Over the Edge + March, 30 2011

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order, but they'll have to contend with the best hitting team in
the majors, the Texas Rangers. Texas, who would eventually
lose to the Giants in the World Series, led the majors in team
batting average with .276 in 2010. To make matters worse for
MLB pitchers the Rangers added Adrian Beltre who hit .321
with the Red Sox last season, to an already stacked lineup
that includes Josh Hamilton who hit .359 in 2010, the tops in
the majors, and Nelson Cruz who finished at .318. Although
they don’t have any big name pitchers, Texas was fifth in the
American League in team ERA at 3.93, and with the bats
Texas has they could probably spare a few runs.

1) Texas Rangers 2) Los Angeles Angels 3) Oakland Athletics
4) Seattle Mariners

National League

NL East: After signing pitcher Cliff Lee this off-season the
Philadelphia Phillies have become the Miami Heat of the
MLB. All eyes will be watching Philly to see how Lee’s
addition to an already loaded pitching staff will help the
Phillies. Lee, who split 2010 in Texas and Seattle, joins 2010
Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole
Hamels to make one of the deepest rotations in MLB history.
Halladay, who left Toronto last year for a chance at a title,
had a remarkable season posting twenty wins, and leading
the majors in innings pitched, complete games and shutouts,
including a perfect game and a no-hitter in his first career
post-season game. The big question for the Phillies will be
whether they can stay healthy, Philly is an aging team and if
the injury bug bites, then their championship hopes may be
dashed. All-Star shortstop Jimmy Rollins sat out most of the
2010 season with several leg injuries and the Phillies need
his speed on the bases to produce a few extra runs. The
Phillies also lost slugger Jayson Werth, and will need better
production out of veteran Chase Utley who saw his numbers
drop last season to sixteen home-runs and sixty-five RBI’s,
after averaging nearly thirty homers and one-hundred RBI's
since 2005.

Atlanta clinched the National League wildcard spot last year,
and playing in the same division as the Phillies, the Braves
better hope they can do the same in 2011. Atlanta edged
out the Padres by one game in the 2010 wildcard race and
may feel the same heat from the Cardinals and the Rockies
this year. Atlanta’s success is a result of solid pitching, the
third lowest ERA in the National League, and balanced
offence. The Braves had five players with over fifty RBI’s led
by catcher Brian McCann’s seventy seven, and Rookie of
the Year runner-up Jason Heyward with seventy-two. Adding
second base slugger Dan Uggla to the mix will bring some
power to the lineup. Uggla finished with thirty-three homers

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and one-hundred five RBI’s with the Marlins last season.

1) Philadelphia Phillies 2) Atlanta Braves (W) 3) New York
Mets 4) Florida Marlins 5) Washington Nationals

NL Central: The Cincinnati Reds ended their fifteen year
post-season drought after winning the NL Central Division
with a 91-71 record, however, fizzled in the playoffs losing
three straight to the Phillies in the division series. Aside from
losing shortstop Orlando Cabrera, the Reds are the same
look team as last year. In fact Cincinnati brought in Edgar
Renteria, a better hitter than Cabrera to fill the shortstop spot.
The Reds are hoping that youngster Edinson Volquez can
lead the starting rotation that also includes veteran Bronson
Arroyo, who led the club with seventeen wins.

St. Louis combated last season’s depth issues by bringing in
career .300 slugger Lance Berkman to join two of the league’s
best batters Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday. Pujols knocked
in a team leading one-hundred eighteen runs and Holliday
tallied one-hundred three, but got little help from the rest
of the Cardinals batting order. Unfortunately, for the Cards
they'll struggle to clinch a playoff spot without twenty game
winner Adam Wainwright in the starting rotation. Wainwright
is out for the season recovering from Tommy John surgery.

1) Cincinnati Reds 2) St. Louis Cardinals 3) Milwaukee
Brewers 4) Chicago Cubs 5) Houston Astros 6) Pittsburgh
Pirates

NL West: The eventual 2010 World Series champs, the
San Francisco Giants, clinched their playoff spot in the last
game of the season and then finished their magical run with
dominant pitching, led by Tim Lincecum and closer Brian
Wilson. The Giants don’t produce a lot of runs, so will rely
on their pitching once again to see them through to the 2011
playoffs. San Fran had the lowest ERA in the majors with
3.36, and led the MLB in team strikeouts and opponents
batting average.

If the Rockies can get over their inconsistency issues, than
Colorado may put the heat on the Giants, and take the NL
West Division or make a run at the NL wildcard. The Rockies
went 51-29 at home in 2010, but struggled on the road
winning only thirty-one games. Colorado has a talented core
with shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, outfielder Carlos Gonzalez,
and ace Ubaldo Jimenez whose 2.88 ERA was eighth best
in the majors. If Todd Helton, usually a one-hundred RBI
guy, can recover from a horrible 2010 season where he only
batted in thirty-eight runs, then the Rockies will be in the
playoff hunt come September.

1) San Francisco Giants 2) Colorado Rockies 3) Los Angeles
Dodgers 4) San Diego Padres 5) Arizona Diamondbacks

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Canadian and former MVP Justin Morneau

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