The Big Big MLB Season Preview-National League
Welcome to the second of my two part series predicting the MLB season. My first blog was posted on my own blog, but it didn't get many views, so I;m helping out the group and posting it here (and I actually want views this time). So, without further ado, here is my NL preview.
NL EAST
1. New York Mets Primed for a big year. Already the best offense in the NL, the Mets made the big move of the offseason by acquiring Johan Santana to ancor a shaky pitching staff. But that's just what could hurt this team. Past Santana, there really isn't a very reliable pitcher in the rotation. But there are some players that were better than you think last year. But this lineup is stacked, and they have 3 potential MVP canidates. This team is gonna hit. 96-66.
2. Atlanta Braves Everybody's favorite sleeper. This team was in it last year until they kind of flatlined at the end of the summer, but that won't happen to Bobby Cox 2 years in a row. This team has a pretty stacked lineup, too, with Mark Texiera, Chipper Jones, Jeff Francour, Brian McCann, and Kelly johnson providing a great hitting attack. And the pitching is more reliable than New York's, too, with Hudson, Glavine, and Smoltz lead them off. This team has a lot of awesome veterans, and really don't show a big weakenss. A big breakout team this year. 94-68. Wild Card.
3. Philadelphia Phillies Sorry, but the third best team in the best division in baseball. they have 3 (3!) MVP canidates in howard, Utley, and Rollins. They also quietly built a very solid team arond the 3 stars. The pitching is a little suspect, though, but I'm not worrying. But this team can really hit, and they have great intangibles. But this is an excellent division, and I just don't see them beating out the Mets and Braves this year. 90-72.
4. Florida Marlins The Marlins fans (both of them) don't have much to be excited about this year. The payroll is dismal, a joke in a league where even the cheapest teams spend $40 mil a year. This team will be starting a lot of very bad players, and the once solid pitching staff is now barren. Simply put, this team is incredibly untalented, and WAY to young to compete. But the Marlins always overachieve, so they won't be as bad as they should. 75-87.
5. Washington Nationals Still definitly a year or two away from a good team. i like their prospects, liek Milledge, Zimmerman, and Dukes. But that's what they are: prospects, not ready to be stars. Not yet. The pitching staff is still atrocious with no players you've ever heard of. But the team is young, and they have a new stadium, so maybe they'll pull off a decent season. I don't think so. 65-97.
NL CENTRAL
1. Milwaukee Brewers No, not the Cubs. Basically, this division will be a mess, with as many as 5 teams at or above .500 but none with more than 87 wins. The Brewers are the least bad of these teams. They have a lot of budding stars, and they'll only get better this year. The pitching staff has some good pitchers, too. But they're still starting some bad players, like Rickie Weeks, Bill hall, and Dave Bush. But hey, this division sucks, and this will be they're year. 87-75.
2. Chicago Cubs OVER-RATED. Yes, they are. What do people see in this team? They aren't any better than last year. The hittting is based around old underachievers and awful young rookies. How can a team with Ryan Theriot, Geovany Soto, Mark Derosa, and Jason Marquis win a division. They have some talent, and that will get them somewhere, but that won't give them the champion people predict. 85-77.
3. Cincinnati Reds Only third best in the rat race. They have 3 big hitters. Here's the catch: one is always hurt, one only stikes out, and one is still unproven. Beside that, too, they have utility players at every postion. The pitching will be okay, but there's nothing to rave about. This seems like a team built for a little run, but they'll fade to teh deeper Brewers in the end. 84-78.
4. Houston Astros Underrated. They have a couple of good players, with Pence improving and the addition of Tejada. They have a good pitcher or 2 too, They have a better middle of the order than the Cubs do too. They have improving young players, and I don't see why nobody likes them. I predict a surpise run for a pennant too. 82-80.
5. St. Louis Cardinals Remember them? They were in it for the whole season last year, and their pretty good. They have s solid middle of the order, too, with Pujols, Ankiel, and Troy Glaus. They have some good nobody players too, which is basically they're whole pitching staff. This team is experienced, and they have the best manager in baseball. but they tend to fade towards the end every year, and expect that again. 80-82.
6. Pittsburgh Pirates 2 things in life are inevitable: death and the Pirates being bad. They still suck. Sure, they have a couple of good young prospcets, but not enough to get anyone really excited. Jason Bay has fallen off the map, so has jack Wilson, and Freddy Sanchez is no longer a star. The pitching is dreadful, they are still in a state of chaos, let's face it. This team is awful again, and they show no signs of looking up. 63-99.
NL WEST
1. Arizona Diamondbacks Even better than last year. Young, Jackson, Drew, and Upton are all budding stars. They should all ahve excellent year, and mixed with vets like Eric Byrnes, Webb, Doug Davis, and the new addition of Haren, this team can pitch too. Theyhave depth too, and a lot of no-name solid players. This team will win for years. 92-70.
2. Colorado Rockies Primed for another World Series run? Maybe. That little hot streak you saw last year is the real deal. This team is built for that cozy park in Denver, and the pitching ain't bad either. I love how many strong players they have in this lineup. But the D'backs just have better pitching, and the Rockies need to get more consistent. 91-71.
3. LA Dodgers An decent team. I like Juan Pierre and the others, and Andruw jones is always a shoein for a great season. They have some good young guns too, and they have that new manager too. But this lineup jsut doesn't impress me enough. They still have some growing up to do, and until I see a solid season out of these young guys, I 'm not picking a playoff berth.
4. San Diego Padres Pitching and not much else. This team's pitching carried them last year, and they'll have to do it again. They have some guys that you could probably see having a good season, but all at the same time? Not quite.And the pitching isn't that great, either. i'm sorry, but this team needs to learn how to hit before they'll win this division. 82-80.
5. San Fransisco Giants The Anti-Tigers. This team's offense is old and decrepid. BIG TIME! A fun game to play is too look at this lineup and see who could actually start for a decent team. The answer is only Rowand, and none of the rest. BENGIE MOLINA IS THE CLEANUP HITTER! Yes, the Bengie Molina. The pitching is too young, too, and all the pitching in the world couldn't make this team good. Not much to be excited about this lineup. THEY WILL SUCK! 61-101.
PLAYOFFS
ALDS: Tigers over Red Sox, Indians over Angels. NLDS: Mets over Brewers, Braves over D'Backs.
ALCS: Indians over Tigers. NLCS: Mets over Braves.
WORLD SERIES: CLEVELAND INDIANS OVER NEW YORK METS IN 4 GAMES.
So there it is, the Curse of Rocky Colavito ends this year. The Indians will win the World Series. hope you liked it.
Patrick Revs Up for Indy
