NL East

Bryce Harper has been on a torrid pace in May, leading the Washington Nationals into first place in the National League East. Unfortunately, the star outfielder will be out for at least one game with a sore back.

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See if this sounds familiar: A young power pitcher has a career year for a division-winning National League club. The next season, however, his performance drops off precipitously, injuries bite and the hand-wringing begins.

The Atlanta Braves have always put a focus on drafting, scouting and developing within the organization.

New president of baseball operations John Hart has put an even greater emphasis on the draft and restocking the farm system. Hart prioritizes the draft, as evidenced by the Braves' six selections in the first 89 picks of this year's draft —the most of any MLB team.

Since 2009, when he graced the cover of Sports Illustrated at the ripe age of 16, Bryce Harper has faced a flurry of doubters and unrealistic expectations.

The Atlanta Braves (18-19) will see more youth on the field as the season progresses.

Right-hander Mike Foltynewicz has graduated off this list and made three starts for the Braves (2-0, 4.24 ERA). Meanwhile, fellow righty Williams Perez will make his first start for the Braves on Wednesday after a brief stint in the bullpen, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman.

After putting together a solid 2014 season, Washington Nationals starting pitcher Doug Fister has struggled to begin the 2015 campaign. His year took another detour Friday after he headed to the 15-day disabled list.

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Never mind the National League East; there was a time not too long ago when the New York Mets seemed to be on top of the world. They were 13-3 through 16 games, the last 11 of which were all W's.

That seems like ancient history by now. The Mets began rolling downhill immediately after their 11-game win streak ended. Thursday, they hit a low point with a resounding "thud."

On the mound for the New York Mets on this particular day will be an intimidating right-hander with an electric arm and all the talent he needs to be one of baseball's best pitchers.

No, it's not Matt Harvey's latest turn in the rotation. It's Noah Syndergaard's major league debut.

While the Atlanta Braves got off to a sizzling 5-0 start, they have since cooled and now sit under .500 at 14-17. It's been disappointing for the Braves to have fallen under .500 so quickly after that great start.

However, this is about what we expected in 2015.

While the record may not show it, there are signs of the Braves' improvement as a team. If not for some recent bullpen struggles, that record would be significantly better.

The Atlanta Braves spent a great deal of the offseason overhauling the roster to change their style of play, find some leadership and build toward the future.

The new roster got the Braves off to a hot start in 2015 but has since cooled to around the .500 mark.

Playing .500 baseball is likely the ceiling for this 2015 team, but with some luck and elevated play, it could push for a wild-card spot.

This will depend on many factors, with one of those being the play and leadership of their offseason acquisitions.