League Preview-Part 9-Concluding the National League East and beginning the National League West

Pittsburgh Pirates
Postseason Appearances: 1903, 1909, 1925, 1927, 1960, 1970-72, 1974-75, 1979, 1990-92 (total-14)
World Series Titles: 1909, 1925, 1960, 1971, 1979 (total-5)
Best Season: 1902 (103-36)
Worst Season: 1952 (42-112)

The Buccos have had a long tradition of strong teams and great players-sadly, since 1993, Pittsburgh has been the pits, with a MLB record 17 straight losing seasons. It remains to be seen if the current ownership will finally drag the Pirates out of the mud, or if the agony will continue.

Pitching-A deceptively good pitching staff, the Pirates will lean on Babe Adams 1911 (22-12, 2.33), Vern Law 1960 (20-9, 3.08), Steve Blass 1971 (15-8, 2.85), Dock Ellis 1971 (19-9, 3.06) and John Candelaria 1977 (20-5, 2.34) as the starting five. Old reliables from Bob Friend 1960 (18-12, 3.00) to Jim Bibby 1980 (19-6, 3.33) to Doug Drabek 1990 (22-6, 2.76) add depth, as does one of only two post-1992 members of this team, Oliver Perez 2004 (12-10, 2.98, 239 K's and only 81 walks-where was this Ollie when the Mets needed him in 2007 and '08?). The deep bullpen has Elroy Face 1962 (8-7-28, 1.88), Al McBean 1964 (8-3-22, 1.90), Dave Giusti and Ramon Hernandez 1972 (combined 12-4-36 record, 1.80 ERA), and Dutch Dietz 1941 (7-2, 2.34), who is the long man of this bullpen. Kent Tekulve 1978 (31 saves, 2.33 ERA) is among those in reserve.

Catching-Manny Sanguillen 1975 (.328) is the starter, with Jason Kendall 1998 (.327) as the backup. Adding depth is the platoon from the 1960 champion team, Hal Smith (11, 45, .295) and Smokey Burgess (1962 version-13, 61, .328).

Infield-Only in Pittsburgh would Paul Waner 1927 (.380, 131 RBI) have to play first base. Gus Suhr 1934 (.283, 103 RBI) adds D at first. Speaking of D, Bill Mazeroski 1960 (11, 64, .273, only Game 7 walkoff HR in WS history) is at second, fellow HOFer Honus Wagner (6, 99, .358) is at short and another HOFer, Pie Traynor 1930 (9, 119, .366) is at third. Gus Suhr 1934 (13, 103, .283) adds late inning D and Phil Garner 1979 (11, 59, .293, 17 SB) is the infield utility man. Dick Groat 1960 (.325, MVP) and Arky Vaughan 1934 (12, 94, .333) are among those in reserve.

Outfield-More Hall of Famers dot this outfield-so many in fact, that several of these players either have to sit on the bench and/or are in reserve. The starters are Willie Stargell 1971 (48, 115, .295) in left, Brian Giles 1999 (39, 115, .315) in center, and Roberto Clemente 1961 (23, 89, .351, only -6 outfield arm ever) in right. Max Carey (6, 58, .312, 46 SB) will bring his HOF defense to center in the late innings and another HOFer, Ralph Kiner 1951 (42, 109, .309), could spell Stargell against the Carlton's and Spahns of this division. Mike Easler 1980 (21, 74, .338 in less than 400 AB) and Craig Wilson 2001 (13, 32, .310 in under 200 AB) are the primary pinch hitting weapons. HOFers Lloyd Waner 1927 (.355) and Fred Clarke 1911 (.324) are among the reserves.

Outlook-A lack of pop, particularly in the infield, will untimately be the Pirates undoing-if they had the Mets pitching, they could win. As it is, the Bucs should finish in the top half of the standings, but could skid as low as sixth if things go badly.

Washington Nationals
(also known as Montreal Expos 1969-2004)
Postseason Appearances: 1 (1981)
World Series Titles: 0
Best Season: 1994 (74-40)
Worst Season: 1969 (52-110)

Sad. Very sad. That's the best way to describe the existence of the Expos/Nats, who owe their one postseason appearance to the split season caused by the 1981 strike. It was another strike, in 1994, that ruined the Expos best season and set the wheels in motion for the move to Washington in 2005.

Pitching-since the late '70s, and continuing up to about the time of the move to D.C., this has been a strength of the team. Steve Rogers 1982 (19-8, 2.40), Dennis Martinez 1991 (14-11, 2.39), Javier Vasquez 2001 (16-11, 3.42, 208 K), Ken Hill 1992 (16-9, 2.68) and Bryn Smith 1985 (18-5, 2.91) are the starting rotation, with Livan Hernandez 2003 (15-10, 3.20) and John Patterson 2005 (9-7, 3.13) in reserve. The bullpen is stellar-check out the ERA's of John Wetteland 1993 (9-3-43, 1.37), Mel Rojas 1992 (7-1-10, 1.43), Tim Burke 1987 (7-0-18, 1.19), and Dale Murray 1974 (1-1-10, 1.03). Nothing over 1.5 in this quartet!! Butch Henry 1994 (11-4-1, 2.43) is the long man and is capable of pinch hitting as well (.290 in 44 AB). Elias Sosa 1979 (18 saves, 1.95), Jeff Reardon 1982 (26 saves, 2.06), Chad Cordero 2005 (club record 47 saves, 1.82) and Woodie Fryman 1980 (17 saves, 2.25) could form the deepest reserve crew of any team. One thing's for sure-if this team has a 15 inning plus game in September, they are loaded.

Catching-It's very fortunate that Todd Hundley and Mike Piazza emerged as power hitting backstops for the Mets in the last 15 years, otherwise HOFer Gary Carter would be doing the honors in Flushing. The Kid's 1982 version (29, 97, .293) will be starting behind the plate. Brian Schneider 2005 (10, 44, .268) will back up Carter, with Darrin Fletcher 1995 (12, 51, .286) and Barry Foote 1974 (11, 60, .262), Carter's immediate predecessor, in reserve.

Infield-More misfortune has plagued the infield over the years. Nick Johnson 2006 (23, 77, .290, .428 OBP) finally had a healthy season-until a September collision at Shea Stadium broke his leg and cost him the 2007 season. Another player with Shea connections and a penchant for getting in harm's way, Ron Hunt 1971 (5, 38, .279, .402 OBP), starts at second-Hunt "took one for the team" a record 50 times in '71.
Starting at short is Wil Cordero 1994 (21, 90, .294, 23 SB) and Ryan Zimmerman 2009 (33, 106, .292) gets the nod at third over Tim Wallach 1987 (26, 123, .298). Bob Bailey 1970 (28, 84, .287 in less than 400 AB), Ron Belliard 2008 (11, 46, .287) and Bret Barberie 1991 (.353) lead a deep and versatile infield backup crew, which includes F.P. Santangelo 1997 (.249 but a .379 OBP thanks to F.P. taking lessons from Hunt in reaching base) and Mike Mordecai 2000 (.284).

Outfield-Deep, wide (not in the literal sense) and talented. Tim Raines 1987 (18, 68, .330, 50 SB) is in left, Andre Dawson 1981 (36, 96, .302, 39 SB), the newest HOFer, is in center and Vladimir Guerrero 2000 (44, 123, .345) is in right. Moises Alou 1994 (31, 111, .339) and Ryan Church 2006 (10, 35, .276 in under 200 AB) are the primary backups, with Brad Wilkerson 2004 (32 HR) and "Le Grande Orange", Rusty Staub 1970 (30, 94, .274, 112 walks) in reserve.

Outlook-despite a lot of talent and a deep pitching staff, the Expos/Nats will be hard pressed to climb above seventh in the division. If this team doesn't remember how to reach base, it could result in a fall to the cellar.

Predicted order of finish-1. Phillies 2. Reds 3. Braves 4. Mets 5. Barons 6. Pirates 7. Nationals 8. Marlins

We're almost there folks. Now it's time to start the final division-the...

National League West

Arizona Diamondbacks

Postseason Appearances: 4 (1999, 2001-02, 2007)
World Series Titles: 1 (2001)
Best Season: 1999 (100-62)
Worst Season: 2004 (51-111)

There's been a lot of action packed into the D-Backs 12 years of existence. Four postseason appearances and one WS title (D-Backs set records for both the fastest team to reach the postseason (second season) and win it all (fourth season) make the Snakes one of baseball's most notable expansion successes.

Pitching-it's no secret why the D-Backs got so good so fast-it's the pitching. The rotation starts with the Big Unit, Randy Johnson 1999 (17-9, 2.48, 364 K). His fellow WS MVP from the 2001 series, Curt Schilling (22-6, 2.98, 293 K), is the number two, followed by Brandon Webb 2006 (16-8, 3.10), Dan Haren 2009 (14-10, 3.14) and Omar Daal 1999 (16-9, 3.65). Micah Owings 2007 (8-8, 4.30) is the long reliever/spot starter and primary pinch hitter (4, 15, .333, 12 XBH in only 60 AB). The pen contains Byung Hyun Kim 2002 (8-3-36, 2.04) as the closer, supported by Brandon Lyon 2007 (2.68), Greg Swindell 1999 (2.51), and Oscar Villarreal 2003 (2.57). Matt Mantei 1999 (32 saves, 2.76) is next in line to close if Kim performs like he did in the 2001 World Series.

Catching-the pitching may be pretty good for a team only around for 12 years, but the catching is weak. Damian Miller 2001 (13, 47, .271) and Chris Snyder 2007 (13, 47, .252) will try to fill the void. Miguel Montero 2009 (16, 59, .294) and Robby Hammock 2003 (8, 28, .282) are in reserve-if Montero had a better arm, he would have been the starter.

Infield-Mark Grace 2001 (15, 78, .298) will start at first, with Tony Clark 2005 (30, 87, .304 in only 349 AB) spelling him. Jay Bell 1999 (38, 112, .289) and Orlando Hudson 2006 (15, 67, .287) will share second, Stephen Drew 2008 (21, 67, .291) will play short and Matt Williams 1999 (35, 142, .303) is set to play third. Alex Cintron 2003 (.317) will be the infield utility backup, and Greg Colbrunn 2000 (15, 57, .313 in 329 AB) is a lethal bench presence. Everyone's favorite overacheiver, Craig Counsell 2001 (.275), is also on the bench.

Outfield-The man who finished off the Yankees in the '01 series, Luis Gonzalez (57, 142, .325) is in left, with Steve Finley 2000 (35, 96, .280) in center and Eric Byrnes 2007 (21, 83, .286, 50 SB) is in right. Tony Womack 1999 (.277, 72 SB) will serve as the team's primary pinch runner, and Justin Upton 2009 (26, 86, .300, 20 SB) is in reserve, among others.

Outlook-In this deep division, the Snakes don't stand a chance. Only the putrid pitching of the Rockies may prevent the D-Backs from the cellar.

Chicago Cubs
Postseason Appearances: 1906-08, 1910, 1918, 1929, 1932, 1935, 1938, 1945, 1984, 1989, 1998, 2003, 2007-08 (total-16)
World Series Titles: 1907-08 (total-2)
Best Season: 1906 (116-36)
Worst Season: 1962 and 1966 (59-103)

Failure, thy name is Cubbies. The last time the Cubs won a World Series, there were 46 states in the Union, there was no federal income tax, and the NYC subway fare was a nickel. Not that the Cubs haven't been dull, they've just raised losing to an art form. Worse, strange things from Billy Goat Curses to black cats to a "college of coaches" have plagued the team that occupies Wrigley Field. This sums it up perfectly about the Cubs-the night they finally put on the lights (8/8/88), the game gets rained out.

Pitching-the Cubs primary strength in the early years, it has been the biggest reason for their failures since. Not that's its been the fault of these five guys-the Cubbie rotation consists of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior 2003 (Wood-14-11, 3.20, 266 K; Prior-18-6, 2.43, 245 K), Fergie Jenkins 1971 (24-13, 2.77-I STILL say Seaver should have won the '71 Cy Young over Jenkins), Bill Hands 1969 (20-14, 2.49), and Dick Ellsworth 1963 (22-10, 2.10). Old-school Cub "Three Finger" Brown 1911 (21-11-13, 2.80) will fill a variety of roles for Chicago. The rest of the pen has Kyle Farnsworth 2001 (2.74, 107 K in 82 IP), Phil Regan 1968 (12-5-25, 2.27), Paul Assenmacher 1991 (7-8-15, 3.24) and Big Lee Smith 1983 (29 saves, 1.65). Among the pitchers in reserve are Charlie Root 1927 (26-15, 3.76), Rick Reuschel 1977 (20-10, 2.79), Carlos Zambrano 2004 (16-8, 2.75) and Ted Abernarhy 1965 (31 saves, 2.58).

Catching-It's in good hands with HOFer Gabby Hartnett 1930 (37, 112, .339). Rick Wilkins 1993 (30 HR, .303) backs Gabby up, with Hector Villanueva 1991 (13, 32, .276 in only 192 AB) and Randy Hundley 1969 (18, 64, .255) in reserve.

Infield-Derrek Lee 2005 (46, 107, .335) gives the Cubs not only a big bat at first, but speed and a glove. At second is HOFer Ryne Sandberg 1991 (26, 100, .291, 22 SB), fellow HOFer Ernie Banks 1959 (45, 143, .304) is at short and a man many Cub fans think should be in the Hall of Fame, Ron Santo 1966 (30, 94, .312) is at third. Woody English 1930 (.335, 100 walks), Heinie Zimmerman 1911 (.307) and Mark Bellhorn 2002 (27 HR) are the infield backups, with the HOF trio of Joe Tinker (.281), Johnny Evers (.290) and Frank Chance (.306) among the reserves.

Outfield-This is where the Cubs have their primary pop. It's all HOFers, with Billy Williams 1972 (37, 122, .333) in left, Hack Wilson 1930 (56, 191 (the ML Record for RBI in a season), .356) in center and Kiki Cuyler 1930 (13, 134, .355, 37 SB) in right. Jim Hickman 1970 (32, 115, .315), Dwight Smith 1989 (.324) and Jimmie Sheckard 1911 (.276, 147 walks) are the backups, with Frank "Wildfire" Schulte 1911 (21, 107, .300, first player with 20 doubles, triples, homers and steals in a season) and Hank Sauer 1954 (41, 103, .288) in reserve. Conspicuous by his absence is Sammy Sosa, for obvious reasons.

Outlook-With the deepest crop of players to choose from, the Cubs should be in the hunt along with the Dodgers, Giants and Cards. Poor outfield defense and the lack of a monster ace starter will likely doom the Cubs to a fourth place finish.

Next Time-Continuing the National League West.