MLB Power Rankings: Ranking The Teams In The NL East Position by Position
With the regular season coming closer and closer we are all trying to predict how each player and team will do. If you are a fantasy baseball player then you need to figure out who will have a good year and who will struggle. This list ranks the NL East starters by position.
We can all agree that the Phillies have the best starting rotation in the NL East, but who's next? And who's the best at the other positions?
A team cannot win if they are only good in one position, they must be good at all of them. The Phillies' pitching is great, but if they aren't the best in other categories then will they still win the division?
This list will show which teams are the best position by position and show potential teams to beat the Phillies for the divisional title. I will also give explanations as to why which team is the best at a certain position, and rank all five NL East teams.
1. Starting Pitching Staffs
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- Philadelphia Phillies: 1. Halladay 2. Lee 3. Oswalt 4. Hamels 5. Blanton
- Atlanta Braves: 1. Hudson 2. Lowe 3. Jurrjens 4. Hanson 5. Minor 6. Beachy
- New York Mets: 1. Santana 2. Pelfrey 3. Niese 4. Dickey 5. Mejia
- Florida Marlins: 1. Johnson 2. Nolasco 3. Vazquez 4. Sanchez 5. Volstad
- Washington Nationals: 1. Hernandez 2. Marquis 3. Zimmerman 4. Atilano (Strasburg) 5. Lannan
This one was pretty easy to pick a winner, the Phils rotation is completely dominant. As for the rest, the Braves have a very good rotation too and could use that and their potent offense to take a playoff spot. The Mets staff is solid, as is the Marlins, but both teams struggle offensively. The Nationals rotation is the source of their poor records, and although Hernandez and Marquis were big names in their prime, they are getting old. The Phillies and Braves have great rotations, and the NL East;s pitching is very good as a division.
2. Catchers
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- Atlanta Braves: Brian McCann
- Philadelphia Phillies: Carlos Ruiz
- Washington Nationals: Ivan Rodriguez
- New York Mets: Josh Thole
- Florida Marlins: John Buck
This one was harder than pitchers for sure. Obviously McCann is the best in the NL East, but the tough call is between Carlos Ruiz and Ivan Rodriguez. Chooch (Ruiz) broke out last year and played a huge role for the Phillies down the stretch by coming up big in pressure situations. Pudge (Rodriguez) is a potential Hall of Famer, but he is getting older and is not such a force anymore. The deciding factor was how they both manage their pitching staffs. Ruiz is one of the best in the game at helping to manage his pitchers and is one of the best fielding catchers, while Pudge is not. This is what gave Ruiz the edge. Thole is solid, but Buck is a weak point for the Marlins.
3. First Basemen
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- Philadelphia Phillies: Ryan Howard
- New York Mets: Ike Davis
- Washington Nationals: Adam Laroche
- Florida Marlins: Gaby Sanchez
- Atlanta Braves: Freddie Freeman
This one is actually pretty interesting. Ryan Howard may be a strikeout king, but Ike Davis still has yet to prove that he is better than Howard. Davis could become much better than Howard is, but since it is just his second year he should not become that good yet. For now, Howard is number one. This is also the only category in which the Braves are dead last. This is one of the weaker divisions for first basemen, and that is why Howard is the top rated first baseman despite his strikeouts and poor batting average.
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4. Second Basemen
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- Atlanta Braves: Dan Uggla
- Philadelphia Phillies: Chase Utley
- New York Mets: Luis Castillo
- Florida Marlins: Omar Infante
- Washington Nationals: Danny Espinosa
Uggla and Utley are two of the best second basemen in the game, but since Utley has been injured a few times recently, Uggla deserves number one. Uggla is an all-around hitter, he can hit for contact and power, not to mention play the field pretty well. Uggla is now surrounded by talent and he should have a great year. Utley should bounce back, but I seriously doubt that he will be better than Uggla. Luis Castillo used to be a great second baseman, but now he has been hurt and inconsistent. This used to be the best division in terms of second basemen, but now there is a lot more talent in the league, and it is slipping down the list.
5. Third Basemen
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- Washington Nationals: Ryan Zimmerman
- Philadelphia Phillies: Placido Polanco
- New York Mets: David Wright
- Atlanta Braves: Chipper Jones
- Florida Marlins: Wes Helms
The corner infielders are supposed to be power hitters and great players in general, and in a division where the first basemen are weak, the third basemen are astounding. Name one other division where Chipper Jones is fourth. Zimmerman hits for both power and contact, Polanco had the highest batting average on the Phillies last season, Wright has always been good and Jones is a Hall of Famer. This ranking was tough but last season's results showed a lot about how each of these All-Stars is aging. This is the best division in terms of third basemen in baseball.
6. Shortstop
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- Floria Marlins: Hanley Ramirez
- New York Mets: Jose Reyes
- Philadelphia Phillies: Jimmy Rollins
- Atlanta Braves: Alex Gonzalez
- Washington Nationals: Ian Desmond
The Marlins are number one in a category? Yes, because Hanley Ramirez ran away with this one this season. Two seasons ago it would have been very close, but since Rollins and Reyes were out for some time, they fell. Rollins missed a lot of the year with two separate injuries, but he did not fall far enough to be passed by Gonzalez or Desmond. Ramirez is a great hitter, he's fast, and he can field very well. Reyes and Rollins are also fast, but they are not quite as good of hitters as Ramirez. This season Jimmy could bounce back and overtake Reyes, and maybe even Ramirez. This season could be a very telling one for these three guys.
7-9. Outfield
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- Atlanta Braves: Prado, McLouth, Heyward
- Philadelphia Phillies: Ibanez, Victorino, Francisco (Brown)
- New York Mets: Bay, Beltran, Pagan
- Washington Nationals: Bernadina, Morgan, Werth
- Florida Marlins: Morrison, Coghlan, Stanton
You could make a case that any of the top four on this list deserve number one. Every outfield in the top four has an All-Star, Heyward, Victorino, Beltran and Werth have all gone to the All-Star game recently, and Ibanez and Bay have also gone. Injuries have plagued the Mets and Phillies, and their outfields struggled last season, letting the Braves overtake them. This season will be very telling in who is the best since Bay, Beltran, Victorino and Ibanez all had serious injuries, and Heyward is so new. The outfield could potentially be an X-factor in who wins the division, and who is a strong team in general. The Phillies outfield was incredibly strong when they won the World Series, and now it could be the Braves turn with their pitching and outfield leading them.
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