As pitchers and catchers are preparing to descend on Florida and Arizona for spring training, I thought it would be fun to look at the 10 ten teams in the National League; the NL has won the World Series 4 of the last 6 years.
10 Los Angeles Dodgers: Hopefully the Dodgers ownership will be in place by mid season. If they can tread water till June maybe a move or 2 will put them in the race in NL West. With Kershaw in place as their ace, at least every 5th day they will be in the game. With Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and Juan Rivera in the middle of the lineup they should score runs.
9. Washington Nationals: The Nationals are still maybe a year or 2 away from making it to the post season, but with Gio Gonzalez and (hopefully) Stephen Stausburg for the entire season, makes a very strong front of the rotation. If Jason Werth can live up to the contract and not hit .232 this season Washington will make some progress. Their lineup still lacks a little pop, but with an owner willing to spend money the future is bright in Washington.
8. Chicago Cubs: The Cubs are the lovable losers and that doesn't change this season either. After losing Aramis Ramirez, and Carlos Pena, the Cubs are gonna be hard pressed score runs this season. New President of Baseball Ops Theo Epstien will turn the Cubs around and they WILL win soon, just not this season.
7. Arizona Diamondbacks: Arizona was the surprise of the NL last season winning the west. Pretty much the same team comes back as last season, only Trevor Cahill was the biggest edition to the team. The problem with putting them high right now is they had players that had career years last year, and that's tough to duplicate. They had the best lineup statistically last season, but I look for them to come back to earth a little this season, finishing 2nd in the NL West.
6. St Louis Cardinals: Even though the Cardinals are the defending Champions, they lost some major pieces this offseason. The obvious being Albert Pujols, and their manager Tony LaRusa, who I think did his finest job of managing last season in winning the title. More unrest is the leave of absence that pitching coach Dave Duncan also took. With Adam Wainwright returning from injury gives St. Louis a formidable staff. However Carlos Beltran will not replace the Alber Pujols hole in the middle of the lineup. They should be in contention but fall short for both the wild card and division.
5. Cincinnati Reds: The Reds have the best pure hitter in all of baseball in Joey Votto, and maybe the best 2nd baseman in Brandon Philips. The arrival of Matt Latos, and Aroldis Chapman with solidify the rotation. Plus with Prince Fielder, and Albert Pujols leaving the division and league for the matter, and Ryan Braun facing a 50 game suspension for failing a drug test the Reds should be the best team in the central division.
4. Atlanta Braves: The Braves always seem to be right in the mix every single year. Last season they was in it all the way to the final day of the season, but don't let the collapse last year fool you. With speed at the top of the lineup in Micheal Bourn and Dan Uggla, Freddie Freeman, and Brian McCann in the middle of the lineup should give opposing pitchers fits. Atlanta is in a tough division though, the NL East may be the best division top to bottom in all of baseball.
3. Miami Marlins: New name, new stadium, new manager, the Miami Marlins are now saying we are for real. They made a strong push for Alber Pujols and just about every other free agent this summer. With the editions of Mark Buehrle, and a head on straight Carlos Zambrano they should be in every game. I think though the biggest edition wasn't a player it was the man in the dugout. Ozzie Guielln, whether you like his loud mouth or not he gets the best out of his players. In a tough NL East they should challenge the Phillies, but will most likely end up the in the Wild Card spot.
2. San Francisco Giants: The Giants may have the second best rotation in the National League. If they wasn't in the same league as the Phillies they would be the odds on favorite to win the NL. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Madison Bumgarner are a stout 1,2,3. Buster Posey returning from his ankle injury will give the offense a much needed lift. In a weak NL West baring a major injury, and the Dodgers ownership in flux the Giants should run away with this division.
1. Philadelphia Phillies: They have the best rotation in baseball period! Holliday, Lee, Hamels are as good as it gets. Their offense let down in the postseason last season. Look for Ryan Howard to have a bounce back year and be Ryan Howard again. A healthy Chase Utley will give him the protection he will need. Plus after getting bounced in the first round last season look for them to have a chip on their shoulder and live up to the hype this season.
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