30 Thoughts on 30 Teams Part 2: The National League
In the second half of his two part MLB season preview, Ben Ripley breaks down each NL division before the upcoming season.
The boys of summer are back, despite the fact that as I write this, it is snowing outside.
Yes, baseball season is upon us. As hope springs eternal, every team’s fan base enters the season believing that this could be the year. We all know that this is only going to be true for one team’s lucky fans, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t plenty of exciting storylines to go around.
NL East
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies were great. The Phillies got old. The Phillies got bad. Still in the early stages of a complete rebuild, we’re just looking for bright lights in the future here.
Atlanta Braves
The Braves are a few years into their rebuild, and it’s time to start seeing some results. That doesn’t mean they make it to October, but it’s time to see signs that this rebuild has an end in sight.
Miami Marlins
The Marlins have the impending sale of the franchise looming over them, but that’s a good thing. It’s time to finally exorcise Jeffrey Loria out of Major League Baseball. It’s always fun to watch Giancarlo Stanton crank dingers at the ballpark, though. Here’s hoping he has a healthy season.
New York Mets
The Mets have the most exciting young pitching staff in baseball, lead by Thor himself in the form of Noah Syndergaard. Can the Mets day-to-day lineup do enough to get runs on the board? A little more offense and this is one of the scariest teams in baseball.
Washington Nationals
Bryce Harper. That’s it. Will he be great this year, or will last year’s struggles carry over? The team will be fine either way, but Bryce Harper is why we watch. The eight home runs in spring training has me excited for a great year.
NL Central
Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers may be on their way to being very bad. They are trending down from their peak in 2011. Ryan Braun is still on the team and still very good, but for how long? The “how long” could be one of two things; 1) he suddenly isn’t good anymore, or (and more likely) 2) his time in Milwaukee is over and is traded to kick start the rebuild.
Cincinnati Reds
Everything that you just read about the Brewers is also true about the Reds. Simply insert 2012 for 2011 and Joey Votto for Ryan Braun.
Pittsburg Pirates
After 3 straight seasons of making the playoffs, the Pirates regressed last year. The big question for Pirates fans; was last year the outlier or a sign of things to come. This is always a difficult time for professional sports teams to determine whether or not their window is closed or still propped open.
St Louis Cardinals
The St Louis Cardinals missed the playoffs last year. The last time they missed the playoffs, they won the World Series the following year. The Cardinals have only missed the playoffs 5 times this century. That is wildly impressive in the sport where the fewest teams make the playoffs each year. I’m not saying that the Cards will win the World Series this year, but I’m certainly not saying they won’t.
Chicago Cubs
Everyone and their grandmother know that the curse of the billy goat is over. It was finally the year for the Cubs. Tough times are ahead, however. No one expected the Cubs to win last year. They were suppose to blow it, and until the craziest rain delay in baseball history in Game Seven of the World Series, they were well on their way to doing just that. The true challenge is winning when you are expected to win. We expect the Cubs to win now, so the pressure is truly on.
NL West
San Diego Padres
After the 2006 season, the Padres allowed then manager Bruce Bochy interview with the San Francisco Giants. Bruce left and subsequently went on to win three World Series. The Padres haven’t made the postseason since. Coincidence? I’ll let you decide, but the Padres will be bad again this year, and Bochy will be looking for title number four with the Giants.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona hasn’t been a team of much consequence in a long time now. Last year they added Zach Greinke with a splashy contract, and the result were not great. Paul Goldschmidt, however, is very good. He has twice finished second in MVP voting, so it wouldn’t take much of the Arizona to raise some eyebrows.
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies have about as good of left side of the infield as anybody in Trevor Story and Nolan Arenado, aged 23 and 25 respectively. Carlos Gonzalez still patrols centerfield at a high level. If a couple things go right for the Rockies, they could be relevant in September.
San Francisco Giants
Last year was an even numbered year, and the Giants didn’t win the World Series.
It was weird, I know.
Madison Bumgarner’s strikeout count has increased each of the last five years, last year peaking at 251. He is entering his age 27 season and has a career’s worth of great accomplishments, but he doesn’t have a Cy Young. Could this be the year?
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers will only be judged on whether they win the World Series or not. Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher in baseball, and it’s not close. He finally had a great postseason moment last year, although not on the biggest stage. Clayton Kershaw is the reason Madison Bumgarner hasn’t won a Cy Young, but Madison Bumgarner is one of the reasons Kershaw hasn’t won a World Series. Perhaps it’s time that this flips?
WORLD SERIES PREDICTION:
The Red Sox over the Dodgers.
Ben is a multi-sport writer for theocho.ca. He’s an avid fan of all things post-secondary, along with any sport you can name. Follow Ben on Twitter at @benny_sauce.
