Cardinals still on top perch
Acquisitions keep St. Louis class of NL Central
No division in baseball lost more big bats during the offseason than the
National League Central. Sammy Sosa, Moises Alou, Carlos Beltran, Jeff Kent,
Edgar Renteria and Jason Kendall have all moved on, leaving voids across the
NL Central landscape and in many ways a much different looking division.
One thing hasn't changed, however. The St. Louis Cardinals are still the team
to beat in the NL Central.
Renteria, catcher Mike Matheny and second baseman Tony Womack are gone, but
the defending National League champions should be just as formidable this
year after adding Mark Mulder, Mark Grudzielanek and David Eckstein to a team
that returns Albert Pujols, Larry Walker, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen and Reggie
Sanders.
The Cubs must find replacements for Sosa and Alou, expected to be Jeromy
Burnitz and Todd Hollandsworth, but there's little doubt about the Cubs
rotation, which should once again be among the strongest in baseball.
The Astros are coming off the best showing in franchise history and while
they too have to deal with significant losses like Beltran, Kent and pitcher
Wade Miller, the cupboard is hardly bare in Houston. Cy Young Award winner
Roger Clemens returns, along with 20-game winner Roy Oswalt and most of the
rest of the cast of last year's surprising team.
Cincinnati and Pittsburgh have new faces and new hopes in 2005 and head to
Spring Training with perhaps the best squads they've had in at least three
years if everyone is healthy.
Milwaukee's losses included closer Dan Kolb and outfielder Scott Podsednik
but the Brewers are also excited about new additions like Carlos Lee.
With the opening of camp just one week away, here's a look at where each of
the NL Central teams stand:
==============================================================================
The favorite
Cardinals
Sure they don't have Edgar Renteria, Mike Matheny or Woody Williams anymore.
Then again, this time last year they didn't have Larry Walker in right field,
Mark Grudzielanek at second base and Mark Mulder in the rotation. So while
David Eckstein is clearly not the player Renteria was, he remains a decent
shortstop. With the firepower this team has elsewhere, plus the upgrade at
second base Grudzielanek represents, this is clearly the team to beat in the
division and perhaps the National League.
Projected regular-season finish: First place
Biggest ST challenge: The only thing close to what could be characterized as
a Spring Training challenge for this team is making sure everyone on the
25-man roster is healthy and ready to go for a full season.
Best position battles: Yadier Molina is expected to be the starter, and
though he's perhaps not as good defensively as Matheny, he should be a better
offensive producer. He will need to work well with the staff, however, and if
he struggles veteran Einar Diaz might push him for playing time.
Wild card: Albert Pujols' heel is the most talked about since Achilles was in
his prime. As good as this team is, if Pujols misses significant time or
cannot perform up to his usual standards, the dynamic of the everyday lineup
could change considerably.
==============================================================================
The challengers
Cubs
The departures of Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou mean the Cubs will be without
two players who accounted for 23.5 percent of Chicago's RBIs last season.
That's a lot of firepower, and even if new arrival Jeromy Burnitz can give
the team adequate production in right field, the Cubs still figure to be a
less formidable offensive unit than they were last season. They will,
however, have one of the more potent hitting infields around in Derrek Lee,
Todd Walker, Nomar Garciaparra and Aramis Ramirez. If the bullpen can improve
and the four horses in the rotation -- Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Greg Maddux
and Carlos Zambrano -- pitch as they can, this team can stay in the playoff
picture.
Projected regular-season finish: Second place
Biggest ST challenge: Getting production from the corner outfielders is going
to be a challenge, but another one will be settling on a closer. Joe Borowski
is expected to return after injuries sidelined him much of last season, and
of course LaTroy Hawkins and veteran Ryan Dempster are also closing options.
Best position battles: Glendon Rusch is the favorite to nail down the fifth
spot after his outstanding season a year ago, but a great spring from some of
the other candidates like Sergio Mitre might make things interesting,
especially since Rusch has proven his value as a reliever as well as a
starter.
Wild card: Garciaparra is looking forward to putting together a full season
at Wrigley Field. He's healthy and will be a free agent next year, so a
monster season is certainly a possibility and one capable of carrying this
team to October.
==============================================================================
Astros
Maybe you haven't heard the Astros lost Carlos Beltran, Jeff Kent and Wade
Miller from the team that came within a game of reaching the World Series
last season. But despite dire predictions from some after those losses, as
well as the departure of general manager Gerry Hunsicker, the Astros should
have the strongest rotation they've had in a dozen years. This team won't
score 803 runs again this season, but the defense and pitching should be
better and with a rotation led by Roger Clemens, Roy Oswalt, Andy Pettitte
and Brandon Backe this is still a dangerous team.
Projected regular-season finish: Third place
Biggest ST challenge: The Astros must decide whether to put Craig Biggio back
at second base or leave Biggio in left field and give the job to rookie Chris
Burke. How well Burke performs in Spring Training will determine which course
the Astros take. Jason Lane is the heir apparent to Beltran in center field
for now, but if youngsters Willy Taveras or Charlton Jimerson excel in
Florida the Astros could decide to accelerate their climb to the Majors.
Best position battles: The battle for the fifth spot in the rotation should
be a good one with Carlos Hernandez, Tim Redding and Dave Burba all getting a
shot.
Wild card: If Clemens and Oswalt perform similarly to what they did last year
and Andy Pettitte makes a return to full health, the Astros could challenge
for the division title.
==============================================================================
The long shots
Reds
This team doesn't get much respect, but when you look at its lineup,
particularly its outfielders, you get the idea that this team may have a lot
to say about who wins the division, even though they are likely a few pieces
short of contending in 2005. The Reds' four top outfielders -- Adam Dunn, Ken
Griffey Jr., Austin Kearns and Wily Mo Pena -- can bang with the best bashers
in the game when they're healthy. The Reds have upgraded at third base in Joe
Randa, stocked the rotation with Eric Milton and Ramon Ortiz and added a few
veteran arms to the bullpen mix such as Ben Weber and David Weathers. It
won't be the best staff in the division, but one that should be a definite
improvement over last season.
Projected regular-season finish: Fourth place
Biggest ST challenge: Overall health of key veterans is an issue with this
team, but another challenge will be determining a pecking order in the middle
infield and then giving the two starters, whoever they are, ample time to
work together before the start of the season.
Best position battles: If everyone stays healthy the offense should be
adequate, so if Paul Wilson, Milton and Ortiz can deliver as hoped and the
Reds also see improvement from young starters like Aaron Harang and Brandon
Claussen, this team could surprise some people.
==============================================================================
Pirates
The Pirates are another team that should be improved in 2005, but this is
still a very young team with not much power and too many question marks to
challenge for the postseason this year. Even so, with youngsters like Rookie
of the Year Jason Bay and left-hander Oliver Perez joining All-Star shortstop
Jack Wilson and newly acquired Matt Lawton and Mark Redman, this team should
be harder to beat this year.
Projected regular-season finish: Fifth place
Biggest ST challenge: Finding a leadoff man and catcher to replace the
talented Jason Kendall. Veteran Benito Santiago was signed to compete with
Humberto Cota and J.R. House for the catching job, and with Lawton expected
to bat leadoff, at least whoever wins the catching job won't have that
responsibility.
Best position battles: The Pirates have a number of above-average young arms
in the system and one or two of them could make an impact in 2005. This team
is still a couple of rebuilding years away from contending, but if some of
their better prospects get on the fast track or exceed expectations as Bay
did last year, the Pirates have a shot at .500.
==============================================================================
Maybe next year
Brewers
The Brewers' rebuilding job continues, but the good news is the help that has
been on the way the last few years is getting closer to arriving in
Milwaukee. The Brewers had significant offseason losses, including closer Dan
Kolb and center fielder Scott Podsednik, but they also brought in Carlos Lee
and obtained high-ceiling flamethrower Jose Capellan from the Braves. There
are question marks at several spots and several new starters and/or position
changes. With so many new factors there is so much uncertainty, which makes
it hard to think the Brewers will be able to crack the .500 barrier in 2005.
Projected regular-season finish: Sixth place
Biggest ST challenges: Finding a closer to replace Kolb, sorting out the
roles in the bullpen and determing the rotation beyond Ben Sheets, Doug Davis
and Victor Santos.
Best position battles: Russell Branyan and Wes Helms are set to compete for
the starting job at third base, and the bullpen rotation is wide open.
Wild card: Too many holes to think the Brewers can climb out of the cellar in
2005, but they have the potential to be a better team if some of the
youngsters like Capellan are as good as advertised.
按: 酒鬼們只要盡力就是了.....
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To opengoodbook: 你會不會在意昨天的事啊?? ._./
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