Kuzul

Who was last season’s surprise team? Some may say the Giants for winning the World Series, and some may say the Rangers for making it to the World Series.

But in my opinion, without question…the Cincinnati Reds were THE biggest surprise in baseball last season.

After finishing fourth in the NL Central with a record of 78-84 in 2009, the Reds won the NL Central in 2010 with a record of 91-71. This was the team’s first winning record since 2000, and they won one of the toughest divisions in baseball.

How did this happen? I will say that the NL Central was a bit down last season in comparison to what they normally are. But the fact of the matter is, the Reds had a dominant offense, led by NL MVP Joey Votto.

Votto broke out onto the scene last year, leading the Reds in every major batting statistic (.324 BA, 37 HR, 113 RBI, 106 R, .424 OBP, .600 SLG, 1.024 OPS). A remarkable offensive season from a team that finished in the top-five in BA, R, OBP and SLG.

Let’s take a look at the Reds lineup and starting rotation heading into 2011:

C: Ramon Hernandez

1B: Joey Votto

2B: Brandon Phillips

3B: Scott Rolen

SS: Edgar Renteria

LF: Johnny Gomes

CF: Drew Stubbs

RF: Jay Bruce

SP: Edinson Volquez

SP: Bronson Arroyo

SP: Johnny Cueto

SP: Mike Leake

SP: Homer Bailey

CL: Francisco Cordero

How can the Reds improve their lineup from last season, try adding the 2010 World Series MVP Edgar Renteria. Although he is getting older, and production as an everyday player may be down, Renteria is as clutch as it gets in the playoffs.

The Reds still have Paul Janish in the starting SS slot going into spring training, but I expect Renteria to win the job, or at least take away a significant amount of starts from Janish this season.

The outfield for the Reds was one of the most productive in all of baseball last season, and Jay Bruce should have an even better year this season. Only 23 years old, Bruce has already had three consecutive 20 HR seasons, and his power should only improve over the course of his career.

There aren’t many questions about this Reds lineup, they are still one of the best in baseball. If anything this 2011 version will be improved with the added production of Renteria, and with Bruce and Stubbs both entering their second full seasons.

The Reds starting rotation appears to be the biggest weakness heading into this year, and it showed during their early exit in the playoffs. Being swept 3-0 by the Philadelphia Phillies, the Reds made playoff history.

They were the team that allowed Roy Halladay to throw only the second no-hitter in MLB playoff history, and the first since 1956.

That explosive offense was nowhere to be found, but I would consider the overall team’s lack of experience as the biggest contributing factor in the Reds disappointing postseason.

Cincinnati needs a big rebound year from Edinson Volquez, and his health and performance alone will determine just how good the Reds can be this season.

However, the Reds are still a very good team without Volquez. Bronson Arroyo is a productive No. 2 starter, but the key to this rotation is the depth and young talent this team has.

Cueto and Bailey are 24, Leake is 23 and all three of these pitchers proved last season that they belong.

I know there’s been a lot of much deserved hype in regards to the new Phillies rotation, but WHEN HEALTHY, I strongly believe that the Reds now have the second best rotation in the National League.

When you combine the two, you get a team that figures to be a lock for a playoff spot. But with injury concerns, more pressure on the young talent this season, and a much improved division…well, let’s just say… In regards to another Reds October.

The hunt is on.

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Our fourth stop on the 30 in 30 is the Milwaukee Brewers.

Due to my schedule preventing me from writing yesterday, I’ll be making up for it by covering two teams today. Consider it a 2-for-…Wednesday? Something like that.

The brew crew finished the 2010 season one game ahead of the Astros, two games ahead of the Cubs and nine games back of the Cardinals.

How many games ahead or behind each of those teams will this season’s Brewers be? A large part of the answer to that question is the production of newly acquired former AL Cy Young winner Zack Greinke.

The Brewers also welcomed Shaun Marcum from the Blue Jays to their rotation this offseason. The addition of these two talented pitchers gives the Brewers a rotation that can match up with nearly every team in the National League.

If one thing is certain about this team, it’s that they are ready to win NOW. The question remains though, does this team have enough to make a serious push in the NL Central. 

Let’s take a look at that Milwaukee’s lineup and starting rotation should look like this season.

C- Jonathan Lucroy
1B- Prince Fielder
2B- Rickie Weeks
3B- Casey McGegee
SS- Yuniesky Betancourt
LF- Ryan Braun
CF- Carlos Gomez
RF- Corey Hart

SP- Zack Greinke
SP- Yovani Gallardo
SP- Shaun Marcum
SP- Randy Wolf
SP- Chris Narveson
CL- John Axford

This Brewers lineup has a solid heart of the order with Braun, Fielder, McGehee, Hart and Weeks. Each of these players had over 20 HR and 80 RBI last season. 

These five are also the only everyday starters remaining in this Brewers lineup, as Alcides Escobar was a part of the Greinke deal.

Betancourt will be the replacement for Escobar, as he was also a part of the Greinke deal, although I think he is a slight downgrade at the position.

Lucroy and Gomez are the other two starters, both are very young and have a lot of potential. If the Brewers can get solid seasons from both, expect this lineup to cause a lot of problems for the rest of the NL Central.

From a pitching standpoint, this rotation is solid. If Greinke pitches like he did in 2009, the Brewers will have gotten the better end of the trade. He still has the stuff to be an ace, there’s no question about that, and with a better supporting cast, I think we can expect another great year from him.

Gallardo as a No. 2 man is impressive, and emphasizes the depth of this Brewers rotation. Winning 14 games last year with a 3.84 ERA and 200 K, at the age of 24, he has the potential to become a superstar. 

With Greinke and Gallardo at the top of the rotation, what more could you need? Well, the Brewers obviously didn’t think they had enough, so throw Shaun Marcum (a 13-game winner with a 3.64 ERA, 165 k, and an astounding WHIP of 1.15) into the mix.

If that wasn’t good enough, the Brewers still have Randy Wolf as their No. 4 starter, and if Narveson can bring his ERA down a bit, this is a solid five man rotation.

Not many questions left for this Brewers team, but what does remain, are answers. For a team that barely finished third in the NL Central, the expectations couldn’t be higher. 

Are playoff expectations justified? I’m not so certain, but with a solid lineup and rotation, this team will definitely make some noise in the NL Central.

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The answer to the headline is yes…and no.

In my third article of this 30 in 30 series, we take a look at the Chicago Cubs, one of the hottest teams in all of baseball at the end of last season.

Posting an impressive 24-13 record under interim manager Mike Quade at the end of last season, the question now for Chicago is no longer “Just how bad are the Cubs?” It has been replaced with the much more optimistic “Just how GOOD are these Cubs?”

The same team that was near the bottom of the NL Central for the entire season appeared to be a legitimate contender in September. But it was too little too late, and the Cubs finished the season with a 75-87 record.

One thing I will say about this team is that over the course of the offseason, the Cubs improved the most out of any team in the entire National League. Bringing in SP Matt Garza from the Devil Rays was a great move by the Cubs in order to stay on pace with the division leaders. 

The Cubs also signed 1B Carlos Pena who hit 28 home runs with 84 RBI. The main concern with Pena is his consistency at the plate, batting .196 last season. Even with Pena’s low BA, the Cubs now have a much-needed power bat in the middle of a fairly well-rounded lineup.

Here’s what the lineup and starting rotation look like for the Cubs right now.

C: Geovany Soto

1B: Carlos Pena

2B: Blake DeWitt

3B: Aramis Ramirez

SS: Starlin Castro

LF: Alfonso Soriano

CF: Marlon Byrd

RF: Kosuke Fukudome

SP: Ryan Dempster

SP: Randy Wells

SP: Matt Garza

SP: Tom Gorzelanny

SP: Carlos Zambrano 

CL: Carlos Marmol

This Cubs team is loaded with potential, but that’s the key word: “potential.” 

Castro is on the verge of becoming a star for this team. The very talented SS batted for .300 last season, ranking him 10th in the NL. He is also only 20 years old, and with the addition of Pena, his production should only go up this season.

When you look at this Cubs lineup, there are no real weaknesses, but the production of Soriano and Ramirez is going to be what makes or breaks the Cubs this year. 

It’s almost hard to believe that Soriano is only four years removed from an unreal season with the Nationals, in which he hit 40 doubles, 40 home runs and stole 40 bases. Injuries have since kept Soriano from repeating this type of production, and no one expects this same production out of him. However, if he can play the entire season, it’s not unrealistic to see him around 30 HRs and 80-plus RBI.

The starting rotation for the Cubs this season is one of the best in baseball. They have five quality starters, who should be able to keep the team in most games heading into the later innings of each game.

We all know what a healthy Carlos Zambrano is capable of, while Dempster and Wells appear to be locks at the top of the rotation after very productive 2010 seasons from both. 

Garza is the key here, and the Cubs gave up a lot to get him. With a 15-10 record, an ERA of 3.91, and 150 Ks last season, Garza is definitely capable of doing big things for the Cubs in 2011…but was the deal enough to get the Cubs back into contention? At this point it’s a very tough question to answer, and I believe that this club could be a big mover this season.

The NL Central is always brutal, especially this season. With the resurgence of the Reds, the always consistent Cardinals and the Brewers with newly acquired former AL Cy Young winner Zack Greinke, it’s hard to put the Cubs ahead of any of those three teams.

With that being said, don’t be surprised if I become a buyer of the Cubs stock sometime during spring training, and I will say this for Cubs fans…on paper you have one of the better teams in the NL. But as we’ve seen before, if paper wins championships, well, Steve Bartman would have never happened.

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Alright, kicking off my 30-team preview, we’re starting in the wonderful city of Sixsburgh. A city of rich sports tradition, and champions all around.

Whether you’re on the frozen pond, or on the gridiron, Pittsburgh knows what it takes to win championships. Even the dismal Pirates were once synonymous with success back in the early 1900s as well as the entire 1970s.

Since their last postseason appearance in 1992 the Pirates have had no winning records, and two 100-loss seasons. The Pirates ship sank a long time ago, and with any hope of bringing it back, well…not even Johnny Depp could produce a winner out of this one. A modern tragedy over 18 years in the making.

The 2010 Pirates were one of two teams in all of baseball with more than 100 loses, and trading away Zach Duke early in the offseason sent a message—that this franchise is in a long, drawn out rebuilding process. But how long does it take to rebuild? 

The hiring of manager Clint Hurdle was a great move in my opinion, he’s someone who can help the Pirates immediately. Hurdle is going to put his best lineup on the field every day, and he is a winner.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t have much to work with. Here’s what the Pirates’ lineup and starting rotation looks like right now.

C: Chris Snyder

1B: Lyle Overbay

2B: Neil Walker

3B: Pedro Alvarez

SS: Ronny Cedeno

LF: Jose Tabata

CF: Andrew McCutchen

RF: Garrett Jones

SP: Paul Maholm

SP: Ross Ohlendorf

SP: Charlie Morton

SP: James McDonald

SP: Kevin Correia

CL: Joel Hanrahan

The Pirates were relatively quiet this offseason and that should come as no surprise, but I like the move they made by signing Lyle Overbay. He’s an experienced first baseman who brings a consistent bat to a very inconsistent lineup. 

Jones and McCutchen are the best players on this team though, without question, and it will be interesting to see what happens with both of these player throughout the course of the regular season.

This is McCutchen’s team, and he is an emerging superstar. Leading the Pirates with a .286 AVG last season, as well as 33 stolen bases. There is no doubt in my mind that McCutchen is an all-star talent, but as Pittsburgh has proven in the past. They simply are not willing to pay up in order to keep their talent.

If Pittsburgh manages to hold onto both of them, the rebuilding may be over sooner rather than later…unfortunately, the Pirates are also in one of the toughest divisions in baseball year in and year out.

Pitching is the key concern for the Pirates, as their “ace” Paul Maholm won a total of nine games last season and had an ERA of 5.10. However, their is no lack of talent, or prospects in this rotation.

Ross Ohlendorf has solid stuff, a high 90s fastball and a nasty sinker, he was the only Pirate’s starting pitcher with a winning record during his first full season in 2009. If this club wants to climb out of the cellar of the NL Central, they will be needing a big year from Mr. Ohlendorf.

An interesting position battle surrounds this team heading into spring training as well. That is the battle for the full-time closer between Hanrahan, and Evan Meek. Hanrahan was the closer during the 2010 campaign, but I expect his duties to be handed over to the surprisingly dominant Meek.

As the setup man in 2010, Meek posted impressive numbers for a less than impressive bullpen with a 2.14 ERA, as well as 15 holds for a team that only won 57 games. Meek was also selected to the NL All-Star team and is one of the few bright spots on a team that has not been able to hold on to their talent for over a decade.

Although the Pirates still have many questions, including the middle of their batting lineup, as well as the bottom half of their starting rotation. This is a team who has more potential than the rest of the bottom feeders.

But as for this season, well…the 2011 Pirates may not win any Oscars (or more than 60 games), but this sequel should be an improvement on an atrocious 2010.

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