NL Preview

The Cubs are certain to be everybody's favorite to win the National League, but there has not been a National League repeat champion since the Phillies did it in '08 and '09. The window for the Nationals and Dodgers to win are both closing. Will it be a repeat or will someone finally get over the hump? Here's my take.

                                                                     NL EAST
As I mentioned, The Nationals' window is closing. They have one of the best pitchers in the NL (Max Scherzer) the best player in baseball (Bryce Harper) and a rising star (Trae Turner). The Mets don't have any particular position that sticks out other than pitching, but they are still solid. The Marlins are going to have an emotional season after the loss of their ace Jose Fernandez, but they need Giancarlo Stanton to stay healthy. The Phillies and Braves both have promising young talent, but it could be a rough year for them. Here's what I got.
                                                                    1) Washington
                                                                    2) New York
                                                                    3) Miami
                                                                    4) Atlanta
                                                                    5) Philadelphia

                                                                    NL WEST
It is an odd year, which means the Giants should be irrelevant. The Dodgers have the pieces and you have to think that their window to win is closing. The Diamondbacks have a solid pitching rotation topped with two potential MVP candidates with Paul Goldschmidt and AJ Pollock. The Giants also have the pieces, but like I said, it's an odd year. The Rockies are a team that I think could be a sleeper, they have the offense with Arenado, LeMahieu, Dahl and Story, but they have the problem of a mediocre pitching rotation and a ballpark that is not kind to pitchers. The Padres are probably going to struggle this year, but hope to see flashes of promise from prospect Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe.
                                                                    1) Los Angeles
                                                                    2) Arizona
                                                                    3) Colorado
                                                                    4) San Francisco
                                                                    5) San Diego

                                                                     NL CENTRAL
For the first time in a long time, this division holds the World Champ and it's not the Cardinals. The reigning champion Cubs return the bulk of their team from last year. They also reloaded in places they lost. Kyle Schwarber is 100% and could be a sleeper for MVP this year. The Cardinals looked impressive on opening night after missing the playoffs for the first time in five years. The Pirates have ace Gerritt Cole and can hope for the emergence of young pitcher Tyler Glasnow. The Reds and Brewers can only hope to win more than 70 games this year.
                                                                     1) Chicago
                                                                     2) St. Louis
                                                                     3) Pittsburgh
                                                                     4) Cincinnati
                                                                     5) Milwaukee

                                                                  PREDICTIONS
                                                                    NL East: Washington
                                                                    NL Central: Chicago
                                                                    NL West: Los Angeles
                                                                    Wild Cards: New York and Arizona

                                                                     Wild Card: New York over Arizona
                                                         NLDS: Chicago over New York, Washington over Los Angeles
                                                         NLCS: Washington over Chicago

                                                                      NL MVP: Bryce Harper-Washington
                                                              NL Cy Young: Noah Syndergaard-New York
                                                          NL Rookie of The Year: Dansby Swanson-SS, Atlanta

                                                            World Series-Cleveland over Washington