Experts are ready to hand the division crown to the Milwaukee Brewers after they made the trade for Zack Greinke. I’m not so sure about Greinke or the rest of the staff once you get past the reigning number one: Yovani Gollardo. Randy Wolf is the number three and that ought to raise alarm. The catching isn’t impressive and though Fielder, Hart, Braun, and Weeks can mash the ball they can also whiff enough to cause whitecaps on Lake Michigan.
Lest we forget, the Cincinnati Reds ran away with this division last year and a lineup with Brandon Phillips, Scott Rolen, Jay Bruce, Johnny Gomes, and 2010 MVP Joey Votto is going to score runs. The Big Red Question Marks are whether Edinson Volquez is healthy, if Johnny Cueto is ready to blossom, if Homer Bailey can pitch above AAA, if Bronson Arroyo keeps his head into the game, and how they’re going to groom Aroldis Chapman.
I’d have picked the St. Louis Cardinals this year until Adam Wainwright went under the knife. Now it means that they have a fragile Chris Carpenter, Jake Westbrook, and a host of unanswered pitching staff questions. David Freese looks to be a budding star at third, Matt Holliday proved that he can hit (in the NL at least), and Ryan Theriot adds energy. Assuming the Cards don’t trade MLB’s best player, Albert Pujols could win the division all by himself. On paper the Cards appear to be several arms short, but there is no dominant team in this division, which gives (thin) hope.
Assuming Pujols doesn’t get traded to the Chicago Cubs, not even the emergence of Jeff Samardzija and the addition of Matt Garza will be enough to ends the Cubbies’ serial misery. Why anyone would throw $12 million at Carlos Pena is almost as big a mystery as why a player with Alfonso Soriano’s raw talent is so friggin’ mediocre. Look for the van to back up in July and the contracts of Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Zambrano to leave when it does. The only thing that will prevent the Big Z from becoming a Yankee is…
… if Wandy Rodriguez of the Houston Astros goes to the Bronx instead. Hate to say it, but that’s about the only mystery there will be in Houston this summer. Houston summers are always miserable, but this one will be more so. And then there’s the Pittsburgh Pirates……. Sorry, I fell asleep. There simply aren’t enough synonyms for ‘pathetic’ to bother discussing the Pirates.
Predicted Finish:
1. Reds
2. Brewers
3. Cardinals
4. Cubs
5. Astros
6. Pirates (though they could reach .500 if moved to the International League)
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