvering for new faces (rookie of the year Ryan Braun from third base to left field, Bill Hall from center field to third base, to make way for Cameron) will effect everyone on the field, and it will be interesting to see if anyone has a downslide to their numbers because of it, but assuming they do not, and assuming that Prince Fielder and JJ Hardy put up the numbers they did last year, that lineup promises to be a monster for starters to have to try and get through.

To me, the entire season for the Brew-crew comes down to Ben Sheets. When healthy, Sheets is one of the best pitchers in the game, a terrific talent. But can he stay healthy for an entire season? If he can, the rotation should be deep enough to challenge all year for the division and a playoff spot. Jeff Suppan, the veteran pitcher, had a little bit of an off year, but is still a solid pitcher who may have a bounce back performance in him for 2008. People in Milwaukee believe that Dave Bush is a better pitcher than his 5.12 ERA from last year indicates (more like his 2006, 4.41, 210 inning year) and, like Suppan, is a solid two or three pitcher in the NL, and how about Yovani Gallardo? The 21-year old showed some impressive stuff last year, pitching 110 innings and striking out 101. Can he be a stud youngster in the way of Jason Verlander or Felix Hernandez of a few years back? If so, the Brewers have the makings of a formidable rotation.

But what if Sheets has yet another injury ridden season?

That's why, to me, the Brewers will come up just short again. One pitcher can, and does, mean that much of a difference. Having Suppan and Bush as your two and three is no big deal with Sheets as your ace. Relying on Bush and Suppan to carry the entire load? Not very comforting.

The Brewers have all the pieces in place, and as long as they don't revert back to the Brew-crew of years past, where great young talent was developed then traded away as if it were a breeding ground for other teams, they will find themselves battling into October one of these years. Just not this year.

Chicago Cubs: It has been 100 years since the Cubs won the world series. Think of what this team making the series THIS year would mean? Think of the excitement. Think of the press coverage. It would be national news. It would transcend sports.

And I believe they are gonna have that chance to make the series this year because I believe they are the cream of the NL Central crop. They have the star quality: Alfonso Soriano, Derek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, and ace pitcher Carlos Zambrano are all well-known, established, big time players in this league, all relatively young, all still in their primes, and all promise to be Cubs for a very long time. Geovany Soto will be the Cubs new, young catcher, and manager Lou Pinella evidently thinks the sky is the limit for this young man. Youngster's Felix Pie and Ronny Cedeno, one time major prospects, have another chance to estblish themselves (with Cedeno by no means guaranteed a spot in the everyday lineup) and veteran Mark DeRosa will offer his leadership skills once again.

The rotation remains solid, with Ted Lilly as the team's number two starter, behind Zambrano, but should get all the competition he wants from rising star Rich Hall. Newly acquired Jon Lieber should help solidify the rotation and take some pressure of Jason Marquis, who has a world of talent but lacks consistency.

The interest will be in the bullpen.

Veterans Bob Howry, Scott Eyre and Ryan Dempster give the Cubs quality arms to get outs in the pen, but who, exactly, will the one for which they set up? Youngster Carlos Marmol has a lot of talent and could conceivably close, but my money is on Kerry Wood entering the new phase of his career as a dominant closer. The problems with injuries for Wood has been chronicled in great detail, but a transition to the pen should save his arm from the constant wear and tear a 200 inning season inflicts. It will also allow him to consistently throw 98 or better, with his devastating curve. Wood will be the last line of defense for this team, and, I believe, will prove himself to be invaluable in that role.

In the end, it will be the Cubbies taking the Central, and giving their fans a reason to believe, and dream, that 100 years is just the right amount of time to wait.

Predicition: Cubs

Brewers

Reds

Cardinals

Astros

Pirates

Best player in the division: Alfonso Soriano

Best pitcher in the division: Roy Oswalt

Comeback player of the division: Mike Cameron