Mets baseball begins in just three more days, as pitchers and catchers will report to Port St. Lucie, Florida on Saturday, February 15. That being said, it is now the time of the year where all baseball fans can feel as if his or her team has a chance to win a World Series Title. From Boston Red Sox fans to Houston Astros fans, everyone is excited for the 2014 Major League Baseball season to begin. People are pulling out their notebooks and predicting the standings for each division in the MLB. With not to many trades, and mostly low-key Free Agent signings, the NL East teams have done very little this offseason. However, this is not a bad thing; sometimes the best moves of the offseason are the low-key ones. For example, Shane Victorino was not the “move of the offseason” just one year ago, but he proved to be a top 10 right fielder, and a key player in the Red Sox road to a World Series title. So will the standings change at all in the NL East from 2013 to 2014? I have listed a few reasonable possibilities of the standings below.
Prediction 1:
- Washington Nationals (94-68)
- New York Mets (86-76)
- Atlanta Braves (84-78)
- Philadelphia Phillies (71-91)
- Miami Marlins (56-106)
The Nationals made just three moves worth mentioning this offseason; trading for Jerry Blevins from the Oakland Athletics, signing Nate Mclouth, and trading for Doug Fister from the Detroit Tigers. This may not seem like a huge offseason, but add in the talent of Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jayson Werth, and a healthy Ryan Zimmerman, and the Nationals will be quite the team to beat in 2014.
As for the Braves, the most notable move they made this offseason was announcing their move to Cob County in 2017. Although they were a major contender during 2013, they still have a struggling BJ and Justin Upton, an underachieving Dan Uggla, and they lost Brian McCann and Tim Hudson to the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants respectively. The great thing about sports is that teams need to constantly change and update their rosters. And the Braves have failed to do so this offseason, forcing them to fall in this prediction of the standings.
Prediction 2:
- New York Mets (91-71)
- Washington Nationals (91-71)
- Atlanta Braves (87-75)
- Miami Marlins (65-97)
- Philadelphia Phillies (64-98)
The Mets do seem a bit far from a Division Title, but it could still very likely happen. As long as Bartolo Colon, Zack Wheeler, Dillon Gee, Jon Niese, and the rest of the Mets pitching staff are able to keep the team in the playoff race through late August, Matt Harvey could still be brought back and put into the rotation to give the Mets a chance at the playoffs.
Of course, if you noticed, the Mets and Nationals are tied for first in this prediction, and the Braves are only a few games back. As noted earlier, the Nationals will be a contender this season, and they will give other teams a run for their money. I predict that this will force the Mets and Nationals into a 163rd game of the season, and it will be quite enjoyable to see who moves on as a first place team, and who moves on to the Wildcard Game. My prediction for that would be a New York Mets win, as if Matt Harvey is able to pitch, the Mets can throw at least three elite pitchers at the Nationals against who will probably be Stephen Strasburg, and as long as the game is in New York, the Mets should be able to secure a victory over the Nationals.
Prediction 3:
- Washington Nationals (89-73)
- Atlanta Braves (85-77)
- Philadelphia Phillies (81-81)
- New York Mets (78-84)
- Miami Marlins (59-103)
For this prediction, I have the Mets finishing in fourth place and the Nationals, once again, finishing in first. Although the Mets will have a great team to put out on the field, the main struggle will be for them to remain healthy. This has been somewhat of a signature feature for the New York Mets, as they have dealt with severe injuries over the past few seasons. Also, Colon will be 41 this year, and Chris Young will definitely be a wild card, leading to many questions surrounding the Mets and their ability to remain contenders throughout the 2014 season.
Prediction 4:
- New York Mets (90-72)
- Atlanta Braves (89-73)
- Philadelphia Phillies (83-79)
- Washington Nationals (81-81)
- Miami Marlins (66-96)
With the Mets finishing in first place, and the Nationals in fourth, this prediction may seem a bit unreasonable. Of course, it could likely happen, as the Mets are definitely a better team than people think, and the Nationals seem to be a bit overrated. Earlier, I mentioned how a healthy Ryan Zimmerman will help the Nationals win the NL East. However, he seems to be aging a bit faster than many expected, and had major throwing problems in 2014. Also, Bryce Harper will definitely be a distraction for the Nationals in 2014, as his ego may be comparable to Justin Bieber!
Although they may seem a bit far-fetched, there is a good possibility of one of these predictions coming true this upcoming season. The NL East is going to be an interesting division to watch this season, and it will be great for fans of each team to see their favorite ball club compete for a division title. Hopefully, it will all go in favor of the Mets, but whether it does or not, there is very little doubt in my mind that the Mets will be a sub-.500 team if they are not able to remain healthy all season long.
Looking at life through orange-and-blue glasses, are we, Dan? Here’s what I see:
WASHINGTON 91-71
ATLANTA 87-75 (NOT a Wild Card)
NEW YORK 82-80
PHILADELPHIA 78-84
MIAMI 61-101
Wow. You sure seem to be seeing something the rest of the world doesnt.
Nats
Braves 3 (WC)
Mets 10 (77 Wins)
Phillies 12
Marlins 14
I want what you’re smokin’…if history is a valid indicator of the future, and it usually is, especially in baseball, which has a extended duration session as compared to, for example football, where a team can get suddenly hot or perhaps come together in spectacular unity after building momentum towards that success the previous season…in sports like hockey or baseball as we are discussing, where they admittedly play a very long season by comparison, then you have to consider the statistical probability that those teams that were at the bottom of the pile offensively, as the Mets certainly were/are, absolutely will not instantly turn into Princes with magic bats just because you feel like kissing them…they are a nice bunch of guys, they are our favorite team granted, but they are still frogs…warts, bouts of ineptitude, major holes in their skillsets and such..say hey, I’m not declaring miracles can’t happen, (see ’69 ’86)…but I suggest you temper your enthusiasm, (and the Bhong hits) with some cold reality…we are not laden with stars, let alone superstars…competent, mediocre ballplayers with drive and desire for sure, but not worldbeaters yet. I’d definitely like to eat my words and wash it down with orange and blue champagne; the other half of my fevered fifty year old, loyal-to-a-fault brain says. I know fully it’s spring, and I don’t need to be reminded that I’ve “gotta believe. Call me whatever names make you feel better, but come October..no HD TV, no Rheingold, no tears, no rally caps…ya want me… I’m skiing the French Alps with Mr. Met
Everyone said the Nationals would win 100 games last year, but they didn’t. Harper will probably hurt himself again, and Zimmerman is not the player he once was. Atlanta won 96 games while tying the Mets for third with 1384 Ks, and are now without their ace pitcher and 3rd highest slugger. Both teams are still better than the Mets, but there is a lot of wiggle room for the Mutts to fit in to.
You just never know, which I presuming is the idea of this article. I’m an optimist so I like it!!!
Oakland 2012, Baltimore 2012, Pittsburgh 2013..I didn’t see anyone predict those teams making the playoffs. Many “experts” also had Toronto winning the division last year, with Boston in last. Pitching is the key. You can’t contend without it, and the Mets appear to have plenty.
I have been, and will continue to always be, a very optimistic person of the team I love. However, “Prediction 1” is about as optimistic as I will get. The Nationals and Braves simply are too powerful to give up that many wins. People say that a team can’t win a division in April, but they can lose it. If the Mets can use their 2012 early season magic to bury the Braves and the Nationals continue their dominance- the Mets have a legitimate chance at a second place finish- maybe, just maybe, a wildcard.
You’ve covered all your bets, haven’t you? 😛 Not sure how the Mets will do, but i think this division will be weak this year. The Braves are my nomination for biggest regression. Honestly, i don’t think they will struggle to be a .500 team this year. They got too many overperformers last year and actually played .500 after April before picking it up in September when the other NL east teams already packed it in and were playing prospects.
I meant to say I think they will struggle to be a .500 team this year.
86, 90, 91 wins??? Is this ‘The Onion’? Are you a teenager?–then I’d give you a break. But this drivel should never appear on a respectable blog.
Is this the Onion? Your win totals for the Mets are absurd.
74-88.
Please…don’t get into financial management. Too many have suffered already.
Haha..
Mets will be lucky to win 72 games
Nats 98-64
Braves 85-77
Phils 71-91
Mets 70-92
Marlins 68-94