Senior Circuit Guessing Game

NL East
Like the American League, the NL East has a pretty clear favorite to win the division. Arguably the 2 best pitchers in the league are throwing for the Phillies. 4 of their 5 starters have had their names mentioned in recent Cy Young discussions. It’s pretty intimidating. Though it’s possible that nobody’s more intimidated than Joe Blanton. I can’t imagine any team will feel good looking at their schedule and seeing that their next three days will consist of Halladay, Lee and Hamels. Offensively they’re not quite as threatening. They still have their main core of stars there with Rollins, Utley, Howard and if you’re feeling generous you can put Victorino on that list. None of them hit amazingly well last year, though Howard contributed his usual amount of power, white Utley provides a great deal of his own out of a 2B. The guy to watch is Jimmy Rollins, who is looking to bounce back from a disappointing season. If everybody stays healthy they don’t have to put up a ton of runs to win games.

NL Central
Wow what a crap shoot. I mean, there are 6 teams so a roll of the die might be in order. Realistically any team but the Pirates and Astros have a shot. The Brewers have gotten better adding Greinke and Marcum, and nobody could ever deny that they can hit. I very weakly proclaim them as my team to beat in the division. The mashing triumvirate of Fielder, Braun and Hart lead a pack of players that can just straight up hit the ball hard. Rickie Weeks has shown signs that he will become the player we’ve been waiting for the last few seasons and Casey McGehee has also exhibited some quality pop. What might put them over the Reds or the Cardinals for me though, is John Axford. Not because he is great, because he’s not, but having a closer rock out a Rollie Fingers stache is just worth a lot more than excessive talent.

NL West
Well they did win the World Series. Some might say it was a bit of a fluke, as they barely even made the playoffs. Fact of the matter is they won and they didn’t get any worse. It’s quite possible they got better. I’m a big believer in Buster Posey, who will only improve. And is this Tim Lincecum? Doesn’t matter, because Tim Lincecum is great and I challenge any of you to say otherwise. They are admittedly a bit light in the outfield, waiting out a terrible Aaron Rowand contract and hoping to extend a pretty lucky stretch out of Cody Ross. Madison Baumgarner joins Lincecum, Cain, Zito and Sanchez to round a very solid rotation. Especially playing in Pac Bell. The wild card is the Kung Fu Panda! Or the nickname that I prefer: Fat Ichiro. He laid off the good stuff this winter and lost 40 pounds in hopes of returning to his old form. His old form is worth about .330 at the plate if you were wondering. In my eyes, the other teams in the West didn’t really do anything to improve themselves, so I expect to see the Giants get a chance to defend their title in the playoffs.

Wild Card
It will be strange during the season, but it might be even stranger during the playoffs to look into the Atlanta Braves dugout and see somebody other than Bobby Cox. I’m thinking we’ll be doing that though. I'll come clean, I’ve got a serious man-crush on Jason Heyward and I fully expect him to hoist the entire team on his shoulders and jog into the post-season. If he wants, though, he can get some help. Freddie Freeman will be manning first base for his first full season, which is a bit of a wild card, but there is a new man in the lineup that can pick up plenty of slack. His name is Dan Uggla. After trading for Uggla from the Marlins the Braves uncharacteristically shelled out to give Uggla a fancy new contract. This may have been done to have someone in place to contribute the power that will be missing once Chipper’s season inevitably ends early. In the event that Chipper stays healthy and contributes all season long, the Braves do have a chance to compete with the Phillies, as silly as that might sound. The pitching staff last year may have overachieved, so that could regress. That doesn’t change that there are quality hurlers in Hudson, Lowe, Jurjenns, Hanson and Minor. Back end of the game, a possible righty/lefty closer situation with Venters and Kimbrell can shorten games in a hurry.

2011 National League prediction
NL East - Philadelphia Phillies
NL Central - Milwaukee Brewers
NL West - San Francisco Giants
Wild Card - Atlanta Braves