2010 Rewind: It was another typical season for the Nationals in 2010. Since moving to the nation’s capitol in 2005 the former Expos club has finished in last place all but once – they were in fourth in 2007. The team played winning baseball in April and was at .500 at the end of May before the real losing began. They hit the cellar on June 11 and never got out of it. But, the Nationals 69 wins was 10 more than each of the last two seasons and they are optimistic about the future.

The Good: Ryan Zimmerman won his second straight Silver Slugger award with 25 HR, 85 RBI and a .307 batting average. While those power numbers are down from the previous season, it was the first time he finished over .300 in a full season. There are a lot of great third baseman in the game today and Zimmerman is near the top of the list. On the mound, Livan Hernandez had a good year posting his best ERA (3.66) since playing for, well, the Expos in 2004. More importantly for the Nationals he logged 211 innings giving a weak bullpen much needed rest. Hernandez will take the ball on opening day for Washington in 2011.

The Bad: Although he had only pitched in a handful of games many people thought Stephen Strasburg should have been placed on the All-Star team. The young star struck out 14 batters in his debut June 8 and continued to pitch well through the summer. Unfortunately his season ended in late August with an injury to his forearm which led to Tommy John surgery in September. While the franchise still hopes Strasburg will be an ace of the staff for many years, he may miss all of 2011.

Biggest Loss: In his two years with Washington, Adam Dunn launched 76 HRs and drove in 208 runs. But his defense became a liability for the team.  He was relegated to playing only first base last season where he committed 13 errors, the second most in the NL. He became a free agent and signed with the White Sox. The team dealt much maligned outfielder Nyjer Morgan to Milwaukee as spring training wore down.

Best Addition: One of the biggest stories in the off-season was the Nationals signing of Jayson Werth. In the last three seasons, all with the Phillies, Werth hit 87 HRs with 251 RBI and a .279 batting average. The team will count on him for some power in the middle of the lineup.

Fantasy Slant: There are not many players better at third base than Zimmerman and he could put up better numbers than each of them. Werth may not be able to replicate some of his stats outside of the Philly lineup and he may be picked too early in a lot of fantasy drafts. Adam LaRoche will play first base every day for the Nats and could be a nice late pick to fill in a corner position.

Final Take: With very little depth at pitching, the Nationals don’t have much of a chance at a winning season in 2011. But the offense and defense should be better this year and they have plenty of hope for the future…2011 Record – 62-100, last in the NL East.

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2010 Rewind: 97-65, first place NL East. The Phillies rolled through the NL East and the first round of the playoffs and looked to be on their way to yet another World Series. But the Giants derailed them en route to the world title. So, it was time to revamp a team that already had little weaknesses.

The Good: Roy Halladay and Ryan Howard. Both superstars excelled, as expected. Raul Ibanez, who many predicted to have peaked in 2009, drove in 83 runs very quietly.

The Bad: Injuries and maybe age caught up with the Phillies infield as both Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley suffered injuries that impacted the offense. In the NLCS, the Phils hit .183 as a team and missing Utley and Rollins was clear. Even more bad news is that Utley is battling a knee injury that will mean playing with pain this year or having season-ending surgery. Utley will try to give it a try, but his situation bares watching.

Biggest Loss: Jayson Werth. Werth drove in 85 runs and left via free agency. Outfield was a position the Phils felt deep at and were unwilling to back up the truck to pay for Werth’s services.

Best Addition:  Cliff Lee is back with the Phillies as they stealthly came in and outbid the Yankees for Lee’s services. Halladay and Lee give the Phillies a head and shoulders advantage over any other rotation in all of baseball. Add Roy Oswalt and Cole Hammels and you have the best pitching staff in baseball.

Fantasy Slant: There are plenty of fantasy studs to choose from with Howard, Halladay, Lee all going very early in drafts, but for a sleeper, look no further than outfielder Domonic Brown, who could be this year’s Jason Heyward and was one of the reasons the Phils let Jayson Werth walk.

Final Take: Some things never change The Phils will win the NL East, they will challenge for 100 wins and they will get back to the World Series…2011 Record: 100-62, 1st Place, NL East

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2010 Rewind: 79-83, fourth place NL East. Nothing went right for the Mets, who finished near .500 merely on talent and the weakness of the NL East. Truth is, for a team with such a high payroll, the Mets are one of the biggest disasters in baseball.

The Good: The corner infielders. David Wright and Ike Davis are two homegrown prospects for the Mets, which says more to what the Mets should do for future success (rely on their farm system and steer clear of high-priced free agents). Davis, took over the first base job and proceeded to hit 19 HRs and 71 RBIs. Not huge numbers for a first baseman, but Davis shows a lot of promise. Centerfielder Angel Pagan, led the team with a .291 batting average and in SBs with 37.

The Bad: Where to begin? Injuries ultimately did in the Mets with superstars Carlos Beltran, Jason Bay and eventually Johan Santana going down. Then there’s the tumultuous clubhouse with Francisco Rodriquez having legal problems and in-clubhouse fights. And there’s also the underperformance of those not named Wright, Davis or Pagan.

Biggest Loss: Johan Santana. Going down late last year with labrum problems and surgery, puts the Mets bonafide ace on the shelf until the All-Star break (at least). This will be an insurmountable loss for the Mets.

Best Addition: Sandy Alderson is the new general manager and the fact that he’s the best addition, and not some big offseason free agent, shows the enormous task he has ahead of him. The Mets did nothing in the offseason and Alderson has to find a way to rid himself of bad contracts while turning to the youth for the future.

Fantasy Slant: Wright is the first-round stud on this team. Jose Reyes is still only 27 years old but has struggled with injuries. Reyes’ value is down, so you might be able to grab him later as a bargain. If healthy, he could pay big dividends. From a youth perspective, Pagan has a lot of value. He won’t hit for a ton of power, but will provide average, runs and stolen bases.

Final Take: With no Santana, a shaky bullpen and bad ownership, the arrow is pointing down for the Mets. They still have talent to be competitive, but with a lack of pitching and the previously-mentioned problems, this team is staring at another losing season and another 4th place finish...2011 Record: 75-88, 4th Place, NL East

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2010 Rewind: 80-82, Third in the NL East. While the Marlins played some good baseball, the 2010 season was one filled with various off-the-field issues. Their superstar shortstop, Hanley Ramirez, was called out for not hustling. The owner was never behind manager Fredi Gonzalez who was fired after 70 games. Edwin Rodriguez took over and the club finished 46-46 despite losing its best two pitchers for the month of September. Not bad for a young club with one of the lowest payrolls in all of baseball.

The Good: Although he was shut down after one start in September, Josh Johnson put up some impressive stats in 2010. He won 11 games while striking out 186 batters and posting a 2.30 ERA. He ended up fifth in the Cy Young voting and will be ready to take the mound on Opening Day this year. At the plate the Marlins may have found their next young stud in Mike Stanton. The outfielder belted 22 HRs in just 359 AB and finished the season hot, batting .312 in September.

The Bad: While the starting staff for the Marlins pitched well, the bullpen was awful. No one in the NL blew more saves than Florida in 2010. Leo Nunez managed to earn 30 saves, but blew 8 along the way. He was actually demoted for a time in August, a month in which he posted a 9.31 ERA.

Biggest Loss: Without a doubt the Marlins' offense lost a lot of power by trading Dan Uggla to the Braves. In his five seasons with Florida, Uggla managed to set the young franchise’s mark in HRs at 154. He has hit at least 30 bombs in each of the last four seasons including a team-high 33 last year. He also set career highs in RBI with 105 and hit for a career best .287 average.

Biggest Addition: The Marlins solved one of their problem spots last season by signing veteran catcher John Buck in the off-season. After six less-than-stellar years with the Royals, Buck exploded last season in Toronto. He set career highs with 20 HRs, 66 RBI and a .281 average. If he can get anywhere close to those numbers again in 2011, the Marlins will be much improved at the position. Florida also added a veteran arm to the rotation in Javier Vazquez. They hope Vazquez throws more like he did in Atlanta in 2009 (15 wins, 2.87 ERA) than with the Yankees last year (10 wins, 5.32 ERA.) More importantly they would like to see him eat up innings. Vazquez has logged more than 200 innings nine times in his career.

Fantasy Slant: Hanley Ramirez should still be one of the top picks in all fantasy drafts this year. Keep in mind, however, that he continues to bulk up and reported to camp at 240 pounds. Also, he is coming off of one of his worst seasons at the plate while hitting in front of Uggla most of the year. Josh Johnson is a good example of the depth at starting pitching in the game today. He is a stud who has the numbers to win a Cy Young but may not be one of the top ten pitchers chosen on draft day. In the ‘sleeper’ category keep an eye on first baseman Gaby Sanchez. Yes, the position is very deep, but he can fill a corner or utility spot and produce 20 HRs and 90 RBI.

Final Take: It seems like every year the Marlins get younger and younger. Of course that youth normally produces wins and they should be a good ball club in 2011. But they won’t be good enough to overcome the Phillies and the Braves. The organization is looking ahead at a new stadium in 2012 and they have a good foundation in place. 2011 Record…81-81, 3rd place in the NL East.

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2010 Rewind: The Braves made a run at NL East rival Philadelphia, and in the end finished with 91 wins and won the NL Wild Card. The team showed that they are putting away their past and building toward the future. Bobby Cox is retired and Chipper Jones is no longer the best hitter in the Braves’ lineup. Instead, it’s a youth movement led by superstar Jason Heyward.

The Good: Outside of Heyward’s meteoric debut, the pitching was the reason the Braves made it to the postseason (I guess some things never change). Tim Hudson was a Cy Young candidate posting ace-like numbers while veteran Derek Lowe was the most consistent pitcher in the Braves rotation in the second half of the season and down the stretch. Tommy Hanson proves that the Braves’ organization can still crank out the pitching prospects. While they can’t match the Phillies’ rotation, they have a formidable rotation.

The Bad: The second half of the season. While 91 wins is a success, the “older” players like Jones and Troy Glaus started to feel the affects of a long season and the younger players like Heyward and Omar Infante hit a wall, all while the pitching staff stumbled with inflated ERAs.

Biggest Loss: Bobby Cox. It won’t be the same without Cox in the dugout for the Braves. He was a beloved figure in Atlanta and amongst the players. New manager Fredi Gonzalez has the unenviable task of filling the shoes of a legend. If the Braves get off to a slow start, look for Gonzalez to take some heat. It will be tough to replace someone who won more than 2,500 career games. From a player standpoint losing Derrek Lee to free agency leaves a major gap at first base although with the youth movement, it’s probably wise to let the aging Lee leave.

Best Addition: The Braves went out and added Dan Uggla to fill a major hole in their roster and add one of the best hitting second basemen in baseball. Uggla has averaged 31 HRs and 93 RBIs over five years. He’ll add great protection to Heyward and help take some of the pressure of Jones to carry the team with his bat.

Fantasy Slant: Uggla is an elite fantasy performer at a weak position. He’ll go early in most drafts. Heyward is one of the most exciting young players in all of baseball. In a keeper league, Heyward will be off the draft board early. After a hot start, his numbers tailed off. His 18 HRs and 72 RBIs are pretty good for a rookie, but is a sophomore slump in order? Brian McCann led all NL catchers with 21 HRs and looks to improve on those numbers with Uggla’s protection in the lineup. He will be one of the first couple catchers drafted in your league. Martin Prado is a fantasy commodity. His stats don’t have the wow factor but the left fielder has position eligibility at 3B, 2B and SS and that makes him a great option in the later rounds. From a pitching standpoint, Hudson and Lowe are the safest options but from a long-term standpoint and a pitcher with most upside, Hanson is the guy with the most impressive numbers including 10 KOs per nine innings. He’s got ace stuff, but could also be a bust, so proceed with caution. The closer in waiting is Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel is worth a flyer in the later rounds.

Final Take: The addition of Uggla makes this team better. The pitching staff is a year better and healthy. Can Hanson take the next step to elite level or regress? Will the Braves bullpen continue to carry the load? Does Heyward progress or regress? How will Gonzalez’ coaching style motivate his team? The Braves have a tough division with the Phillies still the best of the National League, but they will give their rival a run for the pennant and improve on last year’s success… 2011 Record: 93-69, NL Wild Card.

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The National League house the defending World Champions, but that doesn’t mean it’s a one-horse race. While the Phillies will be tough once again, the rest of the division got better in the off-season. The NL East is going to be one of the most highly contested divisions in baseball.

ORDER OF FINISH
Phillies – Until it’s proven otherwise, Philly is still the team to beat. They still have most of the pieces from last year’s championship team. I love the Raul Ibanez signing and see him as upgrade of Pat Burrell and think their top five in the batting order (Rollins, Victorino, Utley, Howard, and Ibanez) is amongst the best in baseball. Cole Hamels showed what he is capable of during the postseason and the rest of the rotation is adequate enough to compete. Brad Lidge was nearly perfect last season as the closer.

Mets – The Mets will move into a new stadium this season, but some of the same old problems exist. They fixed their biggest area of need in the offseason by bringing in Francisco Rodriguez and JJ Putz to complete the backend of their bullpen. The lineup is more than capable of producing runs too. I still have my concerns about the rotation though, particularly if Johan Santana’s arm problems persist. If they can stay healthy look for them to give the Phillies a tough battle and compete for the NL Wildcard.

Braves – I like what Atlanta has done to rebuild their rotation with Derek Lowe and Javier Vazquez on top of a couple of young arms (Jair Jurrjens and Kenshin Kawakami). Tim Hudson is not going to be much of a factor though as he is on the 60-day DL. Offensively there is upside, but Chipper Jones will need to stay healthy to anchor the batting order. Look for improvement in Atlanta this season, but I am not banking on the Braves to leapfrog the division’s elite just yet.

Marlins – Florida seems to be in constant rebuilding mode, but they also always seem to have the young talent to do so. Hanley Ramirez is a MVP-type of player and many other young pieces appear to be in place to make some noise. Still, their rotation is patchwork at best and their bullpen is once again in transition. They will hang around for most of the summer, but once again fade late in this tough race.

Nationals – OK, they have signed Adam Dunn. That gives them some much needed power in the lineup, but expect 200 strikeouts too. If Ryan Zimmerman can finally develop into what many projected him too and their pitching holds up they may actually finish closer than 20 games out this season. Still, they will struggle to see .500 again this year. There is hope for the future in DC though now that GM Jim Bowden is no longer in the picture.


AWARDS
MVP – Ryan Howard, Phillies

Cy Young Candidate – Cole Hammels, Phillies

Biggest Bust – Garrett Anderson, Braves

Biggest Breakout – Yunel Escobar, Braves

Comeback Player – Freddy Garcia, Mets

Rookie of Year – Gaby Sanchez, Marlins

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Every year at this time as a Reds' fan I find some pennant race to grab onto and take a hold of. It is what us REAL baseball fans in Cincinnati are forced to do if we want to enjoy the sport we love. The problem is every year more and more Reds' fans just stop watching altogether as they gear up for high school, college, and pro football. Sadly, the game of baseball loses more fans every year in this city and other perpetually losing franchises small markets.

With that in mind, I am clinching onto the NL East this year, where once again its a dogfight beteween the Mets and the Phillies. Currently, Philadelphia leads the Mets by 0.5 game. That lead didn't come easy though. The Phillies rallied back from a 7-0 deficit in the fourth inning to beat the Mets 8-7 in a marathon game at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday.

It was unbelievable! This year looks just like last year. We all know about the Mets' collapse down the stretch last season, one that led to the eventuall firing of Willie Randolph this year. The Phillies are back at it again.

Jim Salisbury, of the Philadelphia Inquirer penned it perfectly, in words that as I as Reds' fan can only dream of:

"Citizens Bank Park, filled with electricity and victories, became the place to be in Philadelphia.

It has continued this season. Contenders once again - and back in first place after last night/this morning's surreal win - the Phillies have had 44 sellouts. You can bet on number 45 tonight, because the Bank is still the place to be, and the New York Mets are in town for one more game.

The two teams renewed their entertaining rivalry - it isn't Yankees-Red Sox but it ain't bad, either - with a first-place showdown that twisted stomachs until 12:24 this morning, when Chris Coste gave the Phils an 8-7 win with a bases-loaded hit in the bottom of the 13th inning.

The 5-hour, 17-minute game had a little bit of everything. Tension, drama, excitement. There was even some humor."

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Far more credit will go to Jerry Manuel than he actually deserves, but, whatever the spark, the New York Mets are charging hard.  The Amazins have won eight straight games and set a modern-day record by allowing three or fewer hits in each of their last five victories.  New York was the pick of many prognosticators to be the class of the National League, and while that has not come to pass - at least not yet - they sit only a half-game out of first place in the NL East.  It just may be that the Mets rule the roost in the senior circuit before the season is over.

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