NL East

In a story that made headlines all over the country, Major League Baseball took control of the Los Angeles Dodgers this week.

This decision came in response to the ugly divorce involving Dodgers owners Frank and Jamie McCourt.

The Atlanta Braves are just under .500 going into play on April 25, playing below the expectations of the fans in Atlanta. The Braves have done some things to surprise people and not done some things that were expected of them. This is a list of what the Braves have done well, and not so well, through 23 games in the 2011 season.

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The Philadelphia Phillies continue to lead the NL East and sit at an impressive 15-6 in the early-going. It seems highly unlikely that this team will finish the season without at least 100 wins. They have struggled to hit and yet they continue to win. They lead the NL East in runs scored with 88 and are second in BA at .265. They have shown that their lineup can play a little small-ball by being in the top five in MLB in singles since Opening Day.

On the eve of a four game sweep of the Padres, the Phillies rotation have shown fans why there has been so much buzz around them.

In this series, they held the Padres to a total of three runs—yes, three runs in four games.

After an abysmal 2010 campaign, Nate McLouth was on the hot seat in the Atlanta Braves clubhouse.

The season is already an eighth of the way over, the Phillies are 14-6 and leading the NL East by 1.5 games over the Florida Marlins. Their record is also good for a tie with the Colorado Rockies for the best record in all of baseball.

Seeing Jose Contreras getting a day off on Friday was not surprising. He is 39 years old and had appeared in four games in five days. According to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer (click here for the article), he had thrown 72 pitches over that stretch. 

Perhaps it's just coincidence and happenstance, but it seems like the New York Mets have had the worst luck and/or timing when it comes to collecting talent on their roster.

Whenever they would obtain a perennial All-Star-type player or former MVP, that player would prove to be a huge bust and completely tank with the Mets.

On the flip side, the Mets seem to always trade away or let go of players who would go on to lead All-Star, MVP and even Hall of Fame careers.

Last week, I ranked the rookie pitchers of the AL East, featuring arms like Zach Britton, Kyle Drabek and Ivan Nova.

This week, I've decided to take on the NL counterpart and expand my rankings to include the rookie hitters as well.

The NL East is unique in my eyes because I think the top contenders for the Rookie of the Year are right in the NL East. The division currently sports the best rookie in the NL, but we'll get to that later.

Now take a look at the power rankings of the top five on the NL East rookie ladder.

One of the biggest question marks in the Atlanta Braves lineup before the 2011 season involved who would fill the revolving door position at first base. It was quickly decided that rookie Freddie Freeman would take over at first, but many Braves fans were unsure how the highly touted prospect would fair through an entire season.