Last time we checked out how the teams in the American League stacked up. Now it’s time to see what’s happening in the National League. We finished off in the west and it seems like a good place to start as we make our way back east. So without further ado, this is how the 15 teams in the NL stack up.
National League West
Los Angeles Dodgers
I understand that the Diamondbacks knocked the Dodgers out of the playoffs last year, BUT this franchise has won the west 10 times in the last 11 years. Add on the fact that this organization committed to over a billion (yes, with a B) dollars in contracts this offseason, there can only be one winner. The Dodgers are also desperate to win a title so they can quiet all the haters. The last time this franchise won the world series, that wasn’t the pandemic shortened season, was 1988. This could very well be the best lineup in baseball. They boast stars like Mookie Betts, Will Smith and Freddie Freeman. Oh, and they just added Ohtani who is arguably the best player in baseball right now.
Seriously, this could be a record setting lineup. If you’re looking for a reason why this team won’t ultimately end the season successfully, look no further. The pitching staff is a lot weaker than it has been in previous seasons. The injuries to Buehler and Kershaw certainly won’t help things either. Glasnow is expected to carry the load, but he comes with major injury concerns as well. At least the LA faithful have a solid bullpen to rely on. And signing Yamamoto, the biggest pitching free agent, doesn’t hurt either.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Last year’s Cinderella team made an inspiring run to the World Series only for the clock to hit midnight. Nevertheless, this team is eager to make a repeat run this season. While a division title is really unlikely this season, this fun young squad won’t mind. They proved last year that winning the division isn’t necessary to make some noise in October. Corbin Carroll is the main man in this lineup, and he’s blossoming into a superstar before our eyes. He’s not alone though, as Arizona has done a good job with supplementing him with some talent. Marte and Walker are the old heads of the group, but Thomas and Perdomo bring that youthful energy.
When it comes to pitching, few players are poised to have a better season than Zac Gallen. He’s a serious threat to win the CY Young award this year. Kelly would’ve been a solid number two option, but Arizona recently just made a big splash. The signing of Jordan Montgomery significantly raises the ceiling for what this team can achieve. Because he signed so late, it will take some time before he sees major league action, but the impact he brings will be worth the
wait.
San Francisco Giants
I’ll be honest, I originally had the Giants finishing second in this division. That all changed when Montgomery signed with Arizona. With that, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if this franchise once again opened people’s eyes. They were one of the few teams aggressively shopping this offseason. Of course, they didn’t get everyone that they wanted, but make no mistake they didn’t walk away empty handed either.
This lineup pales in comparison to their long time rivals, The Dodgers, but that doesn’t mean it should be slept on. The giants have consistently managed to get production as a team instead of relying on individuals. My eyes will be on the duo of Luis Matos and Jung Hoo Lee. How those two fare in their first season of baseball will be something management is keen to find out. I mentioned that the Giants didn’t walk away empty handed this offseason, and that’s because they landed Blake Snell. He instantly becomes the ace of this rotation and gives them someone they can bank on for wins. However, I’m more interested to see how Jordan Hicks performs this season. He has always been a closer in his career, but the Giants are letting him start this season. It’s a huge risk, but it also comes with a massive reward if he becomes a top starter.
San Diego Padres
The last four years have been the most successful period for this franchise since the early 2000s. Yet it has been massively disappointing as they failed to properly compete with the Dodgers for the division title. Big contracts and big promises have led to a few playoff appearances, but nothing more. Reeling from a season that produced an absence from the postseason, the Padres dealt away Soto, severely limiting their ceiling. Anytime you lose a player of Soto’s caliber the offense will surely take a hit. Don’t be surprised if the production takes a step back.
Still, there’s a lot to like about this lineup. Tatis Jr is the headliner, but he’s certainly not the only one of quality. Machado, Kim, Bogaerts and Cronenworth are not to be trifled with. The Giants gain is the Padres pain as Snell leaving leaves a huge void in this rotation. Dylan Cease was brought in to replace Snell, but it remains to be seen if Cease can get back to an elite level. Not to mention that Snell was from San Diego, and that type of devotion to a city is hard to replace.
Colorado Rockies
It will be another long season for the Colorado faithful. Of course this is nothing new to them, as they have only claimed 5 playoff appearances in their 30 plus year history. That also comes with the fact that they have never won this division. Barring divine intervention, that fact won’t be changing anytime soon.
This team plays in Coors field — which is the ultimate hitter’s ballpark — so the offensive production will always be there, even if it’s inflated. Kris Bryant was the big free agent signing a few years ago, but he’s failed to impress. Rodgers was supposed to be the savior as he was a highly touted prospect. That hasn’t particularly worked out either.
The good news? The farm system is hitter heavy. The bad news? None of them are tabbed with elite potential. While hitters love playing in Coors, the opposite can be said for pitchers. The Rockies will likely never have a Cy Young winner due to their ballpark, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t neglect that side of the game. The farm system is bare when it comes to elite pitchers and likewise the major league roster is without one. Look for this staff to once again be among the bottom teams in terms of ERA.
National League Central
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs are hungry to win their first division title since 2020. They made perhaps the biggest splash this offseason that didn’t involve an actual player. The Cubs convinced longtime Brewers manager Craig Counsell to jump ship and join them. He was a big architect in the Brewers ability to punch above their weight these last few seasons. Resigning Cody Bellinger was just the push the Cubs needed to stand on top of the Central. As mentioned above, Cody Bellinger is the guy to watch out for in this lineup. Happ and Suzuki will be his wingmen as they look to mash their way to the top.
Swanson had a stellar season last year and a repeat performance should be in the cards. One of the main reasons the Cubs emerged as a threat in the Central was due to their stellar starting pitching. They finished this season top 5 in quality starts. It will be key for them to have a similar story this season. Chicago signed Shota Imanaga, who doesn’t come with the fanfare that Yamamoto did, but could be just as effective.
Cincinnati Reds
There’s a lot of excitement surrounding this ballclub, as the end of last season hinted at a promising future. Perhaps nobody in baseball has a more promising collection of infielders than the Reds. After years of being an afterthought, they’re starting to bear fruit as several of their top prospects have recently made their debuts. This year is unlikely to be the first year since 2012 that the Reds can claim to be division champs, but fans shouldn’t have to wait too much longer. McLain, De La Cruz, and Encarnacion-Strand are just a few of the players with promise that has the fanbase excited. Noelvi Marte is perhaps the most exciting player of them all, but his debut will have to wait after getting suspended for PEDs.
In the meantime the club is content to let the available players work through their kinks. Hunter Greene is the team’s top young arm, but like the rest of the rotation struggled to keep the ball in the park. Only the Nationals and Rockies gave up more home runs than the Reds. The Nationals are in full rebuild mode and the Rockies have Coors field as their excuse. Cincinnati simply must get this flaw under control, otherwise all the firepower in the world won’t save them.
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals have enjoyed a sustained period of success for the majority of the NL Central’s lifespan (30 years this season). So it came as a complete shock that the Cardinals finished dead last in the division for the first time last year. St. Louis fans demand a high level of success and the pressure will be on the organization to make sure last year was a fluke. While the Cardinals were busy this offseason, they failed to really move the needle. Instead they are betting on mainly the same collection of players to perform better. The lineup consisting of Arenado and Goldschmidt still poses a threat to any pitching staff. That
being said, both players are getting up there in age and surely won’t be able to keep up their level of production forever.
The young birds then will need to step up and carry the load. The Likes of Nootbar, Walker and Winn will need to have big years. The Cardinals stunning fall from grace last season was mainly due to the awful performance of their pitching staff. The organization signed Sonny Gray and a few other pitchers to address this problem. The issue is that Matthew Liberatore is the only starting pitcher under the age of 32. It’s a massive gamble by the front office to expect these aging arms to hold up over the whole season. It’s a gamble that I predict will fail and have the Cardinals once again near the bottom.
Pittsburgh Pirates
On the opposite end of the spectrum sits the Pirates. Where the Cardinals until last year had never finished last in the division, the Pirates have never had the pleasure of being crowned division champions. With the Organization content to wait out the lean years, don’t expect that fact to change anytime soon. On the bright side, the Pirates have a really good farm system, so a brighter future is near. Andrew McCutchen is back with the club where he made his name. No this won’t be a return to glory, but it is a feel good story for what will end up being a long season.
Fans will enjoy seeing Cruz play as the 6 foot shortstop mashes and runs with reckless abandon. Ke’Bryan Hayes and Henry Davis are other younger players that will hold down the fort until reinforcements arrive. The pitching staff doesn’t have any stand out names and that’s okay. This team isn’t trying to compete right now and will use inning eaters to get through the season. The farm system however is filled with promising pitchers. Keep an eye out for this pitching staff over the next two to three years.
National League East
Atlanta Braves
The Braves are the biggest obstacles for the Dodgers to make it to the World Series. This Atlanta team is stacked across the board and unlike their LA counterparts they have a World Series title in a normal year. The Braves have also managed to lock up their young core for at least the next five seasons. That means expect Atlanta to be among the league’s elite for years to come. I mentioned earlier that the Dodgers might have the best lineup. The reason I used the word might is because the Braves have an equally as scary lineup.
Top to bottom there’s danger lurking at every corner. Harris, Olson, Albies and of course, Acuna are just a few names that give pitchers nightmares. Strider leads the pitching staff and will be eager to claim the CY Young award. Behind him Fried, Sale and Morton form a formidable rotation. Raisel Iglesias will be relied upon again to shut the door late in games. Truly it’s World Series or bust for this team.
Philadelphia Phillies
If anyone will be able to knock the Braves off their perch it will have to be the Phillies. 2011 was the last time they stood on top of the NL East mountain and this proud franchise is eager to claim it once again. Philadelphia has the star power to match Atlanta, but lacks the depth to keep up the fight for the full season. Even still the Phillies are the team that has ended the Braves season each of the last two seasons. Harper and Turner will once again be the anchors to this lineup.
As far as duos go there are a few better than these two in the league. Kyle Schwarber will of course strikeout a ton, but he will also go yard often. If this lineup stays healthy they will once again see October baseball. Aaron Nola is the ace of this staff and while he does strike out a bunch of hitters he can be
inconsistent. It will be key for him to keep the ball in the yard this season as he was among the worst starters in giving up home runs last year. The rest of the rotation isn’t spectacular, but they get the job done.
New York Mets
The Mets spent big on their roster last year and it was a complete disaster. It was such a disaster that the team decided to have a fire sale during the trade deadline last season. This version of the Mets won’t nearly have the type of hype that was placed upon them a season ago. Expectations naturally won’t be as high, but on the bright side the fire sale did boost the farm system. Pete Alonso, The Polar Bear!, and Francisco Lindor will be the men that the clubhouse looks to for run production. The rest of the lineup fails to excite the fanbase.
Francisco Alvarez will look to continue his development as management believes he can be a star to build future rosters around. The Mets will lean on Sean Manaea to lead the rotation. It’s a bit underwhelming compared to the names that the Mets employed last year, but maybe this approach is better. New York will certainly be happy to have Edwin Diaz back after he missed all of last season due to injury.
Miami Marlins
Like the Rockies the Marlins have never won a division title (Pirates have division titles in their history just not in the NL Central). That hasn’t stopped them from enjoying a higher level of success with two World Series titles under their belts. Last season GM Kim Ng, the only woman to have the title, built a roster that surprised everyone and made the playoffs. Her reward? Being offered a position that amounted to a demotion. Rightfully she declined and resigned from her
position. This type of decision-making from the owners is something that the karma gods tend to frown upon. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Luis Arraez headline a pretty weak lineup.
This was a fun squad to watch last season, but regression to the mean looms large. Don’t look to the farm system for answers either as they are among the worst in that category. Where the Marlins struggle in offense they make up for in pitching. There’s a lot to like for Miami fans moving forward. The farm system is stocked with top pitching prospects eager to make their debuts. That isn’t to take away from the pitchers who are already here. A playoff appearance for the second year in a row is unlikely, but this team won’t be an easy out.
Washington Nationals
2019 was such a glorious year for this franchise. They won the World Series and were on top of the world. But alas that feeling didn’t last long as the franchise has failed to sniff the playoffs since then. In fact they haven’t finished better than 4th in the division since 2019. Another season at the bottom of the barrel looms. But at least the cherry blossom festival was fun right? CJ Abrams, Luis Garcia Jr. and Trey Lipscomb will provide hope for a better future. But keep in
mind that these players are still very much young and inexperienced.
Expect a lot of growing pains as this trio learns how to win on the fly. I believe this is the year that MacKenzie Gore makes good on his high potential. National fans will remember that he was the headliner in the deal that sent Soto out of town. Gore will need to prove his worth soon otherwise the home faithful will quickly lose patience. Patrick Corbin will assume the role as ace and probably mentor for the rest of the rotation.
Article featured photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash.