Chicago Cubs:
The Cubbies are coming off a season in which they won a shitload of regular season games but again failed in the postseason. It's now been over a 100 years since the Lovable Losers from the Northside won the World Series but who's counting? Oh yeah, everybody. The Cubs should have one of the best rotations in baseball this year with Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Ryan Dempster, Rich Harden, and Sean Marshall all capable of winning over 15 games a piece with healthy seasons. Any time you have a pitcher with the talent of Harden as your 4th starter then there really is no excuse for the Cubs to struggle this year.
The lineup should be solid too with Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez providing plenty of power in the middle of the order and a healthy Alfonso Soriano adding plenty of plus power from the leadoff spot. Geovany Soto had an excellent rookie season and should continue to improve in his 2nd season. New guy Milton Bradley is coming off his best season ever and is a hobbling time bomb at Wrigley. I have a feeling the Cubs faithful are not going to have fun with this Milton Bradley game. The middle of the defense is decent with Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontenot, and Kosuke Fukudome but none of them will be feared. It's a good thing the pitching should be excellent including a bullpen with Kevin Gregg, Carlos Marmol, Aaron Heilman, and Jeff Samardzija all capable of mowing down hitters.
Cincinnati Reds:
The Reds have a team with a ton of upside in young pitchers Edison Volquez, Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey and Micah Owings. If 2 or 3 of them come into their own then the Reds could be a team to look out for in 2009. Bailey needs to throw strikes or he could be relagated to the bullpen. He has the stuff and the talent to be a dominating starter but he has to throw strike one. Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo both need to bounce back from bad 2008 seasons. If they do then the Reds could have the best starting rotation in the National League if the younger guns live up to some of their hype.
Their lineup is nothing to shout about but I do like Jay Bruce and Joey Votto as future All-Stars for years to come. Those two should continue to grow and prosper in Cincinnati but they need more pieces around them for protection. Brandon Phillips is an above average second baseman but all of their other position players are average or below.The Reds have the potential to surprise a lot of people in 2009 if the pitching comes together. I wouldn't bet on it but I also wouldn't be shocked to see them contend. 2010 could be a special season for the Reds.
Houston Astros:
Roy Oswalt is one of the best pitchers in the game but after him the Astros have little to nothing. Wandy Rodriguez and a washed up Mike Hampton are the #2 and #3 starters. Holy shit! That is bad, real bad. The lineup isn't bad with Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence but Miguel Tejada is diminishing faster than you can you say B-12. Ivan Rodriguez is old and still catching.
The Stros are going to be bad. Very bad. If they played in the AL East they would finish with the worst record in baseball.
Milwaukee Brewers:
The Brew Crew are coming off their first playoff appearance since 1982. They have a lineup filled with excellent hitters in J.J. Hardy, Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and Corey Hart. Mike Cameron should catch a lot of balls in centerfield. He will also be chasing a lot of balls with the Brewers losing both starting pitchers C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets to free agency.
The pitching could be atrocious for the Brewers and the defense isn't very good either. The Brewers will score a ton of runs but they will give up even more. They got hit hard by free agency but should be a fun team to watch.
Pittsburgh Pirates:
The Pirates have been horrible for so long(16 years now) yet they still don't have a good farm system which means the current ownership has no idea how to run a successful ship. It's sad because the Pirates should be good. They have a great ballpark, loyal fans and an established history of past greats. But the ownership has no idea what they are doing. They should just let Pedro Alvarez and Andrew McCutchen take their lumps in the big leagues and grow the team from those two.
The Pirates will be one of the worst teams in 2009 and unfortunately it doesn't look like it will get any better in 2010 and beyond.
St. Louis Cardinals:
Never count out the Cardinals especially with proven winners Tony Larussa and Dave Duncan back managing a club that surprised a ton of people in 2008 including myself. They still have the best player in the game in Albert Pujols. He should have another MVP season. Rick Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick are in their peak years and should continue to produce for the Redbirds. The middle infield looks questionable with new guy Khalil Greene expected to bounce back from an off 2008 season. Greene has a hell of a glove so maybe he could be the white, long haired version of the Wizard of Oz.Duncan did a hell of a job last season with the pitching staff. Adam Wainwright will be the ace of the staff and Kyle Lohse should continue to build off a very successful 2008 season. If Chris Carpenter can come back then the Cardinals could be serious contenders for the division with the Cubs. 2009 should be very interesting in Busch Stadium. If the pitching holds together then watch out. Also keep an eye out for the debut of Colby Rasmus. He has 5 tool skills and should be the Cardinals center fielder of the future.
Sportscrack NL Central predictions:
1. Chicago Cubs
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Cincinnati Reds
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
MVP: Albert Pujols
Rookie of the Year: Colby Rasmus
Coach of the Year: Lou Piniella
