The NL Central looks like it will be a three-way race between the Cardinals, Reds and Brewers. The loss of Albert Pujols will present a major challenge in the Cardinals' defense of the MLB championship. However, the return of a healthy Adam Wainwright and the the signing of free agent Carlos Beltran should get them back to 90 wins again which should be enough to win the division.
The Brewers should drop back with the loss of Prince Fielder and a bit of Pythagorean regression. They still have a strong team and could very well finish second and secure one of the two wild card spots, but I'm going to go with the Reds instead. The addition of right-handed starter Mat Latos and the further development of a young offense should be enough to get them into second place and earn a wild card.
Projected NL Central Standings
Team
|
W
|
L
|
RS
|
RA
|
RS-RA
|
St. Louis Cardinals
|
90
|
72
|
742
|
659
|
83
|
Cincinnati Reds
|
88
|
74
|
763
|
692
|
71
|
Milwaukee Brewers
|
84
|
78
|
716
|
677
|
39
|
Pittsburgh Pirates
|
74
|
88
|
652
|
727
|
-75
|
Chicago Cubs
|
73
|
89
|
662
|
742
|
-80
|
Houston Astros
|
57
|
105
|
579
|
821
|
-242
|
Divisional Awards
MVP
Joey Votto, CIN
Andrew McCutchen, PIT
Jay Bruce, CIN
Cy Young
Adam Wainwright, STL
Mat Latos, CIN
Zach Greinke, MIL
Breakout Players
J.D. Martinez, HOU
Aroldis Chapman, CIN
Pedro Alvarez, PIT
Blogs
I won't waste time trying to give detailed analyses of teams I don't follow on a daily basis. These blogs can tell you more about the teams than I can:
Cardinals
Viva El Birdos
Pitchers Hit Eighth
Reds
Red Reporter
Redleg Nation
Brewers
Brew Crew Ball
The Brewers Bar
Pirates
Bucs Dugout
Where Have You Gone Andy Van Slyke
Cubs
Bleed Cubbie Blue
View from the Bleachers
Houston Astros
Crawfish Boxes
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