N.L. Baseball Preview
NL East
by Sal Taliercio
Projected Standings:
1. Atlanta Braves
2. New York Mets
3. Florida Marlins
4. Philidelphia Phillies
5. Montreal Expos
1) Atlanta Braves: The Braves will dominate the division this year even more so than last year due to the departure of Mike Hampton from New York. If John Smoltz returns anywhere close to form, this team will win 100 games with ease. The pitching staff is dominant and the bullpen is bolstered by the hated, yet very underrated, John Rocker. The lineup is completely stacked from top to bottom with Quilvio Veras and Rafael Furcal as leadoff men, the Joneses to drive them in and B.J. Surhoff, Rico Brogna, Javy Lopez and Brian Jordan to complete the batting order. The only weakness this team has is the bench, which lacks any leadership or proven stars. Look for the Braves to win 12 of their 18 games against the Mets this year and to roll to yet another division crown.
2) New York Mets: The Mets lost a key starter in Mike Hampton. He might not fare so well in the thin air of Colorado, but he was a consistent hurler for this staff. The additions of Steve Trachsel and Kevin Appier should stabilize a staff now carrying five legitimate starters. Barring injuries, each should win 10-15 games this season. The Mets have a strong bullpen with Armando Benitez as the fireman and John Franco and Turk Wendell as setup men. They have the best hitting catcher in history in Mike Piazza, who wields the most plate presence in baseball behind Mark McGwire. Yet, one wonders whether or not the pitching staff can stay together, whether Alfonso can reproduce his last two seasons, and whether a core of mediocre/good players can propel this team back to the World Series. Look for the Mets to win around 86-88 games and contend for the wildcard.
3) Florida Marlins: This year’s Marlins might be the most underrated team in baseball. Since the sell-off in 1998, everyone and their sister have badmouthed this franchise. Now the Marlins look to settle the score with loads of young talent and developing stars. Ryan Dempster, A.J. Burnett, Brad Penny, Matt Clement and Jesus Sanchez are all young developing stars who could each win over 10 games and make the Marlins a presence in the National League once again. Their bullpen is based on the success of six- fingered Alfonseca. The lineup is also loaded with young stars in Luis Castillo, Preston Wilson, Derrek Lee and Mike Lowell. The re-addition of Charles Johnson can only help out the pitching staff and add 20 more homeruns. Look for the Fish to win about 85 games.
4) Philidelphia Phillies: The Phillies kept a lineup similar to last season’s. The bright spots this year: Pat Burrell becoming an all-star; Scott Rolen flourishing at third; and Mike Lieberthal showing why he is one of the top catchers in the league. The Phils have a weak bench and a terrible starting rotation, with four-game winner Omar Daal as the ace. The Phillies made a bunch of offseason “moves” in the bullpen, adding Ricky Bottalico, Jose Mesa and Rheal Cormier. But signing overpriced talent and not developing a strong rotation will hurt the Phillies this year. Look for the Phillies to contend for last place and win 70 games.
5) Montreal Expos: The Expos are in many ways a franchise in a better situation than the Phillies. They have young stars like Jose Vidro, Peter Bergeron, Javier Vasquez, Carl Pavano and Tony Armas Jr. They also have full-blown stars like Vlad Guerrero and Ugueth Urbina. Right now, I put the Expos in last place, but if this team comes together as the owners have planned, they could compete with the Mets in 2002. This is a crucial season for the Expos-if they can prove themselves a worthy and blooming franchise, they will stay in Montreal. But, if it’s another season of trades, low attendance and 100 losses, this team is headed for
Capitol Hill.
NL Central
by Jack Randall
Projected Standings:
1. Milwaukee Brewers
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Houston Astros
4.Chicago Cubs
5.Cincinnati Reds
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
1) Milwaukee Brewers: D’Bomb will drop on NL Central snobs St. Louis and Houston. The Brew Crew will toss itself into postseason play by relying on an understated pitching rotation boasting the young talents of Jeff “D’Bomb” D’Amico, Jamey Wright, Jimmy Haynes and Olympic hero Ben Sheets. Curtis Leskanic will do a fine job out of the pen and rack up many K’s along the way. Remember the trade that brought Richie “Let’s Have” Sexson to Milwaukee last July? A brilliant move. Along with a potent outfield of Geoff Jenkins, Jeromy Burnitz and Jeffrey Hammonds, Sexson and the Brewers will power themselves to the tops of the standings.
2) St. Louis Cardinals: Well, the Cardinals pretty much pissed it away when they sent third baseman Fernando Tatis and rookie hurler Britt Reames to the Expos for jack squat. Dustin Hermanson will not have as good a year as Reames will north of the border. The hot corner platoon of Craig Paquette, Shane Andrews and Placido Polanco makes one wonder why to root for the Cardinals at all. Jim Edmonds will come down from last year’s high. The brightest spots will luminate from (a) right field-if Tony LaRussa ever realizes that J.D. Drew should indeed be playing every day, even if the other team starts a lefty; and (b) shortstop, where Edgar Renteria is ready to go .300, 25, 90.
3) Houston Astros: The pitching staff is nothing to sing about, but the offense should keep this team around .500. Jeff Bagwell scored 152 runs last year and he’ll once again have a mammoth season in Ten-Run Field. Craig Biggio went five-for-five for the first time in his career on Tuesday, and that can’t be a bad thing. Richard Hidalgo will emerge as the next Sammy Sosa, and Lance Berkman will get enough at-bats this year to establish himself as a reputable offensive threat. Alou’s health and Shane Reynolds’ return from injury could mean the difference if this team plans to make a run for a pennant. Expect 15 wins from Scott Elarton.
4) Chicago Cubs: Hey, at least they won’t finish in last place this year. Now that Sammy’s got his extension, the Cubbies won’t have to deal with that mess this time around. Kerry Wood had a good outing (10 K’s) on Wednesday, and he could keep this team’s head above water. Eric Young is everything you want in a leadoff hitter-he can get on base and he can run once he gets there. I’m still not convinced in the durability of Rondell White, and I don’t see Tom Gordon coming back with any authority. Here’s hoping Mark Grace lights up in the desert.
5) Cincinnati Reds: When Osvaldo Fernandez is your opening day
pitcher, you know it’s going to be a long season. If the Reds aren’t winning, Griffey will be on and off the bench with this injury and that ailment; so I don’t expect an MVP season from him. If nothing else, it’ll be interesting to see what exactly happens with Scott Williamson-oops. What a bummer. Alex Ochoa is going to play every day (hopefully), and no longer will the national media be able to deny him a place alongside some of the better five-tool players of our day. Like Ruben Rivera, right?
6) Pittsburgh Pirates: The Buckos are in a new park this year. It’s supposedly a pitcher’s park. Too bad they don’t have any pitching. Their top three starters (Kris Benson, Jason Schmidt and Jose Silva) all started the year on the DL. That leaves them with the ageless Terry Mulholland, Todd Ritchie and Jimmy Anderson. The offense should be OK with Brian Giles, Jason Kendall and Arian Brown, but man, will it be another long year in Pittsburgh. Their only hope is that Derek Bell has another great season in right field.
NL West
by Jeremy Zangara
Projected Standings:
1. San Francisco Giants
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres
1) San Francisco Giants: San Fran boasts last season’s MVP at second base in Jeff Kent and runner-up MVP Barry Bonds in left field. These two will continue to feast on NL pitching, while Kent will remain a gold-glove second basemen on the defensive end. Besides these two and Rich Aurilia, the offense will rely on some young talents at third base and right field, where Pedro Feliz and Armando Rios will get comfy. If these two produce, can score plenty of runs for their pitching staff, led by Livan Hernandez. He and Shawn Estes will lead the starting rotation, with Robb Nen closing games. If the Giants can fill the hole left by Ellis Burks, they will win 90 games this season and take this division.
2) Arizona Diamondbacks: The D-Backs will rely on their pitching staff to keep pace with the Giants this season. Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling and Brian Anderson provide possibly the best one-two-three combination in the NL. Their bullpen lacks depth, but if they can get to Matt Mantei, they will win many games. Offensively, Matt Williams will need to stay healthy and Mark Grace will need to bounce back after a sub-par season. Steve Finley, coming off his best season, will need to repeat for the D-Backs to win many games this season. If this team scores runs and the four and five starters contribute, the desert will be home to the West Champions. But don’t hold your breath.
3) Los Angeles Dodgers: With a better-than-average pitching staff led by Kevin Brown and Chan Ho Park, the Dodgers should contend for the west title this season. However, the Dodgers will need to control their problems in the clubhouse to have a chance. Gary Sheffield, although claiming he has apologized to his teammates, created quite a stir this spring training with comments about wanting to be traded. On the field, his numbers are good, but he needs some help. Shawn Green is coming off a major dropoff from his `99 performance, as is Eric Karros. LA has major questions at the top and bottom of their lineup, with players like Tom Goodwin and Mark Grudzielanek needing to produce for success to hit Hollywood.
4) Colorado Rockies: They spent over $100 million for Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle. Now these two pitchers will need to show that Coors Field can be a pitcher’s park. This just is not going to happen. The Rockies will produce offensively as they have since entering baseball, with Todd Helton probably flirting with .400 once again and Larry Walker hoping to stay healthy. If Walker isn’t ailing, this team will score lots of runs. But can they stop anyone else from scoring? They’ve brought in two top-notch pitchers to go with Pedro Astacio, but this will not be enough. The Rockies will improve on the road due to the better staff but will continue to give up lots of runs at home. They will look to move the fences in after Neagle becomes the first pitcher to surrender over 100 home runs in a season. Either that or move the ballpark to sea level.
5) San Diego Padres: The Padres have the league’s best closer in Trevor Hoffman, who again will save 40 games. But those 40 might be the only games this team wins. Their rotation will consist of inexperienced and raw talent, with right-hander Adam Eaton leading the way. If Eaton, along with the newly acquired Mark Kotsay, can emerge as a star, the Pads might win more games than people think. But don’t bet on it. The Padres are going to have a hard time scoring runs. Tony Gwynn is nearing the end of a fabulous career, but he can’t run and is a liability in the field. Phil Nevin and Ryan Klesko may provide some power, but Klesko hasn’t proven he can hit for average. If some of the younger players begin to develop, this team could compete in a few years.
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