Baseball

For a season overview see Baseball main page.

By Charlie in the Trees
For Outsports

1.  ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

Hot Card: Albert Pujols The Rookie of the Year is all man Newbies: Jason Isringhausen, Tino Martinez, Al Martin Goners: Mark McGwire, Dustin Hermanson, Craig Paquette Upside: One fortuitously blown suicide squeeze away from the World Series. The Cards bring back almost the same team that nearly beat Arizona in the 2001 NLDS, but make a major upgrade to the bullpen by adding Izzy's big package to a talented group of set-up men who were in search of a closer. Downside: The La Russa Era Cards just can't seem to get over the hump. The big hole in left field won't help that cause. The season hinges on the ability of a 22-year old Pujols to repeat the stellar accomplishments of his 21-year old self. Bottom Line: The Cardinals lose Mark McGwire and they will improve. Not because Big Mac was a drain on the team. He wasn't. The players will step up because they won't be waiting for a Big Mac blast to win the game. And getting Tino from the Yankees will actually improve production at first base (offensively and defensively). 2001 record: 93-69, 2nd place (technically), NL wild card 2002 prediction: 94-68, 1st place, National League Champions

2. CHICAGO CUBS

Hot Cubbie: Alex Gonzalez (who came from Toronto) Newbies: Moises Alou, Alex Gonzalez, Chris Stynes, Darren Lewis Goners: Todd Van Poppel, Eric Young, Matt Stairs, Ron Coomer Upside: A phenomenal starting rotation gets even better with the addition of probable Rookie of the Year Mark Prior. Team President Andy McPhail doesn't seem to understand that these are the Cubs and they're supposed to lose: he keeps making so many excellent moves to re-establish the Cubs' winning tradition (after a 100-year absence). Downside: Over-reliance on too many old and/or injury-prone players, like new signees Moises Alou and Chris Stynes. Closer Flash Gordon is opening the season on the DL. Again. Prickly manager Don Baylor is susceptible to quickly wearing out a welcome. This is his third year in Chi Town. Bottom Line: The Cubs are starting to act like a big market team - which they are - and if they are competitive in mid-summer, McPhail will make the necessary moves (i.e., spend the necessary bucks) to get them to the post-season. Probable holes to fill: major league calibre middle infielders and a healthy closer. 2001 record: 88-74, 3rd place 2002 prediction: 92-70, 2nd place, NL wild card

3. HOUSTON ASTROS

Hot 'Stro: Wade Miller The hottest of a scorching collection of talented young pitchers Newbies: Jimy Williams (manager), Gregg Zaun, Geoff Blum Goners: Moises Alou, Pedro Astacio, Vinny Castilla, Chris Truby, Mike Williams Upside: Wade Miller and Roy Oswalt: Schilling and Johnson The Next Generation? Tim Redding could step forward and give them the best 1-2-3 punch in baseball, all the while pitching in the hitter-loving confines of the Ballpark Formerly Known as Enron (BFKAE). Downside: A talent drain on offense. Once again, Jeff Bagwell and three talented outfielders will have to supply all the offense at the BFKAE. Handsome Craig Biggio is about done at second. Bottom Line: The 2001 Astros over-achieved due to the amazing performance of their young pitching. And it was all Larry Dierker's fault. Dierker's out and the enigmatic Jimy Williams is in. In Boston, Williams successfully juggled his line-ups to get the most out of his overpriced patchwork teams. In Houston, Williams won't have to worry about the "over-priced" part of that equation. 2001 record: 93-69, 1st place 2002 prediction: 83-79, 3rd place

4. CINCINNATI REDS

Hot Red: Jason LaRue Big muscles - especially the glutes and quads - combined with a handsome face - what's not to love? Newbies: Juan Encarnacion, Gabe White Goners: Pokey Reese, Pete Harnisch, Dmitri Young, Dennys Reyes,  Upside: A team with Junior Griffey couldn't possibly be as bad it looked in 2001, could it? Junior's now healthy and extremely motivated. Just about everyone in baseball is projecting superstar numbers from Adam Dunn, possibly as soon as this year. And despite losing Pokey Reese, the Reds still have the player with baseball's coolest name: Gookie Dawkins. (What drug do they give expectant mothers in the Palmetto State? Both Pokie and Gookie are from South Carolina.) Downside: The baseball Bengals. Could even a great manager like Tony La Russa or Bobby Cox cobble together a starting rotation from the Reds staff? And if genii couldn't, what hope is there for bumbling Bobby Boone? (By the way, when the Royals replaced Boone with Tony Muser in 1997, did they purposefully try to hire the one man in America worse than Boone at managing a major league team?) Bottom Line: A healthy Junior will carry this team back (near) respectability, aided only by Sean Casey and a talented bullpen. 2001 record: 66-96, 5th place 2002 prediction: 76-86, 4th place

5. MILWAUKEE BREWERS

Hot Brewer: Ben Sheets The team motto should be: "Beautiful Men Playing Ugly Baseball" Newbies: Glendon Rusch, Eric Young, Matt Stairs, Midre Cummings, Lenny Harris Goners: Jeromy Burnitz, Jeff D'Amico, Devon White, Mark Leiter Upside: Proof positive that baseball is an honest game. If the fix were in, the home team of Commissioner Bud wouldn't be the useless hacks collected in West Milwaukee. Geoff Jenkins has to be better than he was in 2001. Richie Sexson might be as good.  Downside: They got rid of their best pitcher (Jeff D'Amico) and their leading run scorer (Jeromy Burnitz) in a lopsided talent transfer with the Mets. At least they got gorgeous Glendon Rusch. Bottom Line: An aging patchwork of spare parts and injury-prone pitchers. This team continually picks up worn out veterans not because they fill a need, because they're an available name. Last year it was Devon White. This year, Eric Young and the Milwaukee-type body of Matt Stairs. This team is a long way from .500, let alone being competitive. At least their pitchers will look good on the mound from the centerfield camera shot. 2001 record: 68-94, 4th place 2002 prediction: 73-89, 5th place

6. PITTSBURGH PIRATES

Hot Bucco: Jason Kendall Inexplicably awful stats in 2001 - let's hope The Kid is back in 2001 Newbies: Mike Williams, Pokey Reese, Ron Villone, Sean Lowe, Kip Wells Goners: Todd Ritchie, Warren Morris Upside: Surprising uni-directional talent flow in the off-season. Talent flowed in, not out. Pokey Reese improves a second base situation that couldn't have gotten worse. Sean Lowe and Kip Wells are two very talented young pitchers that the Buccos stole from the White Sox. Downside: In the mid 80's, the Great Bill James once quoted a Pirates fan as saying: Young pitchers will break your heart. Almost two decades later, it's still true in the Burgh. Phone sex loving Kris Benson suffered an horrific elbow injury. Everyone else merely stunk. Bottom Line: Two teams are absolute locks to improve from 2001. The young D-Rays are one; the Pirates are the other. The Pirates may not be very good, but they're not awful. Brian Giles and The Kid Kendall are great anchors on which to build a franchise. If Kris Benson bounces back from his elbow injury in 2002 (2003 is more likely), he'll serve that same anchor role on the starting rotation. 2001 record: 62-100, last place 2002 prediction: 66-96, last place