Handing Out The 'C': Who Would Be The NL East's Team Captains?

Currently only three teams, all in the American League, have team captains. Of those only Boston catcher Jason Varitek has the throwback 'C' on his jersey. 

What happened to this honored tradition? Did free agency make rosters too unstable? Are managers afraid of inflating or offending egos? 

I know its seems a bit silly, but baseball needs something positive. Selig is all about change so, what if the commisioner's office had every MLB team name a captain to be a representative of his team to show leadership and sportsmanship.

Look at Varitek, Jeter, and Paul Konerko. All three team captains are synonymous with their franchise and are all at the heart of their team's success.

Besides, baseball is in transition. A slowing economy means less free agent spending money and the Home Run isn't going to be king for much longer.

Small-ball over long-ball, team-ball over me-ball.

Maybe it would be a way to force players to take a more active role promoting baseball and speak up against steroids while hearkening back to the days of old.  

Hey hockey can do it, why can't baseball? So I set about taking a guess at who the team would pick to be their captain, starting with the National League East.

Remember, team Captains aren't always the best players on their team, they have usually been a part of the team for many season and are consistent clutch performers and display a calming yet energizing influence on their teams.

Look at Varitek, Jeter, and Paul Konerko. These three team captains are synonymous with their teams and are all key parts of their team's success.

Atlanta Braves: Chipper Jones (3B, 16 Seasons)              

With the departure of John Smoltz, Chipper became the team's longest serving veteran and has made a point of becoming more vocal. He's never been the loudest member of the squad, but it's pretty clear everyone looks to him to lead the charge.

Larry Wayne Jr. has had to deal with a lot of foot and leg injuries the past couple of years, but he remains one of the game's greatest true hitters. He's also got 400 HRs, an MVP award, and the rest of the hardware to back him up and that always helps.

New York Mets: David Wright (3B, 5 Seasons)        

He's only 25, but no player better represents a positive future for the game than Wright. He's clutch, hits for power and average, and despite some turmoil in the Mets clubhouse, he remains consistent.

At times during the last few years it looked as though a split had developed between the American and Latino players on the Mets, making for some awkward conditions. Wright rarely shied away from tough media questions, even as the Mets struggled late in the season and some of he teammates disappeared in the locker room. He can take the heat in the big city and that's the mark of a true leader.

Philadelphia Phillies: Chase Utley (2B, 6 Seasons)

This is a tough one since this team is full of great talents and big time performers. They are also fresh off a World Series victory which saw great performances all over the field.

So why Utley? He doesn't have the pop of Howard or the flair of Rollins, but he's the best hitting second baseman we've seen in a long time, and he performs much more consistently than his often streaky teammates.

He's not the loudest guy but he speaks when he needs to and leads by old-school example, plus he never seems to get too caught up in the moment.

Florida Marlins: Hanley Ramirez (SS, 4 Seasons)

It's too bad the greatest players for this franchise never seem to stick around too long. However they seem to get good things in return for parting ways with their starts. Rameriez, a product of the Beckett and Lowell to Boston trade, and would be a household name if he played anywhere else. He's by far the greatest player on the team.

And this Marlins team is very young. Its average age is twenty-six and a half and its oldest player is only 34. Its even hard to find veteran bench players. I even thought about nominating 34 year old Wes Helms, who is now serving his second stint with the team.

But in the end, if the Marlins are going to do anything this year it will be because of Hanley Ramírez. This young team looks to him to deliver and more often than not he does. Its his example that will make this team contenders well before they really should be. 

Washington Nationals:  Ryan Zimmerman (3B, 5 Seasons)          

This is really tough because this team is...well...god awful. There aren't even a lot of young stars for fans to look forward too. Zimm is the rare exception.

Expectations for him are high and he still looks to really break out. Plus he is really the sole glimmer of hope for this franchise to be reborn. No pressure or anything.

Ryan has a great story and a flair for the dramatic. He's showed patience and consistency that I expect will make him the premier player for the Nats for years to come. His 30 game hitting streak earlier this year got people's attention.

He represents the Nats biggest investment so far, with a contract through 2013. If this team is going to turn it around anytime soon, Zimmerman will be at the heart of it.

So what do you think? See any patterns?

The NL East has a lot of talented young players who have taken the responsibility of leading their respective teams. This should be a recipe for some very competitive play in this division for years to come.