Weekly Roundup: NL East news and links
By Pablo Roa
Sep 16, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Nationals catcher
Wilson Ramos(40) and relief pitcher
Drew Storen(22) and catcher
Jose Lobaton(59) celebrate a victory against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. The Nationals defeated the Braves 3-0 to clinch the National League eastern division championship. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Prior to the 2014 season, many expected the NL East to be one of the tightest division races in baseball.
If baseball had followed the script, the Nationals and Braves would’ve battled it out all season long for the division title. But, as we all know by now, scripts in baseball are about as meaningless as the 14 games the Rangers won in September.
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As it turned out, the Nationals ran away with the division title, beating the Braves by 17 games. It was close for parts of the summer, but in the end the Nationals were the only team to finish above .500. Washington won the NL East for the second time in three years and the 17-game division lead was the largest in team history.
As unpredictable as the regular season is, the postseason is even better at completely ignoring the script. After running away with the division, the Nationals were supposed to play deep into October. And yet here we are, on Oct. 11, and Nationals Park is as somber as the ballparks in Atlanta, New York, Miami and Philadelphia.
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Call to the Pen
So, with the 2014 season behind us, it’s time for NL East teams to focus on 2015. The Nationals should once again be in a good position to win the division, but as I said before, that can change quickly.
The Braves’ new front office will likely shake things up this winter to kickstart the dormant offense that doomed the team down the stretch. The Mets and Marlins are both young, talented and on the rise. The Phillies…well…they’re getting there.
While the Nationals’ are favorites to win their second straight title in 2015, there’s no telling what surprises can come up over the course of 162 games. For that reason, it’s important to keep tabs on all NL East teams over the course of the offseason to see what exactly is in store for the division next season.
And with that in mind, here are some great NL East articles from around FanSided:
Atlanta Braves
Tomahawk Take — Will Aaron Harang Stay With The Atlanta Braves?
Tomahawk Take — Could it be Dayton Moore for Atlanta GM?
Miami Marlins
Marlin Maniac — Marlins Rumors: Adam LaRoche on Radar?
Marlin Maniac — Ed Lucas No Longer On The Marlins
New York Mets
Rising Apple — John Lannan, Taylor Teagarden, Omar Quintanilla elect free agency
Rising Apple — Yoenis Cespedes could be dealt by Boston; Mets a fit?
Philadelphia Phillies
That Ball’s Outta Here — Should Kyle Kendrick be on the Philadelphia Phillies next season?
That Ball’s Outta Here — Philadelphia Phillies hire Johnny Almaraz as amateur scouting director
Check back here next Friday as we continue to monitor the NL East throughout the offseason!