NL Central

NL Central

Cardinals

Strength - The Cardinals have an extremely deep lineup. They are very balanced and have a great mix. Jason Heyward will most likely bat In the two hole and add both power and speed to the lineup. The Cardinals have veterans like Matt Holliday and Yadier Molina in the middle of the lineup. Kolten Wong and Matt Adams are emerging players.

Weakness - All around the Cards are pretty solid all around. Like any team they will count on some un proven players in the bullpen. They will also count on guys like John Lackey and Lance Lynn to have another good season. The Cards also need Michael Wacha and Adam Wainwright to be healthy.

Wild Card Players - Matt Adams is a huge guy. The Cards need him to have a big power season. If Adams can hit 25 home runs it will be huge for the team.The Cards also need Yadier Molina to be healthy. If he is in the lineup it adds another great hitter and also leadership.

Cubs

Strength - The Cubs have a great farm system. We know about their star prospects. The question is when they will all be ready and when they will be able to contribute. The Cubs however have three prime corner stone players in Anthony Rizzo , Starlin Castro , and Jon Lester.

Weakness - The Cubs may not be ready yet. We have to see when players like Kris Bryant , Addison Russell and Albert Almora will be ready to perform. We also need to see players like Javier Baez and Jorge Soler emerge.

Wild Card Players - Is Javier Baez ready ? Last year we saw the highs and the pop. We also saw him strike out like crazy. Baez can be a guy who hits 30-40 home runs. With players like Baez it can take some time but if he is ready he can be a huge duo with Rizzo.

Pirates

Strength - Andrew McCutchen , Gregory Polanco , and Starling Marte make up a an outfield that has a lot of speed and power. They also have a lot of power and speed in Josh Harrison. The Pirates will steal a lot of bases and score a lot of runs.

Weakness - The Pirates need Jordy Mercer to produce at short stop. They are handing him the full time job. The same can be said for Francisco Cervelli. Cervelli will be the full time starter for the first time in his career.

Wild Card Players - The Pirates are short on players who hit 25+ home runs however Pedro Alvarez has hit over 30 in his career before. He was brutal last year however the Pirates need him to bounce back.

Reds

Strength - Well Joey Votto and Jay Bruce are bounce back candidates. They struggled last year but in the past they have been two of the better players in the game. Votto a former MVP and Bruce an all star. They also have Todd Frazier who is a great power hitter.

Weakness - The Reds appear to be rebuilding. They traded Mat Latos and did not add much at the major league level to improve the team. The Reds have definitely down greater the team and need some bounce back years to go.

Wild Card Players - Joey Votto is a former MVP. He needs to and can get back to those MVP numbers. Votto is one of the better hitters in the game and if he hits the Reds will be better than as bad as they may be.

Brewers

Strength - The Brewers have a solid outfield combo in Ryan Braun and Carlos Gomez. Braun has had some injuries however he is an MVP candidate when he is healthy. Gomez is emerging as one of the best players and biggest stars in baseball.

Weakness - The Brewers traded away their long term ace in Yovani Gallardo.  However they still have some veteran arms. Personally I believe the weak point for the team is the bullpen. Unless they bring K-Rod back or add a bullpen piece. I do not trust Jonathon Broxton as the closer.

Wild Card Players - Khris Davis has so much power. Last year he was just so inconsistent. The Brewers need him to stay consistent and he can shock some people and hit 30 homers.

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Peter Vitella
@realpete13