NL Central Preview

Here is the final preview for the Major Leagues and now I read Bill Simmons' column about all of the advance stats. I am intrigued by all of this and Teddy P recommended to me that I buy Baseball Prospectus which I might have to do. Anyways here are my basic opinions about the NL Central.

1. St. Louis Cardinals- KEY ACQ: SP Brad Penny  I LIKE: Colby Rasmus- Here in Brewer land, we give him a bad rap because he is a poor man's Ryan Braun yet I think he is a really good player for the Cards. I could see him having a big year.  I HATE: Chris Carpenter- Even though he is the ace of the staff, is anyone worried that he might break down again?  He never is a sure thing for an entire year so that worries me. PREDICTION: They have the ability to make the World Series and Dave Duncan is the master of reshaping guys like Penny so this could be all the making of a three pitchers dominating. Also Albert Pujols will not be pitched around anymore.

2. Milwaukee Brewers- KEY ACQ: CF Carlos Gomez, SP Randy Wolf,  C Gregg Zaun  I LIKE: Yovani Gallardo- I think Yo's numbers were bit down because his walks plus little run support. I think he could have a huge year if he doesn't nibble the corners.  I HATE: Doug Davis- Honestly, I want to see everybody do well but I worry that Davis will just nibble like a small mouse around the corners. He eats innings I like that but he is just an average pitcher. PREDICTION: I will talk more about this in the next days, but they will win the Wild Card... More to come later.

3. Cincinnati Reds- KEY ACQ: SP Aroldis Chapman, SS Orlando Cabrera. I LIKE: Jay Bruce- Still a young guy and another player who is their team version of Braun nonetheless, he could have a big year. If he works out being patient at the plate his average could go up by 15 points. I HATE: Joey Votto- No real reason for this only because my buddy Mike has the same last name and it gets pronounced Joey's way instead of him. This one for you Mike. PREDICTION: They could be flip-flopped with the Cubs because both have gaping holes in their pitching/batting. I like Cabrera, he is a great clubhouse leader and he might be able to set the table for the big bats.

4. Chicago Cubs- KEY ACQ: SP Carlos Silva, CF Marlon Byrd. I LIKE: Geovanny Soto- I cannot believe they project him hitting eighth, I don't like the guy but I think he is a valued talent poised for a big year. I HATE: Carlos Marmol- I might be the only one but I feel like teams are figuring out Marmol slowly. I cannot see him being a dominating closer for the whole year.  PREDICTION: Silva and Tom Gorzelanny as your fours/fives?  That doesn't impress me at all and I cannot see Byrd doing well hitting in the five spot, he is an upgrade only in character to Milton Bradley. 

5. Houston Astros- KEY ACQ: 3B Pedro Feliz, SP Brett Myers, RP Matt Lindstorm I LIKE: Wandy Rodriguez- He pitched so well against the Brew Crew for years and he now is pitching well against everybody. I HATE: Myers- I have no idea what this guy has left and a part of the Ed Wade All-Stars who could be awful this year for the Stros. I expect an ugly season from him.  PREDICTION: I could see the Astros possibly finishing last in the NL Central, they have a lot of questions plus a ton of guys prone for injury.

6. Pittsburgh Pirates- KEY ACQ: 2B Akinori Iwamura, RP Octovio Dotel I LIKE: Andrew McCutchen- I don't know if he qualifies for Rookie of the Year but he might be a strong nominee for that award. He does it all for their team and is the future of the Pirates. I HATE: Ronny Cedeno- I mean all of these Pirates could be woeful this season but Cedeno is notoriously bad on offense. PREDICTION: The Pirates have all young guys so they could be bad but I think they will grow as a team and like the Lions, they can be a better team in a few years.

-Charlie.

Chapman... Beware of Dusty

If you root for a team who brings in a star from a place like Cuba or from the Far East, you have to excited about the future with that player.  The Cincinnati Reds have that luxury today was they inked Aroldis Chapman to a six year 30.6 million dollar deal according to ESPN.   Now, if I were a Reds fan I would pray to the Big Red Machine that Dusty Baker is fired as a manager before he gets his hands on Chapman. 

This guy I think with some Major League toolege will be an absolute stud and a guy I will definitely put on my fantasy baseball roster if I have a chance.  He is twenty-one years old, left-handed, 6'4, plus a wicked 100 mph fastball.  If he figures out how to control his pitches, he will be like the Cuban Wild Thing just throwing smoke. The only one from Cuba had this much potential out of the gates was Orlando Hernandez who somewhat lived up to it but never to the level we expected at the time.

The big drawbacks about Chapman in my opinion are the fact he cannot speak any English and doesn't know any baseball really.  I think the language barrier can be a huge problem for some pitcher/catcher batteries and I think you can learn a lot by just watching the game of baseball understanding what goes on and such.  But, I know people who do not like watching the sport they play or it just doesn't interest them, I feel it's more the fact he is from Cuba that he knows nothing about the Major League.

My good friend Mitch on the Daily Dose suggested how great their rotation could be and as I commented if Dusty leaves, they will be good.  Edision Volquez looked like he was ready to be the next great NL pitcher before Baker overworked him in year one, leading to Tommy John surgery. This happens time and again with Baker's pitching, look at what he did to Mark Prior and Kerry Wood. Baker overworked them throughout all of 2003, which led to their careers taking a turn for the worse.   

Baker invests way too much in his pitchers and that usually leads to bad results. I mean the year before, Aaron Harang had a hell of year but Baker continued to work him in long innings all the time. I think Baker really lives in the moment and just cares about what's going on with the current season instead of thinking what could happen in the coming years. 

-Charlie.

Dusty Has Ruined Another Arm.

When are Major League Baseball teams going to learn? I mean first it was the San Francisco Giants, then the Chicago Cubs (thanks for that one), and now its the Cincinnati Reds. Manager Dusty Baker destroys young pitchers arms' like no other and now Edision Volquez needs Tommy John Surgery, rut roh.

People have been waiting for the Reds to be the next big thing with guys like Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Volquez, Johnny Cueto, and others. Also you add a lights out closer like Francisco Cordero, you really believe that this team was ready to make the next step. Now they find themselves in last place in the National League Central worse than the Pittsburgh Firesale Pirates. How has Dusty Baker's ass hasnt been shown the door yet. You have to fire this guy because there is no reason this team is in last place.

I also feel bad for Volquez due to the fact he is probably out for a year in a half or so. In addition, he will probably never have the same velocity and the power he throws with. Furthermore this makes the Josh Hamilton trade two times worse. I think this proves some scouts reasons why to take position player instead of pitchers. They are just complete wild cards that could be the next Cy Young or the next Mark Prior (not traded for but you get the idea, also a Baker guy).

Do it for the Cincinnati fan base and make a statement by firing Dusty Baker.

-Charlie.