Welcome to the National League Central version of our best players by position. In this series, we will take it position-by-position and determine who the best player at each position is around the diamond. For the starting pitchers, an ace will be named, followed by the rest of a 5-man rotation. Read the brief descriptions to find out who is the class of the entire division, at any position.
Comments are welcome!
Catcher: Yadier Molina – St. Louis Cardinals – Geovany Soto is close, but Molina is still the king. His batting average took a 30 point nosedive in 2010 and Soto is putting it together offensively. Right now, Molina’s “D” is a big enough separator to give him the nod but he better watch his back.
First Base: Albert Pujols – St. Louis Cardinals – Pujols is not only the best first baseman in the NL Central; he is the best player at any position in the division, if not all of baseball. In 10 seasons, he has 408 homers, 1,230 RBI’s, with a .331 average. It’s not just the overall production that makes him great, it’s the consistency with which he does it that sets him apart.
Second Base: Brandon Phillips – Cincinnati Reds – Phillips heads a solid group of second basemen in the NL Central. Rickie Weeks and even Neil Walker make it one of the deepest divisions at the position across all of baseball. Since taking over in Cincy he has averaged over 21 homers, 80 RBI’s, and 24 steals per season.
Shortstop: Starlin Castro – Chicago Cubs – There isn’t a whole lot to choose from at this position in the NL Central. After an impressive rookie year, Castro gets the nod. He became just the 4th player in the past 50 years to hit .300 in his age 20 season. That is really impressive. He had 31 doubles, 53 runs, and 41 RBI’s and will get better with age.
Third Base: Casey McGehee – Milwaukee Brewers – I’m giving McGehee the vote over Scott Rolen and Aramis Ramirez. I love when a relatively unheralded prospect comes up and makes a big impact. He out-hit Rolen with a .285 average, 23 homers, and 104 RBI’s, and improved dramatically in the field from 2009’s woeful effort, even picking it cleaner than Ramirez (.954 to .939 fielding %).
Outfield:
Ryan Braun – Milwaukee Brewers – Braun’s production trailed off a bit in 2010, posting the lowest home run total of his career (25) but he is still one of the elite bats in the division. Milwaukee should be in the mix longer this year than in 2010 and that might help keep Braun engaged at the plate. Look for a nice bounce back year in ’11.
Matt Holliday – St. Louis Cardinals – Albert’s right-hand man had a successful 1st year in St. Louis (.312, 28 HR, 103 RBI’s) proving that he is a National League man to the core. Batting alongside Pujols doesn’t hurt the numbers either. The days of his ludicrous numbers in the Rocky Mountains are behind him but he is still top shelf.
Hunter Pence – Houston Astros – His swing may not be the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen, but his end of season numbers never disappoint. Pence, one of the most underrated players in baseball, has hit 25 homers in 3 consecutive seasons, averaged 82 Runs and RBI’s, and 14 steals over that same time span while playing a dynamite outfield for the Astros.
Rotation:
Adam Wainwright – St. Louis Cardinals – If not for some guy named Halladay stealing all of the trophies, Wainwright would be a Cy Young favorite in the NL year in and year out. The scary part for NL foes is that he is trending toward being utterly ridiculous. His wins and K’s are going up and his ERA is going down each season. I’m not sure where he goes from 20 wins, 213 K’s, and a 2.42 ERA like he had in 2010 but it should be fun to watch.
Chris Carpenter – St. Louis Cardinals – Remaining healthy the last 2 years has pushed Carp back to a top tier starter in the NL. He and Wainwright form a nasty 1-2 for the Cardinals. He threw the 2nd most innings of his career (235) in 2010, posted 16 wins, 179 K’s, and a 3.22 ERA along the way. If he maintains his health, it makes the Cardinals the team to beat.
Yovani Gallardo – Milwaukee Brewers – Fresh off of his 2nd straight 200 K season, the soon-to-be 25-year old finally has ample help in the rotation with the arrivals of Shaun Marcum and Zack Greinke. Not being the only sure thing in the rotation should elevate Gallardo’s game. Watch for him to set career marks in wins and ERA in 2011.
Wandy Rodriguez – Houston Astros – Wandy has proven to be an every 5th day workhorse the past 2 seasons and as such is one of the elite left-handed arms in all of baseball. Toiling away in Houston, he has averaged 12.5 wins and 185.5 K’s over the past 2 seasons with a mid-to-low 3’s ERA. If he could learn to dominate on the road like he does at home, he would be in the Cy Young conversation.
Zack Greinke – Milwaukee Brewers – Former foes in the AL Central are thrilled that Kansas City parted ways with Greinke for a fresh batch of prospects. Greinke may have had a down year in 2010 compared to his Cy Young year in ’09 but who on the Royals didn’t? He still managed a 4.17 ERA and 181 K’s on a hopeless team. With new, vastly more talented teammates and playoff possibilities abound in Miller Town, look for Greinke to dip his ERA back to the low 3’s if not better, post around 200 K’s, and hit the teens in wins. Oh, and he’s a heckuva hitter too.
Closer: Carlos Marmol – Chicago Cubs – Say it with me fantasy baseball fans…WOW! Experts weren’t sure what Marmol would due in a full season as a closer. He would go on to post some silly stats, such as 38 saves, a 2.55 ERA and 138 K’s in just 77.2 innings!! That strikeout total is more than most starters put up in over double the amount of work. Marmol is settled in to his role and ready to duplicate his 2010 effort this year.
For more in this series, see below:
