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 Welcome to the division that no one seemed to want to win in 2007. After the Brewers, Reds, Cubs, Astros and Cardinals each made a push at one point during the season to reach the top of the NL Central but in the end it was the Cubs with a boisterous 85 victories. They were then easily swept out of the playoffs.
The NL Central in 2008 includes an old manager in a new place with Dusty Baker with the Reds, a Japanese import with Kosuke Fukudome joining the Cubs, a rebuilding project happening in St. Louis, an up and coming team lacking pitching in Milwaukee, a team where no one really knows what will happen in Houston and.....I'm not really sure what they are doing in Pittsburgh.
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 1st Place - Chicago Cubs - 86-76 - Did you really think I was going to pick someone else in this spot? The Cubs will win the NL Central again in 2008 because of the pitching depth they have built through their farm system and free agent acquisitions. The offense will be susceptible to bouts of dehydration at times but should be enough to win this lackluster division.
What to watch out for: Keep an eye out on the production the Cubs get out of the middle of the diamond (C, 2b, SS and CF). If Geovony Soto, Ryan Theriot, Mark DeRosa and Felix Pie don't produce consistently, the Cubs won't have a chance. All of these players have questions about their games so they will have to prove themselves.
2nd Place - Cincinnati Reds - 84-78 - I hate to say it but Dusty Baker will get the most out of this team this season....only to watch it implode because of misuse next season. Veterans Brandon Phillips, Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey, Jr. and Aaron Harang lead this bunch of rag tags who look to make life miserable for the National League.
What to watch out for: Dusty Baker could care less about OB % and that is what Adam Dunn's game is mostly about. Will these two be able to get along or will Dunn be traded at some point this season?
3rd Place - Milwaukee Brewers - 81-81 - Pitching and defense win championships and I'm just not certain the Brewers have much of either as they enter the 2008 Season. They signed Mike Cameron to play center field, which is an upgrade, but it was offset by moving Bill Hall to third base and Ryan Braun to left field. SP Ben Sheets leads a pitching staff that has already lost one member (Chris Capuano), so look for Pitching Coach Mike Maddux to have his work cut out for him.
What to watch out for: Ben Sheets is in his contract year so he'll be pushing for a huge contract at the end of this season. If he stays healthy and is a Cy Young candidate, he could lead this team into the playoffs.
4th Place - Houston Astros - 78-84 - The Astros might have the most formidable offense in the NL Central...but also the worst pitching. SP Roy Oswalt will have to carry even more of the load this season as the starting rotation lacks substance. SS Miguel Tejada will look to revive his career with the short porch in left field in Houston but his fielding deficiencies will be a major problem.
What to watch out for: This team could put up a lot of runs in that tiny ballpark so keep an eye on OF Michael Bourn and his run scoring abilities.
5th Place - St. Louis Cardinals - 75-87 - It could be a very long season in St. Louis as they are essentially in a rebuilding mode. Their offense has a lot of question marks, their defense has a lot of question marks and their pitching staff has a lot of question marks. Still, don't think the Cardinals won't make it very difficult on the rest of the NL Central this season as Tony LaRussa will get 75 wins out of this team that would win maybe 68 games with any other manager.
What to watch out for: SP Adam Wainwright came on strong in the second half of the 2007 Season, so it will be interesting to see if he can become one of the elite pitchers in the National League.
6th Place - Pittsburgh Pirates - 70-92 - This has to be one of the most frustrating teams in the National League as the entire organization has underachieved.
What to watch out for: OF Jason Bay really struggled last season with injuries after it looked like he was about to become a dominant force. If he comes back and excels, look for him to be trade bait around the trade deadline.
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What are the chances Barry Bonds re-unites with Dusty for one last go'round with the Reds?
Phillies pitching update: Lidge to start season on the DL...
highly unlikely since they already have too many outfielders.
True...but it would be interesting seeing an aging BB trying to hit the ball into the Ohio River...
So, why are you only giving the Cubs 86 wins? A lot of people are giving them the tag of best in the NL...
Yeah, they would have a lefty dominated lineup too with with Griffey, Dunn, Bonds and Patterson playing.....and they'd have to move Dunn to 1b which he's really, really bad at.
I'm pretty sure that right now the Cubs aren't the best in the NL. Their batting order is all jacked up, Soriano can't run, Fukudome hasn't shown me he can hit (remember me complaining about that over the Winter?), Lee struggled this Spring as did Geovony Soto....Theriot is leading off. I think they'll have problems scoring runs at times.
Gotta say it.....Cardinals in 5th! Give us 4th at least! Come on jeeeeeez.
But really, the is going to be an interesting season for the Cardinals. If spring is any indication it looks like Pujols will be back to form this year as long as his arm doesn't fall off. It's all a crapshoot for them this year.
The Reds in second? Really?
Never underestimate Dusty Baker's willingness to run a team into the ground just to get close to the playoffs.
If the Cardinals had any sort of batting order or pitching staff I might have put them higher.
Cubs fans are so lucky Cinci hired Dusty. Bruce, Baily, Votto, Cuerto, just to name a few, will never see the light of day because of Baker's insistence on playing vets.
I doubt those guys would help the Reds too much this season but playing time this season for them would make their emergence happen quicker in the future. As you said though, it's not going to happen.