The NL Central had another underwhelming season overall in 1988, sending only the Division winner Chicago Cubs to the playoffs. Only one other team, the Cincinnati Reds, were able to muster a .500 record for the season. There was plenty of moving and shaking in the rosters of the Cubs, Reds, and Pirates, while the Astros and Cardinals stayed mostly steady in their rebuilds. With the emergence of the Expos in the NL East, the always tough Atlanta Braves, and the stacked NL West, it will be a tough road for more than one team from the Central to make it into the playoffs in 1989. The top of the division should be an entertaining watch this year, the as Reds and Pirates both made improvement in their roster in hopes of catching the Cubs.
1988 NL Central Standings
Chicago Cubs: 92-70
Cincinnati Reds: 84-78
Pittsburgh Pirates: 79-83
Houston Astros: 79-83
Saint Louis Cardinals: 69-93
Chicago Cubs
Key Additions
SP Tony Robinson (Trade with OAK)
P Pedro Cabrera (Trade with BAL)
SP Scott Duhl (Trade with KC)
Key Losses
SP Alex Midence (Trade with OAK)
C David Brundidge (Trade with CIN)
1B Kevin Vetter (Trade with KC)
C Jared Mayo (Trade with PHI)
Top Players
SS Nick Kusters (.317/.399/.437, 72 SB, 137 OPS+, 6.4 WAR)
LF Joel Lupercio (.310/.369/.514, 31 HR, 120 RBI, 148 OPS+, 4.5 WAR)
Tony Robinson (18-9, 2.29 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 1.9 K:BB, 3.8 WAR with OAK)
The Cubs won the division title for the second time in three years in 1989, taking the lead by a comfortable 8 games. They then advanced to the NLDS, losing to the Colorado Rockies in five games. As always, the Cubs boasted a HR happy offense in Wrigley with a total of 151 HR’s, good for third in the league behind Atlanta and Colorado. The focus in the off-season was obtaining left-handed pitching with the additions of Robinson, Cabrera, and Duhl. Their pitching staff is deep, boasting seven or eight pitchers that could be slotted into the rotation if needed. Replacing the catcher platoon of David Brundidge and Jared Mayo will prove to be a difficult task. Danny Bowlby was picked up from the division rival Pirates and looks to be the starter coming out of camp. The Cubs will look to run a platoon heavy offense again at four positions. The bullpen will again be a main strength of the club, bringing plenty of firepower from both sides. Even with losing 2.0 WAR this off-season, the Cubs hope to be at the top of the Central again in ’89.
Cincinnati Reds
Key Additions
RF Jon Howard (Trade with TEX)
2B Jesus Martinez (Free Agency)
C David Brundidge (Trade with CHC)
SS Bryan Stavros (Trade with SD)
SP Kurt Ricks (Trade with KC)
Key Losses
None
Top Players
SP Alejandro Lopez (15-11, 3.68 ERA, 2.4 K:BB, 5.9 WAR)
RF Jon Howard (.288/.365/.479, 26 HR, 102 RBI, 146 OPS+, 5.0 WAR with TEX)
LF Matt Cain (.297/.364/.519, 27 HR, 93 RBI, 147 OPS+, 4.2 WAR)
The Reds were obviously not satisfied with their 84 wins and second place finish in 1988. The club added more WAR in the off-season (13.0) than any other team in the National League. Their biggest splash was adding Jon Howard in a trade that came together just a few weeks before the start of Spring Training. Along with Cain, Howard gives the Reds two formidable left-handed bats for the middle of their lineup. The addition of John Toler at the trade deadline last season gives them a solid right-handed bat between those two. Look for plenty of home runs from this trio in the confines of Riverfront Stadium. The team also added Zachary Kanelos to solidify the back-end of their bullpen along with the returning Kyle Zimmerman and Sebastien Mitchell. Lopez will anchor the young rotation again; there is no projected starter that is over 29 years old at the start of the season. If everything comes together and the team can stay healthy, the Reds can make a serious run at overtaking the Cubs this season.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Key Additions
SP Mike Howard (Trade with CWS)
SP Sean Russell (Trade with COL)
Key Losses
RP Dave Baynes (Trade with COL)
The Pirates are coming off another disappointing season, only managing 79 wins in 1988. Their bullpen was arguably the strongest part of their team last year, and used the surplus there to acquire Sean Russell from the Rockies. With Karl Kingree, Chad Jenkins, and Ryan Glover at the back end of the bullpen, the Pirates could still have one of the better relief staffs in the NL. While Russell and Howard provide two more solid starters, the team still lacks a true ace to anchor the rotation. Simon Strong, the 8th overall draft choice from last season, replaces the aging Bobby Reyna (lost in FA) in the lineup for a full season after starting 55 games in ’89. The Pirates have a young core of their lineup, and will rely on Doug Rider, Strong, Pablo Garcia, and Adrian Barnish to help carry the offense. The Pirates may not yet have enough to catch the top two teams, their best hope for 1989 may be to finish above .500 continue their improvement over the last two seasons.
Houston Astros
Key Additions
None
Key Losses
None
Top Players
LF Willie Bonilla (.295/.368/.466, 21 HR, 81 RBI, 135 OPS+, 3.5 WAR)
SP Justin Holcomb (13-13, 4.09 ERA, 1.6 K:BB, 3.2 WAR)
3B Chris Luciano (.304/.341/.383, 200 H, 105 OPS+, 3.0 WAR)
The Astros crept closer to the .500 mark in 1988, climbing to 79 wins after winning 64 and 61 games the previous two seasons. They had a quiet off-season, making no major changes to their RLB roster. Their lineup is young; on Opening Day they will have no every day starter over the age of 30. Holcomb will again anchor the rotation, along with fellow veteran Rafael Iruegas and rookies Joel Lyons and Alex Hernandez. Bill Brown gives them a steady option in the 9th inning. Adam Vance proved to be effective out of the bullpen after struggling the two previous seasons, putting up a 2.67 ERA over 87.2 innings pitched. The Astros may look to hover close to a .500 record for the next couple of seasons, buying time until a few more of their top prospects are ready to make the RLB club.
Saint Louis Cardinals
Key Additions
None
Key Losses
None
Top Players
SP Frank Enz (12-14, 3.21 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 2.0 K:BB, 6.0 WAR)
SP Paul Fries (13-14, 3.61 ERA, 3.1 K:BB, 3.2 WAR)
SP Angel Vega (10-11, 4.08 ERA, 174 K, 3.2 WAR)
The Cardinals may have some hope on the horizon after 5 straight losing seasons. They increased their win total by twelve from 1987 to ’88, mostly due to the impressive young pitchers that have made their way into the rotation. Enz was not only the best rookie pitcher in the NL, but was one of the best overall pitchers. He finished fourth in Pitcher of the Year voting, and nothing indicates that he will not be in the running again. Fries, Vega, and Johnson give three more solid options behind Enz; the Redbirds could have a top 5 rotation in all of RLB if the youngsters can continue their previous success. Rookie Andy Keeran will help lead the offense, slotted to bat cleanup in his first full season in the big leagues. Chris Bollinger and newly signed Shane Taylor should also be main contributors. If the Cardinals hope to get back to .500 in 1989, they will have to rely heavily on their pitching and defense while hoping to score enough runs to stay competitive.
To wrap it up, my predictions for the 1989 season:
Chicago Cubs: 89-73
Cincinnati Reds: 88-74
Pittsburgh Pirates: 85-77
Houston Astros: 78-84
Saint Louis Cardinals: 74-88
Cubs good again (and always) in 1989.
Comments