Brewers manager Ken Macha recognizes the strengths of the NL Central, and hopes to upgrade his pitching staff this offseason in order to compete for the divisional title in 2010. (AP Photo)
Instead of writing a generic article on the Houston Astros, I wanted to take a minute and thank everyone for all the kind words and emails pertaining to my recent Hal Newhouser article.
I've always been a big fan of Newhouser and what he accomplished on the field with the Detroit Tigers during the 1940s.
He's the only pitcher in MLB history to win consecutive MVP Awards. After retirement, Newhouser honored the game as a tremendous scout -- discovering players such as Milt Pappas, Dean Chance and Derek Jeter.
I wanted to say my biggest thank you to Milwaukee Brewers manager Ken Macha, who helped me learn more about Newhouser on and off the field. For those who don't know, Macha and Newhouser are first cousins.
When I interviewed Macha, he was driving to his mother's house outside of Pittsburgh on a Saturday morning. We had a great conversation on the phone, ranging from Newhouser all the way to the NL Central.
Overall, it was an honor and privilege to be able to speak with a manager of Macha's caliber. When our conversation shifted toward the NL Central, it was a great to hear a manager's perspective in regard to the quality of the division.
Most baseball fans and critics refer to the division as weak; however, from 2004-06, NL Central teams made three straight World Series appearances, with the Cardinals defeating Detroit to win the 2006 World Series.
Although it's not the AL East, the NL Central features several superstar players and standout managers.
Whether it's Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, Ryan Ludwick, Chris Carpenter, Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Kosuke Fukudone, Carlos Zambrano, Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Lance Berkman, Hunter Pence, Carlos Lee, Roy Oswalt and Miguel Tejada, the NL Central superstars contribute to making Major League Baseball more exciting.
Pujols, a two-time NL MVP, may be the greatest player in the game, while Fielder and Braun represent two of the top perennial sluggers.
Don't forget the All-Star closers such as Trevor Hoffman, Jose Valverde and Francisco Cordero.
These players typically find themselves in the running for the NL MVP or Cy Young Awards, as well as being named to the NL All-Star team on a yearly basis.
Also, it certainly helps that great managers highlight the NL Central.
With Tony LaRussa, Lou Piniella, Macha and Dusty Baker, the NL Central has four managers who possess exceptional postseason experience. Plus, LaRussa and Piniella rank as two of the top managers of all time.
Newly hired Astros manager Brad Mills brings two World Series titles with him as bench coach of the Boston Red Sox.
As Macha pointed out, the game still revolves around pitching.
"When you look at the teams in the postseason this year, they all have great starting pitching and relievers," Macha said. "Everyone enjoys a great offense, but you need pitching to win."
Macha wants to improve the Brewers' starting rotation this offseason, but didn't hint at who general manager Doug Melvin intends to pursue. Over the past week, John Lackey, Mark Mulder and Ben Sheets have all been mentioned as possibilities in Milwaukee.
Furthermore, Atlanta's Javier Vazquez or even Derek Lowe may be on the trading block, and Milwaukee could be a possible destination for either right-hander.
Macha reinforced that the Astros made a great choice in hiring Mills as manager, and said the team only needs to add a few pieces to be a top-notch contender.
"Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez are solid 1-2 starters," Macha said. "I really like that rookie Bud Norris. He did great things against us this season. Like us, Houston needs a few more arms to be a great team."
In addition to the Astros, Macha seems to like what's going on in Cincinnati with general manager Walt Jocketty's young talent. He points out that Johnny Cueto has a bright future and Cordero might be one of the most underrated closers in baseball.
"People overlook what's going on in Cincy," Macha said. "Cueto is a great talent, Cordero gets the job done in the ninth, and that team went on a long winning streak toward the end of the season. They keep developing and with Baker leading them, the Reds have a great future ahead."
Despite all the positives in the NL Central, the main reason why the division gets criticized revolves around the lack of depth after the superstars. Still, the Cardinals, Cubs, Brewers, Astros, Reds and even the Pittsburgh Pirates will look to upgrade this offseason.
Not all the teams, especially the Astros and Reds, expect to be aggressive on the free-agent market, yet the 2010 season should provide opportunities for several young NL Central prospects to be everyday starters.
Which free agents will end up in the NL Central for 2010? Will the Cardinals lose Holliday or be able to re-sign him? Who will be favored to win the division next season?
As the offseason progresses, we'll get a better idea of which teams will head into Spring Training with lofty goals for the 2010 season.
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