OVERALL OUTLOOK
Could this finally be the year for the Cubbies?  With the Red Sox and White Sox winning World Series titles in recent years the North Siders from Chicago have become the lone truly long-suffering fan base in the major leagues.  This season they certainly look built for the postseason, and AccuScore has them are the heavy favorites in the division winning 90 games.  Milwaukee should be the prime competition, and the Brewers should also challenge for the Wild Card.  Houston, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh will all be in different states of rebuilding with all four teams struggling to stay over .500.  The lack of depth in the division might allow both Chicago and Milwaukee to pile up wins and help both teams reach the playoffs.

CHICAGO CUBS
With the lack of depth in the NL Central, the Cubs will be heavily favored even if there are some concerns at some spots in the field.  Prospect Felix Pie will finally be handed the reins in center field, but there have been trade rumors about finding a veteran back-up just in case he can’t handle the position everyday.  Then there is of course the constant rumors about the Orioles Brian Roberts whose arrival would strengthen an already tough lineup.  In the meantime, shortstop Ryan Theriot has been moved to the leadoff spot to allow Alfonso Soriano to hit second and hopefully reduce the pressure on him to run.  Japanese import Kosuke Fukudome is an on-base machine, and will likely slot in behind Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez.

New Faces:  Fukodome will be the full-time right fielder.  His on-base skills should help out what is a free-swinging team.  Catcher Geovany Soto takes over behind the plate full-time after having a terrific breakout in a short stint in the majors at the end lf last season.

Injury Concerns:  Newly appointed closer Kerry Wood will try to get his career back on track again playing a key role for the Chicago Cubs.  He will need to prove he can stay healthy, and be able to pitch on back-to-back days in pressure situations.  Lefty reliever Scott Eyre will begin the year on the disabled list.

Expectations:  It’s playoffs or bust for this squad as they are the most talented squad in the division.  The pitching and lineup are both quality even though there are also question marks.  Wood will still need to prove he can stay healthy, but there is depth in the bullpen and in the rotation.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS
The Brew Crew defied expectations last season and stayed in contention in the Central the entire year with critics all the while expecting the team to fall off the pace.  That never happened, and with a young core of terrific players, Milwaukee should be contending for the playoffs for a long time to come.  First baseman Prince Fielder hit 50 home runs last season, and is now one of the most feared power hitters in baseball.  Ryan Braun will now patrol left field after being a defensive disaster at third, but there was never any doubt about his bat.  Braun hit an incredible .234 with 34 home runs and 97 RBI despite arriving late to the scene and making less than 500 plate appearances.  J.J. Hardy, Corey Hart, and Rickie Weeks are all 26 or younger, and are great offensive talents as well. 

New Faces:  Eric Gagne is the new closer and his old Dodger teammate Guillermo Mota will back him up in the bullpen.  Mike Cameron is the new centerfielder after he serves a 25 game suspension for breaking baseball’s drug policy.  Tony Gwynn Jr. will be the likely candidate to replace him.  Jason Kendall will catch, but will hit ninth in the lineup moving the pitcher’s spot to eighth. 

Injury Concerns:  Gagne will forever be an injury risk, and he was ineffective in Boston last season.  He will have a lot to prove at least early in the year.  Ace Ben Sheets has not been able to stay healthy for a full season yet in his career.  Young star right-hander Yovani Gallardo had arthroscopic surgery on his knee and should be ready to join the rotation sometime in April.

Expectations:  The Brewers have an impressive young core of players both in the lineup and the pitching staff.  They will need some health, and some luck but they have the talent to compete with the Cubs for the division title.  AccuScore gives them a 1-in-4 chance to win the Central crown, and a 1-in-3 shot at the playoffs.

HOUSTON ASTROS
There seems to be some confusion in Houston.  The team certainly does appears to lack the pitching depth to nab a playoff spot, but team management seems to disagree as they traded several prospects for Miguel Tejada in order to boost the offense.  Ace Roy Oswalt will be backed up in the rotation by Brandon Backe, Wandy Rodriguez, Shawn Chacon, and Chris Sampson.  That does not look like a championship pitching staff.  Backe and Sampson have had arm troubles in the pass and Rodriguez and Chacon are very up and down.  The offense looks to be decent with Hunter Pence, Carlos Lee, Lance Berkman, and Tejada.

New Faces:  The aforementioned Tejada takes over at short, but he is getting older and his defense has been declining for years.  He is definitely and upgrade offensively however, but he will need to hit to make up for his lack of fielding ability.  Kaz Matsui will start the season off on the disabled list, but he will be the everyday second baseman.  Rookie J.R. Towles will take over at catcher for veteran Brad Ausmus.  He hit .375 in a trial run at the end of the year, and even had a team record 8-RBI in a single game.

Injury Concerns:  Backe only made five starts last season after Tommy John surgery.  Matsui will start the year off on the disabled list with one an oddity of an injury you seem to only see in baseball.  Pitcher Felipe Paulino, who had been competing for a spot in the rotation, will likely miss half the season with a pinched nerve in his arm.

Expectations:  The team seems to be expecting to contend, but our projections have the Astros finishing below .500.  That projection seems a bit high to me only because it assumes good health and some sort of consistency in the rotation which is highly unlikely when looking at the pitching staff.  Last season the Astros used a carousel of pitchers behind Oswalt.  I would expect that to happen again.

CINCINNATI REDS
Seven years have passed since the Reds finished with a record above .500.  This could be the year they get their heads above water with the weakness of the division, but AccuScore projections have them falling three games short of that goal.  New manager Dusty Baker will have his hands full trying to get this team to exceed projections.  The offense should be very good with Ken Griffey Jr., Adam Dunn, Brandon Phillips, and Edwin Encarnacion making up the heart of the lineup.  Rookie Joey Votto is likely to take over at first base.  There is also speed with Phillips, and reserves Norris Hopper and Ryan Freel.  The rotation is fronted by the underrated Aaron Harang and solid Bronson Arroyo.  Youngsters Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto have electric arms, but hopefully they turn out better than the last pair of flamethrowers to play under Dusty Baker (Kerry Wood and Mark Prior).

New Faces:  Corey Patterson will spend a lot of time in the outfield, and may bat leadoff.  Francisco Cordero was signed away from Milwaukee to be the closer. 

Injury Concerns:  Shortstop Alex Gonzalez will start the season out on the disabled list.  He should return by the end of April.  Reliever David Belisle and catcher David Ross will miss the start of the season, but should be ready to return very soon.  Griffey Jr. played in 144 games last year his most since 2000.  He is as always a high injury risk as is Freel.

Expectations:  Anything close to .500 probably would be considered a success for this team.  There is hope for the future with young talented position players like Phillips and Encarnacion and some talent in the pitching staff.  This team will score runs, but it will be a question of whether or not the Reds can stop other teams.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
This team bears little resemblance to the squad that won the World Series in 2006.  Only Albert Pujols and catcher Yadier Molina remain form the everyday lineup that won the title just two years ago.  Skip Schumaker, Rick Ankiel, and Chris Duncan will comprise an entirely new outfield in their first chance to be regulars in St. Louis.  The Cardinals finished 78-84 last season, and our projections have them falling off even further to fifth place and just 75 wins.  With all the turmoil in the front office and with personnel that appears to be about right.  The pitching staff is a walking M.A.S.H. unit.  Adam Wainwright and Braden Looper will head the rotation along with the newly signed Kyle Lohse.

New Faces:  Cesar Izturis takes over at shortstop.  Troy Glaus was swapped for Scott Rolen, and will man third base.  Ankiel continues his incredible journey, and will be the starting center fielder on Opening Day.  Ankiel and Glaus will both bat fourth behind Pujols.

Injury Concerns:  Pujols has a torn ulnar collateral ligament, but will play through the injury unless it worsens.  That is bad news for fantasy owners, but he has looked fine this spring.  Pitchers Matt Clement, Mark Mulder, Chris Carpenter, and Joel Piniero will all open the year on the disabled list.  All will be trying to make comebacks sometime before the All-Star break save for Carpenter who is looking at more of a July or August return date.  If all were to return to health and join the rotation the Cardinals could be formidable, but that is very unlikely.  Right fielder Juan Encarnacion fractured an eight socket back in August of last year and he will miss the 2008 campaign.

Expectations:  At least Pujols is still here or else things might get really bad in St. Louis.  Gone are Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds and are so are any thoughts of the playoffs.  The main focus this season should probably be finding two or three players that can be regulars for 2009, and that group will likely include prospect Colby Rasmus in the outfield at some point this season.  Getting a few of the starting pitchers upright and throwing this season will be big as well.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES
At least Pittsburgh has one of the best stadiums in baseball in PNC Park.  Now if only they had a team to match the quality of the ball field.  AccuScore has projected the Pirates to win just 68.5 games which is exactly the same as the line has been placed on futures.  There is just a dearth of talent in Pittsburgh, and the Bucs don’t appear capable of contending for the playoffs anytime soon.  With Houston, St.Louis, and Cincinnati all rebuilding as well there may be some hope of finishing out of the cellar in the division.  Those hopes will be pinned on a good young rotation comprised of Ian Snell, Paul Maholm, Tom Gorzelanny, and Zach Duke.  All four are 26 years or younger, and Snell is believed to have the most potential of the bunch.  The offense will be led by Jason Bay, Adam LaRoche, and former batting champ Freddy Sanchez.

New Faces:  Much of the roster from last season remains intact, which is both a good and a bad thing depending on how you look at it.  The Pirates finished 12th in the NL in runs scored, but several players had subpar years particularly outfielder Jason Bay.  A moderate bounce back from a few regulars would help boost the offense.

Injury Concerns:  Second baseman Freddy Sanchez has had irritation in his shoulder, but it was deemed to be due to inflammation rather than anything else.  MRIs deemed the shoulder to be structurally sound, but it is a situation to monitor going forward. 

Expectations:  There are very few expectations for this team except for them to finish last in the division and be one of the worst teams in the National League.  There has been a regime change in Pittsburgh, and there is some young talent on the horizon with outfielders Steven Pearce and Andrew McCutchen, and third baseman Neil Walker.  It’s possible all three could see some time in the majors this season.