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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

National League Preview

National League East

There will be four teams that will be competitive in the N.L. East, but I think the Phillies should win the division.  I believe the Phillies have the best rotation and one of the top closers in baseball.  The Phillies also have a pretty good lineup, that should be able to score at least three or four runs a game.  I think the Braves, Marlins and Nationals should all do well, but I feel that they are not as deep as the Phillies.

National League Central

The Brewers, Cardinals and Reds are all good enough to win the N.L. Central.  The Brewers have the best starting pitching and relief pitching to win another division crown.  Both the Reds and Cardinals will struggle because the Reds pitching staff doesn’t have a true number one pitcher and an inexperience closer, and the Cardinals offense will struggle without Albert Pujols’ power in the middle of their lineup.   Even with the Brewers losing Prince Fielder I feel the Brewers lineup can still produce at a high level.  The Brewers will win the division because of  their great starting and relief pitching.

National League West

This division will be the closest division in the National League. Each team is capable of winning the division.  I think the Arizona Diamondbacks are the most complete team in the division because of their great young pitching staff and great young power hitters.  I feel the Dodgers can compete because they have Clayton Kershaw, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, but I think their relief pitching and starting pitching after Kershaw will struggle.  I also think the Giants can do well because they have a great pitching staff, and the Rockies can do well because of their offense.  The Padres can win but I think they might struggle because they are so young and inexperienced.  The Arizona Diamondbacks will win the N.L. West because they are the most complete and experienced team.

National League Wild Card

The Marlins and Braves will win the N.L Wild Cards because they have good pitching and offense.  The key for both these teams will be staying healthy because these teams are very talented, but if one of their stars get hurt, I think they will struggle.  I think the Nationals have a good shot at winning a wild card spot, but they will be too young and inexperienced and fall out of contention towards the end of the season. You could also see the Cardinals, Reds, Dodgers and Giants all compete for the wild card, but each of those teams have either a weak offense or pitching staff that will hold them back from winning.

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