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With opening day less than a week away how do you guys see the NL Central shaping up? It appears to me that it is still the weakest of the NL divisions but I don’t see a lot of separation among the five teams. It is also plausible that none of the NLC teams receive a wild card spot so it could be division title or bust.
1. Cubs 89-73
2. Brewers 84-78
3. Cardinals 82-80
4. Reds 81-81
5. Pirates 76-86I give the Cubs the edge because of their new manager and they brought back most of their good players from last year.
The Brewers had a bad offseason losing Counsell, Burnes, Woodruff (injured), and their closer Williams for two months but they seem to be such a resourceful organization I am not ready to write them off yet.
The Cardinals have the talent to win the division but they will need to be injury free, have some rebound seasons, and be aggressive at the deadline. That is a lot of ifs.
Many people are picking the Reds to win the division. They do have a lot of young talent but it is unproven. They need to prove they can do it for 162 games.
Ditto for the Pirates.
I’m not very good at predictions. However, this team reminds me a great deal of those much-maligned 70’s Cardinal teams. A few stars, a few good players, but too many holes to compete.
In the 70’s Cards had guys like Brock, Simmons, Reggie Smith, Keith Hernandez, Templeton, Bake McBride. But overall, mediocrity was the theme.
I see this team as similar. I see this Cards team winning anywhere between 76 and 84 games. Mediocre.
I can’t speculate as to what the rest of the division will look like.Cards around.500
Felt better before Spring Training, but weak offense, injuries temper much optimism.Cubs win the division.
Not much spacing between the rest.
i see Chicago the clear favorite, with the other four all unknowns. They all have younger guys who if they get a couple of them to really mature could be the surprise team. For now I will go this way, without putting numbers on them:
1. Chicago – came along well last year and look better
2. Pittsburgh – most are picking them last in the division, but they played well at times and will have Cruz back.
3. Cincinnati – like Pittsburgh, a young club that had its ups and downs in 2023, but should keep improving.
4. St. Louis – can’t seem to commit to a youth movement, and are relying a lot on guys who are on the downside of their careers. Have either age or youth, with not enough players in their prime.
5. Milwaukee – loss of Burnes and Woodruff is a big blow. Also a new manager. A long season in Brew land but a great crop of youngsters on the farm will keep them from being down too long.The savy knowledgeable baseball guy in me says we should be doing a rebuild and that Goldy and Arenado don’t have enough gas left in the tank to carry us and should have been traded. Never mind the geriatric pitching staff MO put together for his swan song. But the little kid in me who always thought we would win every year hopes the rest of the league thinks like you guys and we get leadershipped into the division win. With 92 victories.
Yep, hope always springs eternal in March. All you can really ask for is that the team is reasonably competitive and that there’s still a sliver of hope in August. Last season the death knell could be heard before June.
I’m going to agree with Bicyclemike. Not enough people in their prime. Well said.
Cards will eek out a 3rd if they can get out of their own way and move Goldy behind the likes of Contreras. Contreras is undervalued, or maybe he’s in his proper spot of 5th in the lineup? Either way, he should be batting 3rd, or dare I say 2nd? He’s going to hit, might as well take advantage of it. If Jordan Walker is going to hit, burying him behind your ancient DH is problematic in itself.
Lineup gets better once Noot and Edman debut, so there’s that.
Pundits seem to like our BP, I think MLB.com ranked them 7th. The problem is will we ever get to a point where we can utilize the back end of the BP? Or will it be more of the Pallante show and mop up duty?
4th in the central, outside chance of 3rd if the lineup management improves.
If the pitching can be average overall, we will win the division. This can be a top 5 lineup with a couple impact rookie bats called up down the stretch. Mo knows deadline deals too.
Brewers fall from grace to the cellar. The other 3 teams in any order you like.little bears 93-69
Brewers 84-78
Redlegs 79-83
Cards 77-85
Bucs 76-86The division’s best manager (by far) is in Chicago, the best front office is in Wisconsin, and three awful managers are directing the other franchises. Maybe the worst three field bosses in the entire National League.
Before the bizarre contract extension for Ollie, I gave the Cards a puncher’s chance to win the division — only because a truly terrible start (say, 10-24 like last year) might get Marmol canned. Then a new manager could lead the team where their talent warrants, i.e., 85-88 wins. But now that possibility is off the table. The club is pretty much doomed to mediocrity or worse for this season.
It is hard to figure the Cards finishing first or second and probably third with them entering the season with the rotation that the FO put together. Shades of last season when most of our commenters pleaded with Mo to add someone to be our #1. Mikolas wasn’t able to fill the bill, Flaherty flattened out, Wainwright never got it right. All the question marks were answered negatively. So what’s new this year? The front office will tell you everything…. but that is that a stretch. Right now its just not a solid group.
I hope that the rotation guys will prove me wrong. Maybe Matz gets it right, maybe Gray really is a #1 by league standards, maybe Thompson surprises. Mikolas will probably be Mikolas. Have I missed anyone?
The NLC is a mish-mush of also-rans now that the Cards have been made into what appears to be mediocre at best. The reality of that has sunken and third place seems to be the consensus pick…. it breaks my heart to have to say that.
Well it starts for real on Thursday people, with seven road games out of the gate. We will start to see what this club is made of.
The consensus here is mostly a mediocre ball club. My sense is if they are to compete or if there is any excitement this season, it will come from someone who joins the team mid-season; maybe a call-up from the minors or an acquisition. Like maybe a “ ‘64 Brock” or “ ‘85 Coleman” type of player who seems to bring that spark and things gel. Not saying that will happen – but for it to be fun to go out the ballpark it might take something like that.
As is we seem boring. Mostly slow, old guys and one-dimensional young guys. Pitchers who do not shut the opposition down and some unproven guys.
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