Poll Results: Who Will Win the NL Central?

In our most recent poll, we asked "who will win the NL Central in 2009?"

Well, 212 of you chimed in, and here are the results:

-Cubs	100 (47%)
-Brewers	15 (7%)
-Pirates	12 (5%)
-Reds	15 (7%)
-Cardinals	63 (29%)
-Astros	6 (2%)

Wow, lots of Cardinals supporters here. I think the Cards will be better in 2009, but I have a tough time believing that they are a legitimate contender at this point. The Cardinals need lots of things to go their way in 2009: a healthy and dominant Adam Wainwright, the resurgence of Chris Carpenter, find a good closer, another good season out of Kyle Lohse, another great season from Ryan Ludwick, and stable bullpen. Lots of question marks there...will see if the Cardinals can seriously challenge for a playoff spot.

To me, the Cubs are the clear cut favorite. They have the best offense, great starting pitching, and a very good bullpen on paper. Obviously, the Cubs need to stay healthy (yes, I'm talking to you Rich Harden), but they are probably the most talented team in the National League. The only thing preventing the Cubs from being the favorite to win the World Series in 2009 is the fact that these are the Cubs we're talking about...100 years and counting.

Strong showing from the Pirates here...12 votes! I'm sure there are plenty of Pirates fans who would just take a .500 season in 2009, but the sad reality is that even a .500 season might be a bit much for the Pirates, who still need to add talent.

Next Poll: Who win the 2009 NL West? VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!