Or better yet why the Mets will not win the division.
As I was reading another fan's post regarding the NL East, I saw many false statements in his argument and the main one was that the braves would finish third and the Metropolitans will win the division.
First off, the last two teams are not very hard to predict. They will be the Florida Marlins and the Washington Nationals. The Florida Marlins are a very talented team and although trading away Miguel Cabrerra and Dontrelle Willis, they will improve upon last seasons 72 wins.
The Marlins do not have the depth to compete for the division crown past mid-June, early-July. They have an abundance of talent and are a very strong organization from top to bottom, but they do not yet have enough key players to compete all season long.
As for the Washington Nationals, they too are a talented team that added Lastings Milledge and are looking to get their head above water and achieve at least a .500 winning percentage by the end of the season. Their main problems are injuries and lack of starting pitching. They have a bunch of No. 4 and five starters with exception to John Patterson.
Many remember he pitched great a couple of years ago, but could not stay healthy in 2007. If he returns to the staff and performs up to his potential, then they have a very good chance at .500. Manager Manny Acosta has done a good job with this team and he will have them close to the top at the end of the season, but they are two good starting pitchers away from true postseason talk.
While the Phillies are a very talented team and their lineup in nearly unstoppable, I think the additions of other clubs within the division will have them ending up in third place in the division. I do not think that they will have enough starting pitching when September comes.
The Mets did a good job in acquiring Santana, that is apparent. They have improved, but they have some older players in key positions, for instance first base, left field, and right field. They also did lose a little bit of depth in the Lastings Milledge deal and they will probably win the wild card, and the rivalry of the late 90s will return between the Braves and the Mets.
As for my beloved Braves, they appear to be in the familiar position of underdog for only the 10th time in the past 17 or so seasons. Yes, they did lose slugger Andruw Jones and his incredible defense, but with that they lost a rally-killer as well. They lost some leadership, but they also lost strikeouts and gained average upon acquiring Mark Kotsay.
He is no Andruw Jones, but I guarantee he will not strike out as much and will not hit into as many double plays as Andruw. One thing that will be key and make the offense much better is the consistency that at the plate that Kotsay will bring as opposed to the often streaky Jones.
Brain McCann is back and healthy. If he can remain healthy all season, he should lead the back end of the line-up. The big key in the line-up will be Kelly Johnson. If he can hold the fort down as a top of the lineup guy and play 150+ games, the Braves should have a good shot. If he falters I think that you may see Matt Diaz get some at bats in the two-hole, which will put a lot more runners on for Chipper and Mark Teixiera. Obviously, Chipper has to stay healthy and he has vowed to play at least 150 games this season.
5 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Nic Gulas about 1 year ago
The spring production of Jair Jurrjens is absolutely huge for the Braves rotation. If he can stay consistent and Hampton is going to be good to go, the Braves will have one of the best offenses in the NL along with one of the better rotations in the league as well.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
You sir are crazy, the mets and the phillies will run the braves straight into the ground much like the last two seasons. They don't have any answer for Johan or Carlos beltran and are you kidding me about Chipper. David is the ultimate male and will show chipper how 3rd is really played this season. Go METS!!
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Abner Lope about 1 year ago
I know how your article sounds crazy to some, but as one who lives in ATL and has followed the Braves, I can see some merit to your opinion. I think the ATL offense will be better than last year. While Kotsay is no Andruw, hopefully he will be clutch at the plate...because Andruw simply wasn't last year. I like the balance of this Braves' lineup...and there seems to be less "wait and see how they do" people. If Jurrjens and Glavine can pitch well and the bullpen is stocked, it will take a TON of pressure off of Smoltz and Huddy to not only win every game they start but to finish it as well. I am thinking and hoping that Javy Lopez will be the star bat off the bench. As for Hampton, I have come to expect nothing from him but having his contract tie up the team budget.
Now the Mets are a formidable team, but I think Willie Randolph needs a few more seasons to get his team into a play-off mode. Last season, the Mets had the talent, the schedule and THE LEAD; yet, they could not put their division away. This year, they seem to be injury-prone.
As for the Phils, they have a solid lineup, too. But I like Atlanta's chances because of McCann, Francouer and Diaz. I guess I see less holes in our batting lineup than that of the Phils.
With this Braves team, I see flashes of that quiet confidence I saw in the 90's when Grissom was batting leadoff and the Crime Dog was hitting cleanup.
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christopher blanks about 1 year ago
Mets fans are stupid, and the anonymous comment above proves it. Everything in the above is supported by fact. If you had watched last season you would know they did not run the Braves into the ground. They split the season series with both the Phillies and the Mets. The Phillies did, however, run the Mets into the ground. Go Braves!!! Braves win 11-5 an ass whoppin'.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Mets fans are stupid, and the anonymous comment above proves it. Everything in the above is supported by fact. If you had watched last season you would know they did not run the Braves into the ground. They split the season series with both the Phillies and the Mets. The Phillies did, however, run the Mets into the ground. Go Braves!!! Braves win 11-5 an ass whoppin'.
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