As the All Star Break approaches, I wanted to take some time and review the season in the Riff way so far. This post will be the first of several over the next few days. Today begins with the National League
When the season started, it seemed a forgone conclusion that the NY Mets would be the odds on favorite to not only win the NL East, but the whole NL enchilada, especially after siging Johan Santana. Nothing really has gone right for the Mets this year, including firing their manager. However, as of Wednesday,the Mets are only 1 1/2 games out of first. The NL East is very winnable, so the second half of the season certainly should be exciting. The Phillies should be surprising as a leader, as they are a very solid team, as last year proved. I think they need some help pitching wise, as Bret Myers is now in the minors. The surprising Marlins are still hanging around, but I think their youth ultimately will cost them. At face value, their trading Dontrelle Willis seemed like a huge mistake; he's he in the minors now. It seems like a LONG time ago the Braves won 14 division titles in a row. Now injuries have killed their chances to do anything. They don't seem to know where to put John Smoltz and Tom Glavine is past his prime. No title this year. And the Nationals?? Well...a disaster here. Injuries haven't helped, but something needs to happen here. I know they are building for a future....but how long will the fans wait??
Best Player: Chase Utley, who could very will win MVP of the league this year. Chipper Jones is having a fine year, but will ultimately fall short in the division. But not by much. Pitching? Cole Hamels and Tim Hudson are standouts so far, but don't count out Santana. If he has a huge second half, he might carry the Mets with him.
Prediction: I still think the Phillies, but it will be a fight. No wild card from this division. Utley and Santana will win the MVP and best pitcher from the East
The NL Central is very surprisingly baseball's most competitive division. Three teams can very well grab this division and will certainly have the most scrutiny as we head down the stretch. Already two of the top three teams have made deals to not only improve themselves, but to stay ahead of the others.
The Cubs were favored going into the season, and as a fan, that scared me to no end. The Cubs are almost never favored. Of course the next concern, now that they are in first place , is not if they will choke, but when. An unusual aspect of this team is their patience, influenced by Kosuke Fukudome. The Cubs lead the major leagues in batting average and have a solid pitching staff. As I asked earlier in the year: Is it going to happen? We'll see..
It's funny that two of the Cubs three arch rivals (in my view) are in this division. The Cardinals were not expected to be in the position they are in now. As much as one can find manager Tony LaRussa annoying, he really has done a masterful job so far. Injuries have not helped matters, but the Cards have remained close because of pitching. Having all-world Albert Pujols doesn't hurt either. They haven't made the big trade...yet...and they may need to in order to stay in this thing.
The Brewers made a big splash in acquiring a big pitcher (CC Sabathia). Can this get the Brew Crew over the hump? The Brewers started poorly and manager Ned Yost was fired if you believed all of the reports. The reports of course were false and the Brewers are trying to pull off what the Cubs did last year. I think the pitching has failed the Brewers this year and having Sabathia on board should help. But will it be enough to overcome the Cubs? Probably not.
The rest of the division? Wait until next year...or later. The Reds have a bright future...if Dusty Baker doesn't destroy it (and the fabulous young pitching). The Astros can usually be counted on to make a big comeback. Not this year. Seems strange that there's no Biggio, even Jeff Bagwell is missed I'm sure, but who needs them when you have Lance Berkman? And the Pirates? Uggghhh!! If they finish once again with a losing record, it will be for a record 16th time in a row. There is some nice young talent (Nate McLouth for example), but not enough to compete. No fishes to save Pittsburgh here...
The MVP in this division is a tough one. Lance Berkman is have the best statistical year; Albert Pujols may be the most valuable to his team. Will be interesting to see how this plays out...Pitching? It's hard to beat the 1-2-3 combo of Zambrano, Dempster and hopefully Harden
Fearless prediction?? The Cubs will win, although they will not pull away until September.
Next: NL Worst
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