Quote of the day: "Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand" Lou Durocher
Now it's time for the National League. First off, the NL East. The East consists of my favorite team, a serious World Series favorite, an aging team, a team stuck in limbo, and a team that represents the scar on the face of baseball. This divison will likely come down to the final two weeks or so and will excite fans all season long. My predictions below.
1) Washington Nationals: The Nats are a complete team. They were considered heavy favorites to go to the World Series last season but faltered in the playoffs because their best pitcher Steven Strasburg was not in the starting rotation and the lack of experience from the young stars on the roster. But this year, having Strasburg healthier than ever, the Nats will not only win the division, but will also have a legitimate chance of winning the World Series. Shortstop Ian Desmond and outfield phenom Bryce Harper will control a very well balanced lineup. This team will hit very well as well as pitch incredibly efficiently with studs, Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmerman. The possibility of the Nats losing the division are possible because of the Braves but still, I don't see them giving up their division crown anytime soon.
2) Atlanta Braves: The Braves are my favorite team, I will always love and support them but whilst writing this blog I will never show a bias toward them. If there is one team to derail the chnaces of the Nationals winning the NL East it is the Braves. The Braves lost Hall of Fame 3B Chipper Jones to retirement as well as losing free agent center fielder Micheal Bourn this off season but made up for it very nicely by adding the Upton brothers in the outfield. B.J. and Justin are two rising stars with loads of athleticism. Adding those two to the an already, formidable lineup, with right fielder, Jason Heyward and first baseman Freedie Freeman, the Braves will look most definitely fly into the playoffs with a the top Wild card spot behind a very solid starting rotation and the best set of relief pitchers in all of baseball. The Braves will make a lot of noise this season, and when they make the layoffs they will be legitimate contenders for the World Series.
3) Philedelphia Phillies: This team is always in the mix to make some noise season after season. Injuries plagued the Phillies last season and it led to a very disappointing season. The Phillies are an aging team with signs of multiple players starting to decline in their careers. Although they have one of the scariest rotations in baseball, headlined Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Cliff Lee the Phillies will need a lot of offensive production from players such as first baseman Ryan Howard and aging shortstop Jimmy Rollins. If that isn't enough to worry about, the Phillies veteran players have openly said that their team lacks a leader among them. I strongly believe that there should be at least one leader in the every club house to guide emerging players in the right direction. If the Phillies lack a leader, then their season will be nothing short of mediocre.
4) New York Mets: Ahhhh the New York Metropoltians. This team has a good core group of guys but they don't seem to win much. This off season they traded away arguably the best pitcher in baseball, R.A. Dickey to the Toronto Blue Jays for a group of prospects that will be ready for the big leagues in the next few years. It is obvious that they are building for the future. They look to rebuild around third baseman David Wright. He is a natural leader and great with the glove as well as the bat. If David Wright continues to play at a high level for the next few years, I see him entering the Hall of Fame with ease. The Mets have an up and coming starting rotation that just need a season or two to actually compete in the division Until then though, Adding a power bat to the outfield and adding a little bullpen depth will certainly kick start the rebuilding process.
5) Miami Marlins: No team in the NL will be as bad as the Marlins this year. After spending over $200 million dollars on amazing talent such as Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, and Heath Bell; the Marlins did nothing to translate it into success last season. So what do they do? Send away all of that talent to other teams, with a bulk of the players going to the Toronto Blue Jays. The owner of the Marlins, Jeffery Loria has become the scum of baseball because of his awful decisions. Because the core group of players is gone, the Marlins will start a very slow rebuilding process around power house outfielder, Giancarlo Stanton. But still, this season the Miami Marlins will lose at least 100 games. I'm not saying that Miami does not have talent, I'm just saying that there isn't much of it aside from Stanton. I believe that Stanton will hit the most home runs in all of baseball, but it will translate in to nothing. AND they have a disgusting looking stadium.
Questions or comments?
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