For many years in recent history, the National League Central was widely regarded as the best division in the NL, if not all of RLB. While the balance of power has shifted to the NL West within the last year, the Central is by no means a pushover. The division has sent two teams to the playoffs in every season since the new format was introduced in 1982, and have had a representative in the World Series in two out of the last three years. With three teams having playoff hopes this year it would not be surprising to see two teams reach the post-season again in 1987. There is a wide division of talent between the top three teams and the bottom two, which should help pad the win totals of the Cubs, Pirates and Reds.
Chicago Cubs 1986 Record: 97 – 65 Advanced to Division Series
Key Additions SP Dave Anderson (trade with TOR) C David Brundidge (trade with KC) RP Bob Kral (trade with CWS) Key Losses LF Sam Davis (trade with CWS) 1B Han-wu Chen (trade with KC)
Top Players
Matt Bartolozzi (.282/.417/.620, 58 HR, 142 RBI, 6.7 WAR)
Dave Anderson (12-14, 3.23 ERA, 110 K, 1.16 WHIP, 6.4 WAR)
Andy Hernandez (.277/.337/.552, 40 HR, 122 RBI, 23 SB, 5.0 WAR)
The Cubs World Series Championship in 1985 proved not to be a fluke, as the Cubs won the division for the first time since 1928(!) and logged their second highest win percentage in franchise history. In a season where power reigned supreme, the Cubs were third in the NL in runs, fourth in home runs, and third in OBP. The addition of Dave Anderson helps to shore up their starting rotation; in addition to highly touted rookie Jim Lawless the Baby Bears have a solid 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation. A few more trades may be in the works before Opening Day, the Cubs have a plethora of hitters and not enough spots in the lineup for all of them. The true strength of this team however may be the bullpen. Led by Oscar Sedillo, they have a deep pen with power arms that should rack up the K’s and keep the starting rotation from having to log too many innings. Plenty of starting jobs are still up for a fight during Spring Training, no matter who wins out the Cubs will undoubtedly have a powerful offense again and compete for the division title in 1987. Cubs good.
Projected Rotation
Jim Lawless
Brian Reed
Dave Anderson
Justin Spray
Ryan Kurzawski
Terry Easley
*Projected lineups not available at the time of press.
Pittsburgh Pirates
1986 Record: 93 – 69
Advanced to Wild Card Round
Key Additions RF Eric Cohen (trade with KC) LF Abe Conti (trade with CIN) 1B Brent Wagner (trade with FLO) Key Losses RF Justin Klebes (Free Agency) 2B Tim Mincarlie (trade with LAD) LF Jared McCombs (trade with MIL)
Top Players Nick Miller (15-7, 3.11 ERA, 154 K, 1.11 WHIP, 6.0 WAR) Aaron Stolz (.303/.362/.576, 45 HR, 148 RBI, 4.7 WAR) Jim Ramsey (13-10, 3.34 ERA, 172 K, 1.22 WHIP, 4.5 WAR) The Pirates looked to have a goal of getting younger in the off-season, but has it made the team better? Allowing Klebes to walk in free agency is a risk; the organization hopes that Cohen can be an adequate replacement at a much lower cost. A strong starting rotation returns from last season, with only the fifth spot in the rotation being up for grabs during Spring Training. Although the bullpen struggled last season, no major changes were made. It is clear the Pirates hope for improvement within the ranks and developing of a couple young arms that can help solidify their situation. The Pittsburgh offense holds no true strength, relying on a balanced approach to score runs. Trade rumors swirled around Stolz all off-season, but the right handed slugger will remain in Pittsburgh, shifting over to 2B to make room for new addition Brent Wagner. If their starting pitching holds up and some young players can provide enough offense, the Pirates could again make a run at the Central division crown. Projected Rotation Nick Miller Jim Ramsey Mike Howard Travis Harris Dana Walters
Projected Lineup vs. RHP
Spencer Ritter – 3B
Eric Cohen - RF
Bobby Reyna - LF
Aaron Stolz – 2B
Michael Liddick - DH
Brent Wagner – 1B
Jake Short - C
Bill Hanson - CF
Ramon Castillo - SS
Projected Lineup vs. RHP Spencer Ritter – 3B Abe Conti – LF Brent Wagner – 1B Aaron Stolz – 2B Jonathan Gardner - DH Eric Cohen – RF Danny Bowlby – C Bill Hanson – CF Ramon Castillo - SS
Cincinnati Reds
1986 Record: 88 – 74
Key Additions None Key Losses Abe Conti (trade with PIT)
Top Players
Mike Quinn (12-9, 4.38 ERA, 160 K, 1.19 WHIP, 4.0 WAR)
Kazuto Abe (11-8, 4.15 ERA, 126K, 1.42 WHIP, 3.8 WAR)
Matt Cain (.395/.475/.983, 19 HR, 48 RBI, 2.5 WAR)
It was a quiet off-season in Cincinnati. The organization decided to stand pat and run with the team that brought them 88 wins last season. The Reds will again look to a strong starting pitching staff to help lead them in 1987; last season they were 3rd in the National League in pitcher WAR. The only question in their rotation is can they keep everyone on the field; Alejandro Lopez only had six starts last season, and Bob Ford was only able to start thirteen between his time between Florida and Cincinnati. Even after trading Jeff Dunn, they still have arguably the best rotation in the NL if not all of baseball. Matt Cain, acquired in the previously mentioned Dunn trade, gives the Reds a potentially elite bat in the middle of their lineup. In only 119 At-Bats last season, the rookie had an outstanding 1.458 OPS and 265 OPS+. Their starters need to stay healthy, and if that happens the Reds could make a serious run at the Central division.
Projected Rotation
Alejandro Lopez
Kazuto Abe
Mike Quinn
Bob Ford
James Salas
Projected Lineup vs. RHP
Hector Guitirez – CF
Ryan Bjorkland – RF
Matt Cain – 1B
Tony Acosta – DH
Jeff Karr – 2B
Ron Darnell – LF
Eric Mattioda – 3B
Ramiro Esparza – C
Hugo Rivera – SS
Projected Lineup vs. LHP Hector Guitirez – CF Ryan Bjorkland – RF Matt Cain – 1B Tony Acosta – DH Jeff Karr – 2B Ron Darnell – LF Eric Mattioda – 3B Ramiro Esparza – C Hugo Rivera – SS
Houston Astros
1986 Record: 64 – 98
Key Additions
None
Key Losses None
Top Players Justin Holcomb (7-14, 4.55 ERA, 148 K, 1.47 WHIP, 4.0 WAR) Dylan Newson (.295/.365/.463, 14 HR, 63 RBI, 2.6 WAR) Mike Walker (6-9, 3.61 ERA, 115 K, 1.40 WHIP, 2.5 WAR) Patience. That is the name of the game for the Houston Astros. With no major moves happening in the off-season, the message from the front office is clear. Bide their time and wait for prospects to be ready. With six Top 100 prospects that should be RLB ready in about two years or less, it may not be a bad move for the Astros. The future of their pitching staff looks bright; four of those six prospects are starting pitchers, headlined by #60 Alex Hernandez. For their current squad, Rafael Iruegas, Holcomb and Walker provide a solid enough top of the rotation to stay respectable. Mike Burkley and Willie Bonilla hope to be part of a future core of young hitters. Both have performed well at the AAA level but have yet to show much success in RLB. The Astros may not do much more than fight for fourth place in 1987, look for them to make more noise in a few seasons. Hang in there, Astros fans.
Projected Rotation
Rafael Iruegas
Justin Holcomb
Mike Walker
Corey Miller
Adam Vance
Projected Lineup vs. RHP Victor Sanchez – SS Chris Luciano – 3B Dylan Newson – RF Mike Burkley – 1B Willie Bonilla – DH Jaden Pittman – LF Mike Ruffing – 2B Rick McCay – CF Manny Ybarra – C
Projected Lineup vs. LHP Victor Sanchez – SS Chris Luciano – 3B Dylan Newson – RF Mike Burkley – 1B Willie Bonilla – DH Jaden Pittman – LF Mike Ruffing – 2B Rick McCay – CF Manny Ybarra – C
Saint Louis Cardinals
1986 Record: 50 – 112
Key Additions None
Key Losses Joaquin Salazar
Top Players
Kevin Johnson (15-11, 3.99 ERA, 156 K, 1.34 WHIP, 4.2 WAR)
Nate Finney (9-21, 4.53 ERA, 135 K, 1.42 WHIP, 3.0 WAR)
Brad Prestage (7-22, 4.46 ERA, 118 K, 1.37 WHIP, 2.5 WAR)
Including the league leader in losses as a Top Player says a little something about how 1986 went for the Redbirds. It was a season to forget when looking at the wins column; however, they do have the #1 overall pick in a very strong draft this year. Whoever that choice is will join the already #8 ranked minor league system in RLB. Blue chip prospect Paul Fries leads the group that hope to play in Saint Louis soon; #88 prospect Mike Luse will be starting the year in the Cardinal rotation. Their system is not just top heavy; 21 prospects are ranked within the Top 300. Ed Cashmann and Chris Bollinger should begin to help the offense this year, but do not expect many runs to be scored overall. Much like the Astros, it is going to be a few years before the Cardinals can become competitive again. The outlook is bleak for 1987, but with a slew of promising prospects in the farm Saint Louis could be a more dangerous team once the rebuild is complete.
Projected Rotation
Kevin Johnson
Mike Luse
Jose Tinoco
Nate Finney
John Bradshaw
Projected Lineup vs. RHP Sam Heilig – RF Trent Young – 3B Kade Corless – 1B Chris Bollinger – DH Josh Picucci – LF Rob Patterson – CF Bill Henderson – 2B Justin Steiner – C Isiah Hart – SS
Projected Lineup vs. LHP Sam Heilig – RF Bill Henderson – 2B Kade Corless – 1B Mike Gowen – DH Josh Picucci – LF Trent Young – 3B Rob Patterson – CF Justin Steiner – C Isiah Hart - SS
Opinions from around RLB
During this preview process, a few GMs from around RLB were polled to see who they thought would succeed, or not, this year in the Central Division. My prediction?
Chicago Cubs: 94-68
Pittsburgh Pirates: 92-70
Cincinnati Reds: 83-79
Houston Astros: 69-93
Saint Louis Cardinals: 59-103
A total of four GMs responded and the three that gave their predictions shall remain anonymous as not to hurt relations with any other GM in the league. In typical form, the San Francisco GM requested to be quoted when asked to provide his predictions.
“I have asked you five times now not to talk to me. Maybe you should be an adult and do that.”
There you have it readers. The season should bring intrigue and a close race at the top of the Division, while the bottom of the Division may be in a race for the first overall pick in 1988. However it plays out, we know that it will be another enjoyable year of baseball. Now it’s off to play with my Pound Puppies and G.I. Joe’s while waiting for the season to start. Not quite ready to give up my inner child and fully become an adult.
Comments