NL East "Preview" (Now this is just stupid)

I am at the point now where I don't remember what I would have predicted had I written these previews on time. So I won't even try to remember. I will adjust to the developments.

Phillies (90-72) Division Winner
When is somebody going to get the "Chase Utley is the best player in baseball" train a-rollin'. I want my own car. Utley is one of the 10 best hitters in baseball and he plays a mean second base (one of the most demanding positions on the field). If you rank him behind anybody other than A-Rod, Pujols, and possibly Hanley Ramirez you just aren't paying attention. Based upon their shaky starting pitching, I had a hard time picking the Phillies to win the division. But from what I have seen the Mets are not as good as I thought.


Mets (87-75) Wild Card
The Mets are 62-62 in their last 134 games. At a certain point, you have to start wondering if they are fundamentally average team.

They only have one pitcher who is capable of completing 7 innings. Even on their best days, Maine and Perez cruise for 4 innings, then walk the ballpark in the fifth and sixth, causing them to rack up 100+ pitches. If Maine and Perez were teenaged female babysitters, they would do a great job helping the kids with their homework, play some fun board games, and get the kids tucked in by 9:00. A flawless start. Then they would invite their friends over to party, get drunk bang their boyfriends on the parent's bed, waking up the children and leaving them horrified.

Like a loser, I did the math on Jose Reyes last calendar year. In his last 674 ABs and 740 PAs, Reyes is batting .258 with .324 OBP and a .387 SLG. That adds up to a .711 OPS. It's safe to say Mets fans expected more than "Neifi Perez the Sequel" when they were going bat shit about him this time last year.


Atlanta Braves (86-76)
When healthy this team has the most upside in the NL East. However they can't keep their relievers healthy, Glavine is on the DL, Smoltz's arm is already barking and Chipper Jones's lower half (besides his sweet sweet cock) is about as structurally as that bridge in Minneapolis.

Florida Marlins (73-89)
This team has absolutely no pitching. Seriously none. If the Marlins held a pitching garage sale, I would probably pick up Kevin Gregg to pitch in middle relief and leave the rest. Scott Olsen has been doing it with smoke and mirrors. He doesn't strike anybody out and has a 1:1 K:BB rate. Olsen hasn't really turned a corner and he will come crashing down to Earth in May.

Remember when people argued about whether they would rather have Hanley Ramirez or Jose Reyes. Oh, those were simpler times.

Washington Nationals (65-97)
Now this is exciting! How often can you finally write off three formerly hot prospects on the same team, at the very same time? And to have them all come from the same, separate organization? It's magic! Those three gents are Austin Kearns, Wily Mo Pena, and Felipe Lopez.

I will be rooting hard for John Lannan, since I work with two of his relatives. However their pitching stinks as much as the Marlins and they don't have any mashers to make up for it. A bad, bad, bad baseball team.