Acquisitions keep St. Louis class of NL Central No division in baseball lost more big bats during the offseason than the National League Central. Sammy Sosa, Moises Alou, Carlos Beltran, Jeff Kent, Edgar Renteria and Jason Kendall have all moved on, leaving voids across the NL Central landscape and in many ways a much different looking division. One thing hasn't changed, however. The St. Louis Cardinals are still the team to beat in the NL Central. Renteria, catcher Mike Matheny and second baseman Tony Womack are gone, but the defending National League champions should be just as formidable this year after adding Mark Mulder, Mark Grudzielanek and David Eckstein to a team that returns Albert Pujols, Larry Walker, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen and Reggie Sanders. The Cubs must find replacements for Sosa and Alou, expected to be Jeromy Burnitz and Todd Hollandsworth, but there's little doubt about the Cubs rotation, which should once again be among the strongest in baseball. The Astros are coming off the best showing in franchise history and while they too have to deal with significant losses like Beltran, Kent and pitcher Wade Miller, the cupboard is hardly bare in Houston. Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens returns, along with 20-game winner Roy Oswalt and most of the rest of the cast of last year's surprising team. Cincinnati and Pittsburgh have new faces and new hopes in 2005 and head to Spring Training with perhaps the best squads they've had in at least three years if everyone is healthy. Milwaukee's losses included closer Dan Kolb and outfielder Scott Podsednik but the Brewers are also excited about new additions like Carlos Lee. With the opening of camp just one week away, here's a look at where each of the NL Central teams stand: ============================================================================== The favorite Cardinals Sure they don't have Edgar Renteria, Mike Matheny or Woody Williams anymore. Then again, this time last year they didn't have Larry Walker in right field, Mark Grudzielanek at second base and Mark Mulder in the rotation. So while David Eckstein is clearly not the player Renteria was, he remains a decent shortstop. With the firepower this team has elsewhere, plus the upgrade at second base Grudzielanek represents, this is clearly the team to beat in the division and perhaps the National League. Projected regular-season finish: First place Biggest ST challenge: The only thing close to what could be characterized as a Spring Training challenge for this team is making sure everyone on the 25-man roster is healthy and ready to go for a full season. Best position battles: Yadier Molina is expected to be the starter, and though he's perhaps not as good defensively as Matheny, he should be a better offensive producer. He will need to work well with the staff, however, and if he struggles veteran Einar Diaz might push him for playing time. Wild card: Albert Pujols' heel is the most talked about since Achilles was in his prime. As good as this team is, if Pujols misses significant time or cannot perform up to his usual standards, the dynamic of the everyday lineup could change considerably. ============================================================================== The challengers Cubs The departures of Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou mean the Cubs will be without two players who accounted for 23.5 percent of Chicago's RBIs last season. That's a lot of firepower, and even if new arrival Jeromy Burnitz can give the team adequate production in right field, the Cubs still figure to be a less formidable offensive unit than they were last season. They will, however, have one of the more potent hitting infields around in Derrek Lee, Todd Walker, Nomar Garciaparra and Aramis Ramirez. If the bullpen can improve and the four horses in the rotation -- Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Greg Maddux and Carlos Zambrano -- pitch as they can, this team can stay in the playoff picture. Projected regular-season finish: Second place Biggest ST challenge: Getting production from the corner outfielders is going to be a challenge, but another one will be settling on a closer. Joe Borowski is expected to return after injuries sidelined him much of last season, and of course LaTroy Hawkins and veteran Ryan Dempster are also closing options. Best position battles: Glendon Rusch is the favorite to nail down the fifth spot after his outstanding season a year ago, but a great spring from some of the other candidates like Sergio Mitre might make things interesting, especially since Rusch has proven his value as a reliever as well as a starter. Wild card: Garciaparra is looking forward to putting together a full season at Wrigley Field. He's healthy and will be a free agent next year, so a monster season is certainly a possibility and one capable of carrying this team to October. ============================================================================== Astros Maybe you haven't heard the Astros lost Carlos Beltran, Jeff Kent and Wade Miller from the team that came within a game of reaching the World Series last season. But despite dire predictions from some after those losses, as well as the departure of general manager Gerry Hunsicker, the Astros should have the strongest rotation they've had in a dozen years. This team won't score 803 runs again this season, but the defense and pitching should be better and with a rotation led by Roger Clemens, Roy Oswalt, Andy Pettitte and Brandon Backe this is still a dangerous team. Projected regular-season finish: Third place Biggest ST challenge: The Astros must decide whether to put Craig Biggio back at second base or leave Biggio in left field and give the job to rookie Chris Burke. How well Burke performs in Spring Training will determine which course the Astros take. Jason Lane is the heir apparent to Beltran in center field for now, but if youngsters Willy Taveras or Charlton Jimerson excel in Florida the Astros could decide to accelerate their climb to the Majors. Best position battles: The battle for the fifth spot in the rotation should be a good one with Carlos Hernandez, Tim Redding and Dave Burba all getting a shot. Wild card: If Clemens and Oswalt perform similarly to what they did last year and Andy Pettitte makes a return to full health, the Astros could challenge for the division title. ============================================================================== The long shots Reds This team doesn't get much respect, but when you look at its lineup, particularly its outfielders, you get the idea that this team may have a lot to say about who wins the division, even though they are likely a few pieces short of contending in 2005. The Reds' four top outfielders -- Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr., Austin Kearns and Wily Mo Pena -- can bang with the best bashers in the game when they're healthy. The Reds have upgraded at third base in Joe Randa, stocked the rotation with Eric Milton and Ramon Ortiz and added a few veteran arms to the bullpen mix such as Ben Weber and David Weathers. It won't be the best staff in the division, but one that should be a definite improvement over last season. Projected regular-season finish: Fourth place Biggest ST challenge: Overall health of key veterans is an issue with this team, but another challenge will be determining a pecking order in the middle infield and then giving the two starters, whoever they are, ample time to work together before the start of the season. Best position battles: If everyone stays healthy the offense should be adequate, so if Paul Wilson, Milton and Ortiz can deliver as hoped and the Reds also see improvement from young starters like Aaron Harang and Brandon Claussen, this team could surprise some people. ============================================================================== Pirates The Pirates are another team that should be improved in 2005, but this is still a very young team with not much power and too many question marks to challenge for the postseason this year. Even so, with youngsters like Rookie of the Year Jason Bay and left-hander Oliver Perez joining All-Star shortstop Jack Wilson and newly acquired Matt Lawton and Mark Redman, this team should be harder to beat this year. Projected regular-season finish: Fifth place Biggest ST challenge: Finding a leadoff man and catcher to replace the talented Jason Kendall. Veteran Benito Santiago was signed to compete with Humberto Cota and J.R. House for the catching job, and with Lawton expected to bat leadoff, at least whoever wins the catching job won't have that responsibility. Best position battles: The Pirates have a number of above-average young arms in the system and one or two of them could make an impact in 2005. This team is still a couple of rebuilding years away from contending, but if some of their better prospects get on the fast track or exceed expectations as Bay did last year, the Pirates have a shot at .500. ============================================================================== Maybe next year Brewers The Brewers' rebuilding job continues, but the good news is the help that has been on the way the last few years is getting closer to arriving in Milwaukee. The Brewers had significant offseason losses, including closer Dan Kolb and center fielder Scott Podsednik, but they also brought in Carlos Lee and obtained high-ceiling flamethrower Jose Capellan from the Braves. There are question marks at several spots and several new starters and/or position changes. With so many new factors there is so much uncertainty, which makes it hard to think the Brewers will be able to crack the .500 barrier in 2005. Projected regular-season finish: Sixth place Biggest ST challenges: Finding a closer to replace Kolb, sorting out the roles in the bullpen and determing the rotation beyond Ben Sheets, Doug Davis and Victor Santos. Best position battles: Russell Branyan and Wes Helms are set to compete for the starting job at third base, and the bullpen rotation is wide open. Wild card: Too many holes to think the Brewers can climb out of the cellar in 2005, but they have the potential to be a better team if some of the youngsters like Capellan are as good as advertised. 按: 酒鬼们只要尽力就是了..... -- To opengoodbook: 在吗 ★opengoodbook 有~~~ To opengoodbook: 你会不会在意昨天的事啊?? ._./ ★opengoodbook 我忘了or2 --

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