Scuffed Balls

The NL East will have a log jam from first place to fourth with every team except the Mets having a legit shot at winning the division or snagging a Wild Card spot. The Mets have ownership and money issues making way for a fire sale during the season. Even the Nationals are contenders,  yes the Nationals. The Nats will fall a few games short but will break .500 and tie the Braves for 3rd place in the East. The innings limit on Strasburg , $ concerns with young phenom Bryce Harper  forcing Harper back to the minors & not returning to the big leagues until July will hamper the playoff run of the Nats. The Nationals bullpen is strong and the lineup will get a bolster when Harper finally gets the call up but it comes down to Jayson Werth performing like he did when playing for the Phillies. The Braves injury concerns with Chipper, Hudson, Hanson and Jurrjens along with how the overworked bullpen responds to the disastrous finish to last season are big factors in the success this season for the Braves. The Braves lineup does not have the bats needed to compete with the Phillies and Marlins and a deadline deal may be in play by the Braves for a big bat. The hope is Heyward bounces back from a sub par year and helps Brian McCann with run producing but it will not be enough for a playoff appearance this year for the Braves. Look for the Marlins to explode offensively this year with the addition of Jose Reyes setting the table for sluggers like Giancarlo don't call me Mike Stanton, Hanley Ramirez and Gaby Sanchez. The new ballpark looks like a hitters park with the ball flying out in the gaps. The addition of Heath Bell at closer was a great pickup in the offseason along with veteran innings eater Mark Buehrle from the White Sox. The Marlins should get a Wild Card berth and be a tough out in the Playoffs. Injuries to  Ryan Howard & Chase Utley are a major concern but when it's all said and done both will play most of the season and produce there usual numbers. Injury concerns in the lineup are helped greatly by a dominant starting rotation with Halladay, Lee, Hamels and Worley along with the addition of Papelbon closing the door for a deep veteran Phillies team. The Phillies will find a way to win the NL East and represent the National League in the World Series.  The underrated managing of Charlie Manuel helps stabilize the Phillies and lead them to another NL East crown.  Breakout Player to watch-  Bryce Harper OF- Nationals The NL Central has 3 quality not great teams in the returning champs Cardinals, defending NL Central Division winning Brewers and the Reds. The Reds signing of Joey Votto sends a message that Cinci is here to contend and stay in the hunt for years to come. A young rotation bolstered by the acquisition of Matt Latos in a offseason trade with the Padres gives the Reds the leg up in the Central. Jay Bruce gives the Reds a dangerous one two punch in the lineup with Votto and the underrated second baseman Brandon (Dat Dude) Phillips depth all down the lineup. The loss of newly acquired closer Ryan Madson from the Phillies leaves a hole that could be filled by Aroldis Chapman or Sean Marshall. The Cardinals loss of Albert Pujols leaves a major hole not only in the lineup but the city of St. Louis. Carlos Beltran and World Series hero David Freese helps but still cannot fill the Pujols void. Adam Wainwright's return is dampered by nagging injury issues for Chris Carpenter. The bullpen has holes as well but the Cardinals will find away under first year manager Mike Matheny to contend for the Central Division and Wild Card but come up a game or two short for both. The Brewers like the Cardinals have to fill a major hole in the middle of the lineup with Prince Fielder signing with the Tigers this offseason. Ryan Braun struggled in Spring Training plus with the positive drug test overturned controversy lingering it will be difficult for the Brew Crew to repeat as Division champs. Players like Corey Hart, Rickie Weeks and newly acquired third baseman from the Cubs Aramis Ramirez and a nice pitching staff gives the Brewers hope but they will fall short like the Cardinals finishing behind the Reds and missing the Wild Card. The Cubs, Pirates and Astros will not even be close to the upper 3 teams and the Astros may be historically bad. The Cubs now have former Red Sox GM  Theo Epstein running the team but there is a lot of work to do and are years away. The Pirates will fight to reach .500 but yet again the long suffering fans in Pittsburgh will have to wait another year. There is marketable improvement in the team and organization but the wins are still to far in between.  Breakout Player to watch- Mat Gamel 1B- Brewers The NL West is deep from top to bottom minus the Padres who will struggle with a lack of offense let alone power and a rotation without Matt Latos. With the new ownership in L.A. led by Magic Johnson the Dodgers stabilized what was a mess and brought a buzz and much needed enthusiasm back in Dodger Town. Donnie Baseball quietly did a great job managing and keeping the team together with all of the ownership problems hanging over there heads all last season. Matt Kemp's extension was a good start to bringing back the once iconic Dodgers but there is a long way to go before the Dodgers return to the playoffs. Expect a record similar to last around .500 85 wins give or take a few. The Giants and Diamondbacks are the clear leaders and will fight to the last weekend for the Western Division title with the D-Backs outlasting the Giants thanks to great pickups in the offseason like starter Trevor Cahill from the A's and OF Jason Kubel from the Twins. The Giants lack of pop and injury concerns in the bullpen is the difference in the end but the Giants still sneak into the playoffs getting one of the two Wild Card spots. The D-Backs magical season of a year ago shows no sign of letting up led by manager of the year Kirk Gibson and a underrated lineup and rotation bring back to back NL West titles. The Rockies will finish around .500 battling the Dodgers for 3rd place in the division. The Rockies need one or two pieces in there rotation batting lineup to compete in the West this year. Breakout Player to watch  IF- Paul Goldschmidt- Diamondbacks NL MVP - Matt Kemp OF- Dodgers, Joey Votto 1B- Reds, Justin Upton OF- D-Backs NL CY Young- Cole Hamels SP- Phillies, Clayton Kershaw SP- Dodgers, Josh Johnson SP- Marlins NL Rookie - Yonder Alonso 1B- Padres, Devin Mesoraco C- Reds, Julio Teheran SP- Braves