By : Mike Rifkin
With the Baseball season getting started this week here is my preview for the National League.
NL EAST
5) Nationals – The Nationals offensively have Juan Soto and signed Nelson Cruz this offseason but outside of that it’s not a great lineup. Pitching wise they need Stephen Strausburg to stay healthy and Patrick Corbin to have a bounce back season.
4) Marlins – I do think they have the opportunity to surprise some people. They have a very good young starting rotation led by Sandy Alcantara. Offensively they added World Series MVP Jorge Soler and Avisail Garcia. Watch Jazz Chisholm to have a big season for Miami.
3) Phillies – The Phillies added to their lineup this offseason signing Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos to massive contracts. Zack Wheeler is coming off finishing second in CY Young voting, but the Phillies need Aaron Nola to be better than his 4.63 ERA in 2021.
2) Mets – I loved what the Mets did this offseason, from the signings of Max Scherzer, Starling Marte, Mark Canha and Eduardo Escobar to the hiring of Buck Showalter, but the Mets success will have to do with the health of Jacob deGrom who will miss the first month of the season. I would expect a big season out of Francisco Lindor who struggled in his first season in New York.
1) Braves – To quote Ric Flair “ To be the man you have to beat the man.” The Braves have won the NL East the last four seasons. The reigning World Series champions did lose first baseman Freddie Freeman, but replaced with Matt Olson from the Athletics. They also added Kenley Jansen from the Dodgers to close games. But the Braves will make two big additions during the season when star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr, and starting pitcher Mike Soroka return from their injuries.
NL Central
5) Pirates – All Star Bryan Reynolds is the subject of trade talks. Hopefully Ke’Bryan Hayes takes the next step forward for the Pirates.
4) Reds – They let Nick Castellanos walk as a free agent and traded away Sonny Gray, Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez. I love Joey Votto but I don’t expect him to have another 36 home run season. Jonathan India is coming off a Rookie of the Year season and will continue to get better. They have a solid 1-2 punch in the rotation with Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle both of whom have been subject of trade talks.
3) Cubs – The Cubs were active this offseason most notably adding Starter Marcus Stroman and signed Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki. After the Cubs sold off the core that won them the World Series Patrick Wisdom and Frank Schwindel were awesome at the plate. Stroman along with Kyle Hendricks should give the Cubs a very good 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation.
2) Cardinals – I still don’t understand firing Mike Shildt but I love the fact that the Cardinals brought back Albert Pujols for one more run. Putting Pujols in a lineup that will feature Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, Tyler O’Neill and Dylan Carlson gives the Cardinals a lot of Thunder. Tommy Edman and Harrison Bader at the top of the lineup also had really good years. In the rotation they added Steven Matz and will get Dakota Hudson back from Tommy John to join Adam Wainwright and Jack Flaherty.
- Brewers – They very much need Christian Yelich to have a bounce back season. In 117 games Yelich had nine home runs and had a slash line of .248/.362/.373. After coming over from the Rays Willy Adames hit 20 home runs. The Brewers did add former NL MVP Andrew Mccutchen. Milwaukee does still have one of the best rotations in baseball led by CY Young award winner Corbin Burnes followed by Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta.
NL WEST
5) Diamondbacks – They signed All – Star Ketel Marte to a contract extension. They need Madison Bumgarner to be better than his 7-10 record with a 4.67 ERA in 2021.
4) Rockies – The Kris Bryant signing still confuses me but in Colorado he should put up some really good numbers. Ryan Mcmahon and CJ Cron both got extensions after having massive seasons. If the Rockies are going to surprise people this year they need Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela to be really good behind German Marquez in the rotation.
3) Giants – The Giants won the division last year and lost to the rival Dodgers in the LDS. Buster Posey has retired and Kris Bryant left in free agency leaves a hole in the lineup. Are Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford going to have similar seasons to that of 2021? Rotation wise they brought back Alex Wood and Anthony Desclafani and signed Carlos Rodon from the White Sox. I still think the Giants could be a Wild Card team.
- Padres – I know Frenando Tatis is hurt and that is a big blow. But this team is still loaded with Manny Machado, Wil Myers and Jake Cronenworth in the lineup. The rotation is stacked after acquiring Sean Manea from Oakland. Manea with Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, and Joe Musgrove give the Padres a very good rotation. Bob Melvin was named the manager of the club and that was a great hire and will help.
- Dodgers – Do I need to explain this? After signing Freddie Freeman the Dodgers legitimately have an All Star at every position. They brought back Clayton Kershaw to go with Walker Buehler and Julio Urias. They lost Kenley Jansen but acquired Craig Kimbrel to replace him. If there is one question mark on the Dodgers it is what has happened to Cody Bellinger. Bellinger has 22 home runs and 66 RBI over the last two seasons combined.
PLAYOFF TEAMS
West – Dodgers (1)
East – Braves (2)
Central – Brewers (3)
Wild Card : Mets (4) Padres (5) Cardinals (6)
WILD:
METS DEF PADRES
CARDINALS DEF BREWERS
LDS
DODGERS DEF CARDINALS
METS DEF BRAVES
LCS
DODGERS DEF METS 7 GAMES
WORLD SERIES
DODGERS DEF BLUE JAYS 6 GAMES
AWARDS
MVP: Paul Goldschmidt
CY Young : Walker Buehler
Manager of the Year : Bob Melvin
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