NL Central Preview

CHICAGO CUBS – After a hundred years of no World Series titles, could 2009 be the year?

Sure, why not?

The Cubs won 97 games last season, and the only major key to their team that they lost was closer Kerry Wood. However, the team has more than adequate help in replacing his role. Relievers Carlos Marmol and Jeff Samardzija both proved to be effective in shutting down batters last season, so one or the other will be able to step up and fulfill the role.

The Cubs also added to their team by continuing their trend of adding a big-name outfielder to their team each year. Following in the footsteps of Alfonso Soriano (2007) and Kosuke Fukudome (2008), Chicago went out and added Milton Bradley.

Now, Bradley’s had issues controlling his temper in the past. However, if he buys into the idea that this could be the year to end the over-a-century-long drought, he could provide exactly the type of pop that the lineup needs.

Though the Cubs will face some tough challenges in the NL Central, they should be more than able to repeat their title as division champions.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS – Albert Pujols.

That’s pretty much all you need to know about the Cardinals and the success they have.

Sure, there are other players on the team. Most notably, their outfield is quite strong. They have pitcher-turned-hitter-slash-amazing-return-story Rick Ankiel (who smashed 37 home runs last season in only his second season as a hitter in the majors) as well as Ryan Ludwick (who hit 25 home runs and played very well throughout much of his rookie season in 2008).

However, regardless of how much these players may do, there is truly no player as vital to his team in Major League Baseball as Pujols is to the Cardinals. As both the leader on the field and in the clubhouse, any success that the Cardinals have (most recently, their 2006 World Series title) can be pretty much directly attributed to Pujols.

With that said, his supporting cast isn’t strong enough for the Cardinals to make another World Series run this season. Never count them out, though, as Sir Albert will have a say in the matter.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS – What do you do when you make it to the playoffs, only to get knocked out by the eventual World Series Champions in the first round?

Why, add the all-time saves leader of course.

After being traded to the Padres in his rookie season, Hoffman had spent the remainder of his 16-year career in San Diego. However, after failing to reach a deal with the team, Hoffman signed a one-year contract with Milwaukee, effectively bringing Hell’s Bells to the Midwest.

Despite having a talented lineup – including Ryan Braun (71 home runs and a .301 average in his first two seasons) and Prince Fielder (who has hit 84 home runs over the past two seasons) – the Brewers will struggle to match last season’s 90 wins, primarily because of the loss of CC Sabathia.

Sabathia, who came over midway through last year, sparked the team’s playoff run with an 11-2 record over the season’s final three and a half months. However, after signing with the Yankees, his wins (not to mention all the innings he ate up) will have to come from somewhere else. Despite having a talented team, the Brewers will face a tough task in returning to the playoffs.

HOUSTON ASTROS – Though the Astros had a fairly successful season in 2008 (ending up with 86 wins), they found themselves three games behind in the Wild Card race when everything was said and done.

The team should enjoy a full season of Carlos Lee, who will be an imposing force in the middle of the lineup. In 2007 (his first year as an Astro), he hit 32 home runs in a full season of play; last year, he hit 28 in only 115 games. Combined with Lance Berkman and an ever-improving Hunter Pence, Lee could be the focal point of a very productive lineup.

The anchor of the Astros’ rotation has been Roy Oswalt for the past eight seasons, and 2009 will be no different. Standing at a career 129-64 record, Oswalt has been one of the most reliable and dominant pitchers in the league throughout his career.

The problem with the Astros, however, is that they don’t really have that number two starter to follow in Oswalt’s footsteps. The team signed Mike Hampton this past off-season, but he has made only 13 starts in the past three seasons (all last year), compiling a 3-4 record. Hampton enjoyed previous success in Houston (including a 22-4 record in 1999), so if history repeats itself, the Astros may have made out like bandits on their investment.

CINCINNATI REDS – This team’s future lies in the hands of Jay Bruce. Bruce, the All-American home run-hitting outfielder is the cornerstone on a team without a whole lot of help.

The Reds lost their most proficient home run hitter from the past few seasons as Adam Dunn signed with the Nationals this off-season. Though Bruce hit 21 home runs in a relatively short amount of time (108 games after being called up from the Reds’ farm system), it’ll be hard to replace the time of pop Dunn provided the team.

Perhaps in an effort to replace Dunn, the team signed speedster Willy Taveras to a two-year deal. Taveras is exactly the opposite type of player that Dunn is; he has hit only 7 home runs in 541 career games (Dunn could have hit that many in a week) but stole a career high 68 bases last season in Colorado. Dunn, on the other hand, has stolen 58 bases in his eight-year career.

For the Reds to be able to challenge for the division title, their young and talented rotation (Homer Bailey, Johnny Cueto and Aaron Harang most notably) will need to continue to mature. Look for the Reds to be strong in a few years, but not in 2009.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES – Oh, these poor Pirates. Following a year in which they went 67-95, they really didn’t do much to improve their team.

Sure, they added Eric Hinske to their lineup, but he’s a career .254 hitter. Hinske was added to a lineup that was already fairly talented – one that included Nate McLouth (coming off a career year where he hit 26 HRs and stole 23 bases), Freddy Sanchez (who hit .344 in 2006) and Ryan Doumit (who hit .318 with 15 HR in only 115 games last season).

Doumit is perhaps the team’s most talented and important player. After missing the start of last season with an injury, Doumit came back healthy and posted strong numbers down the stretch.

In order for more people to learn about this hidden talent that the Pirates have – and, more importantly, for people to care about baseball in Pittsburgh – the team will need to shake things up more than they did this off-season. Adding Hinske won’t cut it.