2010 MLB Preview: National League

Here's the preview for the American League from yesterday. Today I preview the National League.

NL East
1. Philadelphia Phillies- How does another World Series appearance sound? Many experts are predicting the Phillies to meet the Yankees once again in the World Series. While Joe Blanton will start the year on the DL, the pitching staff should be one of the best in the Majors. The Phillies traded Cliff Lee for Roy Halladay. I can't really call this an upgrade because Halladay has never pitched in the postseason. The Phillies weakness? Yes, the one and only Brad Lidge is still the closer.

2. Atlanta Braves- There is a lot to love for the Braves. They have three studs in the rotation(Derek Lowe, Tommy Hanson, Jair Jurrjens) and Tim Hudson will be ready for the start of the season. That's one hell of a starting rotation. Like the Phillies though, the Braves have questions surrounding their closer Billy Wagner. Will Wagner be able to stay healthy? The Braves have made that beast Jason Heyward their everyday starting right fielder. 90 wins and my choice to win the Wild Card.

3. Florida Marlins- Once again the Marlins have a talented lineup (Hanley, Uggla, Chris Coughlan) but their starting rotation has some questions. Josh Johnson is a solid number 1 pitcher, it's everyone else after that. Leo Nunez is their closer, enough said. The Marlins should win between 70-80 games and end in the middle of the NL East pack.

4. New York Mets- LOL Mets should be my entire preview but it's not. Injuries destroyed this team last year and have already taken affect on this team. Once again Jose Reyes will be on the DL. Carlos Beltran will also start the season on the DL. Hey at least they have Jason Bay! Oops they still play in a Graveyard. They have Johan Santana! Oh I forgot he's coming off of elbow surgery. Well at least they play in New York and don't have crazy expectations this year.

5. Washington Nationals- The Natinals will be awful this year, but unlike the Mets their future is actually bright. Stephen Strasburg won't have a long stay in the minors. And even though Ryan Zimmerman aches to play for a winner, he's locked into a long-term contract with the team. Even though the Nationals stink right now, they have a bright future and should be competing for the division within the next couple of years.

NL Central
1. St. Louis Cardinals- The roid user is back in St. Louis! He can teach Pujols and Holliday how to inject. In all seriousness this is the Cardinals division to win. Pujols finally has someone to protect him in the lineup and Wainwright and Carpenter are still in the front of the rotation with Ryan Franklin closing games. It's their division to lose.

2. Milwaukee Brewers- The Brewers have the bats (Fielder, Braun,Casey McGehee, Corey Hart) but their rotation stinks. Doug Davis and Randy Wolff are their 2nd and 3rd pitchers behind Yovani Gallardo. What about their bullpen though? LaTroy Hawkins is their setup man. How much does Trevor Hoffman have left? The Brewers don't have enough pitching to win the division, but maybe Wild Card?

3. Cincinnati Reds-Some people are picking the Reds to win the division. Did they forget Dusty Baker is still the Reds manager? Baker has burned so many arms that he should be in jail. He burned up Edison Volquez's arm and will probably burn up another arm by the end of the year. I don't trust the Reds with Baker managing them.

4. Chicago Cubs- This might be the last stand for Sweet Lou. Pinella came to the Cubs with a lot of expectations and the Cubs have nothing to show for it. Love the starting rotation when Zambrano isn't acting crazy. Their bullpen though is not exactly one of the strongest. Health will be an issue with this team. Last year the Cubs couldn't stay healthy, but if their healthy this year they could sneak in and win the division.

5. Houston Astros- When Brett Myers is your third pitcher in the rotation, you have problems. Myers can't even treat his wife with respect or answer simple questions and he's suppose to be the third starter? This team also has injury problems to worry about as the Big Puma will start the year on the DL. The Astros are going to stink this year.

6. Pittsburgh Pirates- Oof is the best way to describe this team. Their key free agent pickup? Bobby Crosby. The same Bobby Crosby who never stayed healthy after winning Rookie of the Year with the A's. And the Pirates expect him to play everyday at Shortstop? Can this team even win 65 games this year?

NL West
1. Colorado Rockies- It pains me to say, the Rockies are the best team in the NL West. Their a rare team that has both pitching, hitting, and a favorable ballpark. The Rockies will probably once again start the year off slow like they have in the past, but make a run once the summer heat starts bearing down on Colorado. There is no question that the Rockies are the best team out West.

2. San Francisco Giants- Surpringly the Giants were the best Spring Training team in the Cactus League. How much that translates to the regular season will be seen. Once again the Giants have an outstanding pitching staff anchored by Tim Lincecum, the best pitcher in the Majors. The bullpen is once again solid even though that high-wire act Brian Wilson is still closing. The lineup though ugh. When Aubrey Huff is your cleanup hitter, you have problems. At least though Bengie Molina isn't batting cleanup. And Pablo Sandoval should be better this year especially after dropping weight. The Giants should challenge for the division based on their starting pitchers.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers- The Dodgers will take a step back this year. Vicente Padilla is their opening day pitcher, not good. Their lineup is also not getting younger. Manny will play the rest of his contract out and will be gone. Rafael Furcal and Casey Blake are getting older. Russell Martin is injured. Then you have the drama surrounding their owners and Joe Torre might not be long for the job and you have a toxic situation that is ripe to implode. I'll fully enjoy their destruction.

4. Arizona Diamondbacks- If Brandon Webb can stay healthy, the Diamondbacks might be one of the surprise teams of the Majors. Webb, Danny Haren, and Edwin Jackson make a great starting rotation. Then you have Justin Upton, Mark Reynolds, and Stephen Drew anchoring the lineup. Health will matter though for Arizona.

5. San Diego Padres- This team is rebuilding and may trade their only valuable piece, Adrian Gonzalez, sometime during the season. This will be a terrible season for the Padres.

Hope you enjoyed my MLB previews. Foul Ball will be back starting next Monday.