The St. Louis Cardinals have been the class of the National League Central over the past two seasons, but the gap is closing thanks to a dangerous Pittsburgh Pirates squad and a Chicago Cubs team that made major noise during the offseason.
Can the Cards stave off the competition? Here's how we see the NL Central shaking out.
1. Pittsburgh Pirates
This team is DEEP. The rotation's better than people think and could verge on elite if a guy like Gerrit Cole reaches his full potential. The lineup has the perfect mix of speed, power, and intangibles -- all of those embodied by likely NL MVP favorite Andrew McCutchen. This is the year where the Pirates put it all together for 162 games, taking over the division from the Cardinals.
2. St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis is deep as well, and the addition of Jason Heyward is going to be a boon for both the team's lineup and outfield defense. The worry here is the health of Adam Wainwright and Michael Wacha. If one or both of these key rotation pieces are limited by injuries, a team that already shipped off Shelby Miller this offseason will need to look to the trade market for help. Expect a Wild Card berth, however, despite those what if's.
3. Chicago Cubs
You've gotta hand it to the Cubs. Other than the San Diego Padres, no team did more to improve their on-field product this winter than Chicago. Jon Lester will anchor an improved rotation that has the depth to compete, and the lineup blends youth and experience to a very interesting effect. The Cubs should be in the mix, but they're not quite on the Pirates or Cardinals' level as of yet.
4. Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers are a remarkably well-balanced club that appeared destined for a division title after five months of the 2014 MLB season. Things fell apart, however, and the Brewers will now have to deal with a deeper, improved division after not doing much to shake things up after an awful September. There's potential for a surprise here, but we're not buying it fully.
5. Cincinnati Reds
The offense is broken in Cincinnati. If Joey Votto can't stay healthy, the rest of the lineup is full of streaky hitters who a) don't get on base and b) don't get on base. To further troubles, the starting rotation is shallow from a talent standpoint. The Reds are in for a long season unless they run into some major luck and do some work at the trade deadline.
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