* – indicates new to team
AVG – Batting Average
ERA – Earned Run Average
HR – Home Runs
RBI – Runs Batted In
SV – Saves
1. Washington Nationals
Last year was no fluke. They are the best team in baseball.
2. Atlanta Braves
A bolstered lineup should take the pressure off the pitching staff.
3. Philadelphia Phillies
A full season from Chase Utley and Ryan Howard will help immensely.
4. New York Mets
Other than re-signing David Wright, no major improvements.
5. Miami Marlins
They’re in full-on rebuilding mode once again.
Player to Watch: P Stephen Strasburg Washington Nationals
Pitch limits be damned. All of that is gone now and everyone will want to know how Strasburg does for a full season. History has shown that pitchers in their second year removed from Tommy John surgery are back to what they were before the surgery. Health aside, he has the most electric stuff in the game. That’s saying a lot, but the Nationals will only go as far as his arm can take them.
Best Acquisition: OF Justin Upton Atlanta Braves
They didn’t have to give Arizona a whole lot to get Upton. Which is somewhat surprising considering how good he is. He is reunited with his older brother B.J. who signed a 5 year deal early in the offseason. Now that they’re both in an environment that wants them maybe they’ll perform to their talent level. Justin should perform well in a lineup with Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman.
New Kid on the Block: P Julio Teheran Atlanta Braves
There’s a reason that the Braves didn’t include Teheran in any of their trades the last couple years. They see him as a top of the rotation starter. Since the Braves have good depth at the top right now, he’ll be at the bottom. That’s a good thing as to not put too much pressure on him. Look for him to eventually be the number two starter or the ace of the future.
Nationals Lineup
1. CF Denard Span*
.283 AVG 4 HR 41 RBI
2. SS Ian Desmond
.292 AVG 25 HR 73 RBI
3. 3B Ryan Zimmerman
.282 AVG 25 HR 95 RBI
4. 1B Adam LaRoche
.271 AVG 33 HR 100 RBI
5. RF Jayson Werth
.300 AVG 5 HR 31 RBI
6. LF Bryce Harper
.270 AVG 22 HR 59 RBI
7. 2B Danny Espinosa
.247 AVG 17 HR 56 RBI
8. C Wilson Ramos
.265 AVG 3 HR 10 RBI
Bench
OF Roger Bernadina
.291 AVG 5 HR 25 RBI
C Kurt Suzuki
.235 AVG 6 HR 43 RBI
INF Steve Lombardozzi
.273 AVG 3 HR 27 RBI
Rotation
1. Stephen Strasburg
15-6 3.16 ERA
2. Gio Gonzalez
21-8 2.89 ERA
3. Jordan Zimmermann
12-8 2.94 ERA
4. Ross Detwiler
10-8 3.40 ERA
5. Dan Haren*
12-13 4.33 ERA
Setup
Drew Storen
3-1 2.37 ERA
Closer
Rafael Soriano*
42 SV 2.26 ERA
Davey Johnson’s Job: Keep them focused on the task at hand.
Most Important Player: P Stephen Strasburg
Braves Lineup
1. SS Andrelton Simmons
.289 AVG 3 HR 19 RBI
2. RF Jason Heyward
.269 AVG 27 HR 82 RBI
3. LF Justin Upton*
.280 AVG 17 HR 67 RBI
4. 1B Freddie Freeman
.259 AVG 23 HR 94 RBI
5. CF B.J. Upton*
.246 AVG 28 HR 78 RBI
6. C Brian McCann
.230 AVG 20 HR 67 RBI
7. 2B Dan Uggla
.220 AVG 19 HR 78 RBI
8. 3B Chris Johnson*
.281 AVG 15 HR 76 RBI
Bench
3B Juan Francisco
.234 AVG 9 HR 32 RBI
OF Reed Johnson
.290 AVG 3 HR 20 RBI
C Gerald Laird*
.282 AVG 2 HR 11 RBI
Rotation
1. Tim Hudson
16-7 3.62 ERA
2. Paul Maholm
13-11 3.67 ERA
3. Kris Medlen
10-1 1.57 ERA
4. Mike Minor
11-10 4.12 ERA
5. Julio Teheran
7-9 5.08 ERA (AAA stats)
Setup
Jonny Venters
5-4 3.22 ERA
Closer
Craig Kimbrel
42 SV 1.01 ERA
Fredi Gonzalez’s Job: Avoid falling flat in September.
Most Important Player: P Craig Kimbrel
Phillies Lineup
1. SS Jimmy Rollins
.250 AVG 23 HR 68 RBI
2. 2B Chase Utley
.256 AVG 11 HR 45 RBI
3. 3B Michael Young*
.277 AVG 8 HR 67 RBI
4. 1B Ryan Howard
.219 AVG 14 HR 56 RBI
5. LF Delmon Young*
.267 AVG 18 HR 74 RBI
6. RF Domonic Brown
.235 AVG 5 HR 26 RBI
7. CF Ben Revere*
.294 AVG 0 HR 32 RBI
8. C Erik Kratz
.248 AVG 9 HR 26 RBI
Bench
OF/1B John Mayberry
.245 AVG 14 HR 46 RBI
OF Laynce Nix
.246 AVG 3 HR 16 RBI
INF Kevin Frandsen
.338 AVG 2 HR 14 RBI
Rotation
1. Roy Halladay
11-8 4.49 ERA
2. Cole Hamels
17-6 3.05 ERA
3. Cliff Lee
6-9 3.16 ERA
4. Kyle Kendrick
11-12 3.90 ERA
5. John Lannan*
4-1 4.13 ERA
Setup
Mike Adams*
5-3 3.27 ERA
Closer
Jonathan Papelbon
38 SV 2.44 ERA
Charlie Manuel’s Job: Get the offense back on track.
Most Important Player: P Cole Hamels
Mets Lineup
1. CF Collin Cowgill*
.250 AVG 4 HR 37 RBI (AAA stats)
2. 2B Daniel Murphy
.291 AVG 6 HR 65 RBI
3. 3B David Wright
.306 AVG 21 HR 93 RBI
4. 1B Ike Davis
.227 AVG 32 HR 90 RBI
5. RF Marlon Byrd*
.210 AVG 1 HR 9 RBI
6. LF Lucas Duda
.239 AVG 15 HR 57 RBI
7. C John Buck*
.192 AVG 12 HR 41 RBI
8. SS Ruben Tejada
.289 AVG 1 HR 25 RBI
Bench
INF Justin Turner
.269 AVG 2 HR 19 RBI
OF Mike Baxter
.263 AVG 3 HR 17 RBI
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis
.252 AVG 7 HR 28 RBI
Rotation
1. Jon Niese
13-9 3.40 ERA
2. Shaun Marcum*
7-4 3.70 ERA
3. Matt Harvey
3-5 2.73 ERA
4. Dillon Gee
6-7 4.10 ERA
5. Jeremy Hefner
4-7 5.09 ERA
Setup
Brandon Lyon*
4-2 3.10 ERA
Closer
Bobby Parnell
7 SV 2.49 ERA
Terry Collins’ Job: Do the best with what you have.
Most Important Player: 3B David Wright
Marlins Lineup
1. LF Juan Pierre*
.307 AVG 1 HR 25 RBI
2. 3B Placido Polanco*
.257 AVG 2 HR 19 RBI
3. RF Giancarlo Stanton
.290 AVG 37 HR 86 RBI
4. 1B Casey Kotchman*
.229 AVG 12 HR 55 RBI
5. CF Chris Coghlan
.140 AVG 1 HR 10 RBI
6. C Rob Brantly
.298 AVG 5 HR 41 RBI (AA and AAA stats)
7. 2B Donovan Solano
.295 AVG 2 HR 28 RBI
8. SS Adeiny Hechavarria*
.312 AVG 6 HR 63 RBI (AAA stats)
Bench
1B/OF Logan Morrison
.230 AVG 11 HR 36 RBI
INF Greg Dobbs
.285 AVG 5 HR 39 RBI
OF Austin Kearns
.245 AVG 4 HR 16 RBI
Rotation
1. Ricky Nolasco
12-13 4.48 ERA
2. Nathan Eovaldi
4-13 4.30 ERA
3. Wade LeBlanc
2-5 3.67 ERA
4. Henderson Alvarez*
9-14 4.85 ERA
5. Kevin Slowey*
3-3 5.14 ERA
Setup
Jon Rauch*
3-7 3.59 ERA
Closer
Steve Cishek
15 SV 2.69 ERA
Mike Redmond’s Job: Don’t think of this as a AAA managing job.
Most Important Player: OF Giancarlo Stanton
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