Sizing Up the Chicago Cubs Against the NL Central: Infield

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Every baseball article you read, every expert you see on television or hear on radio, there's a common consensus: The Cubs will win the National League Central crown.

With this being the case, I thought it'd be both insightful and fun to size up the Cubs to the rest of the NL Central, position by position. This article will compare the Cub infielders. In the upcoming days I'll compare the outfield and starting rotations.

Before I start, the Cubs 25-man roster hasn't been finalized yet, so there may be a few players I mention who may not make the cut come opening day.

As Tony Reali would say, let's go around the horn!

First Base:

Cubs- Derrek Lee

Astros- Lance Berkman

Cardinals- Albert Pujols

Brewers- Prince Fielder

Reds- Joey Votto

Pirates- Adam LaRoche

Wow, what an impressive list! The list compiles of 4 all stars, an All Star in the making (Votto) and a solid bat to anchor the Pirates lineup.

• Pujols is easily the best hitter in baseball, and his defense isn't too shabby. You can bank on .340/40/135 and a solid glove for the Cardinals. Triple crown, anyone?
• Berkman is arguably the most underrated player in the game. A converted outfielder, Berkman only committed five errors in 152 games played last season. With Carlos Lee providing protection, Berkman is just below a notch compared to Albert.
• Fielder has a monster bat, and is very athletic on the field. You have to include Fielder as one of the top five young studs in the game. And the scary part about Fielder is that he's yet to hit his prime. Yikes!
• The ceiling's the limit for Joey Votto, who hit 24 homers and 84 RBIs in his rookie campaign. Look for Votto to grab a lot of attention for a vastly improved Reds ball club.
• A former Braves prospect, Adam LaRoche has kept his sweet swing consistent in Pittsburgh. Always a threat to split the gaps, and hit the occasional home run, LaRoche has as solid a swing as anyone.
• As for Lee, he'd be in the top two easily in most other divisions, but the competition in the NL Central is simply sick. Ranking fourth in the division isn't a bad thing!

My Rank: Pujols, Berkman, Fielder, Lee, Votto, LaRoche

Second Base

Cubs- Mike Fontenot

Astros- Kaz Matsui

Cardinals- Skip Schumaker

Brewers- Rickie Weeks

Reds- Brandon Phillips

Pirates- Freddy Sanchez

Quite a drop off from the first base group, but the 2B pool in baseball is rather weak. There's plenty of speed and "small ball" guys in this group.

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