NL: Division Winners

[DaSox_05]

The Cardinals are the best team in this Mock and imo are the Champs. Wow! How did they get that team!?

[DaSox_05]

However the Reds are also damn good. If they were in a different division they would win it. But they are a wild card team imo and those two teams should meet for the NL Pennant and right now I am picking Cards but could change my mind later.

[TO Rapz]

^ Can you please explain why the Cards are better then us? I am not saying that you are wrong, nor am i questioning your opinion or knocking you on it, just want an explanation.

[DaSox_05]

^ Can you please explain why the Cards are better then us? I am not saying that you are wrong, nor am i questioning your opinion or knocking you on it, just want an explanation.

Their rotation is ridiculously good. Carp, Wainwright, Danks and Wandy WOW!!!

Their line up is very good 1-8. I mean whats not to like about their team?

Your team is very good as well dont get me wrong but right now the Cards are favorite to win it all.

[Fukudome]

This is a complete team thing IMO. Their lineup is good, but John McDonald does not constitute it being very good 1-8. Drew Stubbs and Ramon Hernandez are our 7-8.

Also, Fly is probably going to say something to me about this again, but man, if one of their IF misses ONE game, you have to play an OF or a C in the IF. I don't know how that could possibly work.

[TO Rapz]

Their rotation is ridiculously good. Carp, Wainwright, Danks and Wandy WOW!!!

Their line up is very good 1-8. I mean whats not to like about their team?

Your team is very good as well dont get me wrong but right now the Cards are favorite to win it all.

I'm sorry, but their rotation is ANYTHING but wow. Carp and Danks are great don't get me wrong, but Wainwright is coming off TOMMY JOHN SURGERY..

I cannot emphasize how significant this injury could be, as who knows how he'll return?

Wandy Rodriguez isn't good, I don't understand this notion. He was really bad last year...he had a 13.0 HR/FB, a 4.15 FIP, and if he induced ground balls, it's great, but he only induced 45% of his GB's.

Adding onto that, his lineup is great, but ours is better. Let's take a look shall we?

Cardinals lineup:
Elvis Andrus - 4.5 WAR
Nelson Cruz - 1.6 WAR
Albert Pujols - 5.1 WAR
Josh Hamilton - 4.2 WAR
Lance Berkman - 5.0 WAR
David Freese - 2.7 WAR
Yadier Molina - 4.1 WAR
John Mcdonald - 0.6 WAR
Total: 27.8 Total WAR collected last year by this group.

Reds lineup:
David DeJesus - 2.2 WAR
Brandon Phillips - 6.0 WAR
Joey Votto - 6.9 WAR
David Wright - 1.9 WAR
Jay Bruce - 3.3 WAR
Jimmy Rollins - 3.8 WAR
Drew Stubbs - 2.6 WAR
Ramon Hernandez - 2.0 WAR
Total: 28.7 Total WAR collected last year by this group.

So essentially, our lineup who had a bad season from Jay Bruce, David Wright, Drew Stubbs, and David Dejesus, 4 out of 8 hitters in our lineup had terrible years, and still our lineup produced more total WAR then that of the STL lineup. And I don't buy the whole Albert Pujols + Josh Hamilton is going to rake non sense, because this is a team sport.

So I am puzzled by why we are losing 5-4 here. Not to mention, our bench consists of:

Alex Gonzalez , an everyday player who is sitting on our bench yet is better then their starting 2nd baseman.
Ryan Ludwick (solid 4th OF), Jose Molina (good backup C, and we use him to groom our young SP), and Kosuke Fukudome (because i love my co and he has a boner for him). Our bench provides us depth and good role players, whereas there bench has Bobby Abreau, Ryan Sweeney, Henry Blanco and Aaron Rowand. Yes, the same Bobby Abreau that produced 0.4 WAR. Indeed, the same Ryan Sweeney who had a 0.1 WAR. And Aaron Rowand who had 0.7 WAR. So 3 out of their 4 bench players are OF's, and produce a total of 1.2 WAR last year, That's 0.7 WAR LESS then Miguel Cairo, our backup 3B, who produced a 1.9 WAR himself. And their last bench player, Henry Blanco, solid backup C.

So let's think this through logically. Freese who only played 97 games last year, and 70 games the year before starts 162 at 3B? Johnny Mac, a career backup 2B/SS who has played in 84, 63, 73, and 84 games over the last few years now plays all 162 games at 2B? Oh I know, we'll take Ryan Sweeney and play him at 2B if Johnny Mac struggles!

[Superdude]

I didn't think TJ surgery was a huge deal.

Sure your out for the year, but I'm pretty sure that they come back pretty strong, if my memory suits me

[Fukudome]

Wainwright may very well come back strong, but it's still a bit iffy. And I have yet to hear anyone respond to the whole bench aspect and how their lineup is better than ours?