The NL Central may very well be the most competitive division in the National League this season. You have the St. Louis Cardinals dominating since 2013 with the Pittsburgh Pirates not far behind. The Chicago Cubs also made plenty of noise in the offseason and are in the conversation for the division crown.
Which of these teams will take home the pennant in 2015? Read on for everything you’ll need to know about the NL Central, and check out our complete previews of the NL East and the AL West to get set to cash in on those juicy season-long MLB futures.
[sc:MLBArticles ]2015 MLB NL Central Preview
Favorites – St. Louis Cardinals
[sc:MLB240banner ]Winners of the past two NL Central titles, the St. Louis Cardinals are back as +135 favorites of the division. It’s not too difficult to see why as the Cards are solid across the board.
Adam Wainwright is still producing at an ace level, finishing with career-bests 2.38 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 2014. He’ll be joined by the likes of John Lackey and Michael Wacha, who aren’t too shabby themselves, in the starting rotation.
The Cards’ defense also got a huge boost with the arrival of two-time Gold Glove Award winner Jason Heyward. Matt Adams (.288 batting average), Jhonny Peralta (21 home runs) and Matt Holiday (90 RBI) shore up St. Louis at the plate after each putting up a solid effort in 2014.
Sleepers – Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs
The Pittsburgh Pirates (+240) narrowly missed out on the division title last season, finishing just two games behind champion St. Louis. The Bucs should once again be a stern challenge for the Cardinals this season, especially with arguably the majors’ most dynamic outfield in Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco.
McCutchen, in particular, is a perennial MVP candidate in the NL. He ranked third in the NL in batting average (.314), eighth in home runs (25), fourth in walks (84), second in slugging (.542) and first in OPS (.952) last season. With McCutchen at the plate, the Bucs should be poised for another strong season. That is if Francisco Liriano’s performance doesn’t regress. Liriano has a 3.20 ERA in two seasons with the Bucs, but had an ERA well over 5.00 in each of the three years prior to his move to Pittsburgh.
The Curse of the Billy Goat may soon end after the Chicago Cubs pulled off the biggest offseason move in the majors this year. The Cubs made the best catch in free agency when they penned the best lefty in the market, Jon Lester. Their pitching should be strong with Jake Arrieta (2.53 ERA) and Jason Hammell (3.47) also taking the mound in 2015.
The Cubs also have some intriguing, young sluggers in Kris Bryant, Jorge Soler, Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo had an excellent year with the Cubs last season, hitting .286 with 32 home runs and 78 RBI. All four batters are aged 25 or younger, so the future is bright for the Cubbies.
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Player to Watch – Jon Lester
As mentioned above, the Cubs are a young and inexperienced team. They’ll need a proven veteran to help guide them through the rigors of the season. Chicago has Jon Lester for that. Lester is no stranger to the spotlight, being a three-time All-Star (2010, 2011 and 2014) and two-time World Series champion (2007 and 2013).
Lester seems to be at the top of his game after battling some injuries in 2012-2013. He finished with a total of 220 strikeouts in 2014, after failing to clear 200 in three straight years. Lester set a career-best 2.46 ERA in 2014. Now pitching in the NL, expect Lester to rack up the strikeouts as he’ll now deal with opposing pitchers batting as well.
Key Storyline – Are the Chicago Cubs Legitimate Playoff Contenders?
Almost all the talk in the NL Central surrounds the Chicago Cubs and their chances of winning the title this season. Having Lester is already a bonus. Considering he matches the heights of his stellar 2014 season, then the wins should come flowing to Chicago.
Arrieta and Hammel should provide a solid top three pitching rotation for the Cubs. But for Chicago to really gain some steam, it’ll need the trio of Bryant, Soler and Baez to bump up their production and follow in Rizzo’s footsteps.
A year after hitting .233 with 23 home runs, Rizzo set career-bests in batting average (.286) and home runs (32) in 2014. Considering the rest of the batting order follows suit, then the Cubs may be considered a legitimate threat to win the division crown (+325) and maybe even the World Series (+1,800).
Writer’s Prediction
St. Louis (+135) takes the NL Central for the third straight season. Pittsburgh slows down, while the Cubs rise to second-place and grab a wild card spot.
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