- Philadelphia Phillies
- Atlanta Braves
- Florida Marlins
- New York Mets
- Washington Nationals
Most baseball observers are ready top give the Phillies another NL East crown, with the best team in the division adding among the best pitchers in the league to what was already a tough rotation. With Cliff Lee joining Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt, you know that there aren’t many hitters eager to play the Phillies. But before the Phillies starting printing World Series tickets, they need to get through a long season. A number of their best players are facing questions regarding durability and performance, none more so that Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins. Should either go down for an extended period, the bat of Ryan Howard will once again need to do a lot of the heavy lifting. Especially with Jason Werth bolting for the free-agent payload of Washington.
If their is one hitter in the division that can take the Phillies rotation down a peg its Jason Heyward on the Atlanta Braves. Hayward lived up to the hype, and now he will have to avoid a sophomore slump that so often hits second year players. The Braves have their own hole to fill, and that is at the top of the lineup card, where the manager goes. This is the first time Bobby Cox will not be at the helm in a generation, so there will be some adjustment for sure. But the Braves have a smart front office that has managed to put a competitive team on the field the past decade.
The Marlins, Mets and Nationals could either be very competitive, or very bad. Neither on would surprise cheap baseball tickets.net, but being good would be bit more surprising. The Marlins should be able to compete with anyone, as they have a tough starting rotation led by Josh Johnson. They also have Hanley Ramirez ready to rock and roll. The Nationals have the potential to be a fiesty bunch, although the loss of Stephen Strasburg to Tommy Johns surgery didn’t do them any favors.
And that leaves the Mets… They say you have to hit rock bottom before you get better, and perhaps coming in last in the division is the floor the Mets need to hit before the new generation can take over. They do have some fantastic players, Johan Santana and David Wright right up there, but do they have the full roster needed to compete in one of the toughest divisions in baseball? Clubs are already calling for Jose Reyes, and Carlos Beltran could draw nice offers from teams desperate for a veteran bat. And lets not forget about Francisco Rodriguez, who was the most coveted free agent closer in years just last year. This team has a lot of talent, but a lot of question marks too. Only time will tell if the Mets can compete in their current makeup, or if they need to hit rock bottom before they can compete once again.