Chicago Cubs
Well I picked the Cubs to finish fourth, but they could end
up doing better. I do not find their rotation to be particularly strong, really
I find Castillo to be their best, but after him the rotation slides worse and
worse. I am a bit surprised to not see Trachsel in there, but this may change.
As for their bullpen, it is for the most part weak, although Roberto Rivera
could be quite good in the pen. Overall the pitching has a lot of mediocrity,
and with the rest of the division, moves will need to be made. Their hitting is
decent as well, and they have a great number four hitter in Sosa, and if the
people in front of him can get on base than they could really do well
offensively. 3B and CF are two positions in the batting that might need an
improvement, but really the biggest needs are in the rotation and bullpen.
Cincinnati Reds
Well I picked Bubba’s Reds to finish second, but they could
easily win the division. I also expect this team to compete strongly for the
wildcard spot, if they do not end up winning the division. Lieber looks to be a
good ace, but maybe not yet, he may be better in the future, and I am a bit
surprised to see Pugh over Roselli in the rotation as well. The addition with
VanRyn also gives Cincinnati a lot of SPs, and maybe they could use some of
their extra ones to upgrade other pieces. Their pen looks decent as well, but
they have a few too many starters in there which may not work during the
season. I do not think Brantley will be the closer, as I would be surprised not
to see Spradlin there come opening day. As for hitting, Larkin leading off
gives them speed contact and power at the top, although it should be
interesting what happens in the middle of the lineup as they do not have a lot
of pop. I see this team getting on base a lot, but will they be able to score
runs consistently is an issue. I think a little more power in their lineup
might help them overtake Houston, but it is not going to be easy. Catcher is a
bit of a concern.
Houston Astros
Well this is the team that I think has a really good chance
of going to the World Series, even though I predicted San Francisco to beat
them. Their rotation is fairly good and they have an ace in Drabek, and the
rest of their rotation for the most part would be solid number 2’s or 3’s on
most teams. Their bullpen on the other hand is a bit weak in my opinion, and
the place that they would need to improve the most on. There is not too many
there that I would feel comfortable with a one run lead in the 9th
inning, and that will likely be something Mhall looks into. Their hitting looks
very good though, especially if Finley is their leadoff. Their infield overall
is fairly strong with power at 3B and 1B, and some contact at 2B, but the SS may
be their weakest part of their hitting. Their outfield is okay, but maybe an
improvement at RF might help them a bit more, and possibly more power at DH, but overall Houston has a strong team.
Pittsburgh Pirates
I picked them to finish fifth in the division not because of
the team they have, but the fact that their owner has made it clear they are
rebuilding. Their team is overall not terrible, and could potentially finish
anywhere from 3-5 unless improvements were made. If Neagle is their ace then
they have a pretty good one, and then their 2-3 are very solid. The 4-5 needs
some work if they were competing, but if they are just trying to add young
pieces than they are solid there. Their bullpen overall is a little weaker, and
once again if competing need some improvement, but the pieces they have there
could get them some solid future players. There is definitely no one man in the
pen that stands as a closer over the others. Their hitting is okay, but it is a
lot of similar players who either have contact, or contact and speed, but no
power in their lineup. For teams who need a leadoff style player, this might be
a team that has what you need, but they need to get some power in their future
lineup in order to do anything to compete.
St. Louis Cardinals
I picked St. Louis to finish third, but depending on what
moves they make they could end up being higher or lower. They have a great 1-2
in the rotation and then the rest of their rotation is very solid, nothing
majorly noteworthy, but not terrible. Their bullpen is something that does need
some work done on it if they want to compete for first place. There are some
solid players, but no one that really sticks out. As for their hitting, they
have a good leadoff in Lankford, or if they choose Smith instead. This is
another team that has multiple contact hitters, but no real power hitter, and
that is where their flaw may end up being. If they can add a power hitter maybe
in the outfield, then I could see them really doing well. But they also do have
some older pieces that may be better suited moved elsewhere to help regenerate
some of the youth on their team that they have. Either way I really think some
power and bullpen help is needed to overtake the NL Central.
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