1975 CML NL Preview

Predictions:

NL EAST

1^st New York

2^nd Philadelphia

3^rd Pittsburgh

4^th Montreal

NL CENTRAL

1^st Atlanta

*2^nd* St. Louis

3^rd Cincinnati

4^th Chicago

NL WEST

1^st San Francisco

2^nd Los Angeles

3^rd Houston

4^th San Diego

NL East

New York Mets

OFFENSE: B The Mets are a good power hitting team that can drive in a lot of runs. They might have some problems hitting for average.

DEFENSE: A They have one of the top defenses in the league with Morgan, Schmidt, Bishop, Chambliss and Ryan.

PITCHING: A- Lead by Bradley and Carlton, they should both get 16+ wins. The bullpen is well rounded w/ Pool slamming the door.

INTANGABLES: A The Mets have an active GM who will make the nessesary trades if the team needs to for a push into the playoffs. They should take the division unless something drastic happens.

Philadelphia Phillies

OFFENSE: B- Fisk should have a great year. Gardner could be a R.O.Y candidate. I think they will need more solid stick and to make the playoffs.

DEFENSE: C- Belanger is about the only guy that will challenge for a Gold Glove.

PITCHING: B+ The staff is solid. It will be interesting to see if the young Randy Jones picks up anything from his peers.

INTANGABLES: C The Phillies have a new GM in office and it will be interesting to see what he will do. The Phils have a stockpile of cash sitting in the CML Fund that, if used, could lift them over the Mets.

Pittsburg Pirates

OFFENSE: C- Veteran 1B Reggie Jackson will lead the way for the rest of the lineup of all 20 something’s. However, the young bats will need a couple more years to come into their own.

DEFENSE: C Ahloe is converting to SS, Beltre and Sater are solid. The outfield looks a little shaky.

PITCHING: B- A very young staff lead by Blue and Leonard. The front 5 will get banged up a bit this season, but there is a lot of potential. Eckersley holds down an average bullpen.

INTANGABLES: B The Pirates GM has a good foundation to build on. There is no need to push for the playoffs this year.

Montreal Expos

OFFENSE: D With no solid hitters to back anyone up, it will be a long year for the offense. Louie could be a stud.

DEFENSE: C- Moreno and Mayberry can challenge for Gold Gloves, but that’s it.

PITCHING: D- Every starter should have double-digit losses.

INTANGABLES: C- This club will most likely have the worst record in the NL but there is some light; They will have a top draft pick next year.

NL Central

Atlanta Braves

OFFENSE: A The Braves have a well balanced offense that will be one of the best in the NL. Walter should hit 30+ bombs, and Gillary should lead the team in average.

DEFENSE: A+ You wonder why the pitching staff has had low ERA’s the past few years? They have the best defense in the league. Gillary, Blalock and Luhmann can add more Gold Gloves to their collection.

PITCHING: B+ With a great defense behind them, the front 5 should have ERA’s under 3. The bullpen is well balanced and should hold lots of leads.

INTANGABLES: A It looks like it’s the Braves year this season. They are in the toughest division in the NL; but they will take it and maybe the championship.

St. Louis Cardinals

OFFENSE: A The Cards offense is very strong. Staub and Ferguson will have career years. Rookie, Dave Parker, is inserted into the lineup around studs and he to will become one. He can be R.O.Y candidate.

DEFENSE: B The defense looks very good and there are no glaring weaknesses. I don’t think there will be any Gold Glovers here, but they all can play some D.

PITCHING: B Led by Jim Rooker and Messersmith, the Cards have some good starters that can hold the leads for their strong offense. The bullpen should win/hold many games for them as well.

INTANGABLES: B The Redbirds are just an ace away from being an elite team. Will they acquire one to make the playoffs as a wild-card?

Cincinnati Reds

OFFENSE: C+ The Reds have a pretty good lineup with not a lot of pop. They will need the small-ball skills of Myers and Stein to score runs. Rookies Kay and Botche can be R.O.Y candidates.

DEFENSE: A One of the better defenses in the league. Myers has made 5 errors in 3 years at 2B. He and SS whiz Kay, will be flipping many double plays for years to come.

PITCHING: B Newly acquired pitcher Don Sutton leads a well-balanced staff of power and finesse pitchers. Rookie Frank Tanana could be R.O.Y candidate.

INTANGABLES: B The Reds have a lower-sized payroll, and if needed, can increase it if they are in the hunt.

Chicago Cubs

OFFENSE: B+ The Cubs have a pretty good balance on offense. Bench is poised to have another great year. Rookies Winfield and Griffey have R.O.Y. potential and the Cubs success depends on them.

DEFENSE: B- Defensively, the Cubbies are pretty sound. Sure handed Bill Buckner and SS Chris Speier are top-tier defenseman.

PITCHING: B The staff here is well rounded. Jim Palmer and Rudy May have all-star arms. Young knuckleballer Tippy Martinez is one to watch in the pen, he can be dominate at times.

INTANGABLES: Its too bad the Cubs are in such a tough division. They could easily be a 2^nd place team or maybe 1^st in some other divisions. A wild-card is not out of their reach this year. The NL Central will be a very wild one.

San Francisco Giants

OFFENSE: A The giants have a top 5 offense. They went out and traded for George Brett. He fits nicely into the Giants order and pretty much gave the team a lock for the playoffs. Look for Harter and Pitillis to have strong seasons.

DEFENSE: B+ The G-Men’s defense is solid. They have one of the better fielding infields in the league. The corner outfield spots are the only weakness.

PITCHING: A+ The staff is one of the best and highest paid. Seaver, Koosman and Jenkins will all have 15+ wins. If you are going to beat this team, having the lead with the starter out is key.

INTANGABLES: B- With a high payroll, I’m not sure if the Giants have the flexibility to add a key guy come October. I’m sure GM Sloca can find a way to get it done though.

Los Angeles Dodgers

OFFENSE: C Bumbry and Madlock are primarily the offensive force in LA. Horton needs a career year for the Dodgers to compete.

DEFENSE: C- Up the middle, the Dodgers are strong. Bill Madlock can play well at third too. Other than that, they need improvement.

PITCHING: C Matlack is the ace of the staff and he will be heavily relied upon. Goose Gossage and Terry Forester are one of the best 1-2 lights out in the league; Although, they might not get many chances this season.

INTANGABLES: D+ The Dodgers are in a financial crunch as their payroll topples $120 million. While there are weaknesses in the staff and on offense, it will be tough to shed payroll and add impact players.

Houston Astros

OFFENSE: C+ Dienstein and Steele have the 30 HR potential. The Astros will need it if they want to reach .500. Copeland and McHenry need a breakout years for this offense to be productive.

DEFENSE: C+ The Astros have a pretty solid defense. They are a rangy team, but will have the occasional error or two. Look for Filho and Mike “Mommas Boy” Cubbage to have great seasons with the leather.

PITCHING: C- With Don Sutton leaving, the Stros’ are missing a true ace. Ed Haliki can be a great dark horse pick to have a good season.

INTANGABLES: C The Astros are hoping for a .500 season this year, and that is a lofty goal. Pitching should be the primary focus for next year as the staff will get constantly get the hook.

San Diego Padres

OFFENSE: C- The Friars outfield looks primed for the next five years. North brings speed, Jim Rice has great pop and Dusty Baker has a little of both. The rest of the offense needs some re-tooling to be effective.

DEFENSE: C- The outfield defense is strong. Even with Baker in LF. 3B Rich Hebner should have another good year with the glove. Like the offense, the defense needs some re-tooling to be effective.

PITCHING: C- Splittorff and Richards are two strong workhorses that need to eat a lot of innings to keep the Padres in games. The bullpen looks shaky.

INTANGABLES: B+ The Padres have one of the lower payrolls in CML. They should keep their liquidity high until they are ready to challenge.