The last division preview is for the best division in baseball, the NL East. All bias aside, this is the toughest division in baseball as four teams could make the playoffs from this division. The Phillies have four aces, the Braves have aces and hitting talent, the Marlins didn't lose much, the Mets could surprise and even the Nationals got better. It could be a long summer as teams will be fighting all year long.
The Phillies:
The Phillies are the odds on favorite to win the division due to that rotation. They have a few injuries right now, but the four horsemen are very hard to bet against. That being said, a few seasons ago everyone said the Tigers would have 1000 runs, and that didn't happen. At all. The Phillies will probably win this division.
The Braves:
The Braves have the rotation and the lineup to make a serious run at the Wild Card. However, some things have to go right. First off, the pitchers will need to perform. A misstep and another team in this division will come right up. Second, the hits will have to come. With Uggla, they have a nice looking lineup. Things look good for this club as long as everything works.
The Marlins:
They have a Marlin esque rotation, and young bats. They didn't change much from last season, but they didn't really need to. If the raw talent on this team matures, the too look to make a run.
The Nationals:
The odd team out. They lost power from Dunn leaving and they won't have the spark of Strasburgh. While they have talent, the teams around them have more talent.
The Mets:
It has become chic to pick the Mets last. I'm biased but I also see potential for a lot more. I'll do this in more detail tomorrow, but if Niese and Dickey are on, and Young and Capuano make good comeback campaigns, this is a good team. The other way to say this, which I will do a lot tomorrow is the Mets don't have any missing pieces, they just need their actual pieces to perform the way they are supposed to.
