NL Central

All anyone wanted to talk about all winter for the Milwaukee Brewers were the pitching woes the team suffered in 2009.

The Brewers finished up as one of the worst staffs in all of baseball, thanks in large part to several injuries and ineffectiveness.

Many forget that as late as June 19, the Brewers were sitting atop the NL Central. If not for the breakdown of the rotation, the Brewers very easily could have been in playoff contention at the end of September.

This article is Part Two of a six-part series in which I analyze each division in baseball and tell you exactly how I believe things are going to shake out this season.

I am by no means a credible source—merely a casual fan who knows a little about baseball and would like to share his observations and thoughts.

Today, I turn my focus to the NL Central.

If you've been to Minute Maid Park recently, you've probably noticed maintenance crews removing Jeff Bagwell's retired jersey No. 5 from the rafters.

It might remind people of that line from the movie Short Circuit: "Number Five ALIVE !"

No, Bagwell hasn't been implicated in the steroids scandal. No, he hasn't been caught betting on baseball or cheering for the Texas Rangers. And no, ex-wife Shaune Bagwell isn't writing a tell-all book about their brief marriage.

Yesterday, I looked at the “Key” player for each National League East team, so today I will cover the National League Central.

Here is the “Key” player for each National League Central team.

St. Louis Cardinals: Brad Penny

Normally this title is reserved for Chris Carpenter, but I feel good about Carpenter staying healthy this season. With Carpenter and Adam Wainwright at the top of the rotation, the Cardinals are set.

Today I am going to take a look at the updated starting rotations for each National League Central team.

Pitchers like Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, and Roy Oswalt call this division home. This division has quality pitchers throughout.

Here are the updated starting rotations for each National League Central team.

St. Louis Cardinals

1. Chris Carpenter, RHP

2. Adam Wainwright, RHP

3. Kyle Lohse, RHP

4. Brad Penny, RHP

5. Jaime Garcia, LHP

Next up in our updated Starting Nine series is the National League Central.

Outside of the St. Louis Cardinals re-signing Matt Holliday, there haven’t been any big-time offensive additions to this division. As a whole, this might be the weakest offensive division in baseball (yes, even passing the NL West).

Let’s take a look at the updated starting lineups for all six teams in this division.

St. Louis Cardinals

1. Skip Schumaker, 2B

2. Colby Rasmus, CF

3. Albert Pujols, 1B

4. Matt Holliday, LF

Bruuuuuce.

It's a sound that Reds fans bellow every time Jay Bruce steps up to the plate.

Outsiders may think the noise is some sort of boo. The reality is quite the opposite—Bruce is a vital piece of the 2010 Cincinnati Reds, and the fans know it.

He has quickly become one of the most beloved players on the team. 

After being touted as a "can't miss" prospect coming up, he has struggled to live up to lofty expectations. After a red-hot start to his pro career in '08, his bat has cooled off mightily.

After three injury-filled seasons, it finally appeared Rickie Weeks was heading for a breakout season in 2009. That ended on a check-swing in St. Louis that saw Weeks tear a tendon in his left wrist.

He was out the rest of the season after playing in just 37 games.

However, it was the best 37 game stretch of his career, and it gave the organization and fans a taste of what Weeks can do when healthy.

In a minor move that is nonetheless surprising, the Chicago Cubs dealt backup middle infielder Andres Blanco to the Texas Rangers on Saturday for a player to be named or cash.

Blanco, who will turn 26 on April 11, was the best defensive middle infielder on the Cubs major league roster, but was a lightweight at the plate. In 2009, Blanco batted just .259 with one home run and 12 runs batted in from 123 at bats in 53 games in Chicago.

For much of the 1990's, the Milwaukee Brewers had one of the worst farm systems in all of baseball. Things began to turn around with former GM Dean Taylor and continued with the team of current GM Doug Melvin and former director of scouting Jack Zduriencik.

Over the last six years, Baseball America has ranked the Brewers farm system in their top 10 four times, including No. 3 in 2005. The Brewers have done a great job producing young hitters, but they are still waiting on young pitching to add to Yovani Gallardo.

Unlike other lists, you won't see Mat Gamel or Alcides Escobar on this list.