MLB Preview: NL East

Baseball season is right around the corner! Next up on our division previews is the National League East. If there is going to be a team to knock the Chicago Cubs off their pedestal in 2017, look no further than the top teams in the NL East. This division houses some of the league’s best arms and dynamic young talent. There is a little bit of everything, between the rebuilding Braves and the star-studded Nationals. Expect to see some fiery competition down the stretch come September.

 

Atlanta Braves

After a 96-win season in 2013, the Atlanta Braves committed to an extensive rebuilding process that focused on drafting and trading for young talent. Is 2017 the year that the Braves return to being one of the better franchises in the MLB? Not quite. The Braves were active this past offseason, however, acquiring veteran (40-year-old) starting pitchers to act as placeholders in their rotation and some veteran bats for their lineup. Atlanta’s young arms will be eased into a larger role this year, gaining confidence and valuable experience without the burden of carrying the team on their backs. Mike Foltynewicz, Aaron Blair, Matt Wisler and Sean Newcomb all appear to be pieces of the future rotation behind ace Julio Teheran. For 2017, expect to see some steady production from the veterans to counterbalance the growing pains from the young’uns. The lineup is molded in a similar way, with some veterans acting as placeholders for incoming talent. Freddie Freeman is the unquestioned leader of the youth movement, as he enjoyed a breakout 34-homer campaign last year. The Braves are excited to see production from #4 overall prospect Dansby Swanson in his first full year at the major league level. Expect to see Ozzie Albies, another top prospect in the Braves’ farm system, to be up with the club at some point early this season. Overall, 2017 will be a bridge year for this team. They are no longer going to be one of the worst teams in baseball; in fact, prepare to see Atlanta finish 3rd in their division above Philadelphia and Miami.

 

Projected Rotation: Julio Teheran, Bartolo Colon, Jaime Garcia, Mike Foltynewicz, R.A. Dickey

Projected Lineup: Ender Inciarte (OF), Adonis Garcia (3B), Freddie Freeman (1B), Matt Kemp (OF), Brandon Phillips (2B), Nick Markakis (OF), Dansby Swanson (SS), Tyler Flowers (C)

Key Bullpen Pieces: Jim Johnson (Closer), Arodys Vizcaino, Chaz Roe

 

 

Washington Nationals

The pressure on the Nationals to win the World Series is building, and the Bryce Harper-window might be closing soon when his contract expires after 2018. The collection of talent on this team right now is undeniable – Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and now Trea Turner headline the 2017 Washington Nationals squad. The 1-5 guys in their lineup are rock solid, and complemented nicely with veteran personality Jayson Werth. Success this season will be dependent on Harper’s return to form after an abysmal 2016 season, where he batted an uncharacteristic .243 with only 24 homers. The Nats also went out and acquired an all-around solid player in Adam Eaton this offseason, who will likely bring speed and contact to the top of the order. The package to get Eaton, however, gutted the Nationals farm system by taking top pitching prospects Lucas Giolito and Reynoldo Lopez. Since their departure, the 5-man rotation looks to be pretty set in stone. It should remain formidable, as long as Strasburg and Scherzer can remain healthy throughout the season. If there is a weakness on this team, it’s the bullpen. Shawn Kelley doesn’t inspire too much confidence, especially once they get into crunch time in the playoffs. They might have to go out and trade for a closer, which would further deplete their farm system. It’s now or never for the Nationals; expect to see them in the NLCS this year, matching up against the Cubs for World Series berth.

 

Projected Rotation: Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Tanner Roark, Joe Ross, Gio Gonzalez

Projected Lineup: Trea Turner (SS), Adam Eaton (OF), Daniel Murphy (2B), Bryce Harper (OF), Anthony Rendon (3B), Jayson Werth (OF), Ryan Zimmerman (1B), Matt Wieters (C)

Key Bullpen Pieces: Shawn Kelley (Closer), Joe Blanton, Sammy Solis

 

 

New York Mets

The Mets finished a comfortable 2nd in 2016, and barring a huge surprise, they are going to be jockeying with the Nats again for the top spot.  Top hurler Noah Syndergaard is the only member of a stellar rotation to come back not off of a major surgery, which presents both worry and optimism for improved health over last year.  Possibly the most important comeback is that of Matt Harvey, who returns after suffering from thoracic outlet syndrome that vastly severely affected his performance.  Last season he was pulled from a start after describing to his manager Terry Collins that his arm and shoulder felt “dead” and he had lost feeling in the tips of his right hand.    Jacob deGrom looks great thus far off of his elbow injury, coming off of a 4 inning hitless outing Thursday the 9th.  His fastball hit up to 97 on the radar gun, and he feels comfortable locating all 4 of his pitches.  If Harvey can recuperate from his condition and deGrom elevates back to his elite performance level of the past, this team is downright deadly.  What remains scarier is the options at the back end of the rotation, with Steven Matz returning, and Robert Gsellman and Zach Wheeler presenting great options for a fifth starter.  The Mets elite rotation and strong bullpen will clearly be the ingredient of success in 2017, as they made little improvement in their lineup that was good for 26th in the MLB in runs per game.

 

Projected Rotation: Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Steven Matz, Robert Gsellman

Projected lineup: Jose Reyes (3B), Curtis Granderson (CF), Yoenis Cespedes (LF), Jay Bruce (RF), Neil Walker (2B), Asdrubal Cabrera (SS), Lucas Duda (1B), Travis d’Arnaud (C)

Key Bullpen Pieces: Jeurys Familia (Closer), Addison Reed, Fernando Salas

 

 

Philadelphia Phillies

How far have the Phillies come on their rebuild? Let’s just say they aren’t all the way there yet.  They added some good veterans in Clay Buchholz, Michael Saunders, and Joaquin Benoit, but this roster cannot compete with the Nationals and Mets at the top of the division. Their rotation will be solid but certainly not upper echelon.  Youngsters Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff, and Vince Velasquez all carry  strong upside for 2017 and beyond, but they performed inconsistently in 2016.   In the lineup, Odubel Herrera sits in the third spot coming off of a .286, 15 home run season.  For the Phillies to fight out of the cellar of the NL East, Maikel Franco and Tommy Joseph must take giant leaps forward, and free agent acquisition Michael Saunders must add to the middle of this lineup. If I were a Phillies fan, the most exciting part of the upcoming season would be the intrigue of JP Crawford (Number 6 prospect MLB.com), Jorge Alfaro (Number 3 catching prospect MLB.com), and Nick Williams (#4 Phillies prospect MLB.com from Cole Hamels trade) as they likely hit the majors this season.  With positive development from them and the core already in the majors, I am eyeing the 2018 season and specifically the 2019 season as the years the Phils enter back into relevancy in the National League.  Watch for the Phillies to be active participants in the loaded 2018-2019 free agency frenzy.

 

Projected Rotation: Jeremy Hellickson, Clay Buchholz, Jerad Eickhoff, Aaron Nola, Vince Velasquez

Projected lineup: Cesar Hernandez (2B), Howie Kendrick (LF), Odubel Herrera (CF), Maikel Franco (3B), Tommy Joseph (1B), Michael Saunders (RF), Freddy Galvis (SS), Cameron Rupp (C)

Key Bullpen Pieces: Jeanmar Gomez (Closer), Hector Neris, Joaquin Benoit, Pat Neshek

 

 

Miami Marlins

With the tragic death of Jose Fernandez, it’s tough to see this team breaking .500. They couldn’t even do it with him, and he accounted for 16 of their 79 wins. An aged Edinson Volquez leads the charge for this shaky rotation. Adeiny Hechavarria and Dee Gordon are an average middle infield at best. Hechavarria made 14 errors last year and only hit .236, so Miami should be looking for a replacement for him right now. Dee Gordon hit an ok .268 with 7 errors. Once Martin Prado gets healthy he will hopefully be getting on base a lot as he did last year so that Stanton can drive him in. Prado’s average last year was .305 with 75 RBIs while Stanton was .240 with 74 RBIs. Expect Stanton to bump up that average this year. Center fielder Christian Yelich should be in the meat of the order as well, as he hit .298 with 98 RBIs and 21 dingers. Don’t overlook catcher JT Realmuto either, as he had over 1000 putouts and batted over. 300 last year. Overall, this team isn’t too bad offensively, but their rotation is going to be what stands in their way of a solid season.

 

Projected Rotation: Edinson Volquez, Wei-Yin Chen, Tom Koehler, Adam Conley, Dan Straily

Projected lineup: Dee Gordon (2B), Derek Dietrich (3B), Christian Yelich (CF), Giancarlo Stanton (RF), Marcell Ozuna (LF), Justin Bour (1B), JT Realmuto (C), Adeiny Hechavarria (SS), (pitcher)

Key Bullpen Pieces: AJ Ramos (Closer), Brad Ziegler, Junichi Tazawa, David Phelps

 

 

Written by Will McGuinness, Cam Simes, and Matt Loehle