Last year in the National League East, the Washington Nationals ran away with the division. They won the division by 17 games and being a monstrous 21 games over .500 at home. The Mets and Braves both finished up with 79 wins while having near opposite seasons. The Mets, a team on the rise finished the season strong, while the Braves were expected to be contenders and finished the season poorly. The Philadelphia Phillies are a team that aren’t really sure how to rebuild. Hopefully in 2015 they will complete the full rebuild.
Predictions:
- Washington Nationals: (96-66)
- After winning 96 games last year and adding Max Scherzer you would think there win total would jump up. Unfortunately, I believe the loss of Adam LaRoche will be huge. Their position of need was not at starting pitcher. Spending $200 million on a pitcher when you already have Jordan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg, and Gio Gonzalez seems a bit pricey. Despite all that, I still believe they can get back to their 96 win total.
- New York Mets: (86-76)
- The New York Mets fan base has been through a treacherous last six years. But I believe the long wait to relevancy is finally here. Players like Travis d’Arnaud, Lucas Duda, Juan Lagares and Zack Wheeler are becoming more seasoned. Also, with the return of Matt Harvey, this Mets rotation could be one of the MLB’s best. After winning 79 games and adding Michael Cuddyer there is no reason why the Mets cannot win seven more games.
- Miami Marlins: (80-82)
- The Miami Marlins did some nice things this off-season. The first big thing was re-signing Giancarlo Stanton to a massive new contract. Also, adding Dee Gordon, Mat Latos, Martin Prado and Michael Morse was not a bad thing. I believe that some of their pieces need a little tuning, but this franchise will be very close to the .500 mark.
- Atlanta Braves: (70-92)
- The Atlanta Braves took the term “Rebuild” pretty heavily. The Braves dealt Justin Upton, Jason Heyward, and Evan Gattis. While letting Johnny Venters and Kris Medlen go in free agency. While also making a perplexing move and signing Nick Markakis ex-Orioles outfielder. I think the Braves are in for a major decline for at least this year.
- Philadelphia Phillies: (62-100)
- The Phillies are well a mess. They traded Jimmy Rollins but decided to hang on to other aging veterans. If they want to go into a rebuild which they clearly are why not trade Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Cliff Lee, and Carlos Ruiz. I cannot see them winning many games, especially cause I would assume they will deal at least one or two of their vets by the deadline.
NL East MVP: Giancarlo Stanton OF, Miami Marlins
*2015 Season Prediction: 42 home runs, 121 RBI, .287 avg
- Giancarlo Stanton was having an “MVP” season before getting drilled in the side of the temple last year. Him hitting 42 home runs should be light work for Stanton as he hit 38 in 145 games last year.
NL East Cy Young: Matt Harvey P, New York Mets
*2015 Season Prediction: 17-9 W-L, 2.89 ERA, 230 K’s
- Matt Harvey is coming back from a serious surgery, the dreaded Tommy John surgery. But, according to the Mets, he will not have an inning limit which is great news for fans. I believe even coming off an injury, Harvey still might be the best pitcher in the NL East and his stats should reflect that.
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