By Gabriel Lundeen
Cappo, League 10
The 2007 Arizona Diamondbacks gave up more runs than they scored and yet still managed to win the NL West. How does that happen? Arizona has a great collection of young players and two of the best starting pitchers in baseball, but can the Baby Backs shock the world again and repeat as division champs?
By Keith Wire
League 8
Where do I start? General Manager Brian Sabean has spent so many resources in the recent past, surrounding Barry Bonds with veterans to try and accommodate his egomaniacal demands, that there is very little youth and talent in their farm system to build upon. The Giants are in rebuilding mode and probably will be for many years to come.
By Greg Mann
League 5
The Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs are the consensus picks to win the NL’s Central division in 2008, and whomever doesn’t win the division is a favorite to snag the Wild Card. But hope springs eternal (no pun intended), and we also find a lot of enthusiasm in Cincinnati this year. Will Dusty Baker’s arrival save the Reds and push them into contention this season?
By Kelly Pfleiger
League 13
The Houston Astros are a weak team in a very weak division. They went and hired Ed Wade as General Manager and spent most of the off-season acquiring worn out talent as if they were in the hunt for a title this year.
However, they do have a sizeable amount of fantasy goodness, especially on offense, lurking amongst all of their mediocrity. Fantasy Baseball owners will, most certainly, be trying to acquire a few Astros players in their drafts. Hang-on, the PA system just came on … paging Mr. Wade — paging Mr. Wade … The Houston Astros are still not any good!
By David Gignilliat
League 10
For the Colorado Rockies, 2007 was truly a tale of two seasons. The first season ended on Sept. 16, 2007, with the Rockies languishing in fourth place in the NL West, 6 1/2 games behind the division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks. The second season began the next day, when the Rockies began an epic streak (winning 13 out of 14 games to finish the season) that not only put them into a one-game playoff to make the postseason, but vaulted them, unblemished, into the World Series. But the Rockies, just a few weeks earlier on the ropes – one loss away from a knockout punch, met their match against the Red Sox in the Fall Classic.
By Terry Mahoney
Cappo, League 13
2008 marks the one-hundredth year since the Chicago Cubs last won the World Series. Their last World Series appearance was in 1945. With the addition of a Japanese import, and a year of experience, is 2008 finally the year of the Cub?
By Chris from Maine
The 2008 Florida Marlins are a sure bet to be battling it out with the Washington Nationals for the NL East cellar, but that certainly does not suggest that there are not any fantasy-worthy players in South Florida. The exact opposite may be true: there are potential sources of draft day value to be found on this squad, all of whom could boost your team this year.
By Gabriel Lundeen
Cappo, League 10
The Dodgers are a team with an identity crisis, caught between retooling and rebuilding. After a fourth place finish in the NL West in 2007, the Dodgers hired Joe Torre, added Andruw Jones to anchor their lineup, and signed Japanese starter Hiroki Kuroda … and they have a host of talented young players who could make a difference if they’re not blocked by mediocre veterans with bad contracts. Will it be enough to compete in the resurgent NL West?
By Butters in D.C.
League 14
League 16
The NL East is absolutely LOADED this year. With the NL favorites, the New York Mets and their media archrival, the Philadelphia Phillies; the improvement in both play and health of the Washington Nationals, who are also opening a new ballpark; and even with the Florida Marlins blowing up into full-on rebuilding mode, Atlanta seems to be sneaking under the radar - again.
By Laura Dahlinger
Cappo, League 8
This Phillies are coming off of a moonrocket, nose-to-nose, finish over the NY Mets at the end of last season. They took the NL East down to the wire, and finished the season one game ahead of the, collapsing, Mets with an 89-73 record. They have a lot to live up to this season, and the few changes they made will keep them in contention. Whether it pushes the Phightin’ Phils over the top remains to be seen.