Just as we enter spring training, it is that time of year. It is time to predict everything that is going to happen in 2010. With the suprises of baseball, though, it seems you can never be too far out on your predictions, but you can never be just right.
The NL East is known as one of the top divisions in baseball. But last year with the injuries of the Mets, the Phillies took the division with ease. Here are my predicted rankings of how the east will be set on the last day of the year.
1. Phillies—The defending NL Champs are too good. When you lose a pitcher like Cliff Lee, you'd think a team is going straight down, but they lost Cliff Lee in the deal that brought in Roy Halliday. The Phils pitching is way too good for them not to be the number one team in the East.
2. Mets—The Mets had an injury plagued season last year. They couldn't get out of their own way, but I don't see that happening again. Johan Santana is back and will be better than ever. My only concern is the rest of their pitching staff. John Maine and Mike Pelfrey are good 2-3 starters, but the bottom of the rotation still has questions, as usual. Their lineup will amaze me, with Reyes, Beltran, and Jason Bay. The recent pickup of Mike Jacobs will fill the void of Carlos Delgado, who most likely will not return to the Mets. All in all, look for the Mets to make a serious run at the East crown and win the wild card.
3. Braves—The Braves pitching staff isn't great, but isn't quite terrible. With Derek Lowe and Tim Hudson you can't be that bad. Their lineup could be better, but the addition of Melkey Cabrera could do them wonders in the outfeild. Look for Atlanta to be on the Mets tail in the wild card.
4. Marlins—Every year the Marlins seem to start off hot and cool down in about mid-July. With Hanley Ramirez—who i believe is in the top three shortstops in baseball—they seem to have a good lineup. They could be a lot better, but they never seem to make any noise in the offseason, which puts them at my four spot, closely behind the Atlanta Braves.
5. Nationals—The Nationals will find themselves in the basement again. In reality, theres nowhere to go but up. The pickup of Jason Marquis is nice, as is the drafting of phenom Stephen Strausberg. The only problem with that is, he won't be a disaster to any other teams this year, considering he's just a rookie. Ryan Zimmerman is also a key player, so look for him to play a part in the little success that the Nats might have. They'll win 70 if they're lucky, but in future years, the Nationals will be on the rise.
All in all, the East will be quite a race, coming down to the final week. Soon to come: AL East Preview.
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