2012 NL East Predictions

[Cathy]

Predict the order in which you think the NL East Teams will finish in 2012.

Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals
Atlanta Braves
New York Mets
Miami Marlins

[The Edge]

Phillies
Braves
Nationals
Marlins
Mets

All but the Mets will be over .500

[Mex86]

[QUOTE=All but the Mets will be over .500[/QUOTE]

I'm going to disagree with you there. They showed a lot of promise last year with a lot of guys out of the lineup - with Santana coming back, an improved bullpen after the Angel Pagan trade, and expected better years from people like Bay and Wright, who will benefit from the moved-in fences at Citifield - I think they can win 82, 83 games.

[SpanTheMan]

Phillies
Marlins
Braves
Nats
Mets

[AxeGrappler]

Braves
Phillies
Marlins
Nationals
Mets

Anyone predicting the Braves will finish worse than 2nd place has simply not been paying attention. The Atlanta lineup will benefit from the "youth movement" which has another year of seasoning under their belt. Chipper, McCann and Uggla should perform more like themselves (barring injury of course). Michael Bourn gives them the element of speed which was missing for much of last year, and Tyler Pastornicky should be a base stealing/base running threat as well. Should Chipper go down, Prado can easily step into the 3B role. The rotation is solid, and deep. The Braves could roll out an 8 man rotation if they wanted to with Hudson, Hanson, Jurrjens, Beachy, Minor, Delgado, Vizcaino and Teheran. The bullpen is incredible, with shut down arms available for the 7th, 8th and 9th innings. The minor league affiliates are stacked with talent, both pitching and positional.

I think some folks think Atlanta won't be competitive simply because they did not make a "big splash" move in the offseason. The simple fact is, they didn't need to.

Sure, the Marlins made some big moves, but they still lack depth. The same can be said for the Nationals.

Maybe I will eat my words in October, but I doubt it.

GO BRAVES!!!

[scooterbracy]

Tyler Pastornicky should be a base stealing/base running threat as well.
...
GO BRAVES!!!

I think your homerism is showing a bit. I do think the Braves are sitting pretty well, with having McCann, Uggla, Jones, Prado, Bourn and Heyward all having sub-par seasons (compared to projections), but that bullpen was lights out and will likely not be as good as they were last season. Still, I think they went the right direction by not making major moves this off-season, but Pastornicky will likely struggle and that leaves the Braves with, *gulp* Jack Wilson (.250/.285/.329 since 2009) to play short. With this division (heck, the NL as a whole) being stacked with pitching, I wouldn't expect major bumps for any of the Braves' regulars.

The Phillies offense should regress a little more this year, but with that rotation, they are likely still the cream of the crop. The Marlins obviously improved, and I hope the new stadium and added payroll will bring some fans there, but I can't help but think that 2013 will be their season to shine. The Nationals, like the Marlins, seemed poised for a big 2013 push, especially if Cole Hamels leaves the Phillies after this season. The Mets...the Mets, the Mets...ugh. Get rid of the owner (or at least their financial woes), rebuild the farm and then we'll talk. It's not like they don't have some decent talent, but they have more gaping holes than the rest of the division.

Phillies, Braves and Marlins should finish in the top three with the Nationals and Mets bringing up the rear. While I don't think it will happen, I wouldn't be surprised to see all five teams win 80+ games this season. They'll beat each other up a bit, but I think they should feast on the bottom half of the NL Central (Pirates, Cubs and Astros) while also posting winning records over the NL West as a whole.

[AxeGrappler]

I think your homerism is showing a bit.

Absolutely! I will admit to being an unashamed, unabashed "Homer". GO BRAVES!

Your response is obviously well informed and well thought out, and I agree with just about all of it.

I doubt that Jack Wilson will see significant time this year. I think he is on the roster in more of a mentor role. The Braves want him to help groom Pastornicky. If Tyler flops or is injured, I think they would call up Andrelton Simmons to replace him, with Wilson playing the same mentor role. Wilson's defense is still top notch, but he can't hit, so I think he will mostly see the field as a late inning defensive replacement, with an occasional start to give Pastornicky a day off.

Pastornicky has certainly looked like a rookie thus far, but we have seen flashes of the potential he possesses, both on offense and defense. He is not going to be the second coming of Troy Tulowitzki, but he should be a solid major league infielder. Time will tell.

[yankeebiscuitfan]

I still don't do predictions, but did anyone expect this? It is the world upside down...

1694

[DaaBoTownSox]

Washington Nationals
Miami Marlins
Philadelphia Phillies
Atlanta Braves
New York Mets