NL East Preview

The grand finale of the BoomRoastedSports MLB preview and the division that myself and Gabe are closest to(as a Braves fan and Mets fan, respectively), the NL East.

Dave's Projected Finish

1. Philadelphia: The Phillies could have stuck to their laurels following their 2nd straight World Series appearance and entered the 2010 season as the team to beat in the National League. They could have strolled into this season with a devastatingly deep lineup and pitching staff that featured the intimidating 1-2 of Cole Hamels and midseason acquisition Cliff Lee. They could have simply kept everything the way it is. They didn't. Not only did the defending NL champs go improve over the winter, they made the most noise of any franchise by going out and trading for Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay. If you thought the Hamels/Lee combo was imposing, the duo of Hamels and Halladay is bound to cause dumpage in the underpants of opposing lineups.

As for the Phils' lineup, its depth and balance matches the rotation in terms of intimidation. Led by two former MVPs in 1B Ryan Howard and SS Jimmy Rollins as well as the game's best 2B, Chase Utley, the Phillies' lineup is nearly impossible to pitch around. Add in an All-Star outfield of Raul Ibanez, Jason Werth and Shane Victorino and a ballpark built for offensive outbreaks and its hard to imagine anyone coming within 10 games of the Phillies in the East.

Still, a team this loaded does have its flaws. The bullpen, which was solid during the team's 2008 World Series win, slipped considerably last season. Closer Brad Lidge went from being lights out to reverting back to the shaky Brad Lidge that was exiled out of Houston. Also, while the rotation is stacked at the top, the final three starters leave much to be desired. Joe Blanton is going to continue to get torched playing in a bandbox like Citizens Bank. J.A. Happ was a nice story last year, but he hardly puts the fear of God in you. Fifth starter Jamie Moyer is steady, but he's also 200 years old and his fastball hasn't gotten past 78 mph since 1997. Bottom line, this team should win the division going away but putting away heavy hitters St. Louis and L.A. for the third straight year in the playoffs will be much more daunting of a task this time around.

2. Atlanta: The youth movement has begun in Atlanta. Gone are the days of Glavine, Smoltz, McGriff, Jones and Justice. Instead, those torches have been passed to the likes of Jason Heyward, Jair Jurrjens, Jordan Schafer, and Tommy Hanson. On paper, the Braves offer up a team that is promising both in the rotation and in the lineup. Last year's big free agent pickup Derek Lowe returns as the ace, and he's backed by rising youngster Jair Jurrjens(14-10, 2.52 ERA), and phenom Tommy Hanson(11-4, 2.89 ERA, 116 K's). A batting order that lacked pop throughout last season dug into the bargain bin for free-swinging sluggers Troy Glaus and Eric Hinske, who will platoon at first. They will offer protection for oft-injured but still steady All-Star 3B Chipper Jones. The Braves will also have a full season of last year's midseason acquisition, centerfielder Nate McLouth, whom the Braves hope will return to his 2008 All-Star form. Joining McLouth in the outfield is former Yankee Melky Cabrera, who will be counted on for his solid defense and perhaps some contributions with the bat.

The talk of the town, however, is 6'4, 220lb hot prospect Jason Heyward. The 20-year old right fielder has been making noise through spring training with his towering home runs and the Braves hope that he's the answer to their power outage woes as of late. Another youngster the Braves hope to see at some point this year will be Jordan Schafer, who is currently blocked by McLouth and Cabrera in the outfield but could see a call-up if either hurt or dealt. The Braves are a long shot to catch the Phillies for the East crown but with guys like Heyward and company in the lineup and a pitching staff that will only get better as studs like Jurrjens and Hanson develop, they could make a run at the Wild Card and be a tough out as the team tries to win one last title for their longtime legendary manager.

3. N.Y. Mets: Baseball's biggest disappointment the last couple years are already off to a bad start. High-priced All-Star centerfielder Carlos Beltran is at odds with organization after opting for knee surgery that will keep him out of the lineup for the first few weeks against the team's wishes. Oft-injured SS Jose Reyes has recently been diagnosed with a thyroid issue as he tries to bounce back from a hamstring injury that cost him most of last season. Starter Johan Santana is recovering from elbow surgery and, eventhough he'll probably start Opening Day, it will be interesting to see if he can shoulder the load of carrying a rotation that doesn't have much behind him. Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, Oliver Perez, and Fernando Nieve are hardly a group that inspires optimism in the Big Apple. The bullpen is also pretty scarce beyond big money closer Francisco Rodriguez.

What should inspire optimism for Mets fans is the new, leaner, bulkier David Wright. After a disappointing 2009 season that saw his power numbers drop from .302/33/124 in 2008 to .307/10/72 in 2009, Wright reported to camp trimmer yet more muscular. Lending Wright a hand in the lineup will be big free agent pickup Jason Bay who, like Wright, offers a nice power-speed combination. The Mets also brought in Gary Matthews Jr. to man center while Beltran recovers and the team hopes Jeff Francouer makes the Braves regret giving up on him early.

Much like in years past, the Mets' roster is filled with big names and big contracts. The issue has always been putting it all together. With the lineup already ravaged by injury just a couple weeks into spring training and the rotation dependent on the surgically-repaired arm of Santana, the Mets will either be another huge failure or will use the lowered expectations to make the World Series run they've been predicted to make the last few years.

4. Florida: The Marlins surprised many last year by overwhelming high-profile rivals New York and Atlanta to finish 2nd in the NL East. This year, they return with a solid young pitching staff led by starters Ricky Nolasco and Josh Johnson(15-5, 3.23 ERA, 191 K's) and a lineup headlined by MVP candidate and 2009 batting champ Hanley Ramirez. The problem is the Marlins don't have much around those three players other than some prospects with potential. That group includes centerfielder Cameron Maybin, who was brought over from Detroit in last season's Miguel Cabrera trade. Maybin hit .250 with 4 HR and 13 RBI in 52 games last season and opens this season as the starter in center. He'll be joined by ROTY Chris Coghlan, who hit .321 with 9 HR and 47 RBI last season. 2B Dan Uggla, once a young pup himself in this lineup, is now the greybeard and the Marlins need him to improve upon last season's paltry .243 average to go along with his 31 homers. A couple other bats to mention are 1B Jorge Cantu(16 HR, 100 RBI) and OF Cody Ross(27 HR and 90 RBI). Those guys will need to improve if the Marlins want to stave off an equally-youthful Braves team and a high-priced Mets squad.

Another area needing work will be the bullpen. Closer Leo Nunez saved 26 games in place of now-departed closer Matt Lindstrom, but he also posted a 4.06 ERA. The guys setting him up are nothing to write home about either. The same for the rotation beyond Johnson and Nolasco. Anibal Sanchez missed most of last season thanks to injury and Sean West and Chris Volstad will eventually be replaced by the Marlins' other big find in the Cabrera trade, Andrew Miller. It's easy to write off this Marlins team as young and unproven, but those were the same things we said about them last season. Can they make a run at the Wild Card? Sure, but it's asking a lot to expect teams as desperate as Atlanta and New York to lay down once again and allow Florida to sneak past them again. For now, let's just consider than a dangerous dark horse.

5. Washington: For Nats fans, the only thing on their mind is "How long before Stephen Strasburg gets called up?". There isn't much to like about a Nationals team that lost 103 games last season. The lineup has some talent, especially in local star 3B Ryan Zimmerman, who managed to drive in 100+ runs as well as score 100+ runs last season(106 RBIs and 110 runs, to be exact). Last year's free agent pickup Adam Dunn did what he normally does: hit a ton of home runs(38 homers) and strike out a lot(177 strikeouts). Right fielder Josh Willingham had a solid season, hitting .260 with 24 HR and 61 RBI and midseason acquisition Nyjer Morgan will provide some speed from the leadoff spot and in center. Beyond that though, there isn't much. The team brought in Ivan Rodriguez's corpse to mentor a young pitching staff but, other than that, he's pretty much just an automatic out.

As for the pitching staff, the team signed Jason Marquis away from Colorado to be their "ace", which should tell you everything you need to know about the talent of this rotation. As for the guys behind Marquis, well, let's just say Strasburg won't have much trouble climbing his way up the depth chart. John Lannen, Scott Olsen, Garrett Mock and Craig Stammen are the Nats' current pitching pu-pu platter until Strasburg gets the nod and sends one of these guys back to obscurity. The bullpen might be an even bigger disaster. Former Pirates closer Matt Capps is currently the 9th inning guy for the Nats, but if he's still in DC by June, I'd be shocked, given that the team dealt its first two closers by the All-Star break last season. Bottom line, this team is going to lose....a lot. The question becomes when is the right time to give the 2009 #1 overall pick the green light. Do you risk sending Strasburg out early to sell tickets at the risk that the workload will hamper him down the road or do you take it on the chin for the next few seasons until Strausberg is ready to dominate? Either way, the Nationals will be the next D.C. crisis President Obama is going to have to fix.


Gabe's Projected Finish

1. Philadelphia - We all know the success the Phillies have had in recent years. The core of this team, which has appeared in the last two World Series is basically the same. Guys like Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, the list could go on, are at or near the top of their games.

The pitching rotation should be great. All reports from spring training say Cole Hamels is back and better than ever. The only questions coming into the season have to do with replacing Cliff Lee with Roy Halladay. From a talent stand point, Halladay is clearly an upgrade who should be even more dominant in the NL. Lee is the type of guy that Philly fans are drawn to though. He was a blue collar fan favorite. Halladay has a tendency to be aloof and stand-offish. That won't fly with Philly fans if he loses. If he is winning, all is forgiven. Which leads to another question. How will Halladay handle the pressure of being on a winning team with vocal fans? In Toronto he was the best player on a below average team and they let it slide if he had a bad game. Philly will be relentless. He will be on a short leash and if things go bad he is going to hear about it. Luckily, the majority of his games will be against the Nats, Mets, and Marlins, so he should be ok.

2. Atlanta Braves - The Braves are a lot of expert's sexy pick to make the playoffs in the NL, and they aren't a bad choice. Like Dave said, this is a very young team. Nate McLouth and Jason Heyward are rising stars. Chipper Jones is 100 years old and somehow still gets it done. Their best pitcher is arguably Tommy Hanson, also a youngster. The Braves should get a lot of production out of this team. Also, don't discount the "win one last time for Bobby Cox" as he will be retiring at the end of this season. I think the Braves have a shot to make the post-season, not a great one, but they are certainly in the mix.

3. New York Mets - The Mets have been underachieving for years. They have a line-up that should be mashing the ball constantly, but between injuries and guys not living up to their potential, they haven't done that. The only guy they can count on is 3B David Wright, who, by decree from Omar Minaya, probably isn't allowed to get hurt.Their pitching staff is anchored by Johann Santana, one of the best in the business, and closer Francisco Rodriguez, also one of the best. The guys in between? Meh.

In the off-season they needed to find some pitching, so, in typical Mets fashion, they went out and signed free agent outfielder Jason Bay. Bay is an average fielder and had inflated hitting numbers that are sure to take a dive in the cavern that is CitiField. The Mets have the potential to play well and make the playoffs, but in the words of the late great Bernie Mac, "I don't believe in shit until shit happens." My advice to Mets fans, expect the worst and hope to be surprised.

4. Florida Marlins - Florida has some nice pieces. They have some nice pop in their line-up with Dan Uggla, Chris Coghlan (also two of the stars of my 1st place fantasy baseball team. I may have mentioned that title once or twice before), and Hanley Ramirez. The star of the pitching staff is ace Josh Johnson (also a key member of my fantasy team.) Outside of Johnson though their rotation is nothing to be scared of. Also, they need lots of help in relief. I just don't think they have enough to compete consistently with the rest of the division, although they could easily catch the Mets after New York takes their annual nap in August.

5. Washington Nationals - Don't look now Nats fans, but they might actually be building something in D.C. With Adam Dunn moving to first base, and Ryan Zimmerman at third, the teams is set at the corners. Josh Willingham is going to provide power and Nyjer Morgan is going to provide some much needed speed in the line-up. Age might start to be a concern with Morgan though. They also signed veteran catcher Ivan Rodriguez to lead the young pitching staff. Don't expect him to be much more than a coach on the field though.

The pitching staff is going to be keeping the seats warm until the call-up of phenom Stephen Strasburg. I am going to make a bold prediction and say Strasburg gets called up either May 19th at home against the Mets or July 27th at home against the Braves.

This offseason the Nats started addressing their issues with pitching and defense. If they continue down this path they could be competitive in a year or two and, dear God I can't believe I'm saying this, maybe make the playoffs in a few years.