Time to take a look at how the NLCD should shape up in 2008

1. Chicago Cubs – The Cubs get my vote for NLCD favorite, just edging the young Brew Crew for a second year in a row. The addition of Kosuke Fukudome (pronounce with caution) bolsters what was already one of the most dangerous line-ups in the National League. Expect Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez to both see their power numbers spike after disappointing ’08 campaigns, and if young guys like Soto, Pie, and Theriot can produce near the bottom of the line-up, this could be the best line-up in the NL.

Carlos Zambrano is a top-notch ace anywhere, and as far as NLCD pitchers are concerned, only Roy Oswalt is even in his league. The rotation has some depth as well. Lilly and Hill were very good in the 2 and 3 spots last year, and any time guys like Jason Marquis, Jon Lieber, Sean Marshall, and Ryan Dempster are competing for the 4 and 5 spots, you know your depth is solid. If the Kerry Wood closer situation works out, and young guys like Carlos Marmol and Sean Gallagher can give the team productive innings, there will be very few teams that can compete with the Cubbies. There is potential for this team to be very, very good.

2. Milwaukee Brewers – The additions of Mike Cameron, Jason Kendall, Eric Gagne, and Salomon Torres definitely make the Brewers a stronger team in ’08, at least on paper. Prince Fielder has already stepped out of papa Cecil’s shadow, and young guns Ryan Braun, Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy, and Corey Hart all have shown flashes of potential stardom. J.J. Hardy is the swingman for how productive this line-up can be. The Brew Crew were unstoppable early in the year while Hardy was hitting out of his mind (Through May of ’07 Hardy was batting .304 with an unheard of .567 slugging percentage). But as Hardy cooled off (.273/.305/.423 BA/OBP/SLUG after the break), so did the Brewers. Granted, the Crew struggles weren’t solely Hardy’s fault, but the line-up just didn’t scare teams as much once Hardy stopped producing.

Any team set to count on Jeff Suppan as their number 2 could use some help. The team has a wealth of guys who could qualify as dependable 4 or 5 starters, but beyond the oft-injured Ben Sheets and the currently sidelined Yovani Gallardo, there isn’t a whole lot to be excited about with this rotation. If Sheets can’t make 35 starts, and Gallardo fails to live up to the expectations his superb ’07 has encouraged, this team could be in trouble.

3. Cincinnati Reds – Sleeper alert. This team has the talent to compete with both the Brewers and the Cubs. You know Ken Griffey, Adam Dunn, Brandon Phillips, and OBP machine Scott Hatteberg will score some runs. If super-prospects Jay Bruce and Joey Votto make the squad and rake like scouts predict they will, this line-up could be absolutely nasty.

Aaron Harang is the single most underrated pitcher in baseball, and Bronson Arroyo is a solid number 2. Matt Belisle, Josh Fogg, and Jeremy Affeldt are question marks at the back end of the rotation, but Homer Bailey and Johnny Cueto are both on the cusp of MLB greatness, and its possible that both perform at Gallardo like levels down the stretch this year. Francisco Cordero is a good MLB closer, and David Weathers, Mike Stanton, and Jared Burton should be dependable late inning relievers. There are some obvious question marks, but with the influx of talent making its way onto the big club, there’s a chance for a Rockie-esque September charge here.

4. St. Louis Cardinals – It’s a shame that the Cards don’t have a better team to put around Albert Pujols this year, as Prince Albert will have the kind of season that would make him a shoo-in for MVP on a winning ball-club. Even so, I still think he could run away with the award. The 28 year-old Pujols is about to hit his prime – that’s right, the best is yet to come – and coming off a sub-par 2007 (you know you’re doing something right when .327/.429/.568 with 32 home runs is sub-par), expect Pujols to have a season to remember.

The rotations and bullpen are major question marks right now. Adam Wainwright is going to be asked to anchor the pitching staff, while Matt Clement is currently slated as the number 4 guy on the Cards website. Jason Isringhausen is about to hit that age where elite closers turn to very mediocre ones, and though he may not collapse this year, he will falter in the next 2-3. Ryan Franklin and Russ Springer are good late-inning options, but it won’t be enough to keep this team competitive.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates – The Bucs won’t compete for an NLCD crown, but they will improve by 3-5 wins – still a significant amount. Jason Bay will level out around 30 home runs, Xavier Nady will avoid the DL and produce from right field so long as he doesn’t get traded, and Adam LaRoche will hit 25-30 bombs. Steady Freddy will hang around .315, and depending on Paulino, Bautista, and the center field situation, this could be a formidable, though not elite, offensive ball-club. Also, the bench is actually shaping up to be a potential strength, as Chris Gomez, Ryan Doumit, Doug Meintkeiwicz, and the loser of the centerfield battle could make up one of the best benches in baseball.

The rotation is obviously the strength of the team. Snell is about to hit his prime, though how good he can be with just two pitchers is fairly unknown. Tom Gorzelanny could develop into a bona-fide ace, or he could feel the effects from dramatic over-use in 2007 and end up under the knife. Maholm has potential, and Morris, while very much over-paid, is as good as any fourth starter in baseball. The bullpen has a lot of guys that fit specific roles very well – unfortunately, Kim will be asked to be more than a ROOGY, Marte could have to face more righties, and Grabow might be over his head as the 8th inning set-up guy. Torres assured that those guys would be able to stick to their roles, and without him, the pen could fall apart. If some of the plethora or righties work out, it will help, but the bull-pen will be the biggest downfall to this squad.

6. Houston Astros - The only team in baseball that needs to be rebuilding more than the Pirates are the ‘Stros. Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee are on the decline, newly acquired Miguel Tejada’s bat won’t make up for his diminishing range at shortstop, and let’s face it, Ty Wigginton isn’t the answer to any question that involves a starting third base job.

Beyond Roy Oswalt, there isn’t a whole lot that scares you in the rotation, and while Jose Valverde was solid for the Diamondbacks last year, he isn’t a sure thing to become an elite MLB closer.

Hunter Pence, Michael Bourn, and J.R. Towles could be a solid core of guys to build around, but right now it looks like Ed Wade is going to keep on sticking new light-bulbs in an old chandelier. Eventually, the whole thing’s going to come crashing down, and this could be the year.