NL Central: 5 Questions
About Baseball's Cardinals, Cubs, Astros, Brewers, Reds and Pirates
Apr 1, 2007
1. Will the Cardinals get back to the playoffs, and possibly the World Series?
The answer would have to be no to both. Tony LaRussa won a World Series title last year with an 83 win team, which was an amazing accomplishment. This year's team doesn't figure to be as good as that squad was, therefore making a return to the postseason a brutal task. Start off with the fact that last October's pitching heroes, Jeff Suppan and Jeff Weaver, are both gone. That leaves the starting rotation with former relievers Braden Looper and Adam Wainwright, the relatively inexperienced Anthony Reyes, and inconsistent journeyman Kip Wells to follow ace Chris Carpenter. Mark Mulder is on the DL, where he was for a good portion of of last year. Outside of Albert Pujols, the lineup is a mixed bag. Jim Edmonds is not 100% and Scott Rolen is never too far from heading to the DL himself. The Cards may find themselves in the middle of the pack in the division.
2. Did the Cubs do enough spending to ensure a division title?
They did not ensure themselves of winning the division, but they would certainly have to be the favorite. The thing the front office failed to do was adequately fill the spots left by Mark Prior and Kerry Wood when they go down (surprise, surprise - Wood is on the DL and Prior is starting the season in the minors). Ted Lilly is an average pitcher who gives up plenty of fly balls - not a good thing when pitching at Wrigley Field. Jason Marquis was probably a waste of money. The Cubs will try to outslug their opponents, which they should often be able to do thanks to guys like Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee. But the best addition to the Cubbies may have been bringing in manager Lou Piniella. Piniella helped the Mariners win 116 games in 2001, which was during the post-Griffey, A-Rod, and Big Unit era. He'll get the most out of the team and they'll play hard for him.
3. Is this finally the year the Brewers get back to the playoffs?
It's close, but the Brewers are going to come up just short. But for the first time in years, Milwaukee will play some meaningful September baseball. They'll probably have to win the division to get to the postseason because either the Mets or Phillies will likely be the Wildcard, and right now they don't quite have the bats to compete with what the Cubs have. But this is an up and coming lineup that could be an offensive powerhouse in the future. Prince Fielder could end up being better than his father. Rickie Weeks resembles Gary Sheffield at the plate. Bill Hall had possibly the quietest 35 home runs in baseball history last year. Johnny Estrada was brought in to add some offense to the catcher position, which they haven't had since, well...when B.J. Surhoff first came up maybe? Add to that the steady Geoff Jenkins and Tony Gwynn Jr. (who if he end ups half the hitter his father was, he'll be an All-Star). The pitching should be better than last year, although there are questions. If everything works out there, Ben Sheets will be an All-Star, Chris Capuano could be capable of winning 15 or 16, Dave Bush will continue to get better, and Jeff Suppan will build off his playoff heroics from a year ago. That's asking a lot, but the Brew Crew isn't far away.
4. Will we see Roger Clemens in an Astros uniform in 2007?
The Rocket says there is only a 20% chance he'll play again, so based on that there is probably only about a 5% chance he ends up back on the Astros. If he comes back at all, it will probably be with the Yankees, mainly because the Yankees should be in playoff contention all season, which may not be the case for Houston. Also, Clemens' good friend Andy Pettitte is back with the Yankees, so if Clemens gets back on the mound at all, chances are it will be in the Bronx.
5. Who will be the Major's only sixth place team?
For as surprisingly well the Reds did last year, this year won't be pretty and they will finish in last place in the Central. The perennially poor pitching in Cincy will be just that again. It's hard to expect a repeat of last season for Bronson Arroyo and the closer duo of David Weathers and Mike Stanton has already tried and failed for the Mets back in '04. The Pirates stood pat this offseason and opted not to go after over-the-hill has beens and they'll go with their young talent on offense and on the pitching staff. Jason Bay is now a star and Freddy Sanchez is coming off a season where he led the league in batting. The pitching staff is young, but by now Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, Tom Gorzelanny, and Ian Snell have taken their lumps at this level and are ready to make good on their potential. Not that anyone should get carried away with the Bucs this year, but they are capable of winning more than 75 games for the first time since 1999.
