1) Milwaukee Brewers
What to like: The starting rotation, once the organization's biggest weakness, is now among the top staffs in the league. The improved pitching should take some pressure off the lineup, led by perennial All-Stars 1B Prince Fielder and OF Ryan Braun, and a bullpen that has been run into the ground in recent years trying to mop up after bad starts night in and night out.
What not to like: The injury bug hit the Brew Crew hard in Spring Training, as all nine projected Opening Day starters missed time due to injury. Newly acquired ace Zach Grienke, OF Corey Hart and C Jonathan Lucroy are all expected to miss the start of the season, and 3B Casey McGehee's status is up in the air after taking a pitch to his surgically repaired knee yesterday. The bottom half of the lineup is weak, so the runs will have to come from the 1-5 spots.
Outlook: If everyone can stay healthy, and the new arrivals can do what they're supposed to do, the Brewers should be a contender for the NL Central crown.
Key Player: Grienke. The most important off-season acquisition in Brewers history started his tenure off on a sour note when a cracked rib he injured in a pickup basketball game landed him on the Opening Day DL. If he can return at 100% with a minimum number of starts missed, it will go a long way in helping the Brewers get back to the playoffs.
X-factor: Yuniesky Betancourt, SS. The 29-year-old short stop was an afterthought in the trade that netted the Grienke, but he'll take on an important role as the Brewers' Opening Day starter at the most important defensive position. His much maligned defense will be highly scrutinized, but if he can be serviceable, his bat is a plus at the position.
Notable additions: Grienke, Betancourt, RHP Shaun Marcum, RHP Takashi Saito,
Notable subtractions: SS Alcides Escobar, OF Lorenzo Cain, RHP Dave Bush, RHP Trevor Hoffman
2) Cincinnati Reds
What to like: Status quo. The argument in favor of the Reds this season is that the roster that won the NL Central last season is largely in tact. A talented stable of starting pitchers led by Edinson Volquez and a phenomenal lineup led by reigning NL MVP Joey Votto should keep the Reds in the playoff hunt.
What not to like: The pitching staff is very young and lacks a true ace, for now. While the rest of the division (Brewers, Cubs, Astros) made significant off-season improvements, the Reds remained mostly stagnant.
Outlook: W
ith almost the entire roster back from the 2010 team that was a surprise division winner, the Reds will contend for a playoff spot again -- and flame out in the first round if they get there.Key player: Votto. The offense is the story in Cincinnati, and Votto is a huge part of it. He had a huge year last year, besting fellow NL Central first baseman Albert Pujols for the MVP. He is the key to the Reds continued success in 2011.
X-factor: Aroldis Chapman, LHP. The phenom with the legendary 105 MPH fastball will likely start the season in the bullpen (though at the rate Cincinnati's starters are dropping that might not be the case), but he should find himself either in the starting rotation or in the closer's role (if Francisco Cordero's struggles continue) by mid-season. It will be interesting to see if he can live up to the hype.
Notable additions: SS Edgar Renteria, OF Jeremy Hermida
Notable subtractions: RHP Aaron Harang, SS Orlando Cabrera
3) St. Louis Cardinals
What to like: 1B Albert Pujols, the best hitter of his generation, still plays for the Cardinals, and with OF Matt Holliday still protecting him in the lineup, the Cards will always be a threat in the NL Central. Chris Carpenter and Jaime Garcia top a rotation otherwise filled with average talent, but pitching coach Dave Duncan has a history of turning coal into diamonds.
What not to like: Pujols' contract situation is hanging over the Cardinals like a dead weight, casting a heavy shadow over Busch Stadium. Losing RHP Adam Wainwright for the season after he underwent Tommy John surgery is a huge blow for the Cardinals pitching staff.
Outlook: With Wainwright, the Cardinals were set to duke it out with the Brewers and the Reds for the NL Central crown. Without him, Duncan will have to pull a couple more miracles out of his hat to keep the Cardinals from being relagated to third wheel status in the division.
Key player: Carpenter. With Wainwright out for the season, there will be even more pressure on Carpenter to carry the Cardinals pitching staff. After starting just a combined 4 games in 2007 and 2008, Carpenter has fully returned to the form that won him the Cy Young award in 2005. He'll have to keep that production up to keep the Cardinals afloat in 2011.
X-factor: Kyle McClellan, RHP. McClellan steps out of the bullpen and into the spot in the rotation that should have been filled by Wainwright. He's been a solid part of the Cardinals 'pen for three years, posting a career 3.23 ERA while averaging 73 innings pitched per year, but has never started a major league game.
Notable additions: OF Lance Berkman
Notable subtractions: None
4) Chicago Cubs
What to like: The Cubs made some late off-season improvements after watching the Brewers lock down the division's best rotation, raiding the Tampa Bay Rays for 1B Carlos Pena and RHP Matt Garza. If the starting rotation plays to their potential (a big if), they'll have a formidable staff of their own. Sophomore SS Starlin Castro is ready to be a star.
What not to like: 
Outlook: The Cubs are a talented ball club that has been underachieving for years. If they can cut that out and play to their abilities, they'll be a contender. Here's hoping they don't.
Key player: Castro. Long suffering Cubs fans have pinned their hopes to the 20-year-old rising star, and he did not disappoint in his rookie season. If he can continue to hit and start posting the speed numbers that he showed in the minors, he could be an anchor for a Cubs offense that finished 10th in the NL last year in runs scored.
X-factor: Zambrano. The Cubs hot-headed one time ace came back with a vengeance last year after being demoted to the bullpen for a time, posting an 8-0 record with a 1.41 ERA in his last 10 starts. He’ll be 30 in June, but his penchant for throwing temper tantrums like a 5-year-old in the dugout is clearly having an effect on his game.
Notable additions: Pena, Garza, RHP Kerry Wood
Notable subtractions: 1B Xavier Nady
5) Houston Astros
What to like: The Astros surprised somewhat last year after the All-Star break, vaulting past the fading Cubs and nearly catching Milwaukee to finish fourth in the division. The staff is solid, especially if RHP Wandy Rodriguez can return to 2009 form. The outfield is a run producing machine with speedy Michael Bourn getting himself into scoring position for sluggers Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence.
What not to like: The Astros failed to keep pace with the improvements made by the Brewers and the Cubs, and could find themselves in a fight to stay out of the cellar if the Pirates’ minor league imports have success: their only major off-season acquisitions were has-been infielders Bill Hall and Clint Barmes. Outside of the top three or four hitters, the lineup is very mediocre. The rotation had a dream half-season after the All Star break, and I don’t expect them all to continue to pitch at the same level.
Outlook: Unless the Cubs experience another major letdown year (not entirely unlikely), the Astors will likely take a step back this year in the division race. Their rotation is good enough to keep them in games on a daily basis, but the offense won’t be able to produce enough runs for the Astros to make a serious run at the division title.
Key player: Lee. The Astros’ best offense talent is 34 now, and was a major disappointment in 2010, posting a batting average under .250 for the first time in his career. The three time All-Star hasn’t been to the mid-summer classic since 2007, and he’ll need to get that batting average back up to help the Astros compete is the improved NL Central.
X-factor: J.A. Happ. Happ got off to a fast start with the Phillies when he finished second in rookie of the year voting after a stellar year in 2009, and he was the centerpiece of the deal that sent LHP Roy Oswalt to Philadelphia last July. He started just 16 games last season between the Phillies and Astros after missing three months of the season due to an elbow injury, and he left a spring training start today after straining an oblique. His health and production will be important to the Astros success this season.
Notable additions: Hall, Barmes
Notable subtractions: INF Geoff Blum
6) Pittsburgh Pirates
What to like: The Pirates have an infusion of young talent from its farm system that has either recently arrived or is close to ready for the show. These young guns theoretically have the talent to finally put a stop to the Pirates’ epic 18-year losing season streak, though likely not before it reaches the two decade mark.
What not to like: They’re the Pirates, so pretty much everything. They appear to finally be headed in a positive direction, but that has been said before about this ballclub, and the prospects that are supposed to save the franchise tend to flame out, or get shipped out if they don’t.
Outlook: It’s going to be another long season for the black and yellow, but if the newest wave of prospects arrives as advertised, there could be reason for hope and, perhaps, even a fifth place finish.
Key player: Andrew McCutchen, OF. Last year’s Pirates representative in the All-Star game may have been the first in several years that would have made the roster even if the Pirates weren’t required to have someone there. He hit .286 with 16 home runs and 33 stolen bases in 2010, and became the leader of the Pirates offense. At 23-years-old, he should continue to develop into a true star.
X-factor: Pirates front office. The management in Pittsburgh has been drop-kicking any chances the team has had to become a contender for years by selling off the team’s best talent every July in a prospect-grabbing fire sale. The only way this team will ever climb out of the cellar is if the front office allows the young core to develop at the major league level together.
Notable additions: RHP Kevin Correia, 1B Lyle Overbay
Notable subtractions: LHP Zach Duke
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