NL East

On the first day of spring training, all of Philadelphia was excited.  Finally, one of the most hyped pitching staffs ever reported to camp. 

Prognostications were made, and some said the Phillies could even challenge the 2001 Seattle Mariners' all-time mark for wins in a season.

Then the games started, and things started to unravel.  Phillies fans started getting worried.  Domonic Brown broke his hand.  Roy Oswalt got hit in the neck.  Brad Lidge started having problems with his shoulder.

Mike Pelfrey will become the 21st different Opening Day starter for the New York Mets when he takes the mound against the Florida Marlins on April 1.

While he's not the true ace of the team, he'll have to assume the lead role in Johan Santana's absence.

The Mets have sent All-Stars, Cy Young winners and Hall of Famers out on Opening Day in the past.

Pitchers such as Doc Gooden, David Cone and Pedro Martinez have all had Opening Day duties in the past. Where does right-hander Mike Pelfrey rank?

Click to find out.

The Mets made a great decision when they decided to offer low priced tickets in the 300-level in the area formally known as Mr. Mets Landing. The move was a nice gesture, as it would make games more affordable to families. The move seemed to be family friendly.

With the Atlanta Braves opening the season in less than 48 hours, excitement is swirling around the team as they try to build on last season’s playoff appearance via the Wild Card. Though the Philadelphia Phillies (and their Big Four starting rotation) are the heavy NL favorites, the Braves have improved from last season and could challenge them for the division title.

The Opening Day Roster has been set, with Matt Young, Christhian Martinez and Brandon Hicks getting the final three roster spots.

After an up-and-down winter and an encouraging spring, the Washington Nationals start their 2011 campaign Thursday with a matinee matchup with the Atlanta Braves.

While every Nationals fan is salivating over what 2012 and 2013 may bring, 2011 will be an interesting and important year for the organization going forward. Let this season forever be known as "The Foundation."

The Philadelphia Phillies enter the 2011 season as the class of the National League East by a large margin. The Phillies continue to upgrade their team while their divisional opponents struggle to keep up.

The top two fantasy shortstops are among the best options in all of fantasy baseball, regardless of position. After the Florida Marlins' Hanley Ramirez and Colorado Rockies' Troy Tulowitzki are gone, however, major question marks exist with many of the rest.

Here are our top 15 fantasy shortstops for 2011:

Adam Rubin has a good source reporting the Mets have placed Nick Evans, Pat Misch and Luis Hernandez on waivers.  All three players have 48 hours to either clear waivers or be claimed by another team.

Earlier in the offseason, I was very cautious about the Braves and their playoff chances. The Braves were losing Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito, as well as key bench players. 

I was pleased with the Dan Uggla move, but that was only one player and the two relievers the Braves signed struggled lasted season.

The future for the Braves was looking a little foggy, but in the past month the news has been getting better. The first of this news is about Chipper Jones and his recovery.

With their first winning spring training now in the books, the Washington Nationals today finalized the 25-man roster that they will take north to Atlanta for Opening Day.

Here are the important pieces of that roster and my predictions for how they’ll do in 2011. Of course, they do not take into account injuries, demotions, promotions and guys named Stephen Strasburg returning from Tommy John surgery.

Position Players