1. Have they solved the left-handed bat problem with Milton Bradley?
2. Is it humanly possibly for Ryan Dempster to have a sub-3.00 ERA again?
3. Will Rich Harden be good for 25+ starts?
4. How will Geovany Soto perform in his second full MLB season?
5. Can the Cubs break the October jinx?
Great/Bad Expectations
The Cubs have more talent across the board than any other club in the National League and also play in a weak division, making their path to October paved in a lot of 'Cubs Win' at Clark and Addison.
Losing Mark DeRosa still kind of hurts for me, but they definitely have plenty of other bats to be in the top third in runs scored, but I expect a slight regression offensively. Kosuke Fukudome should recover at least a little and hopefully he forgets any English he knows. Bradley plays as though he's a hair-trigger away from the 15-day DL and playing the field will double his chances of being injured and the trio of Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez are quickly running against time. The Cubs have a few years left, but the window is narrowing with this group.
On the mound, the Cubs can't really be touched, as they have an almost ideal blend of different types of starters who are all potentially dominant.
1. Will Ryan Ludwick duplicate his out of nowhere 2008?
2. When will Rasmus be an everyday player?
3. Can Chris Carpenter be the old Chris Carpenter?
4. Will the makeshift bullpen fail them or is Jason Motte a viable closer?
5. How machine-like can Albert Pujols really be?
Great/Bad Expectations
This stage of Albert Pujols' career reminds me a lot of Barry Bonds during the late 1990's; he has a decent amount of talent around him but not nearly as much as he really deserves and his ripple impact up and down the lineup allows the Cardinals to overachieve offensively.
I think the Cardinals will ultimately find that their best outfield will have Rick Ankiel in left, star in the making Colby Rasmus in center and Ludwick in right field.
The mound can be very good, but is not without a question mark from top to bottom, whether it's health (Carpenter) or legitimacy (Adam Wainwright).
The inability to upgrade the bullpen this winter will be their Achilles heel, but I'm very curious to watch Motte attempt to handle it.
Predicting Their Season With A Movie Trailer
Milwaukee Brewers
2008 Record: 90-72
2008 Team OPS: .757 (14th)
2008 Starters ERA: 3.86 (3rd)
2008 Relievers ERA: 3.89 (9th)
2009 Projected Team OPS: .782
2009 Projected Starters ERA: 4.34
2009 Projected Relievers ERA: 4.02
*2009 Projected Finish: 3rd in NL Central
1. When was the last time a team had such a talent drain in their rotation in just a few months time?
2. Can Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder combine to hit 100 homers?
3. Will Corey Hart and J.J. Hardy make this year's All-Star Game?
4. Will Yovani Gallardo and Manny Parra deliver?
5. What kind of defense will they play?
Great/Bad Expectations
If any NL team will have four offensive players in this year's All-Star Game, I think it will be the Brewers. Braun is almost a lock, plus Fielder, Hart and Hardy have been hitting the Yount out of the ball this spring. The latter two are highly underrated hitters and I think that will change this season.
While the Brewers could lead the NL in runs this season, the loss of CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets from their rotation just is too much for them to endure. Gallardo is back and Parra is a talent southpaw, but I just don't have faith in a team to make the playoffs that sends out Jeff Suppan on Opening Day.
Predicting Their Season With A Movie Trailer
Cincinnati Reds
2008 Record: 74-88
2008 Team OPS: .729 (23rd)
2008 Starters ERA: 4.97 (24th)
2008 Relievers ERA: 3.81 (8th)
2009 Projected Team OPS: .733
2009 Projected Starters ERA: 4.85
2009 Projected Relievers ERA: 3.91
*2009 Projected Finish: 4th in NL Central
2. Are Jay Bruce and Joey Votto ready for stardom?
3. Who will hit more homers, Chris Dickerson or Micah Owings?
4. Is Edinson Volquez ready for Cy Young fame?
5. Will Francisco Cordero get more save opportunities?
Great/Bad Expectations
Now that the Brewers are fresh off a postseason appearance, the Reds have the longest NL streak I care about (sorry Pittsburgh). Baseball is exponentially better when the Reds are competing for a playoff slot and as you can see by their above Opsera history, it hasn't come in this millennium. Like so many clubs this year, they really aren't too far away from being fairly good and they have a lot of things to like with highly talented young bats (Bruce, Votto and Brandon Phillips) and arms (Volquez and Cueto).
This core is extremely young and this will be an important transitional season for their development and trading off Aaron Harang and/or Bronson Arroyo for another developing piece would be a wise maneuver this July.
Predicting Their Season With A Movie Trailer
Houston Astros
2008 Record: 86-75
2008 Team OPS: .737 (20th)
2008 Starters ERA: 4.56 (18th)
2008 Relievers ERA: 4.09 (14th)
2009 Projected Team OPS: .750
2009 Projected Starters ERA: 4.70
2009 Projected Relievers ERA: 4.20
*2009 Projected Finish: 5th in NL Central
1. Can Hunter Pence take his excellent September into 2009?
2. Will Wandy Rodriguez match Roy Oswalt in ERA (3.54) again?
3. Are the 'Valverde is how you say Lidge in Spanish' jokes now over?
4. Can Michael Bourn possibly have a .325 or better OBP in order for the Astros to utilize his speed?
5. Will Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee combine for 300 games and an OPS over .950?
Great/Bad Expectations
The Astros have an offense that is actually very easy to like. Any team with sluggers as good as Berkman and Lee in the middle of the lineup is going to put at least some runs on the board, but the pieces before and after them will really make the difference between a team that scores 775 runs and 700 runs. This is where Hunter Pence, Kaz Matsui and Bourn come in.
Their rotation has Roy Oswalt and a bunch of salvage cases and question marks. Brandon Backe was dreadful in 2008, but at least he was healthy for the first time since 2005. Mike Hampton returned to an MLB mound for the first time since 2005, throwing 78.0 innings while posting a 4.85 ERA with the Braves. Wandy Rodriguez could have another second starter type of season.
Predicting Their Season With A Movie Trailer
Pittsburgh Pirates
2008 Record: 67-95
2008 Team OPS: .723 (24th)
2008 Starters ERA: 5.36 (28th)
2008 Relievers ERA: 4.69 (28th)
2009 Projected Team OPS: .703
2009 Projected Starters ERA: 5.04
2009 Projected Relievers ERA: 4.73
*2009 Projected Finish: 6th in NL Central
2. Will Nate McLouth, unlike Dexys Midnight Runners and their 'Come On Eileen', avoid being a one-hit wonder?
3. Is this the worst offense in baseball?
4. Can Andy match his brother in terms of production?
5. Will the Jack Wilson trade rumors continue?
Great/Bad Expectations
If there were 100 expectations associated with the Pirates, 99 of them (like the Jay-Z song and the number of bottles on the wall) would be bad. This is clearly the least talented team in baseball and the team that finishes ahead of them at 29th in Opsera will be likely a long ways away from them. Pittsburgh can't get Pedro Alvarez and Andrew McCutchen up to PNC Park quickly enough. Until then, the rest of the MLB will be drinking the Pirates' milkshake.
