fullcountpitch.com

By Andrew Armida, FCP 13 year old Special Correspondent

As Spring Training comes to a close with the new season looming, this is truly one of the most exciting times of the Baseball season.  There are still question marks here and there and the 25 man rosters are just shuffling around.  I told you what I thought about the AL this year (read here), so here are my predictions for the NL standings.
NL East
The NL East is a very interesting division.  You have the contenders with the Mets, Phillies, and Braves.  And then you have the bottom of the heap with the young Marlins and improving Nationals.  In my opinion, the acquisition of Johan Santana locks up the East for the Mets.  It gives them a much needed ace and takes a little pressure off of the other starters.  They have a solid rotation 1-4 with a fairly bright young gun in Mike Pelfry as the fifth starter.  El Duque will likely not start the season with the team but could be a nice addition later on.  They have a solid lineup with a great mix of power and speed that should stay pretty similar for years to come.  I just can’t see anybody beating out the Mets. 

This is where it gets pretty interesting. I think the Phillies and Braves will duke it out all season for 2nd place and the Wild Card spot.  The Phillies have a stacked lineup as usual but I think the Braves have a good offense as well.  I would have to say that right out of the gate these teams are pretty even pitching wise now that Smoltz is going to start the season on the DL.  Like I said these two teams are going to battle it out the whole season. 

And then there are the Nats and the Marlins.  The Marlins have a young team that should improve, but won’t go anywhere this season.  The Nationals have improved a little but they will still be in the basement of the East.

My predicted standings go 1) New York 2) Philadelphia 3) Atlanta 4) Washington 5) Florida.
NL Central
This is another intriguing division.  I think there are three solid contenders in the Cubbies, Brewers, and Reds.  And the Astros might give those teams a run for their money as well.  But I think it will mainly be between those three teams.  The Cubs are going to be a good offensive team with a solid pitching staff.  I think if they pull off the Brian Roberts deal and guess right with the closer situation, they could run away with this division.  But for now they have some good competition.  I think the Brew Crew is another solid all around team who has a chance to pull something off this year.  They have a load of young offensive talent if Fielder, Hart, Braun, Weeks, etc.  I hope Yost can put that rotation together right because if he does, the rest of the Central will have to watch out.  And then there are the Reds.  They have a good mix of veterans and young guys and a good staff anchored by Harang.  I think Baker should give Votto, Cueto, and Bruce a shot because they might just give that team a needed spark that could get them a little further. 

Then there is the Astros who actually look similar the Rangers in years past. They have a loaded offense but not that great pitching.  Aside from Oswalt, that rotation is ugly and they only really have one solid reliever in their closer Valverde.  I don’t really see them winning anything with the team they have.  Their offense is scary, but I don’t think it can win them the division or the Wild Card for that matter.  I think St. Louis will finish along with the Pirates at the bottom.  They Cards have a decent squad but if Pujols goes down, so do they.  With the Pirates, I think if they can put some of those young guys in there like Pearce, they might have a decent team.  I like Gorzelanny and Snell to anchor that staff and it looks like they might start making the right
decisions with playing time. 

 My predicted standings go 1) Chicago 2) Milwaukee 3) Cincinnati 4) Huston 5) Pittsburg and 6) St. Louis.
NL West
 I’d say this is going to be the closest division in all of baseball.  In my opinion there are four solid contenders in this division.  I think San Diego has its typical great pitching decent hitting team.  Peavy will have to have another solid year along with Adrian Gonzalez if this team wants to make a playoff run.  I like the D-Backs a lot this year.  I really like their rotation and even though their offense will not hit for a high average, they will have enough speed and pop to make up for that. The Rockies have an excellent lineup and a good enough pitching staff that could help them push for the postseason this year.  The Dodgers have a nice well balanced team with a little something here and there.  And then the Giants, still improving, will finish in last this year. With the presence of Bonds gone, I think this team will do better though in years past.

My projected standings go 1) Arizona 2) San Diego 3) LA 4) Colorado and 5) San Francisco.
So that is what I think will happen this year in the NL.  What do you think?  Let me know.  Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy the beginning of the season.