Baseball 2009 Preview of National League East

The Phillies should repeat as East Division champs, and another World Series victory is quite possible. They have the best infield in the league, including two MVPs (Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins) and one likely MVP (Chase Utley). Pedro Feliz offers solid numbers at the plate and a decent glove at third. In the outfield the Phils hope that Raul Ibanez can replace Pat Burrell, who left as a free agent over the winter. Centerfielder Shane Victorino should continue to be the spark plug he was in 2008, leaving right field as the only question mark. Jason Werth should be out there most of the time, but aging Geoff Jenkins offers an experienced left-handed bat.

The rotation, led by ace Cole Hamiels, is just as solid as the infield. Among the proven arms are Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer, Joe Blanton, and Adam Eaton. Brad Lidge remains the best closer in the league, leaving the Phillies with almost no flaws heading into the defense of their world championship.

The Mets have too many issues to hope to compete with Philadelphia. They do have enough talent to secure the wild card spot, however. The lineup will be loaded with all-stars, such as Jose Reyes (shortstop), David Wright (third base), Carlos Delgado (first), and Carlos Beltran (center field). Another talented veteran, second baseman Luis Castillo, will also take the field for the Mets, but his health remains a major concern.

The club also has questions in the outfield. Is Ryan Church capable of being an offensive threat? Is rookie Dan Murphy ready to endure a full season in a city as huge as New York? Will Brian Schneider do a better job handling the pitching staff than he did at times in 2008?

The good news for the Mets is that they now have closer Francisco Rodriguez, who saved over sixty games last year. Now Johann Santana can feel a little more secure when he has to leave a game with a lead in the seventh or eighth inning.

Unfortunately for the Mets is that Santana can only pitch every fifth game. That means the other starters, some of whom are decent hurlers, will be asked to take the mound the other four games. All are veterans, but all have been inconsistent.

The Marlins surprised the baseball world last year by staying in contention much longer than anyone expected. They have enough talent to do the same this year. Shortstop Hanley Ramirez could be the best all-around player in the NL. Second Baseman Dan Uggla is one of the top two in the league at his position. Center fielder Cameron Maybin is one of the most exciting young players in all of baseball, and Jorge Cantu is underrated at third base.

In spite of this half of the lineup, Florida has major concerns with the rest. Left fielder Jeremy Hermida has yet to come close to living up to the hype he aroused as a minor leaguer. Cody Ross will be starting, but he has never been but a fifth outfielder at any stop during his forgettable career. Gabby Sanchez is inexperienced at first.

The rotation has no clear number one starter nor any recognizable name. The only name anyone would recognize in the bullpen is Jesus Delgado, and that's only because it's the same last name as the Mets first baseman.

The Braves failed to make the playoffs last year, continuing a decline after so many consecutive NL East crowns. The decline is likely to continue in 2009. Third baseman Chipper Jones and catcher Brian McCann are the only proven regulars on the team. They can only hope that Kelly Johnson (second base), Matt Diaz (left field), and Jeff Francouer (right field) can all put together above average seasons. That is not likely to happen. Nor is it likely that first baseman Casey Kotchman, brought in over the winter, will realize that potential the Angels gave up on years ago.

The pitching staff could be their saving grace, even though mainstay John Smoltz fled after over twenty years in the organization. The Braves do have Javier Vazquez and Derrick Lowe to send the hill for twenty percent of the games. The bullpen is probably a little better than others in the division, but their closer is virtually untested.

Washington is last alphabetically in the division, and that's where they will end up. They do have some young talent, outfielders Elijah Dukes and Lastings Milledge. What the two have in common other than their cool names are troubled pasts. The Nats hope that the steady corner infielders, Ryan Zimmerman (third) and Nick Johnson (first), can be a positive influence on the youngsters.

The Nats have more questions than answers unfortunately. Is shortstop Cristian Guzman likely to repeat his stellar numbers from 2008, or will he revert to being the light-hitting, error-prone wasted potential who was run out of Minnesota a half decade ago? What becomes of Austin Kearns? Can Josh Willingham provide enough offense to win the confidence of Washington fans?

The rotation is probably the worst in baseball. The bullpen is probably the worst in baseball, and believe me there are a lot of bad ones. The new ballpark might attract crowds early in the season, but I'm still willing to bet that were more people at President Obama's inauguration than the total yearly attendance at Nats games.