Heard in the Cheap Seats

Predicted End of Year Standings

	Wins	Losses
Philadelphia Phillies	94	68
Atlanta Braves	88	74
New York Mets	84	78
Florida Marlins	80	82
Washington Nationals	74	88

Team Capsules:

Philadelphia Phillies:

Team Summary: The World Champs remain solid from top to bottom. The biggest offseason move was the addition of Raul Ibanez. While some question the wisdom of adding an aging veteran in left field, I happen to like the addition. Ibanez is a very solid hitter that has continued to produce on an everyday basis despite his age. Of course, there is some that say Ibanez is even worse in the field than his predecessor, Pat Burrell was. I haven’t watched enough of Ibanez to say this with certainty, but I have trouble believing that to be true. Pedro Feliz had offseason surgery that could potentially improve his numbers and Chase Utley is determined to shake off ill effects from his hip injury. What is most impressive about this Phillies lineup is that they can beat you in any facet of the game. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Utley are all legitimate stolen base threats. So if the situation calls for it, the Phillies can play small ball. But with Howard and Utley in the lineup, this team will rarely be outslugged. Defensively, the Phillies are excellent up the middle where it matters. Howard is obviously a liability in the field and Ibanez could be as well. But as a whole, this team is a solid defensive unit.

The starting pitching is a strength but also a minor concern. Of course, the health of Cole Hamels is going to be an issue until he proves it not to be one. Once he gets through the first few months of the season unscathed, this will become a nonissue. The Phillies rotation lacks some of the certainty you would like to see in a title-contending team. Brett Myers can be dominant, but he can also be dominated. Jamie Moyer will be hard-pressed to equal his numbers, while Joe Blanton is a solid option in the four spot. While the rotation is not a glaring weakness, it does give some reason for concern. Of course, if the Brad Lidge can muster some of the magic from last season, the bullpen will again be a strength for this team.

The Phillies are the defending World Series champs and will have a target on their backs all season long. They no longer can sneak up on people. Can they handle the added pressure? I believe so and Philly fans will once again be celebrating an NL East title.

Atlanta Braves:

Team Summary: The Atlanta Braves had one of the strangest off seasons in recent memory. It seemed every other week the Braves were being spurned by a trade partner or free-agent target. They were never able to acquire Jake Peavy after months of talks, A.J. Burnett turned his back on them for more cash, Rafael Furcal pulled a bait and switch and Ken Griffey Jr. backed out of a deal at the last minute. Amidst all of this, the Braves actually had a productive offseason.

The addition of Derek Lowe could pay huge dividends for a Braves staff that lost its top three starters to injury last season. While Lowe is not a prototypical staff ace, he will give you 200 innings, 15 wins and a sub 4.00 ERA. And what the Braves lack in a true ace, they make up for in depth on the rotation. Javier Vasquez will pitch deep into ballgames and may benefit from a change of scenery. Jair Jurrjens had a promising rookie campaign last year winning 13 games and posting a 3.68 ERA. Kenshin Kawakami is a bit of an unknown, but has shown in spring training that he has the ability to pitch at the major league level. Their five starter as it current stands is Tom Glavine. But if he is unable to bounce back from off season surgery, all-world prospect Tommy Hanson is waiting in the wings. The Braves starting pitching has gone from a large question mark to a potential strength. The bullpen too has the potential to be a formidable unit. But much of that depends on the healthy of Mike Gonzalez, Peter Moylan and Rafael Soriano. If all three remain healthy, this bullpen will provide some much-needed support to the starters.

The Braves lineup is solid but not spectacular. The biggest question mark is where they will get their power from. In Casey Kotchman, Kelly Johnson, Yunel Escobar and Garett Anderson, they have a bunch of solid hitters that have 15 HR power. Jeff Franceour has the potential to be a power threat but he first has to bounce back to form after a dismal 2008 campaign. I think he will be okay this year hitting about .275 with 20 HRs and 100 RBIs. Chipper Jones is always a threat with the bat as evidenced by his .364 BA last season, but his health remains a question mark. Brian McCann is a reliable hitter and probably the second best hitting backstop in the league.

Overall, this team is solid all around with no glaring weaknesses. The problem is: they are not elite in any area. I think the baseball pundits are sleeping on the Braves a bit and with a little bit of good health, this team could hang around for the duration of the season. But in the end, I think they will come up just shy of the Phillies.

Florida Marlins:

As always, the Marlins are a tough team to figure out due to their youth and inexperience. There is no question that this team posses a lot of talent and potential—particularly in the starting rotation. At 26, Ricky Nolasco is the elder statesman of the starting rotation with fellow younins’ Josh Johnson, Annibal Sanchez and Andrew Miller backing him up. This Marlins staff has the chance to be lights out. But with its inexperience, it is probably more likely to be subject to some peaks and valleys. Likewise, the bullpen is largely untested. The closer reigns have been turned over to Matt Lindstrom and his 100-mph fastball. Whether or not he is up to the task remains to be seen.

The Marlins lineup again will be solid and athletic. Despite moving Josh Willingham and Mike Jacobs in the offseason, the Marlins still possess significant pop in Hanley Ramirez, Jorge Cantu and Dan Uggla. In addition, this team can create runs by playing small ball and running the bases well. One thing to keep an eye on with this team is their defense. The old adage in baseball is that if you are strong up the middle on defense you can win. Well, Ramirez and Uggla both struggle defensively. While I would not be surprised to see this team compete for the NL East title, I expect their youth to catch up with them as the season wears on.

New York Mets:

The Mets were obviously determined to prevent another September collapse due to poor bullpen pitching. To address the need, they spend huge sums of money on Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz. And while the bullpen is certainly strengthened, the starting pitching still remains a question mark. Johan Santana is a bona fide ace at the top of the rotation but from there it gets a bit dodgy. Mike Pelfrey is still developing, as is John Maine. I think signing Oliver Perez was a mistake. He is too inconsistent with the benefit of a new contract may quickly lose focus.

The Mets lineup is definitely solid all around but has some question marks. Will Carlos Delgado be able to continue the form he showed in the second half of last year or will he revert to his first half form? Is Louis Castillo capable of playing a full, productive season? Is Daniel Murphy the answer in LF? No doubt, between Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Delgado and David Wright, the Mets have a solid lineup. However, between the question marks in the rotation and the holes in the lineup, I don’t believe the Mets will compete for the division title.

Washington Nationals:

While the Nationals made some moves to improve, they are still leaps and bounds away from the rest of the pack in the NL East. Adam Dunn was a solid addition to the team that will add some instant power to a lineup that was in dire need of pop. But beyond that, it is a bit difficult to figure out this Nationals team. They have an abundance of outfielders so it will be interesting to see how that situation plays out. Lastings Milledge and Adam Dunn will surely earn spots, so the last everyday spot is a toss up between Elijah Dukes, Austin Kearns and Josh Willingham. Why the Nationals continued to add outfielders when there were more pressing needs is puzzling.

Speaking of pressing needs, the Nationals starting pitching is brutal. John Lanan is a decent young pitcher whose numbers are victim of the bad team behind him. But after that, this starting rotation will have a tough time keeping the Nats in many ballgames.

All in all, this team will suffer through another dismal year.