I have been an Atlanta Braves fan since I was a little kid. 2011 may be the most excited I have ever been for the season to start. Fredi Gonzalez takes over as manager after a 21-year reign by Bobby Cox. He takes over a team that was 3rd overall last season in the NL with a 3.56 ERA. Tim Hudson was great and Derek Lowe won 16 games. Jair Jurrjens looks to rebound to 2009 form after being injured most of 2010. Tommy Hanson will have a breakout season and should become the ace of the pitching staff. Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel will take over the closing role, as Billy Wagner has retired. The bullpen has great arms and this pitching staff will rival the Giants as one of the best all around staffs in the National League. The Braves have added a slugging second baseman in Dan Uggla. He will provide much needed power to the Braves lineup. Jason Heyward looks to build on a great rookie performance and is on his way to becoming a superstar in the league. Freddie Freeman takes over at first base and should bring power hitting to all directions. Brian McCann and Chipper Jones are the veterans of the lineup. Chipper has had a great spring training and will be great at the plate, provided he can stay healthy. ThevBraves should be better at the plate in 2011, as they were only 6th in the National League last season with a .258 batting average. This is one of the best teams the Braves have had in years, and as a huge fan, I think they have a great chance at getting back to the World Series for the first time since 1999.
The Philadelphia Phillies have one of the scariest rotations I have ever seen in all my years of watching baseball. Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt will win lots and lots of games. The Phillies have a decent bullpen and should have a decent closer, whoever they decide to throw out there with Brad Lidge being injured. The Phillies will struggle offensively. Ryan Howard is the offensive leader of the team, but with the injury to Chase Utley there is not much power in this Phillies lineup. Shane Victorino and Jimmy Rollins will have to be better this season for the Phillies to score runs. They may not need to score many though because of their great pitching. The Phillies and Braves will be a 2-team race for the NL East in 2011.
The Washington Nationals will be one of the most improved teams in baseball. Jayson Werth is a nice addition to the club and will protect Ryan Zimmerman in the lineup. Adam LaRoche has consistently hit 25 homeruns the past 3 seasons and will provide some extra power to the Nationals lineup. The Nationals starting pitching is not great. Livan Hernandez, John Lannan, and Jordan Zimmermann will try to pitch solid enough to get the ball to a decent National’s bullpen. Drew Storen should be good at closing out games.
Hanley Ramirez and Mike Stanton will be the offensive leaders for the Florida Marlins in 2011. Stanton will hit a lot of homeruns but needs to cut down on his strikeouts to be an effective hitter. Gaby Sanchez had a great rookie year in 2010 and looks to build on his 19 homerun/85 RBI season. Josh Johnson is the leader of the Marlin’s pitching staff. He is a potential Cy Young winner if he can stay healthy. Anibal Sanchez is a quality starter and Javier Vazquez comes back to the Marlins after pitching for the Yankees in 2010. The Marlins have a decent bullpen and should be a scrappy team in the NL East.
The New York Mets are riddled with front office issues and have had a tumultuous spring training. On the baseball field the Mets won’t be very good. David Wright and Jose Reyes will lead a very weak Met’s offense. Mike Pelfrey, Jon Niese, R.A. Dickey, Chris Young, and Chris Capuano will try to get things done for the Mets. Who knows what the Mets will get from Johan Santana when he comes back from injury. The Mets will finish at the bottom of the NL East in 2011.
Projected Standings:
Atlanta Braves 94-68
Philadelphia Phillies 90-72
Washington Nationals 75-87
Florida Marlins 73-89
New York Mets 69-93
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