As it has been the case over the past few years, the NL East has two clear favorites to win the divisional crown in 2017.
On one end we have the New York Mets, led by a stellar group of arms and one of the most talented outfielders in the Majors such as Yoenis Cespedes. And on the other hand we find the Washington Nationals, led by Max Scherzer and Bryce Harper.
The Mets case is quite interesting. They reached the World Series in 2015, but lost during the Wild Card Game last year. And just like the past two seasons, their main strength will be their rotation. Led by Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom, the Mets should have one of the best rotations in the NL. They also have a solid bullpen despite the 15-game suspension given to Jeurys Familia to start the season, as Addison Reed can easily take his place as the closer. New York’s main problem will be on offense, as no one can second Cespedes in the heart of the order.
Meanwhile, the Nationals are a pretty interesting team. On paper they seem to look more complete than the Mets. Aside from Scherzer, they have Stephen Strasburg, Tanner Roark, Joe Ross and Gio Gonzalez on their rotation. Harper leads the offense, but they also have Jayson Werth, Trea Turner and Anthony Rendon, among others. And Matt Wieters should represent a considerable upgrade on the catcher role. Their biggest question mark is the bullpen because they still need to find a closer. However, if the offense lives up to the expectations then they should be fine. Harper has been racking during Spring Training, and he could easily win his second NL MVP Award in the last three years.
At least one step below we find the Miami Marlins. Even though the franchise might never recover from the loss of Jose Fernandez – who died on a boat accident last year – they need to re-group in 2017. Both the rotation and the bullpen have a few question marks, but the team strength is the offense. Giancarlo Stanton is one the premium bats in all of baseball. Dee Gordon can create havoc at the top of the lineup. And guys like Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich are ready to take the next step in their careers. Yelich in particular has all the makings of a future star, as evidenced by his performance in the World Baseball Classic with Team USA.
Last but not least, we have the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies. Both franchises are going through re-building processes, but at the same time there are differences. The Braves seem to be a step closer to contention and will debut a new stadium this year, but that’s not all. They have one of the best prospects in all of baseball in Dansby Swanson. The 23-year-old phenom is the main candidate to win the NL Rookie Of The Year Award, and he will be a player to watch in the coming years.
On the other hand, Philadelphia are a few years away from being the NL powerhouse they were in the past. But they are not the struggling franchise they were two years ago. In fact, they might surprise a few people thanks to their young talent.
Summarizing, we can see the Nationals and the Mets have a clear edge over the rest. The Marlins are a bit of a Wild Card based on the potential of their offense. And we also have the Braves and the Phillies. Both clubs improved during the offseason, but they are not ready to battle for the division crown… yet.
It’s entirely possible that we end up with two playoff teams from this division. However, neither the Mets nor the Nationals appear as clear World Series candidates. They might make some noise come playoff time, but one thing is certain. It will be interesting to see which ballclub comes out on top to win the NL East title.