NL Central Predictions: Milwaukee Brewers Still Kings Despite Loss of Prince Fielder
Sometimes a team wins a championship and all the talk is about whether or not we’re seeing the next dynasty. That’s not the case with the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Cardinals parlayed a surprise playoff run into a World Series title, but that was an entirely different team than the one that opens the season in 2012. Gone is Albert Pujols, the best hitter of this generation. Gone is Tony LaRussa, a three-time World Series champion manager who had spent the past 16 years in St. Louis. Gone is Dave Duncan, the pitching coach who has been more like a magician the way he took so many washed up arms and turned them into gems.
A lot of what made the Cardinals champions is indeed gone, but there is still a lot to like about their chances in 2012.
The Milwaukee Brewers are dealing with a hefty loss of their own, having to replace slugger Prince Fielder. Last year’s National League Central champs dodged a bullet when Ryan Braun won his appeal of a 50-game suspension. They still have the best pitching in the division led by Yovani Gallardo and Zack Greinke in the rotation and John Axford and Francisco Rodriguez in the bullpen.
The Cincinnati Reds made a big statement this offseason, and are clearly pushing hard for a playoff run. They traded some of their best prospects for starter Mat Latos in an effort to boost the team in one of former MVP Joey Votto‘s final seasons under his current contract. The Reds took a big blow, however, losing offseason signing Ryan Madson to Tommy John surgery. The team traded for stellar setup man Sean Marshall over the winter, so the bullpen could still be a strength. Votto, Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips headline the offense, which could hinge on the health of Scott Rolen.
The Pittsburgh Pirates looked like contenders through July, then played like one of the worst teams in baseball for the rest of the year. They’ve got some nice pieces, but don’t have enough pitching. Whether they want to admit it or not, the Chicago Cubs are rebuilding. The Houston Astros could be bad enough to make a run at the loss record in their last year in the NL. It would be difficult to imagine any of these bottom three teams sneaking into contention.
Truth is, this is the toughest division for me to predict, specifically the top three teams. All three of the top teams look like they’ll have a great shot to win the title, though it doesn’t look likely to me this division will produce more than one playoff team.
I really want to pick the Reds because I like Dusty Baker, Votto, Bruce and really like what they did over the offseason, Plus, as a Minnesota guy, I’m not exactly excited to see our neighbors to the East continue to make us look bad. Minnesota has been Loserville, U.S.A. in sports and they’ve been “Win”-sconsin.
As much as it hurts me to say it, my head says the Brewers are still the best team in the division. Braun is one of the best players in baseball, and still has a solid supporting cast even without Fielder. Plus, the Brew Crew has the maybe most underrated pitching staff in all of baseball.
If I didn’t have any concerns with Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, I’d definitely go with the Cardinals. I think their offense will be just fine with Carlos Beltran and hopefully bigger contributions from guys like David Freese and Allen Craig. Carpenter has a mysterious nerve issue and Wainwright is coming off Tommy John surgery. In other years, you might be able to expect Duncan to make due with the rest of the staff, but he’s on an indefinite leave of absence.
Here is the order I’m going with, though I can’t argue too much against any other configuration of the top three teams. This is going to be a wide-open division.
2012 NL CENTRAL PREDICTION:
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Cincinnati Reds
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- Chicago Cubs
- Houston Astros
OTHER NL PREDICTIONS
- NL West Predictions: San Francisco Giants Pitch Their Way to Another Title
- NL East Predictions: Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins Capitalize on Philadelphia Phillies’ Slide
FEATURED PARTNERS
- 21 Leaked Photos Of "Before Watchmen"
- 20 Reasons Why You Are So Over Coachella
- The Backstreet Boys Are 19-Years-Old
- Seattle Seahawks Star Chris Clemons' Ex -- He Gave Me a House ... And Then Kicked Me Out of It!
- Wrestling Superstar Ted DiBiase Jr. -- Hard Body, Soft Heart
- Pete Rose -- Tax Lien Hall of Famer
- Girl Runs Away from the Cops While Screaming Tyga’s ‘Rack City’
- Weekend Buzz, Presented By Kate Upton Wearing Clothes and Aziz Ansari
- Hottie Index: Which Hottie Blew Away Coachella Last Week?