Last week we looked at the American League teams occupying last place in their respective divisions. While the outlook for bottom-dwelling teams in the National League is a little more bleak, some of the best players in baseball are currently in those last-place positions. This week, we will look at how they got there and see if there is any light at the end of the tunnel.
NL EAST
Team – Philadelphia Phillies
Record – 19-32 (10 games behind)
Struggles – Hitting and pitching. The Phillies are last in the league in home runs and RBIs, second to last in on-base percentage and batting average, and have surrendered more hits and walks than any other team in the NL. With such a glaring inability to score runs or prevent opposing teams from scoring, perhaps the only surprising thing about the Phillies’ current place in the standings is how close they are to not being in last, with the Marlins only 1.5 games ahead in the standings.
Strengths – Cole Hamels has come into his expected form as the club’s ace, while Aaron Harang is in the midst of his second straight surprisingly successful season. Harang is posting an ERA under 2.00, while Hamels has pitched at least seven innings in his last five starts. Offensively, Ryan Howard seems to have found some of his old form, as he is responsible for most of the team’s home runs (he has 10 while no other Phillies player has more than 3).
Odds of improvement – It is unlikely that the 2015 season will get much better for the Phillies. While Hamels and Howard are performing well so far, few people expect either player to be with the team when the trade deadline rolls around. Chase Utley is bound to improve offensively, however that will only make the season less sad for the Phillies and will do little improve their likelihood of getting back into the division race. With FanGraphs projecting that the Phillies have 0% chance of making the playoffs, fans should look forward to seeing some young talent being called up and perhaps some new players from seemingly imminent trades.
NL CENTRAL
Team – Milwaukee Brewers
Record – 16-34 (17 games behind)
Struggles – The Brewers are doing everything they can to keep pace with the Phillies’ poor performance on both offense and defense. While Milwaukee is last in the league in hits, OBP, and batting average, they have recently been beaten by the long ball. Brewers pitchers have allowed 66 home runs in 50 games this season (which is the second most in the Majors) and have lost 9 of their last 10 games. While the Brewers have a few sluggers, it seems like every time they take the lead, their pitchers hand it back to their opponent in the form of a home run. Friday night’s game perfectly exemplified the Brewers’ season, as they scored five runs but surrendered four homers in a loss to the D-backs at home (their sixth straight defeat).
Strengths – The Brewers’ lineup, led by Ryan Braun, is certainly their greatest strength. Braun leads the team in home runs and boasts an OPS of .874, while players such as Adam Lind, Aramis Ramirez, Khris Davis, and Carlos Gomez show flashes of greatness (not to mention power) at the plate. Francisco Rodriguez has also been a solid at the back of the Brewers’ bullpen, while Michael Blazek and (the recently suspended for having a substance on his arm) Will Smith have pitched well in relief. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, the Brewers aren’t reaching base enough for their home runs to matter, and the starters aren’t shutting down offenses enough for the bullpen to make much of an impact.
Odds of improvement – While their offense sports many exciting names, the Brewers have dug themselves too deep of a hole in the early going to have much of a chance of climbing out. Milwaukee has already ousted their manager and brought in Craig Counsell, yet they still find themselves 17 games back in a division that boasts what is currently the best team in baseball (the Cardinals). Early indications show that no matter what the Brewers try, 2015 may not be their year.
NL WEST
Team – Colorado Rockies
Record – 21-26 (7.5 games behind)
Struggles – As is often the case in Colorado’s hitter-friendly ballpark, the Rockies have struggled with pitching. The Rockies have the league’s worst ERA (4.78) and have allowed the third most walks in the NL. Those walks are particularly disastrous at Coors Field, where batters are going to get their hits, so issuing so many free passes will always come back to hurt your club.
Strengths – The Rockies have one of the most exciting lineups in the game. Nolan Arenado, aside from his incredible defensive abilities, is one of the best young hitters in baseball, while a healthy Troy Tulowitzki is an MVP-caliber player. Supplementing these two superstars are hitters like Charlie Blackmon, the Rockies’ leadoff hitter who is both a speed and power threat, as well DJ LeMahieu who is currently hitting .329, and Nick Hundley, their catcher with an .849 OPS. These hitters turn many games into a slugfest, however, more often than not the Rockies’ pitchers have let those runs go to waste.
Odds of improvement – Root Sports, the Rockies’ television station, has a partnership with Taco Bell where when the Rockies score 7 runs or more, fans in the Denver area get free tacos. With the team is currently projected to have a 0.1% chance of making the playoffs due to the two powerhouses at the top of their division, the postseason may not be in the cards for this young Rockies team, but at the very least they will continue to be fun to watch, and fans will certainly be getting a lot more free tacos.