MLB Quarterly Report - NL Central

1. Cincinnati Reds (31-23)

- Biggest Surprise

Jonny Gomes was widely considered a disappointment during his tenure in Tampa Bay. Cincinnati has been a different story. Gomes was brought in last season as primarily a back-up and pinch hitter and it paid off when he hit 20 HRs in only 281 at-bats. During Spring Training Gomes won the starting job in LF and is blowing away his previous skeptics, hitting .307 with 7 HRs and 35 RBI. Also, last year at this time Mike Leake was preparing to pitch in a regional as his Arizona St. Sun Devils were a national seed and about to make a run to semifinals of the College World Series. This year? He's only 4-0 with only a 2.45 ERA after skipping the Minors altogether.

- Biggest Disappointment

There haven't been many disappointments on this Reds team so far this season. They're surprising most people and leading the NL Central division. Mike Leake was one of my surprises for the Reds, but he wasn't scripted to be the young pitcher to step up this season. That was supposed to be Homer Bailey. Bailey has been in the Reds' farm system his entire career, but finally got a chance to start all season in '09 when we went 8-5 with a 4.53 ERA. In '10 Homer is living up to his name, allowing almost 1 HR a start and is 1-2 with a 5.51 ERA.

2. St. Louis Cardinals (31-23)

- Biggest Surprise

The road to the Majors has been long and tough for Jaime Garcia. He was first selected as in the 22nd round of the '05 draft out of Mexico. Then after plowing through the Minors, Garcia made 10 appearances, including one start, in '08 as a mid-season call up, only to need Tommy John surgery 2 months later. Garcia then missed almost all of '09 before making the Cardinals' 2010 Opening Day rotation. So far this season Garcia is 5-2 with a dazzling 1.32 ERA.

- Biggest Disappointment

Brendan Ryan was quite the breath of fresh air for Cardinals fans last season when he put a foot in the revolving door that had been the St. Louis shortstop position. Ryan hit .292 accompanied by some sparkling defense up the middle. This season it's as if Ryan's foot slipped from the door and he is trying not to be pushed out the door completely. Ryan is hitting a depressing .200 with 8 errors which is the exact number he had all of last year.

3. Chicago Cubs (24-29)

- Biggest Surprise

When the Cubs signed the emotional disaster that is Milton Bradley before the '09 season, as a HUGE Cubs fan I was quite pissed. Everyone who thought they knew anything said the Cubs needed a left handed bat in the middle of the order so the Cubs' front office panicked and got one. Bust. Who saw that coming? Well after Bradley was sent home and told not to return with 10 games left, the Cubs began shopping him and his inflated salary. Luckily the Seattle Mariners were also looking to ship off an emotional wreck of their own: Carlos Silva. In two injury plagued seasons in the Great Northwest Silva compiled a 5-18 record with an ERA hovering around 6.50. In his first 10 starts for the Cubbies Silva is 7-0 with a 3.12 ERA and producing so much more than that psycho the Cubs traded for him.

- Biggest Disappointment

Aramis Ramirez is a guy that the Cubs have been able to pencil in for about 30 HRs and 100 RBI with a batting average somewhere around .300. Not this year. Ramirez was hampered by a separated shoulder last season while only playing in 82 games, but still hitting .317 with 15 HRs and 65 RBI in the half season. Ramirez has absolutely no excuse, to the public's knowledge, for his lack of production this season that has translated to a .162 average with only 4 HRs and 20 RBI.

4. Pittsburgh Pirates (22-31)

- Biggest Surprise

If a setup man is chosen as a team's "Biggest Surprise" it's for one of two reasons: 1. Said set-up man is having that good of a year. OR 2. Said team is having that bad of a year. In Evan Meek and his Pittsburgh Pirates' case, it's a little of both. It's not surprise that the Pirates are scuffling again, but no one saw Meek posting a 0.89 ERA out of the bullpen into June.

- Biggest Disappointment

You would think that after a major professional sports franchise record 17 straight losing seasons, and 17 straight high draft picks, a ball club could accumulate some pitching talent. In all fairness, the Pirates have, just not enough to find someone else to take Charlie Morton's spot in the rotation. Morton is 1-9 with a 9.35 ERA. That simply means that for every inning Morton has pitched, he's given up at least one run. Yikes. It gets better. Opponents are batting a bloated .342 off of him, and he's given up 12 HRs in only 10 starts.

5. Milwaukee Brewers (22-31)

- Biggest Surprise

The Milwaukee Brewers had hoped that Mat Gamel was going to step up in '09 and claim the starting 3B job as his own. Instead, it was Casey McGehee. Despite only playing 71 games at 3B during the season, McGehee impressed the Brewers enough to award him the starting job for '10. Sorry Mat Gamel, but you lost your shot. McGehee is hitting .299 with 9 HRs and a league leading 41 RBI.

- Biggest Disappointment

In hindsight maybe the Brewers should've known that they couldn't put the 9th inning squarely onto the 42 year old shoulders of the all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman. However, last season for the Brew Crew Hoffman converted 37 out of 41 possible save opportunities with a dazzling 1.83 ERA, which happened to be the 2nd lowest of his career. That's all changed in '10 though. Hoffman has already blown 5 saves, which is one more than he blew in all of '09, has an ERA of 11.65, has 4 losses which is over halfway to his career high of 7, and actually looks his age.

6. Houston Astros (19-34)

- Biggest Surprise

For Astros fans it's nice to see Roy Oswalt back in his old form after posting a not very Oswalt-esque '09. Do not be fooled by his 3-7 record on the mound as his ERA is a stifling 2.78 on the year. To accompany Oswalt at the top of the rotation, the Astros brought in former Philadelphia Phillie Brett Myers who is coming off a rough few years of his own. The change of scenery seems to be doing Myers well. He is currently posting a 3.04 ERA with a 3-3 record in 11 starts.

- Biggest Disappointment

This paragraph could get out of hand real quick if I let it. There have been plenty of disappointments on this Houston team so far in the '10 campaign. It took Carlos Lee more than 2 weeks to record his first RBI and a full month to hit his first HR of the season. Lee is still only hitting .206 as well. Lance Berkman started the year on the DL due to knee problems and is batting an anemic .241. Free agent acquisition Pedro Feliz is batting .222 with only 2 HRs and 17 RBI. Starting shortstop Tommy Manzella is hitting .206. *sigh* I'll stop while I'm still ahead.