NL Central Preview

The National League Central division is very up for grabs in 2011. Let's us break down the six teams that will compete for the title, in the reverse order that they finished last season.
Pittsburgh Pirates

• Last season: 57-105 (6th)


• Additions: Lyle Overbay, Matt Diaz, Kevin Correia and Joe Biemel


• Manager: Clint Hurdle (1st season)


• ESPN Projected Record: 70-92 (5th)


• Star to Watch: Andrew McCutchen

Chicago Cubs

• Last Season: 75-87 (5th)


• Additions: Matt Garza, Carlos Pena, Kerry Wood and Reed Johnson


• Manager: Mike Quade (2nd season)


• ESPN Projected Record: 82-80, 4th


• Star to Watch: Aramis Ramirez (Click for my article on him over at VFTB)

Houston Astros

• Last Season: 76-86 (4th)


• Additions: Bill Hall and Ryan Rowland-Smith


• Manager: Brad Mills (2nd season)


• ESPN Projected Record: 69-93, 6th


• Star to Watch: Carlos Lee

Milwaukee Brewers

• Last Season: 77-85, 3rd


• Additions: Mark Kotsay, Yuniesky Betancourt, Shaun Marcum, Sergio Mitre and Takashi Saito


• Manager: Ron Roenicke (1st season)


• ESPN Projected Record: 85-77, 1st


• Star to Watch: Prince Fielder

St. Louis Cardinals

• Last season: 86-76, 2nd


• Additions: Lance Berkman, Ryan Theriot and Gerald Laird


• Manager: Tony LaRussa (16th season)


• ESPN Projected Record: 83-79, 3rd


• Star to Watch: Matt Holliday

Cincinnati Reds

• Last Season: 91-71, 1st


• Additions: None


• Manager: Dusty Baker (4th season)


• ESPN Projected Record: 85-77, 1st


• Star to Watch: Jay Bruce

The Cubs open up the regular season on Friday!

30 Clubs in 30 Days Recaps: Chicago Cubs

Happy Easter Sunday Cubs fans! Opening Day is tomorrow! Carlos Zambrano will take the hill as the Cubs take on the Braves with the first pitch at 3:10 CT. Tonight, don't miss WGN-TV's special "What it Means to be a Cub" show which starts at 8:00.

For now, we'll conclude our preview of the National League Central by recapping the Cubs episode of MLB Network's "30 Clubs in 30 Days".

Here are the links to the other recaps:

• Brewers
• Astros
• Cardinals
• Pirates

We do not have the Reds preview at this time, but maybe we can get that up by the time the Cubs play the Reds next weekend.

Now let's jump into the Cubs "30 in 30".

Host Greg Amsinger was joined by Dan Plesac and John Hart. Hart said that whatever could have went wrong did go wrong for this club last year. The Milton Bradley situation was a snap shot of their season. John thinks this team is built to win again. If they don't win, they'll be disappointed. Dan pointed out that last year they were in the race until they lost the one guy they coudn't (and still can't) afford to lose, Aramis Ramirez.

Additions:

• Carlos Silva, SP
• Chad Tracy, 1B
• Marlon Byrd, OF
• Xavier Nady, OF

Subtractions:

• Rich Harden, SP
• Neal Cotts, RP
• Kevin Gregg, RP
• Aaron Heilman, RP
• Milton Bradley, OF
• Reed Johnson, OF

Plesac thinks that Bradley was a bad fit for the Cubs. It just wasn't meant to be. The other subtraction that could help is Kevin Gregg. He didn't have the kind of year he needed to in 2009. Hart says that Carlos Silva is a veteran guy who could help this ballclub. John called Marlon Byrd "the exact opposite of Milton Bradley." He's a solid defender and a good baseball player.

Hazel Mae joined the guys from Mesa with interviews and reports. First, she was joined by Derrek Lee, the clubhouse leader:

• Lee likes to lead by example.
• He thinks that something just clicked in for him last year.
• Derrek was able to drive some balls over the fence in 2009.
• The Cubs have the team to get into the postseason.
• He doesn't see it as pressure, Lee just likes to go out there and play the games.
• D-Lee likes the way everyone is hungry and guys came into camp ready to go.

Dan thinks that Lee has some gas left in the tank. He's a guy who is hard to root against. Hart pointed out that Derrek does a lot of the little things, he doesn't just make a living off of slugging the ball out of the ballpark.

2009 Offensive Ranks

• Runs: 707 (10th in NL)
• Average: .255 (12th)
• HR: 161 (5th)
• OBP: .332 (9th)
• SB: 56 (16th)
• SLG%: .407 (8th)

Lou Piniella joined the guys:

• Soriano will not be hitting lead-off this year. The Cubs have found a home for him in the six hole. Sori's been working hard with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo.
• The Cubs have a healthy Aramis Ramirez and they need him to swing the bat.
• Lou is happy with the good arms in the bullpen, but they are having to rely on a lot of young arms.
• Last year the Cubs scored 148 runs less than they did in 2008. They are hoping to get 3/4 of those runs back.
• Lou is hoping that Marmol will be successful as the Cubs full time closer.
• Piniella thinks he's calmed down a heck of a lot. He has had a lot of managerial experience.
• He is going to do the best job he can do for this organization and we'll see what happens.

Projected Lineup:

• 1. Theriot, SS
• 2. Kosuke, RF
• 3. Lee, 1B
• 4. Ramirez, 3B
• 5. Byrd, CF
• 6. Soriano, LF
• 7. Fontenot, 2B
• 8. Soto, C

Dan likes Ryan Theriot at the top of the lineup. He's not flashy, he makes all the plays, and he puts the ball in play. Fukudome hasn't lived up to what the Cubs thought they were getting. Ramirez is an "RBI machine" who hits good pitching. They need him in the lineup 150 days a year. Hart thinks Marlon can do a lot of things with the bat. John says that Soriano is the key guy with this club. Sori has a speed/power combo that is rare in the game today. Geovany Soto is better than he was last year.

Marlon Byrd talked with Hazel:

• Milton told Marlon to just enjoy his time in Chicago.
• Right now Byrd feels like Chicago is a great fit for him.
• Rudy has made the transition to a new club easier.
• Marlon doesn't feel like he has anything to prove. He knows he can hit, even outside of Texas.

Hart thinks that players believe in Rudy. He has a very good philosophy.

2009 Pitching Ranks:

• Wins: 62 (6th in NL)
• ERA: 3.71 (5th)
• Opp. Avg: .252 (3rd)
• Quality Starts: 94 (2nd)
• Strikeouts: 839 (2nd)

Carlos Zambrano joined Hazel:

• Cubs fans will see a new look Big Z in 2010. The biggest change is that he will keep his emotions in check.
• Now that his daughter in 9 years old, he does not want her to see him do crazy things.
• Zambrano has gone back to the basics of pitching. He will keep throwing his four pitches.

Projected Rotation:

• Zambrano
• Dempster
• Wells
• Gorzelanny
• Silva

Looking at the top two, Z and Demp are a pretty good one, two punch. Plesac thinks that Ryan flies under the radar. He has great location of his fastball and does a good job commanding his split finger pitch. Randy Wells is built for innings and really emerged as a nice middle of the rotation starter last year. When the Cubs get Ted Lilly back they'll have a good lefty in the rotation.

• Jeff Samardzija, RHP
• Sean Marshall, LHP
• Justin Berg, RHP
• Esmalin Caridad, RHP
• John Grabow, LHP
• James Russell, LHP
• Carlos Marmol, RHP- Closer

When Marmol is good, he's really good. When he's bad, he has a hard time finding the strike zone. In the first half of 2008, he was one of the best setup men in the league. This bullpen is revamped and very young. Hart says that Caridad has power stuff. Grabow is a veteran guy who can help the young guys. Samardzija came to Spring Training hoping to land a spot in the rotation, but he can still help the bullpen.

The farm system is solid, but they are a little thin at the top. They've traded guys away to get some big league talent, but they do a great job internationally. They do have some good young players. Here are the top ten:

• Chris Carpenter, RHP
• Andrew Cashner, RHP
• Starlin Castro, SS
• Tyler Colvin, OF
• Ryan Flahery, 2B
• Bradon Guyer, OF
• Brett Jackson, OF
• Jay Jackson, RHP
• Hak-Ju Lee, SS
• Josh Vitters, 3B

Lee is a guy that can do some things and looks like he could help this club at some point. Josh Vitters is a corner infielder with some pop. The guy that John Hart thinks will step up is Starlin Castro. He can do a lot of things.

Jeff Samardzija joined Hazel Mae:

• Samardzija is excited to end up with the big league club. This is a team that he watched for a long time growing up.
• He and Lou talked about the team situation and decided that Jeff fits best in the bullpen.
• The 2009 season didn't go the way Jeff wanted it to, so he went to Mexico where he ended the year on a positve note. He was able to work on a couple of things in winter ball.
• The MPL closed the gap from the offseason to Spring Training.

The Cubs All-Time Home Grown Team:

• 3B- Santo
• SS- Banks
• 2B- Herman
• 1B- Palmeiro
• C- Hartnett
• LF-Carter
• CF- Brock
• RF- Williams
• SP- Maddux
• RP- Lee Smith

Dan thinks this is a very impressive list. With this collection of players, it's hard to believe they haven't won the World Series. Plesac's argument is that Mark Grace should be on the All Time Home Grown club.

Billy Williams chatted with Hazel:

• Williams' role is to give "a little teaching about hitting" and about playing the game of baseball in Spring Training.
• He thinks he stays young by hanging around the young people in camp.
• Guys like to pick Billy's brain about hitting.
• It's refreshing to see a kid like Tyler Colvin on the verge of trying to make a ballclub. He is going to be a good player.

Baseball Prospectus Projection: 79-83, 8 GB, second in NL Central

Dan Plesac thinks the Cubs will finish 3rd because of the inexperience in the bullpen.

John Hart has St. Lou over Lou. He predicts that they'll finsh second.

Dan thanks Alfonso will have 30-35 homers. Hart agrees that he can bounce back with 35 dingers!

30 Clubs in 30 Days Recaps: Milwaukee Brewers

Today we continue recapping MLB Network's "30 in 30" series for all of the NL Central teams. Now we will use the recap to preview the Brewers, and then we'll finish up with the Cubs tomorrow.

Host Greg Amsinger was joined by Dan Plesac and John Hart to talk Brewers. If you like hitting, this is a club to go see. Dan says they are a National League team who are made up like an A.L. club.

Offseason additions:

• D. Davis, SP
• R. Wolf, SP
• L. Hawkins, RF
• G. Zaun, C
• C. Gomez, OF
• J. Edmonds, OF

Subtractions:

• J. Kendall, C
• J.J. Hardy, SS
• M. Cameron, OF

John thinks that the Hawkins signing was good to strengthen their bullpen. Doug Davis is a very solid back of the rotation signing who gives you innings. Jim Edmonds was a big part of the Cubs team in 2008, and Plesac thinks there is some good baseball left in him.

Matt Vasgersian joined the guys from Arizona with interviews and reports. He started off by talking to Randy Wolf:

• Wolf could tell that the Brewers really wanted him there.
• After he talked to the GM and owner, he realized that this team was in first place in July last year. They are in a position where they could win.
• Randy says that if he pitches well there could be a wolf pack in Milwaukee. He knows that fans there are very passionate.

Hart thinks that Wolf threw the ball very well last year. The Brewers had to do something to sure up the rotation. Dan thinks it's going to be the year of the wolf.

2009 Offensive Ranks

• Runs: 785 (3rd in NL)
• Average: .263 (4th)
• Home Runs: 182 (3rd)
• OBP: .341 (3rd)
• Steals: 68 (14th)

Ryan Braun joined the guys:

• Braun thinks batting average just comes out of consistency. He feels like he did a pretty good job of that last year.
• His goal is to be a well rounded player. The transition to the outfield was not easy, but he worked hard on it every day. He "feels great out there" now.
• Ryan feels like Milwaukee has a better team now than they did going into last season.

Projected Starting Lineup:

• R. Weeks, 2B
• C. Gomez, CF
• R. Braun, LF
• P. Fielder, 1B
• C. Hart, RF
• C. McGehee, 3B
• A. Escobar, SS
• G. Zaun, C

Having Weeks back from an injury is going to really help this offense. Before the injury, John thinks he was starting to come into his own. Gomez could be a real key to this ballclub because he needs to get on base in front of the middle of the order. Braun is a grinder who comes to play everyday. Plesac says that Fielder can do it all with the bat and doesn't get enough credit on defense. Prince can hit the ball out of any ballpark. Dan called Escobar "a special player." Corey Hart had a disappointing 2010 because they tried him at the top of the order.

Matt was joined by Gregg Zaun:

• Going into this offseason, Zaun wanted to find a home where they had a shot at a World Series and had an exciting young team. He feels like he got the best of both worlds.
• Zaun is excited about the young Milwaukee pitchers.
• He has the drive to continue to play year in and year out.

Hart thinks the Brewers will have a good club on defense. It won't be great, but they have an average defensive club. If their pitching steps up, Dan doesn't think the defense will hurt that much.

2009 Team Pitching Ranks

• Starter ERA: 5.37 (16th in NL)
• Bullpen ERA: 3.97 (10th in NL)
• Opp. Average: .268 (13th in NL)
• Quality Starts: 65 (15th in NL)
• Blown Saves: 22 (T-6th in NL)

Matt chatted with Trevor Hoffman:

• Hoffman doesn't come to camp fighting for a job, but he still likes the rituals of spring.
• Being a relief pitcher allows him to have lots of fun in Spring Training.
• Trevor is more than ready for 2010.

Projected Bullpen:

• LaTroy Hawkins, RHP
• Todd Coffey, LHP
• Claudio Vargas, RHP
• Mitch Stetter, LHP
• David Riske, RHP
• Carlos Villanueva, RHP
• Trevor Hoffman- Closer, RHP

The back end of the bullpen is pretty good. Hoffman is not the same guy he was ten years ago, but he still just knows how to do it according to John Hart. Trevor has a positive effect by just being around. Hawkins is in great shape himself. Dan likes the middle relief core. Stetter is a lefty that flies under the radar. He held left handed hitters to a .178 average last season. This is a must better bullpen than we saw last September.

Projected Rotation:

• Gallardo, RHP
• Wolf, LHP
• Davis, LHP
• Suppan, RHP
• 5 spot: Parra or Bush

Plesac thinks Gallardo is one of the guys on the brink of being an elite pitcher. He has good life on his fastball and good off speed stuff. He's really close to putting it all together. Randy will be missed by the Dodgers. Dan called him "sneaky fast". Doug Davis works so slow that he can put you to sleep sometimes. Davis is a good addition who has a good pick-off move. Suppan had a horrible year last year, but he is now going to have to nibble. It will rest on Jeff to have a better year. Manny Parra is the wildcard. He is the type of guy who has a world of ability, but still has to put it all together.

Top Prospects

• Eric Arnett, RHP
• Zack Braddock, LHP
• Lorenzo Cain, OF
• Kentrail Davis, OF
• Alcides Escobar, SS
• Kyle Heckathorn, RHP
• Brett Lawrie, 2B
• Jonathan Lucroy, C
• Jake Oddrizzi, RHP
• Angel Salome, C

Hart thinks the Brewers will focus on drafting pitching this June.

Matt talked to manager Ken Macha:

• Camp has gone well. Macha thinks Doug Melvin took care of the short comings that they had last year.
• The Brewers needs to find guys who toss quality starts.
• Milwaukee has had a very positive and upbeat spring. Their team feels like they can go out there and win every day.

Then he chatted with GM Doug Melvin:

• The Brewers have recrafted their pitching staff. They had to improve their starters because they got so few innings from the rotation last year.
• They were aggressive in going after Wolf then Davis.
• Having Rickie Weeks healthy will help because everyone in the clubhouse admires him.
• Matt says that Doug has picked up a Wisconsin accent.

Baseball Prospectus 2010 Brewers Projection: 77-85, 4th in NL Central, 11 GB

Plesac thinks the Brewers will win the Wild Card and return to the playoffs. He thinks they will be a surprise team in the NL this year.

John Hart predicts that the Crew will end up 3rd in the Central.

Up Next: Cubs 30 in 30

30 Clubs in 30 Days Recaps: Houston Astros

Today we continue our series previewing the 2010 season for the Cubs' NL Central foes. We have been recapping MLB Network's "30 Clubs in 30 Days", and today we will focus on the Astros' addition of 30 in 30.

Kissimmee, Florida is the Spring Training home of the Houston Astros.

Host Matt Vasgersian was joined by John Hart and Mitch Williams for this episode.

The Astros finished 2009 in fifth place with a 74-88 record. They were 17 games back of the first place Cardinals.

Additions:

• Pedro Feliz, 3B
• Brett Myers, SP
• Matt Lindstrom, RP
• Brandon Lyon, RP

Subtractions:

• Chris Coste, C
• Miguel Tejada, SS
• Aaron Boone, IF
• Darin Erstad, UT
• Mike Hampton, SP
• Jose Valverde, RP
• LaTroy Hawkins, RP
• Doug Brocail, RP

John Hart thinks that the Feliz signing was a good one because of the issues they've had at third base. Mitch thinks that Lindstrom needs to slow his delivery down.

The biggest change is that Brad Mills will take over as the Astros manager. The 52 year old Mills will be making his big league managerial debut, but he has managed at the minor league level including some time with the Cubs organization. Mills also spent 6 years as the Red Sox bench coach. Hazel Mae talked with Brad Mills:

• Brad thinks the Astros are on their way to becoming a winning environment.
• Consistancy is a key.
• Any time you have some solid veterans, the young talented guys are able to see how professionals act.
• Sitting next to Terry Francona and watching him manage for six years was "all the mentoring he could ever ask for."

Hart is not concerned about Lance Berkman's health because he thinks Lance can bounce back quickly. Mitch says that this knee cleanup will not take Berkman that long to come back from. Williams had a cleanup and was pitching 2 days later during his career.

2009 Team Pitching Stats:

• Starter ERA: 4.79 (14th in NL)
• Bullpen ERA: 4.13 (12th)
• Opp. Average: .275 (14th)
• Strikeouts: 1,144 (10th)
• Blown Saves: 26 (15th, tied with the Dodgers for NL's most)

Roy Oswalt joined the guys:

• He feels great. It's the first time in awhile that he has felt as healthy as he does now.
• The ball is coming out of Roy's hand really well.
• Oswalt likes to have a pitching coach who will correct one thing instead of throwing 4-5 things at you at one time. He doesn't like guys who harp on mechanics.
• It's tough to have a bullpen that blows a lot of games because your team never really gets on a roll.
• Some of the younger Astros' pitchers ask Roy questions. Oswalt thinks that Bud Norris will be a front line starter in the big leagues at some point. He says Bud has great stuff.
• Norris' biggest thing is location.

Projected Rotation:

• Roy Oswalt, RHP
• Wandy Rodriguez, LHP
• Brett Myers, RHP
• Bud Norris, RHP
• Brian Moeler, RHP

A lot of teams don't have a staff ace, but the Astros are one of the few NL clubs that do. If Oswalt is healthy, Mitch thinks he'll win 15-20 ballgames. Hart calls Rodriguez "filthy on left handers" and says he has one of the best curveballs in the National League. If Norris commands the ball, John thinks he'll take off. Brett Myers has great stuff when he's healthy and when his head is right.

Hazel chatted with Myers:

• Myers doesn't think that the change from the Phillies to the Astros was that big of a deal. "It's baseball," he said.
• It was an adjustment for Brett to come back from the bullpen to the rotation last year. Now that he has made that adjustment, he is looking forward for pitching with the guys in the Astros' rotation.

Projected Bullpen:

• Bradon Lyon, RHP
• Tim Byrdak, LHP
• Jeff Fulchino, RHP
• Chris Sampson, RHP
• Alberto Arias, RHP
• Closer: Matt Lindstrom, RHP

Lyon is waiting in the wings in case Lindstrom has any trouble. Williams said that Lyon is a pitch to contact guy. He does not strike out too many, but he doesn't walk guys and had a low ERA last year. Mitch prefers a power closer, so he gives Lindstrom the nod. Hart thinks the Astros setup core has yet to be settled. There are still some "lead-in" roles up for grabs.

2009 Team Hitting Stats:

• Runs: 643 (14th in NL)
• Average: .250 (8th in NL)
• Home Runs: 142 (12th in NL)
• Slugging %: .400 (11th)
• OBP: .319 (13th)
• Stolen Bases: 113 (4th)

Hazel Mae interviewed Lance Berkman:

• Berkman's health may decide the fate of the team this year.
• At the start of camp, Lance played through the knee discomfort, but the swelling continued so he went to see the team doctor.
• He decided to go under the knife now because he didn't want it to linger all year. It was better to get the situation taken care of now.
• Lance feels pretty good and is already walking on it. He plans to start swinging the bat in a week and a half or two weeks.
• He thinks Opening Day is a realistic goal, but he won't jeopardize an entire season over one game.

Projected Lineup:

• M. Bourn, CF
• K. Matsui, 2B
• C. Lee, LF
• L. Berkman, 1B
• H. Pence, RF
• P. Feliz, 3B
• T. Mounzello, SS
• H. Quintero, C

Mitch admits that two years ago he said that Bourn would never be an everyday player at the big league level because he could not hit left handed pitching. Now, he has worked his behind off and has Mitch eating his words. Matsui is a veteran guy who understands the game. He is a perfect 2 hole hitter. John says that Carlos Lee is not just a power guy, he's an all-around good hitter. Berkman is a run producer with a lot of good years left in him. Hunter Pence is a very unorthodox player but he has a bat, can run, and plays good defense. Pedro Feliz plays great defense at third base. He's one of the best guys at the hot corner in the league. Hart thinks they have a very good defensive club.

Top 10 Prospects:

• Jay Austin, OF
• Jason Castro, C
• Collin Delome, OF
• Jonathan Gaston, OF
• Chris Johnson, 3B
• Chia-Jen Lo, RHP
• Jordon Lyles, RHP
• Tommy Manzella, SS
• Jiovanni Mier, SS
• Ross Seaton, RHP

Hart's thinks that Mier has a lot of upside. Lyle was drafted in 2008 out of high school and has a lot of upside as well. John thinks that Jason Castro has all the things you want to see from a catcher. Castro could be at the big league level as soon as this year, and John thinks he'll be the catcher in Houston for a long time.

Hazel talked with Hunter Pence:

• Pence works hard and tries to win ball games.
• Being an All-Star is something you can't really put into words. Last year he felt like a young kid again playing in the All-Star game.
• The only way to get through soreness and get into game shape is to play 100% in Spring Training.

Mae also talked with radio voice Milo Hamilton:

• Milo called Hank Aaron's famous home run. Hamilton says that the homer barely made it out.
• This camp is fun because there are lots of battles for the roster.
• The coaching staff and new manager are working hard.

Baseball Prospectus predicts that Houston will finish with a 77-85 record, in 4th place in the NL Central. John Hart has the Stros at fifth, and Mitch Williams thinks they'll fall to last place. Williams points out that they lack that depth to hold up if there are any injuries.

30 Clubs in 30 Days Recap: St. Louis Cardinals

Today we continue our NL Central season preview by recapping the St. Louis Cardinals edition of MLB Network's "30 Clubs in 30 Days". Earlier in the week we started this series of recaps with the Pirates.

John Hart and Mitch Williams joined host Greg Amsinger on the program.

Opening Notes:

• The Cardinals had a disappointing finish in 2009.
• John Hart likes what they did this offseason. He cites the front end of the rotation and the middle of the order as two reasons that this is a loaded ballclub.
• Williams pointed out that there is probably not an analyst with the Network that is not picking St. Louis to win the Central. "They are just that good," he said.
• 2009 record: 91-71, first in NL Central

Additions:

• Rich Hill, SP
• Brad Penny, SP
• Felipe Lopez, IF

Subtractions:

• Joel Pineiro, SP
• John Smoltz, SP
• Todd Wellemyer, SP
• Troy Glaus, IF
• Khalil Greene, IF
• Rick Ankiel, OF
• Mark DeRosa, UT

John thinks that bringing Tony LaRussa and Dave Duncan back was the biggest offseason move. Duncan has done a great job with special projects, and LaRussa is an old school guy who is very prepared and has great passion for the game. Mitch think resigning Matt Holliday was the biggest move of the winter.

Hazel Mae joined the broadcast from Jupiter, Florida to conduct some interviews. Her first guest was Matt Holliday:

• When he came over to St. Louis, Matt made some adjustments to his hitting.
• He enjoyed playing in front of big crowds in a pennant race for St. Louis.
• Getting a chance to be a part of the races gave him a boost.
• Holliday thinks Mark McGwire will do a great job as the Card's hitting coach.
• Albert Pujols is fun to watch from the on deck circle.
• No team really came close to signing him apart from St. Louis. He called the Cards contract offer "to good to pass up."

Cardinals 2009 team pitching stats:

• Starter ERA: 3.66 (4th in NL)
• Bullpen ERA: 3.67 (4th)
• Blown Saves: 14 (2nd fewest)
• HR Allowed: 123 (2nd)
• BB Allowed: 460 (1st)

Adam Wainwright joined the guys:

• Dave Duncan is a master game planner. He breaks hitters down and backs it up with stats.
• Wainwright has always been a starter apart from the one season as the closer. Moving back to the rotation was an easy transition.
• Adam thinks that the rotation is very good on paper. He mentioned they have to stay healthy, but said that "1-5 we'll be hard to beat."

Williams thinks that Adam could be a 20 game winner. Kyle Lohse will be a key and a very solid number 3 if he's healthy. Hart likes the Brad Penney signing. There are 3 guys vying for the 5 spot including former Cub Rich Hill. Mitch thinks that Hill could be another Dave Duncan project.

Chris Carpenter talked with Hazel:

• It's been great for Chris to finally have rehab-free Spring Training.
• Last year Carpenter was able to be consistent and take the ball every fifth day.
• The Cardinals staff enjoys competing against one another and following each other's starts.
• Dave Duncan is super prepared and makes it easy to just go out and pitch.

Projected Bullpen:

• Jason Motte, RHP
• Kyle McClellan, RHP
• Blake Hawksworth, RHP
• Mitchell Boggs, RHP
• Trever Miller, LHP
• Dennys Reyes, LHP
• Ryan Franklin, RHP- closer (4-3, 1.92 ERA, 38 saves in 2009).

There's no question that Franklin will start the season as the closer, but Mitch is worried because he is not a strike out closer. Jason Motte is the most likely backup plan as the closer. John says that Ryan Franklin has good makeup and has a starter's mix. Tony LaRussa and Dave Duncan will look at all the guys in camp for potential middle inning roles.

2009 Offensive Team Stats:

• Runs: 730 (7th)
• Average: .263 (4th)
• Home Runs: 160 (6th)
• Slugging %: .415 (6th)
• Stolen Bases: 75 (11th)

Hazel briefly talked with Tony LaRussa:

• Albert Pujols has an oustanding work ethic and is never satisfied. This helps him to improve every year.
• The team's offense looks very deep.

Projected Starting Lineup:

• S. Schumaker, 2B
• C. Rasmus, CF
• A. Pujols, 1B
• M. Holliday, LF
• R. Ludwick, RF
• Y. Molina, C
• D. Freese/J.Mather, 3B
• B. Ryan, SS

Mitch Williams thinks that Skip Schumaker and Colby Rasmus have to find a way to get on base. If the top of the order guys aren't getting on, then Pujols and Holliday will not get pitches to hit. Hart thinks the 1-4 in the order is pretty solid. Ryan Ludwick is a bit of a streaky player, but he has big time power. Molina has really come on, but his weakness is speed. John thinks David Freese will win the third base job. He's a solid defender with a plus arm, but the question is the bat. Felipe Lopez is a good move as a backup option.

Top Prospects:

• Bryan Anderson, C
• Allen Craig, 1B
• Daniel Descalso, 2B
• David Freese, 3B
• Jaime Garcia, LHP
• Daryl Jones, OF
• Pete Kozma, SS
• Lance Lynn, RHP
• Shelby Miller, RHP
• Robert Stock, C

Jaime Garcia stands out to John Hart because he is close and has a chance to impact the big league club this year. Shelby Miller is "as good an arm as they have drafted in along time." He has been throwing the ball well in camp.

Colby Rasmus joined Hazel Mae:

• Rasmus learned the ropes last year. He also found out how to handle himself.
• Late in 2009, he struggled a little bit, which could have been because he was wearing down.
• Rasmus feels much more comfortable knowing that he has earned a job going into the season. He feels like he has proved that he can make it through a full season.
• Holliday has been there to answer any questions from Colby.

Mark McGwire chatted with Hazel:

• The Cardinals are hungry and want to get better.
• The experience this spring has exceeded his expectation.
• All of the guys have impressed him. The big question is, "How good can you be."
• Albert Pujols and Matt Holiday could still get into slumps, so he will try to help them work through those.
• Mark thinks that Tony is easy to work for.

Mitch thinks McGwire will excel at teaching because he cannot get enough baseball. John points out that Mark knows that the big guys don't need too much instruction.

Baseball Prospectus projected record: 92-70, first in NL Central

Mitch and John both also have the Cardinals winning the division.