I did the pretenders, and, mark my words, those three teams will be pretenders. Now, let’s take a look at the Division contenders:
In no particular order – THE DIVISION CONTENDERS
The Chicago Cubs [2007 Record 85 - 77, 2.0 Games Up, 1st Place]
The reigning Division Winners have undergone some changes that they believe will keep them at the top of the Division for 2008
In the field:
- Alfonso Soriano
- Felix Pie
- Kosuke Fukudome
- Aramis Ramirez
- Ryan Theriot
- Mark DeRosa
- Derrick Lee
- Geovany Soto
Starting Rotation:
- Carlos Zambrano
- Ted Lilly
- Ryan Dempster
- Rich Hill
- Jason Marquis
Bullpen:
- Kerry Wood
- Carlos Marmol
- Bob Howry
- Carmen Pignatiello
- Michael Wuertz
- John Lieber
- Kevin Hart
Why they will win: A lot of talent exists on the club, and if they stay healthy and perform at expected levels, they will definitely be in the hunt. Lee, Ramirez and Soriano are a formidable trio, as are Zambrano, Lilly and Hill in the rotation. Their bully looks pretty damn good on paper.
Why they will not win: They are banking on some unproven players and a couple of shaky guys in the starting rotation, not to mention the first time around for Kerry Wood the closer. If Wood fails, it is not that big a deal as Marmol and Howry can probably pick up the slack. However, if Pie, Fukodome and Soto do not perform, and Lee repeats his subpar power output from 2007, AND Dempster and Marquis pitch like they are capable of, BAD, it could be another year of struggles in a Century of Futility on the North Side.
The Milwaukee Brewers [2007 Record 83 - 79, 2.0 Games Back, 2nd Place]
Can Ned Yost keep it together down the stretch this year? This team had the division in a stranglehold but let it slip away down the stretch last season, and Yost kinda lost his mind a few teams in the dugout. Another club in the Central that is long on talent, but can they turn that into the Division Championship?
In the field:
- Ryan Braun
- Mike Cameron (Suspended for the first 25 games) Tony Gwynn Jr
- Corey Hart
- Bill Hall
- JJ Hardy
- Rickie Weeks
- Prince Fielder
- Jason Kendall
Starting Rotation:
- Ben Sheets
- Jeff Suppan
- Carlos Villanueva
- Dave Bush
- Manny Parra
In the Bully:
- Eric Gagne
- Derrick Turnbow
- David Riske
- Salomon Torres
- Brian Shouse
- Seth McClung
- Guillermo Mota
Why they will win: A lot of talent exists on the club, and if they stay healthy and perform at expected levels, they will definitely be in the hunt. Sound familiar? Fielder, Braun, Hart and Hall could make for a very fine foursome, and if their rotation grows up fast (Gallardo, Parra, Villanueva) to pair with the veterans in Suppan and Sheets, and a veteran bully pulls together, they might make the playoffs for the first time in a long time.
Why they will not win: Defense. Will Braun adapt to LF? Hall moving to 3rd base is almost the equivalent of the nightmare they went through last season with Braun patrolling the hot corner. Their bully could be good, or might be really, really bad. And, was Claudio Vargas really expendable given the rough spring training of Suppan, Sheets injury history and the expected up and down of the young arms?
The St. Louis Cardinals [2007 Record 78 - 84, 7.0 Games Back, 3rd Place]
The talent is there, but most is unproven. The pitching is there, however, it happens to mostly be still in Florida. The bully is set, and should be just as reliable as last season.
In the field:
- Chris Duncan
- Rick Ankiel
- Skip Schumaker
- Troy Glaus
- Ceasar Izturis
- Adam Kennedy
- Albert Pujols
- Yadier Molina
Starting Rotation:
- Adam Wainwright
- Kyle Lohse
- Bradon Looper
- Todd Wellemeyer
- Brad Thompson
In the Bully:
- Jason Isringhausen
- Ryan Franklin
- Russ Springer
- Ron Villone
- Randy Flores
- Kyle McClellen
- Anthony Reyes
Why they will win: They will stay healthy, the young talent will perform at levels that they are capable of and, most importantly, they will GET healthy in the starting rotation with the returns of Pinerio, Mulder and Carpenter. It could be the best rotation in the Division if those three returned healthy and close to their career forms. Never, ever count out a LaRussa team.
Why they will not win: Defense up the middle and at the hot corner harm a shaky rotation in the first part of the season, and the health of certain players does not hold up. If they continue to get bit with the injury bug from the past two seasons, no way can they contend.
