5 Reasons the Atlanta Braves Will Top NL East in 2012

The NL East has had one heck of an offseason. From the re-branding of the Miami Marlins to the Philadelphia Phillies' star-player injury sagas, the NL East race shook up significantly.

The Phillies have won the division the past five years, but a changing of the guard is about to occur. Here are five reasons why the Atlanta Braves Braves will win the NL East.

The Phillies' Age Is Catching Up to Them

The Phillies' are aging quickly. The average age on their roster is 29.9, second-oldest in baseball according to ESPN.com. Halladay and Lee are in their mid-30s. So is their entire infield with Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Placido Polanco.

Howard is likely out until at least June with an injury to his Achilles tendon (one that has required surgery) and has suffered setbacks. 

All-Star second basemen Chase Utley has no timetable to return after leaving spring training with chronic problems in his knees.

Utley missed the first month-and-a-half of the 2011 season with knee pain and has missed 106 games over the past two seasons. Over those two years, Utley hit .267 (well below his career .290 clip) with just 27 home runs. 

These two hitters were the cornerstone to the Phillies franchise. Now they are aging and their production is falling off. If they miss significant time in the upcoming season, the Phillies are in trouble.  

The Nationals Haven't Been Competitive in a While

The  Washington Nationals, formerly the Montreal Expos, have made the playoffs twice since 1981. Twice!

Their overall lack of experience in a playoff chase will be their downfall. 

Washington may be ready to compete for a division crown shortly, but not in 2012. They possess a future ace in young phenom Steven Strasburg, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, and top overall pick Bryce Harper will start the season in the minors.

The Nationals have some solid pieces in Ryan Zimmerman, Jayson Werth, Michael Morse, but the club just hasn't competed in recent years.

The Egos of the Marlins Will Clash

The Miami Marlins made all the grand splashes in the offseason, changing their team name from Florida to Miami, finally moving into a new stadium and acquiring big-name players such as Jose Reyes, Carlos Zambrano, Heath Bell and Mark Buehrle.  

The Marlins used to never shell out the cash for players and were consistently in the bottom of the league in payroll. The times have changed and they are starting to increase the money spent on players. 

However, with all the changes that occurred in the offseason, the egos of the Marlins will certainly clash — if they haven't already. Zambrano has difficulties controlling his emotions on and off the mound, even getting in fights with teammates when he was with the Cubs. Hanley Ramirez was upset about having to shift to third base. New manager Ozzie Guillen is probably the most outspoken figure in baseball today.

Logan "Lomo" Morrison is not afraid of sharing every detail about his life on Twitter using R-rated language. Morrison was demoted to the minors last season because of his Twitter feed.

All of these characters and personalities would make for great television, but on the field is another discussion. 

The Mets Lost Their 2 Best Players

In the offseason, the Mets were unable to re-sign switch-hitting free agents Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran. These two players carried the team on their shoulders the past few seasons.  

Reyes is currently in his prime and is one of the best leadoff hitters in the game, swiping 370 career bases. He also won the 2011 batting title. 

The Mets traded Beltran midseason to the Giants, but could have re-signed him in the offseason. However, he signed with the Cardinals and the Mets have to cope with the departures of two great players. Beltran is on the verge of becoming the eighth member of the 300/300 club (home runs and stolen bases). 

This was a team that already lost 85 games and by losing two key assets, that number could be higher in a competitive NL East during the 2012 season.

The Braves Youth Has Room to Grow

The Braves are the fourth youngest team in baseball (27.5 years old, according to ESPN.com). Young players such as Jason Heyward, Tommy Hanson and Freddie Freeman will take big strides in improving their level of play next year.

There is a reason why these players were rated so high for years as prospects. Heyward has perhaps the best plate-discipline on the team outside of Jones, and when he gets the sweet spot of the bat on the ball, it travels a long, long way. Freeman plays at a Gold Glove level at first base and has good power like Heyward. Hanson looks like a promising ace after a strong start to his career, and improved his delivery time during the offseason to cut down on the amount of stolen bases allowed. 

These are just some of the Braves with high ceilings. On paper, this club should compete for the NL East, and perhaps win it behind their young core.