With baseball season underway, here are my predictions for the National League.
West
This division is one of the weakest in baseball. San Francisco is off to a hot start and has been improving consistently over the past few seasons. The pitching staff is top notch as Tim Lincecum is always a candidate for the Cy Young Award. Barry Zito looks to finally be settling down and putting up the numbers that made him a force in Oakland. I think Jonathan Sanchez will be the dark horse of the staff; he has finished 8-12 the last two seasons and is due for a breakout year. The additions of Edgar Renteria, Mark DeRosa and Aubrey Huff gives much needed veteran depth to this young team.
The Dodgers didn’t make much of a splash in the off-season but have the team intact from last season when they were Division Champions. The window could be closing on their chances to win a World Series as this is probably Manny Ramirez’s last season with the team. Also, manager Joe Torre has stated that he will retire when his contract expires. If the pitching staff can be consistent they have the tools to get to the World Series.
The Dodgers will win the division over the Giants by 3.5 games.
The Giants will win the Wild Card.
Central
Year after year, the St. Louis Cardinals win the NL Central title. I see this year being no different. Albert Pujols always puts up huge numbers and it will continue this year. If St. Louis’ front office is smart, they will offer him a contract extension before free agency next summer. 2010 also marks the first full season for Matt Holliday in St. Louis and hitting behind Pujols will make them arguably the most powerful hitting combination in all of baseball. Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainright will be solid and carry the pitching staff. Brad Penny will have a strong showing this year as Pitching Coach Dave Duncan will improve his mechanics and get him back to top form.
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