Welcome to Central Intelligence, the column covering the National League Central posted every Monday morning.  I will give you news and notes from each team, weekly power rankings, along with an award for the best pitcher and position player in the NL Central from the previous week.
Quickly, a little bit about myself. My name is Nick Kirby, and I have been writing for Redleg Nation since last season.  As a full disclaimer, I am a big fan of advanced statistics and sabermetrics.  I will use them quite a bit in this column, but I will do my best to explain some of the different stats as I go to those of you who might not be as familiar.  I will also do my best to be as unbiased as possible in this column covering the NL Central, but of course it will be from a Reds perspective.
This week we will break down each team (in alphabetical order):
Chicago Cubs
2013 Record: 66-96, 5th place, 31 GB.
2014 Baseball Prospectus Projection: 73-89, 5th place, 14 GB, 3.8% chance of winning division, 8.3% chance of reaching the playoffs, 0.2% chance of winning the World Series.
The Cubs are continuing to rebuild.  While they are making major strides towards putting a winner on the field, their chances of being in the division race in 2014 are slim.  Their lineup is young, and will have to heavily rely on Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo for production.  The Cubs starting rotation is strong though, and will keep the Cubs competitive.
2014 ZiPS projected lineup via RotoChamp (as of 3/22/14):
| Player | POS | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | |
| 1 | Starlin Castro | SS | 13 | 61 | 16 | .280 | .319 | .413 |
| 2 | Luis Valbuena | 3B | 11 | 50 | 3 | .241 | .325 | .376 |
| 3 | Anthony Rizzo | 1B | 27 | 96 | 6 | .255 | .336 | .464 |
| 4 | Nate Schierholtz | OF | 14 | 47 | 5 | .260 | .312 | .453 |
| 5 | Junior Lake | OF | 10 | 41 | 20 | .252 | .295 | .380 |
| 6 | Ryan Sweeney | OF | 6 | 30 | 1 | .264 | .321 | .408 |
| 7 | Welington Castillo | C | 11 | 40 | 1 | .248 | .323 | .393 |
| 8 | Darwin Barney | 2B | 6 | 49 | 7 | .253 | .299 | .349 |
Justin Ruggiano had a really great spring, hitting .323/.364/.548 with 2 HR and 9 RBI.  He could find a way into a spot in the Cubs outfield.  Top prospect Javier Baez was the talk of the spring, and put on a show, hitting .310/.310/.738 with 5 HR.  He is going to be sent down to the minors to start the season, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him up with the big league club later this summer.
2014 ZiPS projected rotation via RotoChamp (as of 3/22/14):
| Starter | Player | POS | IP | W | L | ERA | WHIP | K | BB |
| 1 | Jeff Samardzija | SP | 184 | 11 | 9 | 3.56 | 1.22 | 179 | 56 |
| 2 | Travis Wood | SP | 183 | 11 | 10 | 3.88 | 1.27 | 136 | 61 |
| 3 | Edwin Jackson | SP | 174 | 11 | 11 | 3.99 | 1.33 | 139 | 54 |
| 4 | Jason Hammel | SP | 135 | 7 | 7 | 4.01 | 1.34 | 103 | 48 |
| 5 | Carlos Villanueva | SP | 114 | 7 | 6 | 3.79 | 1.25 | 96 | 37 |
The Cubs rotation will be really solid.  Samardzija and Wood at the top bring a good 1-2 punch, and are legitimate rising aces. The other three starters are solid, and will keep the Cubs in a lot of games.
2014 ZiPS projected bullpen via RotoChamp (as of 3/22/14):
| Player | POS | IP | W | L | Saves | ERA | WHIP | K | BB |
| Jose Veras | RP | 62 | 4 | 2 | 22 | 3.35 | 1.26 | 68 | 28 |
| Pedro Strop | RP | 63 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 3.29 | 1.30 | 64 | 29 |
| Wesley Wright | RP | 58 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3.43 | 1.23 | 57 | 20 |
| Justin Grimm | SP | 135 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 4.27 | 1.39 | 95 | 47 |
| James Russell | RP | 60 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3.92 | 1.27 | 44 | 17 |
| Arodys Vizcaino | RP | 58 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 5.12 | 1.57 | 40 | 27 |
| Blake Parker | RP | 54 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3.83 | 1.33 | 55 | 24 |
| Hector Rondon | RP | 31 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4.10 | 1.34 | 25 | 12 |
Cincinnati Reds
2013 Record: 90-72, 3rd Place, 7 GB, lost as the second wild-card team to the Pirates.
2014 Baseball Prospectus Projection: 82-80, 2nd Place, 5 GB, 22.7% chance of winning the division, 38.4% chance of reaching the playoffs, 2.4% chance of winning the World Series.
The Reds had a very disappointing 2013.  After being the preseason favorite to win the NL Central and the team that many picked to win the NL Pennant, the Reds finished third in the division and lost in the wild card game to Pittsburgh. That lead to Dusty Baker being fired and Bryan Price being promoted. A disappointing season turned into a disappointing offseason. The Reds lost out on the Shin-Soo Choo sweepstakes and made virtually zero improvements. It has gone from bad to worse for the Reds in Arizona. The Reds will most likely start the season without Chapman, Latos, Marshall, Broxton, Schumaker, and Hannahan. To make it even worse, Bailey, Cueto, and Mesoraco are also dealing with injuries, and could also possibly not be ready for opening day.
2014 ZiPS projected lineup via RottoChamp (as of 3/22/14):
| Player | POS | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | |
| 1 | Billy Hamilton | OF | 6 | 48 | 68 | 0.264 | 0.319 | 0.362 |
| 2 | Brandon Phillips | 2B | 16 | 87 | 9 | 0.269 | 0.317 | 0.405 |
| 3 | Joey Votto | 1B | 25 | 81 | 7 | 0.289 | 0.416 | 0.506 |
| 4 | Jay Bruce | OF | 32 | 111 | 8 | 0.254 | 0.329 | 0.485 |
| 5 | Ryan Ludwick | OF | 13 | 52 | 0 | 0.244 | 0.306 | 0.416 |
| 6 | Todd Frazier | 3B | 21 | 78 | 9 | 0.243 | 0.313 | 0.439 |
| 7 | Devin Mesoraco | Catcher | 13 | 52 | 1 | 0.251 | 0.313 | 0.421 |
| 8 | Zack Cozart | SS | 13 | 54 | 5 | 0.254 | 0.290 | 0.395 |
The Reds lineup will be below average overall, just as I wrote back in December: The Reds will have to rely heavily on Votto and Bruce, but will still need other contributors.
Billy Hamilton at the top will be key.  Hamilton only hit .256/.308/343 in 546 PA at AAA last season, but did show some promise in a limited sample size last year when he was called up in September. He has also had a fantastic spring, hitting .341/.420/.500 in 50 PA.
Brandon Phillips and Ryan Ludwick are both coming off disappointing 2013 seasons,  and haven’t shown any signs in the spring of improvements. Phillips hit .190/.292/.524, and Ludwick hit .250/.250/.341 this spring. Todd Frazier and Devin Mesoraco will need to have improved seasons for the Reds, and both players certainly have enough upside to do so.
The players to watch are Chris Heisey and Rodger Bernadina. Both have had an outstanding spring, with Heisey hitting .356/.356/.911 with 6 HR and 12 RBI, while Bernadina hit .417/.533/.833 with 3 HR and 10 RBI. Both have shown flashes of greatness at the major league level. Heisey hit 18 HR in only 308 PA in 2011, and his 15.5 HR/AB was the 4th best in the NL that season among players with 300+ PA, only trailing Prince Fielder, Giancarlo Stanton, and Matt Kemp. Bernadina hit .291/.372/.405 in 129 games with the Nationals in 2012. I fully believe either Heisey or Bernadina would be a better option in LF than Ludwick.
2014 ZiPS projected rotation via RotoChamp (as of 3/22/14):
| Player | POS | IP | W | L | ERA | WHIP | K | BB | |
| 1 | Johnny Cueto | SP | 136 | 11 | 6 | 3.17 | 1.17 | 102 | 35 |
| 2 | Homer Bailey | SP | 192 | 13 | 9 | 3.56 | 1.17 | 163 | 46 |
| 3 | Mike Leake | SP | 179 | 11 | 9 | 4.02 | 1.25 | 119 | 41 |
| 4 | Tony Cingrani | SP | 138 | 9 | 6 | 3.46 | 1.25 | 153 | 59 |
| 5 | Mat Latos | SP | 208 | 13 | 7 | 3.28 | 1.17 | 186 | 57 |
The Reds starting rotation is by far the strength of this team, and if they stay healthy could arguably be one of the best in the MLB this season. There are however many injury concerns. Cueto was scratched from a start earlier this week, but will pitch a minor league game on Tuesday. Bailey is dealing with a groin injury, but will start a minor league game today (Monday, 3/24).  Bryan Price said earlier this week that Latos will most likely start the season on the DL.
It appears that Alfredo Simon will be in the Reds rotation to start the season.  Simon has been very good for the Reds in the bullpen the last two seasons, posting a 2.78 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP between 2012-2013.  Reds fans have to hope their starting rotation can get back to full health early in the season, and stay healthy.  If the Reds starting rotation has injury concerns for the majority of 2014, it will be very difficult for the Reds to compete for a playoff spot.
2014 ZiPS projected bullpen via RotoChamp:
| Player | POS | IP | W | L | Saves | ERA | WHIP | K | BB |
| Aroldis Chapman | RP | 65 | 7 | 2 | 21 | 2.21 | 1.04 | 107 | 29 |
| J.J. Hoover | RP | 66 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 3.26 | 1.21 | 72 | 27 |
| Sean Marshall | RP | 40 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2.68 | 1.09 | 44 | 11 |
| Alfredo Simon | SP | 72 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3.51 | 1.24 | 55 | 22 |
| Logan Ondrusek | RP | 61 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4.13 | 1.36 | 50 | 25 |
| Sam LeCure | RP | 60 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3.15 | 1.18 | 63 | 21 |
| Manny Parra | RP | 44 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3.50 | 1.26 | 45 | 17 |
| Jonathan Broxton | RP | 37 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3.65 | 1.27 | 31 | 13 |
There are more injury concerns for the Reds pitching in the bullpen. Chapman took a line drive off his forehead, and will start the season on the DL (should be out 4-6 weeks). Marshall and Broxton are also both expected to start the season on the DL. Simon will likely start in the rotation, so what looked like a strong bullpen in the off season, will start the season depleted.
Milwaukee Brewers
2013: 74-88, 4th place, 23 GB
2014 Baseball Prospectus Projection: 80-82, 3rd place, 8 GB, 17.2% chance of winning the division, 28.8% chance of reaching the playoffs, 1.6% chance of winning the World Series.
The Brewers are the most intriguing team in the NL Central heading into 2014. They are coming off a bad 2013, and the Ryan Braun suspension. They bring a good lineup top to bottom into 2014, and their best starting rotation in quite some years. Their bullpen however will certainly be a weakness for this team.
2014 ZiPS projected lineup via RotoChamp:
| Player | POS | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | |
| 1 | Carlos Gomez | OF | 19 | 58 | 32 | 0.260 | 0.313 | 0.462 |
| 2 | Jean Segura | SS | 12 | 59 | 35 | 0.284 | 0.322 | 0.422 |
| 3 | Ryan Braun | OF | 33 | 116 | 22 | 0.300 | 0.367 | 0.540 |
| 4 | Aramis Ramirez | 3B | 18 | 74 | 2 | 0.275 | 0.338 | 0.473 |
| 5 | Jonathan Lucroy | Catcher | 15 | 75 | 7 | 0.276 | 0.331 | 0.437 |
| 6 | Juan Francisco | 1B | 18 | 60 | 1 | 0.246 | 0.295 | 0.465 |
| 7 | Khris Davis | OF | 19 | 65 | 7 | 0.249 | 0.330 | 0.450 |
| 8 | Scooter Gennett | 2B | 10 | 52 | 10 | 0.276 | 0.309 | 0.387 |
If Gomez, Segugra, and Lucroy can put together seasons similar to 2013, this will be a very tough lineup. The Brewers also added slugger Mark Reynolds, who could easily hit 30 HR if he gets a chance to play every day.  Ricky Weeks is still on the team as well, and there is always the chance that he could figure it out. Weeks hit .323/.488/.484 this spring. The biggest question of course is Ryan Braun. Will he get back to the MVP caliber player he was before the suspension, or not?  He certainly shown no signs of a decline this spring, hitting .440/.548/.800.
2014 ZiPS projected rotation via RotoChamp:
| Player | POS | IP | W | L | ERA | WHIP | K | BB | |
| 1 | Yovani Gallardo | SP | 185 | 13 | 10 | 3.89 | 1.30 | 170 | 64 |
| 2 | Matt Garza | SP | 153 | 10 | 7 | 3.70 | 1.23 | 146 | 45 |
| 3 | Kyle Lohse | SP | 165 | 10 | 8 | 3.87 | 1.21 | 111 | 33 |
| 4 | Marco Estrada | SP | 135 | 8 | 6 | 3.92 | 1.19 | 125 | 35 |
| 5 | Wily Peralta | SP | 164 | 11 | 11 | 4.40 | 1.47 | 129 | 76 |
The Brewers rotation might be very under appreciated coming into 2014.  They might not feature the aces like the Reds are Cardinals, but 1-5 they could be very good.  The two back-end starters, Estrada and Peralta are coming off promising 2013 seasons, and their success will be key if the Brewers want to make a run at the postseason.
2014 ZiPS projected bullpen via RotoChamp:
| Player | POS | IP | W | L | Saves | ERA | WHIP | K | BB |
| Jim Henderson | RP | 62 | 6 | 4 | 26 | 3.50 | 1.30 | 73 | 29 |
| Brandon Kintzler | RP | 58 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3.74 | 1.30 | 43 | 18 |
| Will Smith | RP | 138 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 4.25 | 1.31 | 121 | 45 |
| Jimmy Nelson | SP | 132 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 5.06 | 1.63 | 99 | 80 |
| Alfredo Figaro | RP | 87 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4.66 | 1.30 | 60 | 20 |
| Tom Gorzelanny | RP | 81 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4.13 | 1.33 | 77 | 30 |
| Frank Francisco | RP | 31 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4.10 | 1.34 | 31 | 13 |
The bullpen is the biggest weakness on this team. Their starters going deep into games will be important, so the bullpen doesn’t have to be so exposed. Henderson and Kintzler have already penciled themselves into the back-end of the pen, but they will need guys like Smith to step up and assert themselves.
Pittsburgh Pirates
2013: 94-68, 2nd place, 3 GB, lost in the NLDS to the Cardinals.
2014 Baseball Prospectus Projection: 79-83, 9 GB, 11.3% chance of winning the division, 19.7% chance of reaching the playoffs, 0.9% chance of winning the World Series.
The Pirates are the most difficult team to project in the NL Central in 2014.  They are coming off their breakthrough season in 2013, where the reached the playoffs for the first time in 20 years.  The question is of course, will the Pirates have a sophomore slump like the 2011 Reds this season, or will they continue to improve?  I don’t know the exact answer to that, but I can tell you that 2013 was no fluke.  The Pirates are here to stay, but I’m just not sure if they make the playoffs or not this year.  The Pirates will return the majority of their lineup that helped them from April to August, but lose key pieces in Marlon Bryd and Justin Morneau that helped them beat the Reds in the wild card game last season.  Baseball Prospectus thinks they will be a below average team with 79 wins.
2014 ZiPS Projected Starting Lineup: via RotoChamp (as of 3/22/14):
| Player | POS | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | |
| 1 | Starling Marte | OF | 13 | 54 | 29 | 0.265 | 0.318 | 0.430 |
| 2 | Jordy Mercer | SS | 9 | 48 | 5 | 0.252 | 0.302 | 0.385 |
| 3 | Andrew McCutchen | OF | 24 | 86 | 23 | 0.288 | 0.375 | 0.484 |
| 4 | Pedro Alvarez | 3B | 32 | 95 | 2 | 0.234 | 0.303 | 0.465 |
| 5 | Neil Walker | 2B | 16 | 74 | 5 | 0.261 | 0.330 | 0.418 |
| 6 | Russell Martin | Catcher | 14 | 50 | 7 | 0.234 | 0.326 | 0.384 |
| 7 | Gaby Sanchez | 1B | 12 | 53 | 2 | 0.252 | 0.333 | 0.401 |
| 8 | Jose Tabata | OF | 6 | 38 | 12 | 0.265 | 0.329 | 0.381 |
The Pirates projected starting lineup features all eight players who are above average in 2013, using wRC+.  That stat is the best way to evaluate a players complete offensive value, and all eight Pirates had a wRC+ above 100 (100 = average).  McCutchen was the NL MVP in 2013, and I would be surprised if he slows down.  Alvarez is the big slugger, and I would expect him to continue to hit a lot of bombs.  The key will be for Marte and Mercer to have good years for the Pirates.  The Pirates bench is also pretty weak, with the best hitter being Travis Snider.  A player to watch would be former Red, Chris Dickerson.  He hit .355/.429/.419 this spring.  The lack of offensive depth could be a serious issue for the Bucs.
2014 ZiPS Projected Starting Rotation via RotoChamp (as of 3/22/14):
| Player | POS | IP | W | L | ERA | WHIP | K | BB | |
| 1 | Francisco Liriano | SP | 161 | 14 | 10 | 3.13 | 1.22 | 151 | 59 |
| 2 | Gerrit Cole | SP | 163 | 12 | 10 | 3.48 | 1.26 | 134 | 52 |
| 3 | Wandy Rodriguez | SP | 119 | 8 | 7 | 3.63 | 1.22 | 83 | 32 |
| 4 | Charlie Morton | SP | 121 | 6 | 7 | 4.01 | 1.39 | 78 | 43 |
| 5 | Edinson Volquez | SP | 165 | 8 | 11 | 4.48 | 1.45 | 130 | 73 |
The Pirates rotation has a great 1-2 punch with Liriano and Cole.  Rodriguez and Morton battled injuries nearly all of 2013, and their health will be very important for the Bucs.  Former Red, Edinson Volquez will likely be the Pirates #5 starter.  While that is puzzling, considering Volquez has posted 5.17, 4.14, and 5.17 ERA’s in each of the last seasons, the Pirates believe in his stuff.  The Pirates still have other solid options for the rotation in Jeff Locke (who was so good early in 2013 he was named to the NL All-Star team), Brandon Cumpton, and Jameson Taillon.
2014 ZiPS Projected Bullpen via RottoChamp (as of 3/22/14)
| Player | POS | IP | W | L | Saves | ERA | WHIP | K | BB |
| Jason Grilli | RP | 50 | 3 | 1 | 26 | 2.68 | 1.09 | 64 | 16 |
| Mark Melancon | RP | 69 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 2.75 | 1.08 | 64 | 14 |
| Tony Watson | RP | 63 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3.27 | 1.17 | 54 | 19 |
| Stolmy Pimentel | RP | 142 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 4.17 | 1.36 | 87 | 49 |
| Jeanmar Gomez | SP | 128 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 4.00 | 1.33 | 75 | 43 |
| Vin Mazzaro | RP | 77 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 3.49 | 1.27 | 53 | 24 |
| Bryan Morris | RP | 75 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 4.22 | 1.35 | 48 | 26 |
| Justin Wilson | RP | 72 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3.38 | 1.32 | 62 | 34 |
| Jared Hughes | RP | 63 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3.88 | 1.34 | 43 | 23 |
The Pirates bullpen will be a major strength for this team in 2014. Grilli, Melancon, and Watson are as good of a back-end of a bullpen as any team in baseball. This pen should give Clint Hurdle plenty of options to work with. The Pirates pitching overall will keep them in a lot of games in 2014.
St. Louis Cardinals
2013: 97-65, 1st place, lost in the World Series to the Red Sox
2014 Baseball Prospectus Prediction: 88-74, 1st place, 45.0% chance of winning the division, 57.8% chance of reaching the playoffs, 5.5% chance of winning the World Series.
The Cardinals are on paper, far and away the best team in the NL Central. Basically, picking anyone else to win the division would be silly. They bring a great lineup, full of above average players 1-8, and great rotation, and great bullpen. Coming off a loss in the World Series, I am sure the Cardinals are hungry for more.
2014 ZiPS Projected Lineup via RotoChamp (as of 3/22/14):
| Player | POS | AB | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | |
| 1 | Matt Carpenter | 3B | 537 | 79 | 10 | 69 | 4 | 0.272 | 0.351 | 0.413 |
| 2 | Peter Bourjos | OF | 347 | 54 | 9 | 41 | 12 | 0.259 | 0.314 | 0.424 |
| 3 | Matt Holliday | OF | 506 | 79 | 21 | 85 | 5 | 0.277 | 0.360 | 0.468 |
| 4 | Allen Craig | OF | 458 | 61 | 16 | 84 | 3 | 0.284 | 0.338 | 0.454 |
| 5 | Matt Adams | 1B | 358 | 45 | 17 | 56 | 1 | 0.265 | 0.309 | 0.464 |
| 6 | Yadier Molina | Catcher | 501 | 54 | 13 | 73 | 6 | 0.293 | 0.342 | 0.433 |
| 7 | Jhonny Peralta | SS | 476 | 49 | 12 | 64 | 2 | 0.267 | 0.320 | 0.412 |
This is a lineup that has no holes. The only question in the lineup is Kolten Wong, but he has had a tremendous spring, hitting .372/.426/.674. Matt Adams getting a chance to play everyday, by moving Craig to RF will make this team a lot stronger on offense. Defense could be a little bit of a question, with Craig in RF, and Peralta at SS. Overall though, this lineup is the best in the NL Central. The Cards have a nice bench too, with Jon Jay and Mark Ellis headlining, and top prospect Oscar Taveras could join the club at some point this summer.
2014 ZiPS Projected Starting Rotation via RotoChamp (as of 3/22/14):
| Player | POS | IP | W | L | ERA | WHIP | K | BB | |
| 1 | Adam Wainwright | SP | 208 | 17 | 9 | 3.20 | 1.13 | 183 | 39 |
| 2 | Shelby Miller | SP | 175 | 15 | 9 | 3.30 | 1.20 | 171 | 55 |
| 3 | Michael Wacha | SP | 155 | 10 | 6 | 3.54 | 1.20 | 135 | 45 |
| 4 | Lance Lynn | SP | 174 | 13 | 9 | 3.52 | 1.28 | 166 | 62 |
| 5 | Joe Kelly | SP | 147 | 9 | 7 | 3.87 | 1.37 | 97 | 51 |
This rotation is really good.  Wainwright at the top is a true ace, and the rest of the young rotation figures to be tough.  The question is if the young studs Wacha and Miller will be able to continue on their incredible 2013 seasons, or if they will have sophomore slumps.  The Cards said they won’t limit Wacha (pitched 180 total innings in 2013), but it will be interesting to see how his arm reacts to his first full MLB season. Carlos Martinez pitched well this spring, as was said to be competing for a starting spot. He could join the rotation if someone gets hurt or struggles, and be a great option. Jamie Garcia is recovering from an injury again (shoulder), but he could also join this club early this season.
2014 ZiPS Projected Bullpen via RotoChamp (as of 3/22/14)
| Player | POS | IP | W | L | Saves | ERA | WHIP | K | BB |
| Trevor Rosenthal | RP | 80 | 5 | 2 | 33 | 2.37 | 1.05 | 103 | 24 |
| Carlos Martinez | RP | 108 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 3.74 | 1.34 | 84 | 39 |
| Kevin Siegrist | RP | 55 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3.25 | 1.28 | 58 | 26 |
| Seth Maness | RP | 78 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3.91 | 1.24 | 45 | 14 |
| Sam Freeman | RP | 71 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4.33 | 1.50 | 50 | 35 |
| Jason Motte | RP | 50 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3.08 | 1.13 | 50 | 14 |
| Pat Neshek | RP | 47 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3.83 | 1.30 | 37 | 15 |
| Randy Choate | RP | 31 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3.48 | 1.26 | 26 | 11 |
The Cardinals have a lot of good bullpen arms.  Rosenthal and Martinez can both throw 100+, and are a scary back of the bullpen combo. Siegrist and Maness are two other nice young arms, but that is the theme of the Cards pen. They have great arms, but they are young arms.  How will they hold up when being relied on for an entire MLB season?
COMING NEXT WEEK: Next will will feature my preseason NL Central Power Rankings (something that will be updated weekly) and team by team predictions, my preseason All-NL Central team, preseason NL Central Offensive Player and Pitcher of the Year, and more.