NL East

NL East

Nationals

Strength - The Nats starting rotation is clearly the best in baseball. Some people are talking about it being the best ever and we have not even played a game. I will hold off on that but I do know the Nats were one of the best teams last year and now they add Max Scherzer. Scherzer will be the number one. You also have Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmerman who are also number ones and two of the best arms in the game. Doug Fister and Gio Gonzalez are aces in their own rights and Tanner Roark who was excellent shifts to the pen.

Weakness - In the past the weakness has been the experience factor but they have been relevant for some time now and I don't see much weakness on this team. The only weakness would be getting over the hump and avoiding getting bounced in the NLDS.


Wild Card Players - Is it possible to be as good as Bryce Harper and be a wild card player? It is possible because if Harper can stay healthy and play his game all year he is an MVP candidate and one of the best players in baseball. Ryan Zimmerman is also a wild card because when healthy he has been great. He is a great hitter and is a big RBI production. He needs to stay healthy.

Mets

Strength - The Mets have a dominant pitching staff. I say their staff is right behind the Nationals and close to as good as the Dodgers. The Mets get back their ace Matt Harvey and will have Jacob deGrom last years NL Rookie of the Year on their side. They also have Zach Wheeler who still has some growth. Dillon Gee and Jon Niese have had a lot of success also. Niese will be the lone lefty.
The Mets also have some touted pitching prospects and you can't forget about Bartolo Colon.

Weakness - The Mets failed once again to make a splash for a big bat. The Mets did pick up Michael Cuddyer however the question is will he be enough. The Mets have to depend on players like David Wright and Curtis Granderson to bounce back    and sometimes it's hard to depend on older players.

Wild Card Players - David Wright needs to be the Wright of old. The Mets need him to have a solid season. Wright can do it. Wright is a constant and a leader and a big season is needed if the Mets are going to make the playoffs. Matt Harvey is also a wild card because we have to see If he is going to be fully back and ready to go or if they are going to baby him. Will he be back to his old self?

Phillies

Strength - Philly is going through a tuff time. I don't see them being a good team this year however anytime you have Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels you would have to consider that your strength. The rest of the rotation is shakey to say the least.

Weakness - The Phillies are old and past their primes. A lot of the players they invested big in are finished as top players or are still really good and the Phillies are trying to trade them in the case of Lee and Hamels. This team has holes everywhere.

Wild Card Players - Ryan Howard was once one of the most feared hitters in baseball. If he can get back to something along those lines it would be great for the lineup. Dominick Brown was a 30 homer guy two years ago , last year he was terrible. He is still young and can bounce back.

Marlins

Strength - The Marlins play in a very big ballpark and they have a lot of pitching depth to go along with it. The Marlins probably will not get Jose Fernandez back until June but they recently acquired Mat Latos. We also saw big steps from Henderson Alvarez and Zach Cosart. The Marlins also acquired David Phelps and Dan Haren. Tom Koehler had a nice year also.

Weakness - The Marlins have improved with the bats and arms. They are pretty strong all around however they still have some players who they need to come through. There weakness has to be that they just have some players they are hit or miss.

Wild Card Players - Mike Morse can be a big bat for the Marlins lineups. He when healthy is a powerful bat and gets super hot. The Marlins need to keep him out of deep slumps and keep him healthy. David Phelps had some success with the Yankees and now he is in a better scenario. I think he can have a very good year for the Marlins.

Braves

Strength - The Braves traded away and got rid of a lot of players. They appear to be a bad team this year however they still have their strengths. They have Freddie Freeman who is one of the best hitters in the NL and Craig Kimbrel as the closer. These are two strong pieces.

Weakness - The Braves cut down on the strikeouts in the offseason however they still have hitters who have a ton of strike out potential. These hitters do not have as much power potential however. The Braves traded Jason Heyward , Justin Upton , and Evan Gattis and clearly downgraded at these positions. They appear to be rebuilding a little.

Wild Card Players - Mike Minor and Shelby Miller both had down seasons however if they come back and have good seasons the Braves will not be as bad as expected. Minor was dominant two years ago and showed flashes of it last year down the stretch.

Check out the Al East Preview also

http://theleaguesports.blogspot.com/2015/02/al-east.html

By Peter Vitella 

@Realpete13