In January, if any Mets fan was approached and told that the Mets would be tied with the Nationals for two months and one day, they’d ask where to sign. To say the least, the Mets have had an interesting ride to a 29-23 record. It has been propelled by an 11-game losing streak, countless disabled-list appearances, and a whole lot of close games. Even with the unorthodox approach to winning games, it has served them well in the NL East standings. So with that, let’s take a look at how every other NL East team has reached their win-loss total.
First Place: Washington Nationals (28-22)
After an unimpressive 7-13 start that saw them fall 5 games back, the Nationals have hit their stride and have taken over the NL East. They were predicted to win the division and have not disappointed thus far (technically).
The young all-star Bryce Harper has fueled the Nationals offense with his league-leading 18 homeruns and 1.193 OPS. Behind him there seems to be a solid supporting cast with Denard Span, Danny Espinosa, and Yunel Escobar all having solid seasons while Ryan Zimmerman, Ian Desmond, and Wilson Ramos have been lackluster. As usual, this team has carried a weak bench with none of their bench members eclipsing a .700 OPS. In the end, all of their hitters will catch their stride.
The pitching has been an interesting storyline to follow with Max Scherzer and Jordan Zimmerman stealing the show. Beyond them, Gio Gonzalez has been a disappointment with Stephen Strasburg and Doug Fister hitting the shelf after sub-par starts. The bullpen has been shaky for this team, with a poor supporting cast after Drew Storen. This team will easily be the toughest team to beat in the National League, so it remains important that the Mets keep a close tab.
Technically tied for First Place: New York Mets (29-23)
As previously mentioned, the Mets have had quite the pit-falled road to success this season, but appear to have figured things out recently. They look to improve on their record against strong teams, but still clean up against the unimpressive ones.
The lineup has been largely inconsistent, with Duda leading the entire show. Behind him, Michael Cuddyer, Curtis Granderson, and Daniel Murphy have been hot after slow starts. Unfortunately without Travis d’Arnaud the lineup has struggled; evidence Kevin Plawecki never really hitting a stride in the major leagues. While Wilmer Flores has provided timely hits, Juan Lagares has lots of room to improve in the major leagues. The bench has been a disaster, with the exception of one Anthony Recker start and the recent hot streak from Ruben Tejada.
The pitching has been as good as advertised even without the hard-throwing Zack Wheeler. Unfortunately, Jon Niese and Bartolo Colon have come down to earth and have struggled with their craft in recent games. Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard have been nothing but dominant in their short seasons and, before his injury, Dillon Gee was pretty solid. The bullpen has been electrifying with Jeurys Familia leading the way. Carlos Torres, Erik Goeddel, Alex Torres, Sean Gilmartin, and Jack Leathersich all support an ERA at 3.00 or under. The only weak link appears to be the fearless Hansel Robles who has the potential to improve.
The Metropolitans are a good team, but certainly not great. The average Mets fan simply has to hope that the return of d’Arnaud will propel the offense and the pitching will hold up through late September.
Third Place: Atlanta Braves (26-25)
Currently riding a little 3-game winning streak, the Braves have been a fun surprise to watch in 2015. Fortunately, for Mets fans, this is where the major talent drop-off begins.
The offense has a strange balance of players that have failed to produce a ton of runs, but seem never to strikeout. Freddie Freeman has performed at an all-star level (as usual), but only Cameron Maybin and Nick Markakis have followed. Johnny Gomes, Andrelton Simmons, and A.J. Pierzynski have all performed below average. Their bench has been cringe-worthy with Eric Young Jr., Christain Bethancourt, and Pedro Ciriaco all hitting under .200. The good news is that Juan Uribe has arrived with some nice production at the hot corner.
The pitching on this team has been sub-par with the rotation consisting of young stars. Only Shelby Miller, who has been nothing short of dominant, is producing at the expected capability. My favorite Brave, Julio Teheran, has been disappointing while Alex Wood and Mike Foltynewicz have been average thus far. The bullpen has been a disaster following the Craig Kimbrel era. Only Jim Johnson and Luis Avilan are even worth mentioning at this point in time.
The bottom line with this team is that no matter how long they hang around the Wild Card leaders, they will fall to a superior team.
Fourth Place: Miami Marlins (20-32)
This is where things start to get ugly, as the Marlins have been nothing short of an absolute disappointment. With all their offseason moves, this team has been infected by the injury bug, while simultaneously playing at a low level.
The ironic part about this offense is that they have pieces that could produce, – and they are – but the team isn’t. Dee Gordon has been the league’s best hitter with an impressive .370 average; meanwhile his double-play mate, Adeiny Hechavarria, has quietly hit .300. Couple this with the talents of their outfield and this could be a good team. Unfortunately for South Beach, all three outfielders have failed to produce at their capable levels. This offense is easily the biggest disappointment in the division.
The pitching for this team has been a disaster in-and-of itself, with virtually the whole team on the shelf. The only quality starting pitcher that resides in Miami is Dan Haren (while David Phelps has not been bad). Mat Latos, Jarred Cosart, Henderson Alvarez, and Jose Fernandez are all sitting on the bench waiting to come back to a disaster. The bullpen has been an unfamiliar dynamic with A.J. Ramos, Sam Dyson, and Carter Capps dominating while Bryan Morris, Steve Cishek, Mike Hunn, and Brad Hand have been atrocious.
In the end, this team should have been one million times better. With their solid blend of starting pitching and above-average offense, it should have been lights-out in Miami. Unfortunately for them, but fortunate for the rest of the division, it has been a train wreck. Did I mention their manager was fired?
Fifth Place: Philadelphia Phillies (19-33)
No surprise here and Phillies fans know it. The Phillies started their season in full-on rebuilding mode and have performed exactly to that expectation. There is not much going on in the City of Brotherly Love, but at least Philadelphia can look forward to the Eagles in September.
The offense is nothing to be proud of as they have scored the fewest runs in the National League. The veterans on this team have been putrid, with Chase Utley (.559 OPS), Jeff Francoeur (.686 OPS), and Ben Revere (.258 average) leading the team into a bottomless pit. That being said, Ryan Howard has not been awful (.778 OPS) while young slap hitters Odubel Herrera and Freddy Galvis have been ‘fun’ to watch. Overall, there is nothing to see here and there won’t be for a few years.
With the pitching being top-heavy, to say the least, this rotation features future Hall of Famer Cole Hamels, the renaissance version of Aaron Harang, and then everyone else. The bullpen has been extremely fragile behind all-star Jonathan Papelbon and budding star Ken Giles. Other than that, this pitching staff is a disaster.
Propelled by an 11-game *opponents* losing streak you mean, right?
Yeah, that was a mistake. It should say winning streak.
Good work, Julian. This was a very fair overview of the division thus far.
Cole Hamels, a “future Hall of Famer”? I think not. A 113-87 mark entering 2015, and 31 years old; I doubt if he’ll get to 200 total wins.
While this has almost nothing to do with my article, I have to back up my claim.
First off, wins are a dead stat. They do nothing other than support the mental strength of a pitcher after a game (which is important), but by the time Hamels hits the ballot it will be meaningless in the conversation for a potential Hall of Fame player. Plus, if you are still hung up on the stat, Hamels posted 10+ wins for six straight seasons before the Phillies turned to garbage.
Hamels was a top prospect when he was drafted and basically inherited the role of an “ace” from the second he took the hill in May of 2006. In 2007, when he took reigns as the official ace, Hamels propelled the team to the playoffs when he posted a 2.82 ERA over his final 13 starts. Since that miracle playoff berth, Hamels has topped 200 innings in six of the next seven years, practically carried the Phillies to a World Series in 2008, and has been a top-five left-handed starting pitcher virtually every season.
Furthermore, Hamels has been a postseason warrior throughout his career (with the exception of the 2009 playoffs) and always seems to get better as the season goes along. He has held the pressure of participating in the “Rotation of the Century” and seems to always find new ways to improve. Did I mention his impressive 3.26 career ERA?
The only superior left-handed starters, since 2006, have been Cliff Lee, C.C. Sabathia, and Clayton Kershaw. No matter which way you slice this, the current 2015 leader in innings is on his way to an impressive career. Who knows? He could be traded to a contender this season and win another championship, and further his resume.
All this being said, I still hate Cole Hamels with a passion. Lets go Mets!
We all knew the Phillies would be bad but no one could have predicted Utley hittiing like a pitcher. The Marlins are mainly struggling because of pitching injuries. While their bad start may keep them from contending, I’m concerned they’ll be strong enough to be a thorn in our side in September again
Especially if Jose Fernandez comes back and pitches the way he used to. In his rehab start yesterday, he hit 97 MPH and will be back sometime this season.