Baseball Preview, #2

There are some compelling teams that will be competitive, but the National League East division will be a one dog race.

NL EAST
Phillies
Know what happens when the repeat National League Champions add one of the best pitchers in baseball to their rotation? They become back-to-back-to-back champs. The core of the lineup (Howard, Utley, Rollins, Werth, Victorino) are all 30 years old, plus or minus one, which means they are seasoned vets still in the productive part of their careers so their output is predictable (no living on potential or flukes). And that is pretty nice. Polanco is an improvement at third base that was their weakest offensive position a season ago. Cole Hamels and Rollins should play better than a year ago, and Brad Lidge won't be allowed to blow 11 saves again. But the best news is that Roy Halladay is out of the AL East where he can feast on National League lineups without ever facing the best one (his own).

Braves
I feel kind of bad for Jayson Heyward, who's already expected to put up Ryan Braun-type numbers and win the MVP next year. He's got a little bit of pressure. But he's got a monsterous amount of talent and potential and is the #1 most exciting story to keep an eye on this year. As to the rest of the team, Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjens add a nice contrast to Tim Hudson and Derek Lowe. The lineup could be good but will likely be very average. What do YOU expect from Chipper Jones, Martin Prado, Melky Cabrera, Troy Glaus, and Yunel Escobar?

Marlins
Hanley Ramirez had a sick stat line last year (.342, 24 HR, 27 SB, 101 R, 106 RBI) and now full-time in the middle of the lineup that RBI total should rise. Chris Coghlan hit .321 in the leadoff spot as a rookie last year. Marlins should be able to score a lot of runs this year and their pitching, led by stud Josh Johnson, should be decent enough. Marlins won an impressive 87 games last year and that is a good ballpark figure for this season, too.

Mets
The Mets think they could be good, but for that to happen an awful lot of small miracles need to occur. This team has more question marks and preseason concerns than any other team. Last year they led the league in missed games due to injury for the second straight season and they are not off to a good start in 2010. The rotation is doomed to fail. And they moved into spacious Citi Field a year ago, and Daniel Murphy led the team in home runs with 12. Led with 12. Good luck Jason Bay.

Nationals
There are some things to look forward to. Stephen Strasburg is the real deal, whenever he finally gets the call. They signed Chien-Ming Wang, one of my favorite players, who will be healthy eventually. They signed Jason Marquis, an All Star pitcher a year ago. They patched up their bullpen. They still have monster Ryan Zimmerman and slugger Adam Dunn in the middle of the order. As long as they don't pull the plug eary like last year's Pirates, they should be a good second half team. They won't lose 103 again, in fact, they could make the season's biggest jump in win total.

Season Forecast
Phillies 96-66
Marlins 88-74
Braves 86-76
Nationals 72-90
Mets 69-93

MVP: Hanley Ramirez
Best Pitcher: Roy Halladay
Breakout Player: Jayson Heyward