Wide Open (NL Central Side by Side by Side)

[TheWalls]

I'm sitting here comparing the starting 8, five most like starters and end of the pens for the Reds, Cards, Cubs and Brewers side by side.

The Brewers may be the most balanced, have the most upside with the youngsters, and the best pen. The Cards look old (Edmonds, Rolen, Encarnacion) and really thin at pitcher, but they have exceptional clutch hitting. The Cubs look like an incredibly expensive 85 win team that will have nice stats and a crappy record.

The Reds certainly don't look outclassed across the board. I think the top of the order will be able to manufacture runs, we have decent thumpers in the middle of the lineup and the bottom will keep pitchers honest. The defense other than the left side is good, especially if Junior moves to RF and I think the starters and pen both compare quite favorably.

I am struck by how all of these rosters are fragile to injuries to key players.

Take a look. (Sorry, the editor won't let me space better)

Reds Cards Cubs Brewers
1B Hatteberg Pujols Lee Fielder
2B Phillips Kennedy De Rosa Weeks
SS Gonzalez Eckstein Izturis Hardy
3B Encarnacion Rolen Ramirez Koskie
LF Dunn Duncan Murton Jenkins
CF Griffey Edmonds Soriano Hall
RF Freel Encarnacion Jones Hart
C Ross Molina Barrett Estrada

SP1 Harang Carpenter ZambranoCapuano
SP2 Arroyo Wells Lilly Sheets
SP3 Milton Reyes Marquis Suppan
SP4 Lohse Wainright Hill Bush
SP5 Saarlos Looper Prior Vargas

BP1 Stanton Isringhausen Dempster Cordero
BP2 Weathers Rincon Wood Wise
BP3 Coffey Flores Howry Turnbow
BP4 Bray Hancock Eyre Capellan