NL Central

With the recent misfortune of the St. Louis Cardinals losing ace right-hander and 20-game winner Adam Wainwright, most of the "experts" are predicting a more open National League Central race for 2011. 

Funny, but I don't remember the Cardinals taking the Central last year with Wainwright. 

Spring Training starts up in less than a week and the upcoming baseball season should be a great one. The NL MVP is most prestigious individual award in National League.

The National League MVP is awarded annually to the player who has the most value to his respected team. Recent winners of the NL MVP include names such as Joey Votto, Albert Pujols, and other greats.

In follow-up of my AL list I have decided to make an NL version of the preseason prediction.

State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota, the defending Florida State community college champions, fell victim to the surging Pittsburgh Pirates in a lopsided 21-1, 7 inning exhibition game.

The Pirates took an early 3-0 lead before giving up a run in the top of the second. Manatee CC, feeling confident, was quickly brought back down to the Earth by the Pirates' seven-run explosion in the bottom of the second.

As we know, the injury of Adam Wainwright has put the St. Louis Cardinals in a really tough position. What was looking to be a promising 2011 season is now looking to be one of disappointment. Adam Wainwright has been the Cy Young runner-up in the National League the past two seasons. According to the Wins Above Replacement statistic, Wainwright was worth 5.7 and 6.1 wins in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

As everyone knows Albert Pujols did not sign a contract extension with the Saint Louis Cardinals by the deadline that was put in place by Pujols.  As a result Pujols will become a free agent after the 2011 Major League Baseball season.  At the Winter Meetings, Pujols will sign the largest contract in the history of baseball, 10 years for $300 million, with the Chicago Cubs.  Immediately afterwards the world will start its decline into the apocalypse.
 

Shaun Marcum broke through in 2010. He finally suprassed 30 starts, albeit after missing 2009 entirely, and was a top 15 AL pitcher. With a nearly 4/1 K/BB ratio, a 1.15 WHIP, and less hits than innings pitched (in the AL East no less), Marcum showed he is ready for prime time.

Now, a year later, with the Jays in salary cutting mode after unloading Vernon Wells, Marcum finds himself a key member as a top three starter for the early season NL Central favorite Milwaukee.

After news broke that Adam Wainwright will miss the entire 2011 MLB season, the Cardinals have a serious decision to make whether or not they want to exercise his option for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

Originally, that option was extended due to Wainwright’s stellar 2010 performance when the "Cards" saw their No. 2 starter end the season second in the National League Cy Young voting.

Milwaukee's lack of pitching proved to be too much for them to overcome in 2010.

Milwaukee ended the season third in the NL Central at 77-85. With the additions of Shaun Marcum and Zach Greinke this offseason, Milwaukee heads into this season with a ton of optimism.

Adam Wainwright got a surprise this week.  It has been determined that he will have to endure every pitcher's worst nightmare—Tommy John surgery—and will miss the 2011 season.

Will he ever be the same?

That is the big question not only Wainwright is probably asking, but every baseball fan in St. Louis, as well.

With the recent explosion in the field of sports medicine, all signs point to a successful recovery for Wainwright.

The St. Louis Cardinals are coming off of a rather disappointing 2010 campaign that included giving up the lead in the NL Central over the final month of the season to miss the postseason.