MLB 2012: Breaking Down the NL Central Division

Arguably three of the four most feared men in the National League Central appeared to be out of the division, at least for awhile. Prince Fielder left the Brewers to go to Detroit, Albert Pujols left for Los Angeles and we thought Ryan Braun would be serving a 50-game suspension.

Now, Braun is off the hook, and that leaves him and Joey Votto as the top dogs in the division. Only time will tell how it changes without Fielder and Pujols, but there's no doubt it'll be an interesting ride.

The NL Central is mostly filled with young and rebuilding teams—God love the Astros.

That being said, here's the breakdown of the 2012 edition of the NL Central.

Pittsburgh Pirates

For the first time in what seems like forever, the Pirates were in contention for quite a large portion of 2011. Granted, they fell apart in an epic manner on the back nine, but it was a step in the right direction.

Now, the team will be led by Andrew McCutchen, who will be playing with a brand-spankin' new five-year deal under his belt. He only hit .259 in 2011, but McCutchen certainly shows a lot of potential—he's an all-around player who has good fielding abilities, a good swing, some power and speed.

Offensively, the team is still in some trouble, though. Garrett Jones and Neil Walker highlight the rest of an otherwise mediocre lineup. 

As for the pitching staff, the team added veterans Erik Bedard and A.J. Burnett. On paper, they're good additions, but both consistently struggle with injuries. The departure of lefty Paul Maholm doesn't help.

Overall, though, I like the direction in which this team is moving. It's young with a few guys who provide some veteran leadership.

2012 Record: 78-84

Houston Astros

As a writer, I hate to "hate" on teams, but this team may struggle just to get to 55 wins. The Astros have sold off basically every bit of talent they have in an attempt to start fresh, I guess. 

An aged Carlos Lee supplies what little hope the team has. As good as Lee once was, he's not that guy anymore.

And his supporting cast is pretty subpar, as he's surrounded by guys who haven't proven themselves. J.D. Martinez, the presumed starter in left field, shows a lot of potential, as he drove through the minors batting an epic .342.

The pitching staff boasts Wandy Rodriguez, the only man left from the 2005 Astros squad that won the NL pennant. Besides that, there's nothing to brag about there, either.

It appears Houston will be leaving the National League with a whimper.

2012 Record: 55-107

Chicago Cubs

Of all the teams in the NL Central, the Chicago Cubs definitely have the most potential to be the league's shocker. Despite several losses from last year's team, the Cubs have a lot of guys who can make up for that.

Starlin Castro is the All-Star here, hands down. Last season, he hit for an impressive .307 in 158 games. David DeJesus, Ian Stewart, Marlon Byrd and Alfonso Soriano definitely have the capabilities to make a massive impact, too. The Soriano of old seems to be gone, and Byrd's 2011 season was his worst since 2006—but you never know in professional sports.

In terms of pitching, it's much better off. The Cubs return Matt Garza and Ryan Dempster, while adding solid lefties in Paul Maholm and Travis Wood. Maholm was a decent pitcher for the Pirates, and Wood showed flashes of brilliance as a Red. If Jeff Samardzija joins the fray, the starting five will be fierce.

The bullpen is still a little rocky; Carlos Marmol isn't exactly proven yet, given his inconsistency. Still, the pitching in Chicago and the potential offensive power give fans a little hope. 

Let the Theo Epstein era begin!

2012 Record: 77-85

Milwaukee Brewers

The defending NL Central champs enter 2012 with perhaps the best pitching staff in the division, and it definitely competes with the entire National League (Philadelphia not included).

Prince Fielder's departure hurts the team, there's no doubt about that. It leaves quite the void in the lineup, as the first base position is left between Mat Gamel and Taylor Green.  Besides that, it's a pretty impressive line of guys that approach the plate: Nyjer Morgan, Rickie Weeks, Aramis Ramirez, Corey Hart and Ryan Braun.

Those names alone speak for themselves. 

Now, on to that top-tier pitching staff—statistically top tier. 

Yovani Gallardo and Zack Greinke each won more than 15 games, and the team's 3.63 ERA was best in the division. That being said, I'm not a believer in that happening again.  Gallardo and Greinke are good, but past that, you're asking Randy Wolf, Shaun Marcum and Chris Narveson to again put up numbers that I just don't see happening.

The bullpen is led by Francisco Rodriguez, but that's only by his name. John Axford collected an impressive 46 saves in 2011 and had a sub-2.00 ERA.

A year later, the Brewers will be tough to beat.

2012 Record: 90-72

St. Louis Cardinals

The World Series champions are basically entering 2012 as a new team—not that there's a ton of new guys in St. Louis.

No, it's more about who's NOT in St. Louis anymore.

Manager Tony La Russa retired, and one of the best players of the modern era, Albert Pujols, left town. Mike Matheny will be taking the reins for the Cardinals, managing a team that is probably the most aged in the division.

St. Louis added Carlos Beltran to its lineup—and not much more. Five years ago, that would have been a pretty good addition, but Beltran is no longer an All-Star. Plus, he won't ever replace Pujols in that lineup. Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman are both coming off great seasons, but you have to wonder if age is going to catch up with Berkman.

Speaking of which, the Cardinals' Chris Carpenter is already having injury issues. Adam Wainwright is coming off Tommy John surgery, so it's not possible to know if he's back to form, either.

On paper, the team looks good, but it's difficult to predict this year's Cardinals. Only a few weeks ago, I thought they'd win the division, but now here are my thoughts: Age catches up to this team, and they'll crumble.

2012 Record: 74-88

Cincinnati Reds

After weeks of going back and forth, I've finally made my decision—the Cincinnati Reds are going to be the 2012 NL Central Division champions.

I wish I could say that with a lot of confidence, but it won't be easy to get by the powerful Brewers, potentially dangerous Cubs and world champion Cardinals.

Why the Reds? 

First of all, the team is led by Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips, both arguably the best National League athletes at their respective positions. Beside those two guys, Zack Cozart showed a lot of hope in 11 games in 2011, batting well over .300. Scott Rolen is aging fast, but he could come back to life for one more run. 

Defensively, this team is one of the best in the bigs.

The big question marks in the lineup are going to be Jay Bruce and Drew Stubbs. Bruce has a lot of power, and Stubbs has great speed, but both have little plate discipline, if any.  They combined to strikeout almost 400 times last season!

The pitching staff is solid, sporting Johnny Cueto, young guns Homer Bailey and Mike Leake, veteran Bronson Arroyo and a new face in Mat Latos. Let's also keep in mind the new addition in the bullpen, Sean Marshall, who is likely to be the closer now that Ryan Madson went down to injury. 

And be sure to also keep an eye on the Cuban Missile, Aroldis Chapman.

2012 Record: 93-69