In this post, we'll be taking a look at the NL Central division, or "Reds And Redbirds And Bears...Oh, My!"
NL CENTRAL:
Chicago Cubs - Ask any 114-year-old baseball fan, they'll tell you that the Cubs are one of the best teams in the game. Anyone younger than that probably isn't old enough to remember the last time the Cubs won a World Series (some are too young to remember a time they were even in it). With a star-studded lineup consisting of past-his-prime Alfonso Soriano and...uhh...hmm...and Carlos "Big Temper" Zambrano heading up an otherwise unknown pitching staff, 2010 really showed us that when a team pulls together, believes in themselves, and tries to defy the odds...they fail. Miserably. 5th place in a division with the Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers means that only the Pittsburgh Pirates were worse than this team. Is it any wonder Lou Piniella, who had been in the game for over 40 years, decided enough was finally enough and retired before the end of the season? Sure, newbie Starlin Castro looks promising, and Tyler Colvin could add some power once he's done removing bat splinters from his chest, but how can-wait...what is that? Is that a ray of light at the end of the tunnel? No, it's 2 Rays. First baseman Carlos Pena and pitcher Matt Garza, teammates in Tampa, have reunited in Chicago to try to help the Cubbies taste that sweet October honey. Will it be enough, especially considering other teams in this division? Probably not this year, but it's a safe bet that the Astros better watch out, because there's a new 4th-place sheriff in town.
Cincinnati Reds - With their last World Series title coming roughly a year after I was born, the Reds finally returned to the postseason for the first time since 1995, winning the division over their new internal rivals, the Cardinals. Pitchers Johnny Cueto and Bronson Arroyo dominated the mound, combining for 29 wins, while veteran Scott Rolen and Jay Bruce helped light up a powerful lineup. The real heart and soul of this division-winning team, however, was undoubtedly first baseman Joey Votto, now the reigning NL MVP. Only 27, he hit .324 with 37 homers (second only to fellow first baseman Albert Pujols) and 113 RBI (again, second to Pujols). Without him, it's hard to see these Reds, regardless of how good the rest of the offense may or may not be, as a true contender. Even though they've got most of the pieces of the puzzle together in Cincy, they added veteran shorstop and World Series MVP Edgar Renteria to assist them in returning to the World Series like they want to. Their biggest question is in regards to reliever Aroldis Chapman. This hot Cuban hurler threw a pitch that clocked in at 105 miles an hour, or the fastest pitch ever recorded. So, the question is, do they make him at least a part-time closer? Throw him into the rotation? Or keep him purely as a setup man with unhittable speed as a smooth defensive transition from starter to closer? The Reds brass needs to decide what to do with this rookie before 2011 heats up for them.
Houston Astros - Amazingly enough, since they're in the same division as the Pirates, the Astros AREN'T the worst team in the NL Central. But they're trying their best to be the worst. They somehow managed to stay ahead of the Cubs in 2010 as well as the Pirates, but they couldn't get past the 3 teams ahead of them. Their season was disappointing, which has been the standard for them since their exciting run to the World Series in 2005. The few players that made them even slightly watchable (namely Lance Berkman and, it kills me to say this, Roy Oswalt) were traded halfway through the season, taking away even the smallest remaining bit of hope that they could propel themselves into the top half of the division. 2011 holds nothing positive for them yet again: they made no moves of any consequence, and their returning players are just the same ones that have helped them fall further into the Worst Teams In The MLB this decade. I almost wish I could say more about this team, what they did last year and what they could do next year, but it just looks pretty bleak and uninteresting. The only real thing to look forward to is the further maturation of Hunter Pence, who hit .282/25/91 last year in his 4th major league season, but if he keeps that up, he'll be traded to a better team soon enough. It would take a wish on a shooting star for these Astros to have a shot at the playoffs this next season, and, most likely, for a number of seasons to come.
Milwaukee Brewers - Something good is BREWing in Milwaukee. All right, bad puns aside, 2011 can only be an improvement over 2010 in Brew City. Very little of any real importance happened, aside from much speculation that first baseman Prince Fielder was going to be traded midseason to avoid any nasty mess regarding his free agency after this next season. The Brewers quietly placed 3rd in the division (with a 77-85 record, which should tell you a lot about the 3 teams below Milwaukee), with batters such as Ryan Braun (.305/25/103), Rickie Weeks (.269/29/83) and Casey McGehee (.285/23/104) helping the offense heavily while ace Yovani Gallardo recorded 14 of those 77 wins. However, in a division with the Cardinals and the surprisingly good Reds, 3rd place was about as good as the Brewers could hope for. This promises to change, though, in 2011: taking a cue from Philadelphia, the Brew Crew managed to add another 2 aces to their rotation by acquiring Shawn Marcum from the Blue Jays and Zack Greinke from the Royals. This will be a perfect fit all around, seeing as Greinke and Marcum were great pitchers on teams with minimal run support, whereas the Brewers are notorious for blasting in runs while the pitchers give up twice as many to the opposing team. It's hard to say whether they can stand up to the two powerhouse teams ahead of them (personally, I like their chances at getting past the Reds), but if they don't improve their standings, they'll certainly go down drunkenly swinging.
Pittsburgh Pirates - However bleak the future may look for the Astros, as I said earlier, they've got some excellent years coming to them in comparison with this sorry team. The Pirates of yesteryear were incredible, but today's Pirates make the Mariners look like the Yankees. 2010 saw their 6th season in the past 10 in last place, and their second 100+ loss season. All 10 years, they didn't place higher than 4th, and didn't post a winning record once (never more than 72 wins, 9 less than a .500 record). Plus, every team has at least 2 names that fans overall can recognize. The Pirates have one, Andrew McCutchen, and chances are good that you haven't even heard of him (no wonder, he only went .286/16/56 in '10). None of the starting pitchers had anything that resembled a winning record, and only 1 starter, Kevin Correia, had a .500 record with 10 wins and as many losses (that is, with a 5.40 ERA and only 115 strikeouts). Sure, they've got some good young guys such as Pedro Alvarez and Jose Tabata, but if you're waiting for a return to form for these Buccaneers, I wouldn't hold your breath while these mateys walk the plank towards the NL Central cellar.
St. Louis Cardinals - Even with a star-studded lineup and rotation, the road has been rocky for the Redbirds this past decade. After a championship win in 2006, they posted winning records in 3 of the following 4 seasons, but only made the playoffs in 2009 where they were swept by the Dodgers in the LDS. In 2010, they tussled with the Reds, both in the standings and in a bench-clearing brawl during a late season matchup, but they were ultimately toppled, despite going 86-76. Expectations were high with the previous year's midseason acquisition of Matt Holliday, who brought a lot of power to a lineup that was already notorious for hitting homers like they were in batting practice, thanks to a certain first baseman. Second-year player Colby Rasmus wowed everyone with an impressive offensive year, but caused a minor disruption when there were claims that he was asking for a trade elsewhere. The reason was given that he supposedly didn't vibe with manager Tony La Russa, but as of this writing, he's still projected as the starting center fielder, so the issue seems to be resolved. And, of course, Albert Pujols went .312/42/118, but that's not news. However, he placed 2nd in the MVP voting behind winner (and fellow first baseman on their new rival team) Joey Votto, which is news. With pretty much the same team they had last year, 2011 will hopefully see this incredibly strong team return to the postseason, so that there will be something else to talk about regarding the Cards. Otherwise, all eyes, ears, and mouths will be dedicated to the biggest question for the next year: where will Albert Pujols be playing for the rest of his career?
Projected 2011 NL Central Standings:
St. Louis Cardinals - move 1 spot up
Milwaukee Brewers - move 1 spot up
Cincinnati Reds - move 2 spots down
Chicago Cubs - move 1 spot up
Houston Astros - move 1 spot down
Pittsburgh Pirates - stay the same
Finally, we'll take a look at the NL West division.
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