ADSF Predictions: NL East

[BrewCrewFan]

Who do you guys have winning the NL East this year?

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

 

[PWNdroia]

1. Nationals
2. Mets
3. Marlins
4. Braves
5. Phillies

I chose Nats last year and they lost. I think I chose them the year before as well. Nats have a good team, but they never seem to pull anything off (*cough*justliketheAngelsandDodgers*cough*), but they still have the best rotation and offense of the teams in the league. I can't deny them the first slot just because their talent equates to the biggest chokers in the game. They still have legit players, it's just a matter of staying healthy and playing up to potential.

As for the Mets, well they're got the pitching, but still have dirt poor offense. Cespedes can't save them for a whole year. I see them being good but falling short for the division and not making a WC spot. 90 wins was generous for them last year, and that's partly because the Nats were the biggest choke artists.

Both WCs out of the Central.

 

[A.E]

1. Nationals
2. Mets
3. Marlins
4. Braves
5. Phillies

Last year was pretty magical for the Mets but I'll agree with pwndroia in that the offense just isn't there. This is the year the Nationals finally get their shit together. Many were expecting more than Dusty to be brought in but I thought he's the right guy to restore order to a split clubhouse. He's highly respected, has a lot of experience, and the club looks very refocused this Spring. We know what to expect from Harper and Scherzer. Papelbon has emerged as a clubhouse leader and Strasburg looks pretty damn good. If there's an achilles to the Nats its Werth's contract.

The Marlins are easily on the rise, given they don't remain sellers. They finally got rid of the toxic leadership and should see a lot of progress from having former All Star players on the coaching staff. I like the Braves to win more games then expected also. Philadelphia is Franco hitting bombs by himself.

 

[Giantmetfan07]

Dirt poor offense is a little over the top. Our offense was plagued by injuries, and Cespedes' arrival also happened at the same time that players like Wright & d'Arnaud returned, and at that same time Conforto was called up.

We played half the season with players like John Mayberry & Eric Campbell not only starting but batting in the middle of the lineup.

I'm not saying we're going to run away with the division because I think it's going to be close, but I don't get how we're a dirt poor offense.

 

[BrewCrewFan]

Cespedes had a career year last year and I think he regresses this year a bit but I don't think the Mets are that bad on offense and their pitching should help them win the NL east this year

 

[A.E]

Dirt poor offense is a little over the top. Our offense was plagued by injuries, and Cespedes' arrival also happened at the same time that players like Wright & d'Arnaud returned, and at that same time Conforto was called up.

We played half the season with players like John Mayberry & Eric Campbell not only starting but batting in the middle of the lineup.

I'm not saying we're going to run away with the division because I think it's going to be close, but I don't get how we're a dirt poor offense.

Its tough to rely on a 33-year old 3B with a bad back. Conforto is up & coming but he's still young and will strike out a lot. Met fans knew they wouldn't be able to sustain that post-Cespedes trade magic in 2016.

 

[Giantmetfan07]

O I agree he won't sustain that kind of hitting - he was on another world. But if he hits 30 HRs and bats .275 I'll be pretty satisfied with that. And he's certainly capable of that. Walker is also a better defensive 2B than Murphy.

It's also tough for the Nationals to rely on a full season of Zimmerman at 1B.

 

[PWNdroia]

1. Nationals
2. Mets
3. Marlins
4. Braves
5. Phillies

Last year was pretty magical for the Mets but I'll agree with pwndroia in that the offense just isn't there. This is the year the Nationals finally get their shit together. Many were expecting more than Dusty to be brought in but I thought he's the right guy to restore order to a split clubhouse. He's highly respected, has a lot of experience, and the club looks very refocused this Spring. We know what to expect from Harper and Scherzer. Papelbon has emerged as a clubhouse leader and Strasburg looks pretty damn good. If there's an achilles to the Nats its Werth's contract.

The Marlins are easily on the rise, given they don't remain sellers. They finally got rid of the toxic leadership and should see a lot of progress from having former All Star players on the coaching staff. I like the Braves to win more games then expected also. Philadelphia is Franco hitting bombs by himself.

I agree with basically everything you said. Only minor difference is Dusty will probably get his team to the playoffs, but set them up to fail there by overusing his starters in the regular season.

 

[PWNdroia]

Dirt poor offense is a little over the top. Our offense was plagued by injuries, and Cespedes' arrival also happened at the same time that players like Wright & d'Arnaud returned, and at that same time Conforto was called up.

We played half the season with players like John Mayberry & Eric Campbell not only starting but batting in the middle of the lineup.

I'm not saying we're going to run away with the division because I think it's going to be close, but I don't get how we're a dirt poor offense.

The only reason you got to the World Series is because of one player (David Murphy) who had a career postseason that will never ever happen again. Everyone was calling him a savior, yet all he did was get on a tear for a single series. If he didn't get hot at that time, the Mets would've been gone in the first round. They were carried by a career .288 hitter who has never hit that sensational at any point in his career.

 

[A.E]

It's also tough for the Nationals to rely on a full season of Zimmerman at 1B.

True. But with Rendon, Murphy, Espinosa, and Trea on the roster, they don't have to.

 

[Ian]

1. Mets
2. Nationals
3. Marlins
4. Braves
5. Phillies

It still perplexes me why people say the Mets have no hope offensively because they took off when Cespedes caught fire, and in 2015, yeah they did, but they also had games with 4 & 5 hitters that probably won't even be in the majors at all this year like Eric Campbell and Johnny Monell! At one point early July, one of their eight projected starters for 2016 Opening Day was on the roster with a week-long injury while the rest weren't even on the roster at all. They also get to expect a full year out of their young players like Syndergaard, Matz, Conforto and d'Arnaud, as well as a half a year of Wheeler and upgrades on the bench and in the infield. This is not the same team that started 2015 by any means, this is the team from August and September. As for the Nationals, they will still be good, very good, possibly even win the division, but they also have serious holes in the lineup that get overlooked by Harper. In 2015, half of their lineup was batting in the .220s and .230s, and while they acquired Murphy & Revere to help that and Trea Turner as another addition, they also lost Escobar, their 2nd best hitter last season, and just replaced Storen with Gott. As for the Marlins, they will be a powerhouse soon, but I wouldn't count on it right now. Behind their star power they don't have anything truly eye-popping, and if they had 5 stars that would be fine, but they have 2. As for the Braves and Phillies, there's not much explaining needed to show that they both suck, but maybe the Braves suck a bit less.

 

[JZsportswhiz]

Nationals - 93
Mets - 91
Marlins - 82
Braves - 65
Phillies - 63

Braves and Phillies will both lose 95+ games, this division is top heavy, the Marlins will be ok if Stanton and Fernandez can stay healthy. Nationals will rebound from a disappointing 2015, and the Mets will struggle offensively. Cespedes would be as good as last year

 

[A.E]

d'Arnaud is a solid bat but his arm is a defensive liability. I wouldn't be so quick to gamble on lineup success b/c he's healthy. His backup has logged more innings with the Mets. d'Arnaud could end up atrocious for all we know in 2016.

 

[Giantmetfan07]

The only reason you got to the World Series is because of one player (David Murphy) who had a career postseason that will never ever happen again. Everyone was calling him a savior, yet all he did was get on a tear for a single series. If he didn't get hot at that time, the Mets would've been gone in the first round. They were carried by a career .288 hitter who has never hit that sensational at any point in his career.

So what does that have to do with what I previously said? Or are you just trying to make a point? Every Mets fan knows Murphy played a massive part in getting us to the World Series, and it was the definition of a miracle. Then he also played a valiant part in botching plays DURING the World Series.

Murphy was also a trainwreck on defense which is why we never wanted to re-sign him.

 

[Giantmetfan07]

d'Arnaud is a solid bat but his arm is a defensive liability. I wouldn't be so quick to gamble on lineup success b/c he's healthy. His backup has logged more innings with the Mets. d'Arnaud could end up atrocious for all we know in 2016.

Plawecki is our backup, and he's got less time than d'Arnaud.

fwiw, this is what we were trotting on to the field leading up to the trade deadline. That wasn't the every day lineup, but that was a weak bench. Add Wright (i know he's not reliable with that back, but hes better than Campbell), d'Arnaud and Plawecki having more experience, Conforto, Cespedes, Walker, the lineup improved so much.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN201507230.shtml

So I reject that Cespedes is the only reason we caught fire. I'm actually most concerned about Duda being more consistent.

 

[PWNdroia]

So what does that have to do with what I previously said? Or are you just trying to make a point? Every Mets fan knows Murphy played a massive part in getting us to the World Series, and it was the definition of a miracle. Then he also played a valiant part in botching plays DURING the World Series.

Murphy was also a trainwreck on defense which is why we never wanted to re-sign him.

My point is that you basically got to the World Series because of a miracle. That won't happen again.

In fact, the whole NL looked pretty atrocious last postseason. I mean, the Mets pretty much got to the World Series because everyone else tanked.

 

[Giantmetfan07]

Again, what does that have to do with the conversation? We're talking about the division, not the World Series. Did I say the Mets are favorites to win the World Series?

 

[PWNdroia]

Again, what does that have to do with the conversation? We're talking about the division, not the World Series. Did I say the Mets are favorites to win the World Series?

We were talking about their offense. Their offense is dirt poor. The only way they've even come close to having an offense is because of players making miracles. They do not have enough offense to win this division, unless they win it by default because the Nats implode again.

 

[RunSoHard]

1. Mets
2. Nationals
3. Phillies
4. Marlins
5. Braves

Mets pitching is too good to not win. I also think the Phillies are going to surprise some people in doing a lot better than anyone may think. I'm a little bias, but mark my words.

 

[catman]

Nats
Mets
Marlins
Braves
Phillies

Nats have a very well rounded team. Pitching is at least adequate. Offensively, they will be led by Harper, but don't go to sleep on Zimmerman and Werth. The Mets pitching is the best in baseball, but they have question marks in Center, 3B and catcher (defensively). Cespedes could be a real adventure in Center. I know how Wright's back feels and it isn't good. D'Arnaud is fine with a bat, but has trouble handling the running game. Miami could be a surprise team this year and sneak into the playoff mix. If Stanton and Fernandez can stay healthy, the team could be troublesome for everyone. Atlanta is a very, very young team, but they have stockpiled a lot of talent. Philladelphia had some really old, expensive players, and some raw unproven players. Then there is Maikel Franco. His power is legit and he isn't bad with the glove, either. What do they have on the mound, though?