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1st Place - Philadelphia Phillies
Lineup:
SS Jimmy Rollins
CF Shane Victorino
2B Chase Utley*
1B Ryan Howard
3B Placido Polanco
LF Raul Ibanez
C Carlos Ruiz
RF Ben Francisco
Rotation/Closer:
RHP Roy Halladay
LHP Cliff Lee
LHP Cole Hammels
RHP Roy Oswalt
RHP Joe Blanton
CL: Brad Lidge
The Phills don't quite have the offensive firepower they've had in years past, as they lost 5th place hitter Jason Werth, and didn't add anyone to replace him. They're banking on rebound years out of Rollins, Victorino and Ibanez which if happens, will mitigate the loss of Werth. Plus, that pitching staff is so darn dominant, they only need to score a couple runs a night to be in pretty good shape. Any time Roy Oswalt is lining up as a 4th starter, you know you have something. No longer do the San Francisco Giants sport the best rotation in the NL, but Philly's arms are aged, and must endure the rigors of the long season which is certainly no given. They also will be without Chase Utley for the first few weeks of the year, possibly longer, so even though they have the best team on paper, they do have some internal issues to fix up.
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2nd Place - Atlanta Braves
Lineup:
LF Martin Prado
CF Nate McLouth
3B Chipper Jones
2B Dan Uggla
C Brian McCann
RF Jason Heyward
SS Alex Gonzalez
1B Freddie Freeman (R)
Rotation/Closer:
RHP Derek Lowe
RHP Tim Hudson
RHP Tommy Hanson
RHP Jair Jurrgens
RHP Kris Medlen
CL: Craig Kimbrel
The Braves are set to play 2011 without Bobby Cox at the helm for the first time since the 80's, but he left this team in very good shape. They have that nice mix of up-and-coming youngsters (Heyward, Freeman, Hanson, Jurrgens and Prado) and productive veterans (Uggla, Chipper, AGon, Lowe and Hudson). They aren't quite up to par with Philly, but they should be right in the thick of the NL Wild Card race. I'm expecting a big sophomore year out of Heyward and a nice rookie year out of Freeman, but they'll need those vets like Jones (injury), McClouth (off-year) and even Brian McCann (drop-off from years past) to rebound from forgetful 2010 seasons. They have a nice starting rotation that could be great if healthy and Craig Kimbrel should be just fine closing out games.
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3rd Place - Florida Marlins
Lineup:
CF Chris Coghlan
2B Omar Infante
SS Hanley Ramirez
1B Gaby Sanchez
RF Mike Stanton
C Joe Buck
LF Logan Morrison
3B Wes Helms
Rotation/Closer
RHP Josh Johnson
RHP Javier Vazquez
RHP Ricky Nolasco
RHP Anibal Sanchez
RHP Chris Volstad
CL: Leo Nunez
The Marlins, like they always do, have some very nice young pieces on their roster, they just can't keep them over the course of a few years. Mike Stanton looks like the next in line as far as young stud hitters to come up through their system as the 21 year-old hit 22 homers in less than 400 at-bats in 2010. Hanley Ramirez is one of the top-5 players in the game today, just doesn't get the credit cause he plays for the Marlins. Same can be said for ace Josh Johnson, who when healthy, can pitch with anyone in baseball. I liked the addition of Vazquez for basically nothing, and the trade of Uggla brought back some nice pieces as well. In a lot of other divisions, the Marlins could have a shot at the playoffs, but not in this tough NL East.
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4th Place - Washington Nationals
Lineup:
LF Nyjer Morgan
SS Ian Desmond
3B Ryan Zimmerman
RF Jason Werth
1B Adam LaRoche
CF Rick Ankiel
C Ivan Rodriguez
2B Jerry Hairston Jr.
Rotation/Closer:
RHP Livan Hernandez
LHP Jon Lannan
RHP Jordan Zimmermann
LHP Tom Gozelanny
RHP Jason Marquis
CL: Drew Storen
For the first time since their arrival in Washington, the Nationals have a foundation to work with. They have some building blocks in the lineup with Ryan Zimmerman and now Jason Werth (Bryce Harper's waiting in the wings too). Pitching wise, they'll be without ace Stephen Strasburg this year as he recovers from Tommy John, but he should be back in '12 as strong as ever. In his absence, the Nats will be counting heavily on fellow youngster Jordan Zimmermann, who returned to Washington late in 2010 and finished strong. They have the ageless Livan Hernandez leading the staff, who isn't flashy, but just keeps on getting the job done, and young lefty Jon Lannan has some nice upside behind him, but there's a big drop off after their 3rd starter. I think they're just a year away from becoming at least a .500 club.
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5th Place - New York Mets
Lineup:
CF Angel Pagan
SS Jose Reyes
3B David Wright
LF Jason Bay
RF Carlos Beltran
1B Ike Davis
C Jose Thole
2B Luis Hernandez
Rotation/Closer:
RHP Mike Pelfrey
LHP Jonathan Niese
RHP Chris Young
RHP R.A. Dickey
LHP Chris Capuano
CL: Francisco Rodrigeuz
DL: LHP Johan Santana (out until August)
If you want a definition of bad luck in baseball, look no further than the Mets. They have a payroll that sits in the top-5 in baseball, yet they are quite possibly the worst team in their division heading into the 2011 season. They will be without ace Johan Santana until August at the earliest, and without him their rotation is terrible. So bad that it makes the Nationals starting 5 look stable. Their lineup is getting healthy though, for now. They'll score some runs as long as Beltran and Reyes can avoid the DL and Jason Bay can find his Pittsburgh/Boston form. Still though, that starting rotation is so bad, I have a hard time seeing them win more than 75 ballgames.
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Giants Notes: Well, with opening day nearly a week away, the Giants are making their final roster cuts and decisions, but there is still a few yet to be determined. Mainly the backup infield spots. New shortstop Miguel Tejada has been a disappointed in spring training so far, and it's causing some close to the team concern as to whether he's ready for another full season at shortstop. Again, the Giants failed to add a true backup shortstop this winter, so if Tejada is struggling, it would appear that the job would fall to Mike Fontenot. There is still some time left to make a deal outside of the organization to obtain another shortstop, but there really aren't any gleaming options that jump out right now. Also, the Giants already have enough of a headache on determining who will fill out their bench. Mark DeRosa and Aaron Rowand (unless dealt) will have their spots, and Eli Whiteside will fill the backup catcher role again, leaving 2 spots open. Mike Fontenot will get one of them because of his ability to play shortstop, so that leaves Nate Schierholtz and Travis Ishikawa as the two guys fighting for the last bench spot.
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