Written by Chris O’Dell
With the baseball season now in full bloom, there are several things to learn about teams around the National League.
The Philadelphia Phillies have to be considered the favorites to repeat as NL champions. The New York Mets’ off-season acquisition of Jason Bay did absolutely nothing to help their chances at contending this year. The Houston Astros are in some serious trouble. And Albert Pujols is still, without question, the best player in the game.
Although some fans might already feel their teams’ chances at postseason play are slipping away, the season is still young and there are many games left to be played. After previewing each division in the American League last issue, let’s take a look at the three NL divisions and the frontrunner to win each pennant.
NL East- The Phillies are the obvious favorites to win the division and possibly even the World Series this season. After acquiring ace Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays this off-season, the boys from Philly put themselves in prime position to defeat any team that steps onto the diamond with them. With World Series experience in each of the last two seasons, the Phillies might soon be taking home their second title in three years.
The obvious question regarding the East is if anyone can compete with Philadelphia for the division crown. The only possible candidates are the Atlanta Braves and the Florida Marlins. However, with the Phillies sitting pretty at 7-1 through its first eight games of the season, I find it highly doubtful the Braves or Marlins give Philadelphia any cause for concern. I see the Phillies winning the NL East pennant by at least 10 games this season and once again heading to the World Series to represent the National League.
NL Central- One thing we know for certain after the first two weeks of the regular season is that no team in the NL Central has to worry about the Astros contending this year. After an 0-8 start to the season, Houston has been outscored by 30 runs already in the young season. This might be the year we see the Astros deal many of their star players, such as Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman.
As far as contenders go, the St. Louis Cardinals went into the season as the overwhelming favorite to win the division and have done nothing to hurt their chances. The team is 6-2 through eight games and has outscored their opponents by a 19-run margin. The Cardinals also have not only the best player in the game today, but possibly the best baseball player to ever play the game. Albert Pujols is so good he has many people wondering if he really is a “machine.”
Outside of Cincinnati and Chicago, no team in the division will be able to scare the Cardinals. In fact, I might go as far as saying the Cardinals are a complete lock to win the NL Central this year and might ultimately meet up with the Phillies in the NLCS.
NL West- In the West, the San Francisco Giants are off to a surprisingly quick start. After posting a 7-2 record thus far in the season, the Giants might have emerged as the division’s most likely team to take home the division crown this year. The NL West is far more open than the other divisions in the National League, but San Fran might have ultimately announced their presence in the division this season.
The Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies are sitting in good positions on the early season with each team having a 5-3 record so far. However, the surprise of the entire league so far might be the 3-5 start of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team that many experts pegged as a division favorite heading into the season even began the season with two straight losses to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates. I’m willing to overlook any early season struggles by a Joe Torre team though. I still get the feeling that Torre will have his team right at the top of the division when all is said and done. My prediction is the Dodgers finishing in first place with the Giants not far behind for a close second place in the NL West. The boys in blue will join the Phillies and Cardinals as the three NL division winners with the Giants earning the wild card to round out the four playoff teams in the National League.
Now that we have taken a look at both leagues and broke down each division in the majors, we can finish the 2010 MLB preview and give award predictions for the season.
NL MVP- This might be the easiest of every award to pick. Barring any major injuries during the season, Albert Pujols should completely run away with the award. The 30-year-old Dominican Republic native might hit over .350 at the plate while also driving in 120 runs and hitting 35 home runs. What seems like a ridiculously amazing year by anyone’s standards has now seemed routine for the Cardinals’ first-baseman.
AL MVP- With the NL MVP as the easiest of all the awards to pick, the AL MVP is perhaps the most difficult. Last season, Minnesota Twins’ catcher Joe Mauer emerged as a bona fide star. He joined the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Ichiro Suzuki and Dustin Pedroia as AL superstars. Players such as Mark Teixeira, Josh Hamilton, Justin Morneau and Evan Longoria are also top candidates. However, I will go with a sleeper for this award and choose Rangers’ outfielder Nelson Cruz to take home the goods.
Cruz became the first player in 60 years to hit at least six home runs in his first eight games this week and has been carrying a Rangers offense that has struggled in the last year or so. With the supporting cast to possibly win the AL West, the team’s record shouldn’t hurt Cruz’s chances this season. I see the “Cruz Missile” hitting around .305 this season and blasting 40 homers. He might also drive in 110 runs or so with great protection in front and behind the slugger.
NL Cy Young- I’ll go with the easy choice on this one and choose the new Philadelphia Phillie Roy Halladay. The Cardinals have two pitchers, Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, that are capable of challenging Halladay for the award. However, I see Halladay leading the rotation for the NL’s best team and winning around 22 games for his team. His star status will increase even more now that he is playing for a title contender.
AL Cy Young- Several pitchers come to mind as possible candidates in the AL. Kansas City Royals’ stud pitcher Zach Greinke might have the best stuff in all of baseball. However, his team will most likely finish too far out of first place, which will hurt the ace’s chances. The Royals’ offense will also make it hard for Greinke to earn as many wins as other great pitchers around the league.
I’ll go with Mariners’ ace Felix Hernandez. The 24-year-old right-hander has a nasty pitch that can make even the best hitters look foolish at the plate. He has recently been one of the more underappreciated players in baseball, but will soon get the credit he is due.
So there you have it. However, nothing ever happens the way things are supposed to, so we’ll see how good the picks look several months from now.
