The Cincinnati Reds will take the field in 2011 as the team to beat in the NL Central. Dusty Baker's squad won 91 games last season but failed to win a game in the postseason. The Reds led the NL in homeruns last season with 188, with 2010 MVP Joey Votto hitting 37 of those. The Reds will field basically the same lineup in 2011, so look for them to be an offensive force again. The weak spot of the Reds is starting pitching. Edinson Volquez, Travis Wood, Mike Leake, and Johnny Cueto are 4 promising young starters. They are the key to the Reds making another playoff run this season. Aroldis Chapman and Francisco Cordero will be solid in the 8th and 9th innings if the starters and bullpen can get them there with the lead.
The Milwaukee Brewers added a few new pieces for 2011. Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum will join Yovani Gallardo in the rotation, and these 3 will pile up the strikeouts. The Brewers ranked 14 out of 16 NL teams in ERA last season with a 4.59. They will be better in 2011. Offensively the Brewers are led by Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. Corey Hart, Casey McGehee, and Rickie Weeks are very good hitters as well and will make this team very exciting to watch.
The loss of starting pitcher Adam Wainwright will hurt the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011. Chris Carpenter and Jake Westbrook lead the staff and Jaime Garcia will try to repeat his awesome 2010 season. Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday lead the way offensively, and Colby Rasmus should become a household name for NL Central fans this season. If the Cardinals get decent pitching, then they will make a run at the NL Central title.
The Houston Astros could be one of the worst teams in baseball in 2011. Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers, and Brandon Lyon are nice pitchers but nothing special. Hunter Pence and Chris Johnson are the bright spots on offense for the Astros. Michael Bourn will steal lots of bases and Carlos Lee should hit better than .246. The pitching is just not there for the Astros to compete.
For a preview of the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates, see my previous blog entries.
Projected Standings:
Milwaukee Brewers 88-74
Cincinnati Reds 87-75
St. Louis Cardinals 82-80
Chicago Cubs 81-81
Pittsburgh Pirates 65-97
Houston Astros 63-99
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