1. Cincinnati Reds: I might be the only writer outside of Ohio to pick the lowly Reds to beat out the World Series Champion Cardinals, the Astros (who appeared in the World Series in 2005), and the Cubs (who have done a lot to improve their staff this winter), right? Well, hear me out. The Reds only finished 3.5 games out from the Cardinals last season, and the Cardinals did little to improve their roster this winter. With Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo the two pillars of a very solid rotation, and some punch in the lineup with Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr., and Jeff Conine, the Reds appear ready to make a run at the playoffs. Watch for former number one draft pick, recovering drug addict, Rule-5 pickup Josh Hamilton to make a big impact in his rookie year.
2. Chicago Cubs: The single most improved team of any this season, the Cubs are coming into the season with big expectations after landing players like Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, and Ted Lilly. True, after Carlos Zambrano the rotation lacks a heavy hitter, but guys like Lilly, Jason Marquis, and Mark Prior (if he can stay healthy) should be solid enough to let the offense win plenty of games. And trust me, this Chicago offense is easily the best in the division. Guys like Ramirez, Soriano, and newly healthy Derrek Lee should make quite an impact on the leader boards this season.
3. St. Louis Cardinals: I know they’re the World Champions and everything, but the Cardinals simply depend too much on the strength of a few players to carry the team. After Chris Carpenter, the starting rotation is a pieced together mess. After Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen, the offense is mediocre at best. After Jason Isringhausen, no player makes a huge impact in the bullpen. Jeff Suppan, Jeff Weaver, and Jason Marquis certainly weren’t the best pitchers on the market this winter, but losing them to free agency didn’t help St. Louis’ pitching problems any. A repeat for the Cardinals in ‘07 is going to be a tall task in this division.
4. Milwaukee Brewers: This team is itching to make an impact in their division. Every starter in the rotation logged at least 11 wins with his respective team last season (except Ben Sheets, who won six games in 17 injurious starts, but who we all know has enough talent to win 15 or more games if healthy). The bullpen looks strong with Francisco Cordero set to close games out, and the lineup is deadly enough with Prince Fielder, Bill Hall, and Geoff Jenkins. What fascinates me most about this team, though, is the strength of the bench. Guys like Craig Counsell, Tony Graffanino, Kevin Mench, and Laynce Nix are going to do their part to help this club win games.
5. Houston Astros: Just like the Cardinals, this is a recent playoff team that has high expectations but depends too much on the strength of a few guys like Roy Oswalt, Carlos Lee, and Lance Berkman. Their acquisition of Mark Loretta to be used as a utility man makes me a little sad after his nice performance (every day) for the Sox last year, and Jason Jennings is not going to replace Andy Pettitte’s impact in the rotation. That said, the Astros’ playoff hopes do indeed loom on the back of one man, but he’s not even on their roster: Roger Clemens. A gut feeling (wishful thinking?) tells me the Rocket is not going to join his hometown team mid-summer, especially if they’re not doing well in the standings.
6. Pittsburgh Pirates: This is just the little club that couldn’t, isn’t it? They did manage a fifth place coup over the league-worst Chicago Cubs last season, but that doesn’t mean a whole lot for 2007 (or ever). Adam LaRoche is nice addition, but he came at a price (closer Mike Gonzalez). Still, there is some young talent on this team (Jason Bay, Freddy Sanchez), and though I’m not expecting it, I wouldn’t be entirely surprised to see them take fifth or even fourth in the division.
1. Cincinnati Reds: I might be the only writer outside of Ohio to pick the lowly Reds to beat out the World Series Champion Cardinals, the Astros (who appeared in the World Series in 2005), and the Cubs (who have done a lot to improve their staff this winter), right? Well, hear me out. The Reds only finished 3.5 games out from the Cardinals last season, and the Cardinals did little to improve their roster this winter. With Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo the two pillars of a very solid rotation, and some punch in the lineup with Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr., and Jeff Conine, the Reds appear ready to make a run at the playoffs. Watch for former number one draft pick, recovering drug addict, Rule-5 pickup Josh Hamilton to make a big impact in his rookie year.
2. Chicago Cubs: The single most improved team of any this season, the Cubs are coming into the season with big expectations after landing players like Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, and Ted Lilly. True, after Carlos Zambrano the rotation lacks a heavy hitter, but guys like Lilly, Jason Marquis, and Mark Prior (if he can stay healthy) should be solid enough to let the offense win plenty of games. And trust me, this Chicago offense is easily the best in the division. Guys like Ramirez, Soriano, and newly healthy Derrek Lee should make quite an impact on the leader boards this season.
3. St. Louis Cardinals: I know they’re the World Champions and everything, but the Cardinals simply depend too much on the strength of a few players to carry the team. After Chris Carpenter, the starting rotation is a pieced together mess. After Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen, the offense is mediocre at best. After Jason Isringhausen, no player makes a huge impact in the bullpen. Jeff Suppan, Jeff Weaver, and Jason Marquis certainly weren’t the best pitchers on the market this winter, but losing them to free agency didn’t help St. Louis’ pitching problems any. A repeat for the Cardinals in ‘07 is going to be a tall task in this division.
4. Milwaukee Brewers: This team is itching to make an impact in their division. Every starter in the rotation logged at least 11 wins with his respective team last season (except Ben Sheets, who won six games in 17 injurious starts, but who we all know has enough talent to win 15 or more games if healthy). The bullpen looks strong with Francisco Cordero set to close games out, and the lineup is deadly enough with Prince Fielder, Bill Hall, and Geoff Jenkins. What fascinates me most about this team, though, is the strength of the bench. Guys like Craig Counsell, Tony Graffanino, Kevin Mench, and Laynce Nix are going to do their part to help this club win games.
5. Houston Astros: Just like the Cardinals, this is a recent playoff team that has high expectations but depends too much on the strength of a few guys like Roy Oswalt, Carlos Lee, and Lance Berkman. Their acquisition of Mark Loretta to be used as a utility man makes me a little sad after his nice performance (every day) for the Sox last year, and Jason Jennings is not going to replace Andy Pettitte’s impact in the rotation. That said, the Astros’ playoff hopes do indeed loom on the back of one man, but he’s not even on their roster: Roger Clemens. A gut feeling (wishful thinking?) tells me the Rocket is not going to join his hometown team mid-summer, especially if they’re not doing well in the standings.
6. Pittsburgh Pirates: This is just the little club that couldn’t, isn’t it? They did manage a fifth place coup over the league-worst Chicago Cubs last season, but that doesn’t mean a whole lot for 2007 (or ever). Adam LaRoche is nice addition, but he came at a price (closer Mike Gonzalez). Still, there is some young talent on this team (Jason Bay, Freddy Sanchez), and though I’m not expecting it, I wouldn’t be entirely surprised to see them take fifth or even fourth in the division.
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