National League 2006 Predictions

by Joseph Pancho Bradley, 3/29/06

Unlike the AL, the NL does not seem to have the powerhouses that the AL does but this will bring some great races down the stretch. *=A chance to win it all.

NL East

1. New York Mets*
   It’s a rule to never bet against the Braves, but I think this is finally they year. There still are many holes in this team, but the biggest improvements have been Wagner and Delgado and they will break this cycle.
2. Atlanta Braves*
   They have a lot of pitching questions, especially in the bullpen and without Leo Mazzone, but Bobby Cox has shown time and time again to never count out the Braves. It will be tight, but they will finally fall short this year.
3. Philadelphia Phillies
   They are hoping to hit their way into contention with their lack of good pitching, but it won’t be enough. They need pitching and perhaps a deal involving the slipping Bobby Abreau could happen near the deadline.
4. Washington Nationals
   Not a bad team, but not very good none the less. They have a lot of young players coming up, and with a few right moves (and not bad ones like the Soriano deal) they could be serious contenders in a few years.
5. Florida Marlins
   Dontrelle and Cabrera are back but they are the only ones. Most of the guys looking to start would be most likely on AAA teams on other clubs. Of course in another few years they will have another ring.

NL Central

1. St. Louis Cardinals*
   After a quite off-season and many grumblings, they still remain the class not only of the central but the NL. If Edmonds rebounds and Rolen can be how he was before then they will have it wrapped up by August
2. Houston Astros*
   They still have perhaps the best pitcher in the NL (Oswalt) along with a solid staff, the big questions are how will the offense perform and if Clemens coming back.
3. Milwaukee Brewers
   With a .500 record last year, they proved they are on the way up. Still a year or 2 away from a serious threat, they will need Weeks and Fielder to produce like expected.
4. Chicago Cubs
   The misery continues as the Cubs made some great off-season moves, but can get rid of the injury bug. Dusty Baker gets canned in the middle of the season
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
   They seem to be on the up rise with such young studs as Perez, Duke and Bay, but still have a long way to go
6. Cincinnati Reds
   Anyway you cut it you can’t win without pitching. The Reds have near none, therefore they will not win

NL West

1. San Francisco Giants*
   This division, while having no outstanding teams, is very strong 1-And sure, The Giants are old and have many injury concerns, but the real key will be the back end of the rotation including Lowry Cain and Hennessey.
2. San Diego Padres
   There starting pitching is thin, and their offense is always a question, but with the many new faces that GM Kevin Towers has brought in they look to improve on their record (however not on their rank in division)
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
   This team is deep, but not all that great. They are sure to improve, but health is always a concern with Nomar, J.D Drew and Brad Penny on your team
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
   They did finish second in the west last year with 77 wins, and they should improve especially if Brandon Webb gets it up, but I doubt they can better the top 3.
5. Colorado Rockies
   In my personal opinion that baseball can never work in Colorado, and its not going to be any different this year. The Rockies need to do something because it also doesn’t look promising for the future.

Check out Joe's AL 2006 Predictions.