21 days until Baseball

Because I already have zero confidence in my bracket, and I couldn't care less about the Jay Cutler, and I am throughly disappointed and saddened by the fact that Donte Stallworth just killed some.......as promised, here is the 2nd installment of the major league baseball preview. the NL East.

1. Atlanta Braves-Look at this roster, WOW, they have Garret Anderson, Tom Glavine, Derek Lowe, Chipper Jones, Javier Vasquez. That is a killer lineup. Oh wait, it's not 2004 anymore. Unfortuanetly, while all these guys were once all-stars, age and injuries have turned these guys into nothing more than mediocre. I think Chipper has a couple decent years left, he is not the offensive powerhouse to carry this team. And I would just like to say that from 2000-2004, I think Garrett Anderson was one of the 5 toughest outs in all of baseball. These players represent a serious gap between the rest of the Braves, which are all young unproven players. Honestly, they dont have any in the middle, its all washed-ups and never-heard-ofs.
While Derek Lowe is still a decent pitcher, i do not think he is a #1 starter. Unfortuanetly, he will be for the braves, an organization that for the last 15 years has been a stalwart of great pitching, starting and relief.
I see it being a long year in atlanta.

2. Florida Marlins-I was shocked to see that this team got 84 wins last year. I was also shocked to look at the stats for Ricky Nolasco, their "ace". This kid went 15-8, with a 3.52 ERA and 186 strikeouts last year. This staff has a good amount of young talent and a pretty good bullpen. Also, on offense, with Cantu, Ramirez and Uggla, I would say that the Marlins have one of the best overall infields in the national league. They also have decent hitters in Cody Ross and Jeremy Hermida. I know some of you might be scratching your heads as to who the hell these players are, and hopefully their opponents will too this year. However, the marlins lost Mike Jacobs to the Royals, who hit 32 homers last year. Overall, the Marlins had a lot more power and hitting then people expected, but i am very skeptical whether they will able to keep it up.
If the Marlins can get Cantu, Ross, and Hermida to have year's like 2008, the Marlins could surprise everyone and be near the top of the NL East.

3. Washington Nationals-This was a bad team last year, 59 wins, and to improve on it, all they got for offense was Adam Dunn. Honestly, I am glad Teixiera didn't go to the Nationals, because I dont think he would've been able to help them out of the basement. The nationals also got Scott Olson from the Marlins last year, and he is expected to be their #1 starter, but I don't think he's anything special. They also picked up Daniel Cabrera from the Orioles. Unfortuanetly, going to Baltimore to shop for pitching is like trying to buy lobster and Burger King. And both situations will lead to massive heartburn. As far as hitting, we all know the pitfalls of Adam Dunn, you either get a K or a homer, nothing else.
I have always thought Ryan Zimmerman was a good player, but with no protection in the lineup, he will never put up the numbers to be highly sought after. Christian Guzman was a very good player for Minnesota, because he could get on base a lot, but again, with no one behind him in the order, he gets stranded a lot.
I do not foresee President Obama making many trips to the Nationals games, tough luck DC.

4. New York Mets-Well, Putz, Santana, and K-Rod, you know that one in 5 days you are going to see a wonderful pitching performance. The question is what happens the other 4. Both John Maine and Oliver Perez had good years in 2008, and their performances in 2009 will have a big impact on the team. These two guys are going to have a lot of pressure to perform, but I am confident that they will do well. Another Met with a lot of pressure is Carlos Beltran, while he did have 27 dingers and 112 RBIs, he only hit .284 last year. I feel like this guy is capable of hitting well over .300. He is a fun player to watch, and one of the few players in the game that can be a 5-tool player. Also, Luis Castillo is a dynamo, in the field and on the base paths, but his injury last year hurt the team. If he can stay healthy, he will add a lot to the offense.
I believe the Mets have a solid infield, with Wright, Reyes, Delgado, and Castillo, but the could really dominate this division if they had one more bat in the outfield. I've never been a fan of Ryan Church, and their left fielder, Daniel Murphy, hasn't done anything as of yet.

5. Philadelphia Phillies - The Phillies have an amazing infield, Utley, Howard, and Rollins. All three are not only all-stars, but potential MVPs. They are the heart of this team. Also, Victoriano and Werth had very good year's last year, and i think played much better than anyone expected. The question for this team's is whether Raul Ibanez can replace Burrell on offense. I don't think Ibanez, 36 years old, will be able to perform on this team. I think he is over the hill, and even though he put up good numbers last year, I am doubting his performance this year. Ibanez aside, the Phillies have a great offense, easily the best in their division.
The big debate over the phillies is how their pitching will do this year. There was a story on espn.com that Hamels is getting his arm checked out today, which is a bad sign. This guy is a fun pitcher to watch and has a lot of good pitches, but an injury to him will really mess up this team. Also, I can't believe that Jamie Moyer is still pitching at 46, but more power to him.

Overall, I think the NL East has 3 very good teams, Philly, the Mets, and the Marlins. I think whichever of the three wins the division has a great chance of going to the world series. I also think that the wild card will come out of this division. I honestly think the Marlins have a lot of good talent but won't be able to keep up with the other two. So the question becomes: who will have better pitching down the home stretch, the mets or the phils? My money is on the mets, and I pick them to win the division. But i think the Phillies will get the wild card.