Seven different teams have captured the National League Pennant in the last seven years -- St. Louis, Florida, San Francisco, Arizona, New York, Atlanta and San Diego.

That?s quite an even playing field.

More importantly, only two of those seven teams won the World Series. The Florida Marlins in 2003, and the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001. And neither one of those teams were around for very long.

So the question is, will there be an eighth team in eight years? And if so, who will it be? The likely choices would be Chicago, Los Angeles or Philadelphia.

However, I am here to tell you that there is a team among the seven that I mentioned previously that will put an end to the "seven teams in seven years" talk. Which one will it be you ask?

Without further ado, on to the predictions?

N.L. East (in order of predicted finish)

1. Atlanta Braves: The Braves 1-2 punch of Tim Hudson and John Smoltz is the best in baseball. That will relieve some of the pressure off former ace, Mike Hampton. The corner outfield of Brian Jordan and Raul Mondesi is old, but look for Chipper Jones to carry much of the load this season now that he?s back at third base permanently. The big question is can they get past the first round this season? I believe they will.

2 Florida Marlins: They have speed (Juan Pierre, Luis Castillo) and power (Carlos Delgado, Mike Lowell, Miguel Cabrera) through their lineup. Their rotation is still one of the best, even with the loss of Carl Pavano, but their bullpen will prevent them from winning the division. Guillermo Mota will need to make the transition from set-up man to closer. Not an easy transition as a few set-up guys have found out (Octavio Dotel, Braden Looper). Nonetheless, they should win the wild card.

3. New York Mets: Adding Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran would normally propel a team into first place. However, there are too many concerns around the diamond for the Mets. How will Mike Piazza?s knees hold up? Will Jose Reyes and Kaz Matsui transform into solid offensive players the Mets had hoped for? Can Braden Looper become a closer full-time or will he need help from others (Mike Dejean)? Too many questions when you?re in the most improved division in baseball.

4. Philadelphia Phillies: Here?s another team that has all the talent to win their division and go deep into the playoffs. Their bullpen is the best in the division. Their rotation is liable to win 65-75 games collectively. They have one of the premier hitters in Jim Thome, and Bobby Abreu isn?t a bad cleanup hitter. Most importantly, they have a new manager, Charlie Manuel, who is capable of putting it all together. Note: Look out for Chase Utley.

5. Washington Nationals: This is a team that is just happy to be playing baseball in a permanent home. They?ve added Christian Guzman and Jose Guillen to an already young and talented lineup. They?ll be the happiest last place team in the history of the game. Note: Look out for Livian Hernandez to be a part of trade rumors for the third year in a row.

N.L. Central

1. St. Louis Cardinals: After being predicted to finish third by most of the experts last season, the Cardinals are now the favorites to win the Central. The losses of Edgar Renteria, Woody Williams and Mike Matheny will sting at first, but Tony La Russa is known for being able to help gel his teams together. David Eckstein should prove the naysayers wrong, and the Cardinals have the ace they were looking for in Mark Mulder. Oh yeah, and I forgot about Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen and Larry Walker. What was I thinking?

2. Chicago Cubs: The Cubs, like the Cardinals, have a big four. Their names are Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Carlos Zambrano and Greg Maddux. It should be fun watching the NL?s best rotation battle for the division with the NL?s best lineup. However, the loss of Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou will be key down the stretch. But don?t worry Chicago, there?s always next year.

3. Cincinnati Reds: The Reds are a team that has a chance to sneak up on the Cards and Cubs if their not careful. Adam Dunn has the power to lead the league in homeruns. Unfortunately, he also has the kind of swing that can lead the league in strikeouts. Ken Griffey Jr. needs to play at least 100 games in order for the Reds to succeed. Their pitching needs to get better, and it?s time for Austin Kearns to turn it up a notch.

4. Houston Astros: Houston is the biggest team on the decline. Losing Beltran and xxx Kent will hurt. Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Jeff Bagwell, and Craig Biggio aren?t getting any younger. Lance Berkman, their best hitter, will be out till at least mid-May, and Houston can?t afford to fall too far behind early on in this division.

5. Milwaukee Brewers: The Brewers are another team that could make some noise in the Central division in the next few years. They?ve added Carlos Lee to their lineup. Lyle Overbay had a breakout season in 2004. Top priority: Sign Ben Sheets to a long-term contract. If not, Sheets will be the top name floating around in trade rumors in late July.

6. Pittsburgh Pirates- Nothing to get excited about for fans in Pittsburgh. A last place finish seems like this team?s destiny. To think where this team might be if they had money to sign former players (Aramis Ramirez, Jason Kendall, Brian Giles, Jeff Suppan, Kris Benson). 

N.L. West

1. San Diego Padres: The injury to Barry Bonds opened the doors for the Padres to take the N.L. West crown. They?ve added Woody Williams to a rotation of Jake Peavy, Adam Eaton and Brian Lawrence. Khalil Greene had a terrific rookie season. Brian Giles and Ryan Klesko should bounce back from so-so years, and they still have one of the best closers in the game in Trevor Hoffman.

2. San Francisco Giants: The Giants were a team put together to win now. Moises Alou, Omar Vizquel, Marquis Grissom and Mike Matheny are getting up there in age. Bonds should be out for at least two months, which will put a lot of pressure on the lineup, and Jason Schmidt and the pitching staff.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers: They lost Adrian Beltre, Steve Finley and Shawn Green. Not good. They?ve added Derek Lowe, Jeff Kent and J.D. Drew. Not bad. But Kent and Drew can?t replace the performance Beltre gave them last season, and who knows if Drew can stay healthy all season. Not to mention Eric Gagne, who will start the season on the D.L. Not off to a good start. Luckily 88 wins should win the division.

4. Arizona Diamondbacks: Most teams that lose a pitcher like Randy Johnson wouldn?t get better in the off-season. However, Arizona did. They?ve added Javier Vasquez, Troy Glaus and Shawn Green. They also appear to have overpaid for Russ Ortiz, but at least he can win 15 games for them. They could make a real push for the division title. But fourth place seems more likely.

5. Colorado Rockies: The good news: They?ll score a lot of runs at home. The bad news: They?ll give up even more runs.

MVP: Albert Pujols, St. Louis; runners-up: Jim Thome, Philadelphia, Chipper Jones, Atlanta.

CY Young: Tim Hudson, Atlanta; runners-up: Carlos Zambrano, Chicago, A.J. Burnett, Florida.

Manager of the Year: Bobby Cox, Atlanta; runners-up: Bruce Bochy, San Diego, Willie Randolph, New York.

Rookie of the Year: J.J. Hardy, Milwaukee

NL Champs: St. Louis Cardinals

World Series: Yankees over Cardinals