The NL East has a clear winner and a clear bottom dweller. However, the middle is tough to pick. Obviously, the three-time defending NL East Champion Philadelphia Phillies, who added Roy Halladay to an already stacked rotation, are not only my favorite to win the East again but also my pick for the National League representative in the World Series.
At the bottom, once again, are the lowly Nationals that have a young pitching staff and added an aging (old) Pudge Rodriguez. Ryan Zimmerman and Josh Willingham should offer the fans some excitement and although I’m not a big fan, I suppose Adam Dunn does provide some power. The big event this year for the Nats should be when rookie Stephen Strasburg gets the call to throw some for the big club.
The middle three were essentially a toss-up for me. I made the safe bet and chose the Mets to finish second almost exclusively off of name recognition. With guys like Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, David Wright and the addition of Jason Bay, you have to expect good things to happen. The starting rotation brings the expectations back to Earth. After Johan Santana, there are a lot of questions. Francisco Rodriguez needs the game to be close to even have a chance of helping. If the Mets can avoid the injury and the offense can put up some numbers, they have a chance to finish high in the standings but probably won’t have enough to earn the NL Wild Card.
The young talent in Florida could help the Marlins have a decent season. Somehow they manage to hang around for most of the year, so with guys like Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco coming back with another year’s experience, perhaps they can make a viable run at that second spot.
The Braves outfield production was well below what was expected last year. If Nate McLouth can bounce back and Melky Cabrera can bring New York-esque numbers with him, the Braves have a legitimate shot at second as well. The addition of Billy Wagner could help shutdown the opposition late in the game to give the Braves the edge they need. And of course there is always the Bobby Cox factor. I’m sure this team wants to send him out on top, but the question is, can they?
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