N.L. East

1

For the first time in a long time someone other than Atlanta will win the East.

The Mets upgraded everything this offseason just so they could quit playing second fiddle to the Braves. They picked up former MVP Mo Vaughn, switch-hitting second baseman Roberto Alomar (.336 in 2001) and Jeromy Burnitz who can hit the ball a mile, if he doesn’t strike out.

Edgardo Alfonzo moved to third base to make room for Alomar. Alfonzo needs to improve his .243 average and is a candidate to have a breakout season.

Along with Burnitz, the Brewers sent over Jeff D’Amico, an underrated pitcher who was hurt most of last year. If he’s healthy he is a 15-game winner. Add Al Leiter, Pedro Astacio, Shawn Estes and Steve Trachsel to that mix and the Mets have a staff that can rival the Braves.

Plus, they have a sound bullpen led by Armando Benitez who saved 43 games last year.

Just don’t slip, because any of the top four teams in this division could stake claim to first place.

2

This is it, finally someone has caught the Braves. Don’t be so sure though. Atlanta could easily kick it into gear and win its 11th division title.

Chipper Jones hit .330 last year with 38 home runs and 102 runs-batted-in. He and Andruw Jones (.251, 34 HR, 104 RBIs) and newly acquired Gary Sheffield (.311, 36 HR, 110 RBIs) make up one of the best offensive outfields in the National League.

Third baseman Vinny Castilla and catcher Javy Lopez offer a big bat to keep the three through seven spots in the order potent.

Greg Maddux had an unusual year in 2001. He lost 11 games and his earned-run average was 3.05, very un-Maddux-like numbers, but he is still one of the league’s best and most consistent players. Tom Glavine still produces and Kevin Milwood gives the team three solid starters.

As long as John Smoltz is healthy, he is a good enough pitcher to keep a lead late in the game.

The Braves will probably make the postseason, but finally the rest of the East has caught up with them.

3

Most people haven’t heard much of Ryan Dempster, Brad Penny, A.J. Burnett, Josh Beckett and Matt Clement. After 2002 that will all change.

The aforementioned five make up the best least-known staff in baseball and all are capable of winning 10 or more games. If they can keep their control, they could push the Marlins into the postseason.

Cliff Floyd (.317, 31HR, 103 RBIs) and Mike Lowell (.283, 18 HR, 100 RBIs) are the big bats of the lineup and defense is good with only a couple of dull spots.

The bullpen isn’t solid enough as of now. Someone will have to step up to truly turn this team into a contender.

4

The Phillies had a miracle season last year, and they can expect much of the same this year. Problem is it won’t be good enough to win.

They have solid starting pitchers and a good bullpen. Offensively Jimmy Rollins, Scott Rolen, Bobby Abreu and Mike Lieberthal have the look of stars.

Rolen’s biggest problem will be keeping his mouth shut and not causing too much dissension in the clubhouse.

Travis Lee is the x-factor. The first baseman hit .258 last year but has improved this spring. His power numbers (20 HR, 90 RBIs) should increase and the Phillies will be contenders once again, making four teams likely battling for two of the NL’s playoff spots.

5

Then there’s Montreal.

They’ve got Vladimir Guerrero (.307, 34 HR, 108 RBIs) who is a legitimate star and MVP contender. But come midseason he’ll be gone to a contender. It happens to all of the Expos stars.

Now they are coming back as the team’s only real acquisition in the offseason was Andres Galarraga, who is now past his prime.

Pitching isn’t great as the Expos could give up more than five runs any given night, and they haven’t got anyone on the roster who saved more than nine games – the number of saves projected closer Scott Strickland had.

– Jeremy Gustafson

N.L. Central

1

If left hander Rick Ankiel re-learns how to hit Mike Matheny’s mitt instead of the backstop behind him, St. Louis has seven qualified starters.

Their ace is right-hander Matt Morris. The guy won 22 games last year – first in baseball.

Scary staff, really. Darryl Kile’s earned run average was lower last year than Morris’s. Woody Williams is an ace on any lesser team.

Jason Isringhausen saved 34 games for Oakland last year. He’ll blanket any doubts fans have about St. Louis’s bullpen.

If rightfielder J.D. Drew staves off the disabled list, he’s an MVP candidate. Albert Pujols was the Rookie of the Year last season, Jim Edmonds is a gold-glover who drove in 110 guys and Tino Martinez will give first base the dexterity Mark McGuwire never offered.

Martinez still carries a big stick. He hit 34 home runs last year for the Yankees – the team St. Louis could very well play in October.

2

Sammy Sosa drove in 160 men last year – more than teammates Delino DeShields, Bill Mueller, Todd Hundley, Corey Patterson, Chris Stynes and Darren Lewis combined.

Sosa also hit 64 home runs. He spent the winter getting bigger and possibly better.

Moises Alou was a huge pick-up. His batting average last year in Houston was the third best in the NL. And Fred McGriff, despite slumping the second half away, had 102 RBIs.

John Leiber spent the off-season after his first 20 win year fine tuning his mechanics. Kerry Wood, if healthy, is as dominating as Randy Johnson pissed off.

If set-up man Kyle Farnsworth can close, Chicago may not need to wait for Flash Gordon’s muscle in his right shoulder to mend.

Not that they’re waiting anyway. Wednesday the Cubs pickedup Antonio Alfonseca from Florida, who saved a major-league-best 45 games in 2000.

3

Look for Wade Miller’s win total to hover around 20. Roy Oswalt – Houston’s No. 2 man – had the staff’s lowest earned-run average last year (2.73), and veteran Shane Reynolds should be as solid as his 14 wins last season.

Billy Wagner throws freakishly fast stuff. If he’s on and healthy, there isn’t a better closer in baseball.

Craig Biggio will spend his season getting on base and then scoring – which he did 118 times last season.

Jeff Bagwell will hit like Jeff Bagwell. Lance Berkman certainly did last year, with his .331 batting average, 34 homers and 126 RBIs, Berkman gives opposing pitchers no option but to pitch to Bags.

Houston and Chicago will fight for the NL Wild Card.

4

Cincinatti’s rotation was the second-worst in baseball last year with a 4.77 ERA.

Not suprisingly, the bullpen lead the NL in innings pitched (567), but were more successful than the guys preceding them (3.71 ERA).

With all the Reds money tied up in Ken Griffey Jr., it’s time he performs beyond his .278 average in Cincinnati.

Sean Casey’s bat carried him to the All-Star game last year and Aaron Boone, Todd Walker and Barry Larkin should bounce balls off walls and between pitchers’ legs.

Whatever power they generate, however, will be offset by inadequate pitching.

5

Milwaukee’s pitching staff is young but under the auspices of pitching great Dave Stewart, the new pitching coach.

Right-hander Ruben Quevedo dominated at Triple A, but went 4-5 with the big boys. If he drops some weight, Quevedo could see the same results he had before the show.

The Brewers have no power save Richie Sexson – his 45 home runs last year were impressive. Someone else needs to approach that.

6

The Pirates have Brian Giles and Jason Kendall – nothing else – except for bad pitching.

– Paul Kix

N.L. West

1

Expect a letdown from Barry Bonds this season. And by letdown, we’re talking only 50-55 home runs. San Francisco Bay will still see its fair share of floaters. Bonds is still the most valuable player on any team in the majors.

The Giants made a couple of great acquisitions this offseason that will greatly improve the team’s run output, their weakness from a year ago. Outfielders Tsuyoshi Shinjo (Mets) and Reggie Sanders (Diamondbacks) should boost a superb lineup. Shortstop Rich Aurilia benefited from batting ahead of Bonds last season, and the same will happen this year. 2000 MVP Jeff Kent will miss the first few weeks of the season, but he, Sanders and first baseman J.T. Snow should produce big numbers batting behind someone who gets on base half of all his plate appearances.

Pitching is strong, with Livan Hernandez and Russ Ortiz at the top of the rotation. And of course, Robb Nen is still one of the best closers in the business.

Bonds won’t hit 73, but his runs-batted-in will improve from last year’s 137. If Shinjo blossoms into an effective lead-off man, this team is going to score a lot of runs and win a lot of games.

2

At a combined 43-12 last year, Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling could be the best 1-2 combo in baseball history. Most of the time Johnson looks like Danny Almonte in Little League, dominating anyone and everyone in the batter’s box. Todd Stottlemyre should be a solid No. 3 starter, and the rest of the rotation is better than most 4-5’s around the league.

Hitting is shaky. Outfielder Luis Gonzalez is coming off a monstrous 57-home run season, but don’t expect to see many hittable pitches come his way. Home run threats Matt Williams (injury) and Reggie Sanders (Giants) are gone, leaving very little power in a depleted lineup.

This is the oldest team in baseball, and it’s going to show late in the year when the Giants finish strong and Arizona battles it out for the wild card.

3

One of these years, the Padres are going to shock the league. They’re young, they’re flashy, they’ve got power and they’ve got one of the best closers in the game. The lineup is stacked with talent. Ryan Klesko and Phil Nevin are 40-home run threats, both coming off huge years. And Bubba Trammell can hit for power as well.

San Diego has been the league’s worst defensive team the last two years, a sorry stat that’s not likely to improve much. But starting pitching should improve, even without an ace. This could be the season Kevin Jarvis fills that role.

The Padres are going to win some games. They’re on the verge of becoming contenders, and if there’s one team in the National League to surprise everyone this season, it’ll be them.

4

It’ll be more of the same for Colorado this year. They’ll score a lot of runs, but more times than not, they’ll give up even more. Larry Walker and Todd Helton are good for .330, 35 home runs and 125 runsbattedin, at the least. On a better team, Helton is a perennial MVP candidate, and Walker picks up batting titles like they’re dirt cheap at an outlet mall.

After spending $172 million on Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle, the Rockies haven’t gotten their money’s worth. Both had earned-run averages over five last year, and it’ll be much of the same this year unless the state suddenly drops in altitude.

Pitching will be fine on the road, but not at Coors Field, where you’ll see a lot of 11-10 contests.

5

Gary Sheffield may have been a pain in the clubhouse, but on the field, the man can play. Shawn Green produced huge numbers last year (49 HR, 125 RBIs), but those should drop now that Sheffield was traded to Atlanta. Brian Jordan is a good outfielder and clutch hitter, but isn’t in the same league as Sheffield when it comes to power and run production.

The Dodgers won’t compete this year except for the worst record in the division. Pitching was supposed to be the team’s forte, but Kevin Brown and Andy Ashby are both injury plagued. Hideo Nomo is a Dodger again, but he’s one of the most inconsistent pitchers in baseball. The bullpen is weak, without a set closer.

More than ever, the Dodgers’ performance will depend on hitting. And now that Gary Sheffield is out of L.A., the Dodgers will become a very, very expensive last-place team.

– Tim Paluch