The Best Division in Baseball

by jug on Apr 10, 2009 12:04 AM EDT Comment 16 comments

The Worldwide Leader and every other sports writer is crowning the AL East as the "best division in baseball" this year, which is nothing new. But I just don't buy it. I really believe that the NL East is just as good, and for half the price of the Yankees.

I know I am biased just like ESPN, but I honestly do think that by the end of the year the NL East will be a tight division race where 95 wins may not guarantee a playoff spot. The Mets have filled their one weakness over the past few years with an improved bullpen (seems like we say that every year) and the Phillies are the reigning World Champions with basically the same team minus Burrell and Adam Eaton (boo!). I believe the Braves have improved their rotation, and provided our bullpen doesn't have many more days like Wednesday, I think we're a strong club if we can manufacture runs down the stretch instead of relying on power to score (afterall, we don't have an aircraft carrier). The Marlins have "the best rotation in the NL" according to Bobby, as well as some power in their lineup. It has been 6 years since their last World Series ('97, '03), so there's that. The Nats added a pretty solid OPS dude and should be improved from last year as well.

I got into a bit of an email argument with a Red Sox fan friend of mine over this. I just want to see if I'm alone on this issue or not. Here were his latest comments after he said he didn't know anyone on our roster save Derek Lowe, and I countered saying we had a good rotation and some decent arms in the pen and not to whine about the AL East:

"You had to have 95 wins just to get into the playoffs in the AL East, who by the way had both of the ALCS teams. The NL East had just the Phils with 92 wins. Yes, the Mets spent a bunch of money, but does that ever really work out for them. Come on, they're the Mets. I'm not saying the AL East is the be-all, but the second place Sox did knock out a 100 win AL West Angels team that everyone thought was great. It's just the toughest. I bet if the Jays or Orioles were in any other division they'd both be in the playoffs.

Is Rafael Soriano related to Alfonso? I didn't see Glavine...I guess it was just the active roster and since he's still hurt he's not on it. Or I just overlooked him. No, I've never heard of guys like Jurrjens and Moylan and unless you're a Braves fan you probably haven't heard of them. The Bravos are just young I have every confidence they'll get it going again. Their farm system is too deep to not have good players come up eventually."

Should I admit defeat? What are some thoughts about divisions? Is this a dumb topic? FILLERFIL-- just kidding. Discuss below.

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theyre actually pretty even

Red Sox and Yankees = Mets Phillies FAVORITES
Rays = Braves SLEEPERS
Marlins = Orioles MAY BE DANGEROUS
Nationals = Blue Jays CELLAR

"I know what I'm having 'em put on my tombstone: 'I have nothing more to say'"
-Ted Turner

by angrysmurf on Apr 10, 2009 12:17 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

oh by the way...

those are 2 really good sleepers

"I know what I'm having 'em put on my tombstone: 'I have nothing more to say'"
-Ted Turner

by angrysmurf on Apr 10, 2009 12:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I would go with the AL East too

Boston and Tampa Bay are probably the two best teams in baseball.

by MatM on Apr 10, 2009 12:18 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

+1
Yeah I think the NL East is easily the second best division in baseball, but Boston and TB have REALLY good pitching staffs and as much as I hate the Yanks there is a lot of boom in there (though a lot of room for bust too) And the Orioles and Jays could be good.

If it gets close to the deadline and the Jays are way out of it I’d like to get one of their young OFs. I doubt they’d trade anyone other than Wells. But they have Snider, Wells, Rios and Lind who could all be good hitters.

by yondaime4 on Apr 10, 2009 12:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Uh, the NL East is not in the AL East’s league. It’s a very good division, far and away the 2nd best in baseball, but you have three AL East teams that would be clear favorites in the NL East. That says all that needs to be said.

And 95 wins will guarantee a playoff spot. Don’t be daft.

by 17843 on Apr 10, 2009 1:35 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Alright, admittedly I don’t actually think 95 wins won’t guarantee a playoff spot in the NL East. Has that ever actually been the case since the wildcard?

"Here comes Bream! Here's the throw to the plate! He is...safe! Braves win! Braves win! Braves win! Braves win!...Braves win!"

by jug on Apr 10, 2009 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don’t see the Phillies’ rotation holding up well enough to win 95 games. If Hamels reverts back to previous form (being hurt), the Phillies’ rotation isn’t playoff quality. Moyer is walking a fine line and it could disappear at any moment. Blanton and Myers are solid average and their lineup is very good.

From my perspective, the Mets are the lone team in the division that has the talent to win 95 or more.The Mets rotation could be very good if Pelfrey continues to progress and Maine pitches as well as he did in ’07. Perez is fine as a #4 and they have the best pitcher alive for an ace. They have 3 superstars and Delgado, Church, and the Murphy/ Sheffield combo that should produce. Their bullpen is strong at the back end but they could stand an upgrade or two in the middle. If they add a reliever and a catcher at some point, watch out.

The Braves and Marlins probably are a step back from a talent perspective and they are both depending upon younger players to step up. If our bullpen holds up and Kotchman, Escobar, Kelly, and Francoeur produce closer to their ceilings, we will have closed the gap. I love the rotation depth the Braves have and its unmatched by any NL team. Reyes, Hanson, Morton, Campillo, and Hudson later in the year will provide plenty of insurance. Hopefully, Glavine can contribute but I’m not sure he could outproduce Reyes and Hanson at this point.

The NL and AL east divisions are going to be dogfights. Three teams in each division with legitimate chances to win it and another team (Marlins and Jays) who are have the talent to win their fair share of games. The Jays have Halladay, and Ricky Nolasco and Josh Johnson are capable of beating up on anyone at any time. It should be a hell of race in each league. The talent level of the AL East teams’ is better on paper than their NL east counterparts but the relative equality of the top three teams should make each division super competitive.

If Heyward and Hanson come close to panning out, we would have the stars we need to round out our collection of complementary pieces. Rohrbough is another player that could be a real difference maker and not just an average big leaguer. His stuff is good enough to pitch at or near the front of a rotation. We have to hit on some top prospects sooner or later. Most of the top guys in past years have fallen well short of expectations. Hopefully, our luck is about to change.

"We can't expect the American People to jump from Capitalism to Communism,
but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of Socialism,
until they awaken one day to find that they have Communism." --Nikita Khrushchev

by jeg on Apr 10, 2009 1:47 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I want James Parr and JoJo in the pen.

I think Boyer and O’Flaherty need the minors, dude.

"The future is no place to place your better days." - Dave Matthews

by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Apr 10, 2009 9:21 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't know...

…if the NL East is as good as AL East…well, I would say not. But, I do know your friend must not be much of a baseball fan if the only name on our roster he knows is Derek Lowe. A Sox fan maybe, but not a baseball fan. But then, there are a lot of those.

by sddbaker on Apr 10, 2009 9:56 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Your friend sounds like a typical AL East fan…doesn’t know anything outside of his own division, and while he’s right that it is the best division his use of what happened in last years post season is the wrong way to back up his argument.

You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the goddamn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all.

by Smoltz's Beard on Apr 10, 2009 10:18 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Here’s the thing you’re missing…each division has a hierarchy, but the 3 best teams in the AL East could each win 100 games…NO ONE is saying anyone in the NL East could win 100 games. Hell, 95 is a stretch. And the Nats are worse than the Jays/O’s

SWAGGA LIKE...whoever the fuck is not walking people
President, CEO, and chairman of the Brandon Jones fan club

by bigjoe on Apr 10, 2009 10:36 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Can't be said until the end.

I think the last division I ever declared as a “best” division was the 2006 AL Central, where the Twins won 96 games, Tigers 95, and the 90-win White Sox went home. However, the Royals also lost 100 games. Can any division with a 100-loss team really be encompassed as a “best” division?

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Apr 10, 2009 10:40 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

someone has to take a beating if teams win that many games.

by yondaime4 on Apr 10, 2009 11:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thinking more about it...

My point might not be so much that the NL East is BETTER than the AL East, because I think that there is more talent in the AL East than any other division in baseball. I think my real point is that there is more parity in the NL East than in previous years, and the division race will be tight— tighter than the AL East because the Jays and the O’s don’t really have a chance.

This brings up another question…more parity in the whole league, NL or AL?

"Here comes Bream! Here's the throw to the plate! He is...safe! Braves win! Braves win! Braves win! Braves win!...Braves win!"

by jug on Apr 10, 2009 12:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The Marlins have more of a chance than the Jays and O’s but the Nationals have less of a chance than either of those two. But I see what you’re saying about the parity. It’s a 3.5 or 4 horse race in the NL East while the AL East is a 3 horse race.

I think the AL has more parity this year simply because the NL Central looks like it’s going to the Cubs. The AL Central could be any of the big 4 and the AL West looks to be a crapshoot as well. Likewise, the NL West will be interesting. Arizona’s two aces and young talent makes them always dangerous, with the Dodgers probably favored and the Giants as the dark horse. The NL Central looks to be the least competitive division this year, with the Brewers losing their 2 aces, but the Cards could make it interesting I guess. Especially if Carpenter is actually healthy again. Looks like it’ll be a great season all around though. I’m excited!

by VictorW on Apr 10, 2009 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Who Knows

It’s four games into the season, and the Braves and Marlins are on top. The Phillies have looked absolutely ghastly. They’ve literally been blown out in every game they’ve played and only won a game when the Atlanta bullpen had a monumental collapse.

by kalesi on Apr 11, 2009 10:35 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs