MLB Preview: NL East

The Mets have a new Ballpark and New Closer. Will they finally win end the pain of two consecutive seasons out of the playoffs?

The NL East was very familiar in 2008. The Phillies repeated as division champions, the Mets repeated their chokejob. Hanley Ramirez continued to become a great young star, and the Washington Nationals were the place where Ryan Zimmerman continued his development.
NEW YORK METS
The biggest Achilles heel for the New York Mets last season was the fact that their bullpen could not hold any leads, helping the Mets lose the division for the second straight season. The Mets have finally decided they have had enough. They went out and signed record setting closer Francisco Rodriguez to contract, and then traded for J.J Putz from Seattle to become New York's new Setup man. The key for the Mets will be: How tired are they of choking away the division for the last two seasons? I think we will see guys like David Wright, Carlos Delgado, and Carlos Beltran with fire in their eyes this season.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS

The Washington Nationals now have a 40 homer guy in the capitol city, as they have signed slugger Adam Dunn to a contract. Dunn is a big time power hitter, don't let his many strikeouts bother you. Their rotation may be headlined by the former Baltimore Orioles Ace Daniel Caberera. Two former Marlins are now in DC, outfielder Josh Willingham and pitcher Scott Olsen. The Nationals seem ready to let Joel Hanrahan take over the closer duties. This team seems ready to take the cellar, but Adam Dunn could be the team's saving grace.
FLORIDA MARLINS

The Florida Marlins are ready to revolve around shortstop phenom Hanley Ramirez. The Marlins are going through a growth spurt. The Marlins will have to sort out their mess of an infield? Will Dan Uggla stay at second? Who plays third base? Ditto with the void the Marlins have at first base. If the Marlins are able to answer these questions, they may place fourth in the division, behind Washington.
PHILLADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Phillies are coming off an amazing season. Nobody picked them to win the division, to beat Milwaukee in the NLDS (or the Dodgers in the NLCS), or to beat the Rays in the World Series. Sure enough, they did all that. The Phillies are going to defend their title on Opening Night against their division rival Atlanta Braves. Cole Hamels developed into the premier pitcher before our very eyes this season. Let's not forget about players like Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard. The Phillies biggest pitching strength last season was Brad Lidge, as he was 48 out of 48 in save chances in 2008. Could he do it again? The Phillies are prepared to defend their NL east crown, as they will play the Atlanta Braves Opening Night, the team that had a stronghold on the NL East for the past 14 seasons.
Speaking Of Those Atlanta Braves:
ATLANTA BRAVES

The Atlanta Braves used to be the model for the rest of the NL East to imitate and envy. Times have changed. The Braves are trying to recapture their glory years, as they signed sinkerballer Derek Lowe. They may have missed out on A.J. Burnett and Jake Peavy (along with longtime Braves Pitcher John Smoltz), but they are ready to let top prospects Tommy Hanson and Jo-Jo Reyes compete for the rotation. Jeff Francoeur will have to get back to his 2005 form, as they will be a make or break season for him. Chipper Jones turns 37 this season, could he have another great season left in him? The Braves may have lost an answer to their Left Fielder question when Ken Griffey Jr. returned home to the Seattle Mariners, but Jordan Schafer will hit the Big leagues very soon.


My Division Projections:
1. NEW YORK METS
They have to be tired of choking their season away, right?
2. Philladelphia Phillies
They are the defending World Series Champions, but I think they are poised for a dropoff. Not from Ryan Howard, of course.
3. Atlanta Braves
The Braves have some good young players who will make it on the Braves this season. They are still only the third best team in the NL East.
4. Washington Nationals
Could Adam Dunn make all the difference between fourth and last place?
5. Florida Marlins
The only thing certain for them is that Hanley Ramirez will play Shortstop this season.

In the next MLB Preview, we will look at the NL West. Does San Francisco now have a Super rotation? Are the Dodgers in trouble if they lose Manny Ramirez? Find out in the next MLB Preview!

The Diamondbacks, Like The Dodgers, Have Traded For A New Left Fielder

The Arizona Diamondbacks have traded for a left fielder with some pop in his bat.

Two Weeks after their division rival Los Angeles Dodgers traded for Manny Ramirez, the Arizona Diamondbacks have traded for slugger Adam Dunn.

Cincinnati will recieve pitcher Dallas Buck and two other players.

The NL West Race has just got really interesting. I Can't wait to See Manny and Adam Dunn square off against each other for the division!

Twenty Questions About The Second Half of Baseball Season

Rich Harden is one of the twenty questions for the second half of 2008.

The Second Half of Major League Baseball Season Is upon us. I have Twenty Questions I will ask and try to answer reguarding the second half of baseball season.

1. Will The Yankees Come Back?

The Yankees are currently 6 games behind the first place Boston Red Sox. The Yankees will no doubt have the veterans, but the lack of pitching with the absence of Chien-Mien Wang will lead to more pressure on Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte, who have pitched well in the first half. Add in Phillip Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, and the question again is: When Will The Yankees Bats Wake Up? To Attempt to jumpstart a lifeless offense, the Yankees took a big risk and signed Richie Sexon. He adds another first baseman to the Yankees, but will he readjust his plate approach now that he's in Pinstripes?

Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi will hit. When will the rest of the offense do the same? The Yankees better wake up this second half, or there will be no postseason for the Yankees and no World Series Coronation for Yankee Stadium.

2.Can The Phillies hold on to the NL East?

The Phillies are currently in First Place, but they do not have a comfortable lead, with both the Florida Marlins and the New York Mets breathing down their neck. They have the offense, with Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell, and Chase Utley will continue to chase Dan Uggla for the NL Home Run Lead.

Jose Reyes, Hanley Ramirez, and Jimmy Rollins will keep being the catalysts for their teams, and all three are poised for a big second half as the battle for the NL East is about to heat up.

3. Can Jason Marquis finally have a good second half?
Jason Marquis for the past two seasons has not had a good second half. He ran into September troubles in 2006, leading to Marquis not pitching in the postseason while his team at the time, the Cardinals, went on to win the World Series.

Marquis again struggled in the second half of 2007 and didn't pitch in the Cubs three game postseason against Arizona.

It is imperative for Marquis to get off on the right foot for him to have a better second half than the last two years.

4. Can the Cubs keep Rich Harden Healthy?

The Cubs traded for Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin in exchange for Matt Murton, Sean Gallagher,Eric Patterson and Josh Donaldson. Some Cubs fans were questioning if the Cubs gave up too much, but if the Cubs keep Harden healthy, he adds another piece for the Cubs in their rotation and is insurance in case a starter gets hurt.


5. Can C.C Sabathia Take Milwaukee to the top of a crowded NL Central?
C.C Sabathia had an even better second game than his debut game, as C.C went all nine innings and even hit his first National League Homerun. Milwaukee now has a great 1-2 punch in the rotation, as they now have Ben Sheets and C.C Sabathia. However, St. Louis is still ahead of Milwaukee in the Wild Card Standings. It will be quite a battle for the NL Central down the stretch. The Cubs had better not get comfortable, or one of these team could leapfrog them in the standings.

6. Can Detroit Get Hot and Stay Hot?

The Tigers, with all of their Spring Training Hype, the Tigers have played Mediocre Baseball, and their record shows it, as they are sitting one game above the .500 mark. Miguel Cabrera is now a First Baseman, Brandon Inge has his Third Base Spot back, and will the Tigers ever get hot and stay hot? If so, expect them and the White Sox to batlle for the AL Central.

7. Can Josh Hamilton continue to try to win the Triple Crown?
If Big Brown has taught us anything, he proved that winning the Triple Crown in Horse Racing is difficult. There hasn't been a Triple Crown Winner in Horse Racing since Affirmed in 1978.Same thing for Baseball. There hasn't been a Triple Crown Winner since Carl Yazstrzemski in 1967. Many have tried but all since then have failed. The last player at Midseason who had a shot at the Triple Crown was Derrek Lee in 2005. Derrek ended up leading Baseball with a .335 batting average. Right now, Hamilton has a huge lead in RBI, ranks third in the AL in homers, and is ninth in the league in batting average. His teammate Ian Kinser,leads the league with a .337 batting average. Josh Hamilton can continue writing the chapters in his storybooks, and he would write a big one if he was to win the baseball Triple Crown.

8.Can Francisco Rodriguez continue to save games at a record setting pace?
Bobby Thigpen set the single season saves record, with 57 saves in 1990. Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez is closing in at a record pace. K-Rod has 38 saves by the break, and that he is on pace for 65saves on the year. He has a shot to break the saves record, but I don't think he will break the record. He will have over 50 and be in the running, but with Texas begining a resurge in the second half and other AL teams getting hot, Francisco Rodriguez will end up just short.

9. Does Anybody Want to win the NL Worst?

That's right. The NL Worst. The 2008 NL West is starting to resemble the 2006 NL West, when San Diego ended up winning the NL West with an 82-80 record. Arizona has the lead, but the Los Angeles Dodgers are breathing down their neck, and if Tim Linsecum and Matt Cain continue to be a dynamic Pitching duo for San Francisco, the NL Worst may not be won until the final week of the season.

10. Can The Tampa Bay Rays Rebound?

The Tampa Bay Rays Stumbled entering the All Star Break, as they lost seven in a row and lost their lead in the AL East to Boston. The Rays will continue to look to Evan Longoria for offense and Scott Kazmir will dominant pitching. If the Rays rebound and make it to October, that spells trouble for either the Red Sox or Yankees, as one of them will not make it to October.

11.Can Both Chicago Teams Play In October?

The Cubs currently are tied with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim with the best record in Baseball. The White Sox currently have the best record in the American League Central. Both teams have played great baseball, and there is a possibility of both teams playing in October. The Cubs strength has been their offense. The White Sox Strength has been their revamped bullpen. If the Cubs can pull away from the Central while both the Cardinals and Brewers are battling each other for the Wild Card, both the Cubs and White Sox look like they can make the playoffs.

This brings up a completely defferent Question:

12.Can There Be A Windy City World Series?

Knowing how the league has been a league of Parity so far this year, Anything is Possible.


13.Will Somebody Make An offer to Barry Bonds in 2008?
Barry's Agent said that he talked to every single Major League Team, but all thirty of them said no to Barry. There was talk of Arizona becomin interested in Bonds, but I don't think Barry Bonds would want to play for a Rival of the San Francisco Giants.

I think Barry still wants to play. I just don't see anyone giving him a chance to comeback.


14.Who will Lead Baseball In Wins at the end of 2008?
Barndon Webb of the Arizona Diamonbacks.

15. At The end of 2008,Who Will Lead the league in Strikeouts?
Tim Linsecum of the San Francisco Giants.

16. Who Will Lead Baseball in ERA at the end of 2008?
Justin Duchsherer of the Oakland Athletics. He's the only man in baseball with an ERA under two at the All Star Break.

17. Who will lead the league in Homeruns?

Ryan Howard and Adam Dunn will slug it out for the league in homeruns. I Still think Prince Fielder can get hot in this second half.

18. Who will lead the league in RBI's?

Josh Hamilton already has 95 RBI's at the All Star Break. He could break the record for RBI's in a season, set in 1930 by Hack Wilson of the Chicago Cubs.

19.Can Chipper Jones hit .400 at the end of the season?
He cooled it down at the break, as he's now hitting .376. I think Chipper Jones will be close, but I don't think he will hit .400.

20. Who Are My Division Champions and Wild Card Winners?
AL West: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
AL East: Boston Red Sox
AL Central: Chicago White Sox
NL East: Philladelphia Phillies
NL West: Arizona Diamondbacks
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
AL Wildcard: Tampa Bay Rays
NL Wildcard: Milwaukee Brewers