Fishing the NL East: The Washington Nationals the Early Favorites to Win Division?

Now that we have our segment “Marlins Way” running smoothly, posting three times a week, I wanted to introduce everyone to a brand new segment, “Fishing the NL East.” This will be a spin-off of “Marlins Way” and will instead feature links for the best internet material from blogs around the NL East.  I picked up this idea from Roy Hobbs of Talking Chop.

This projects to be one of the better divisions in baseball. The defending NL East champions, the Washington Nationals, are the early favorites, but the Atlanta Braves are not too far behind. The Philadelphia Phillies are expected to compete for one of the two wild card spots. The New York Mets and Miami Marlins are going to compete for the basement in the division.

Without any further delay, lets take a look at the best of what’s being posted on the internet about NL East teams:

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– All Over the Hill‘s Michael Natelli reports that Chris Snyder could be available for trade. Teams are interested in adding Snyder as a backup catcher, the Marlins have a need for a backup catcher, but is Snyder a fit?

– The Detroit Tigers selected Jeff Kobernus from the Washington Nationals organization back in December, but Kobernus did not impress the Tigers enough to make the team. He was returned to the Nationals and could be a big gain for the Nats down the road.

– Over on District on Deck, Andrew Flax examines the candidates to make the Nationals bullpen. The Nationals project to have a strong bullpen in 2013.

– Also from DoD, Editor Jared Book makes a simple suggestion on how to improve the World Baseball Classic. Jared makes some good points, but I am not sure if this will make the WBC more appealing to Americans.

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– The Atlanta Braves named Tim Hudson their Opening Day starter against the Philadelphia Phillies. Hudson gets the nod over Kris Medlen, who pitched great last season for the Braves.

Mar 21, 2013; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Tim Hudson (15) delivers a pitch to Washington Nationals right fielder Jayson Werth (28) during the first inning at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-USA TODAY Sports

– Gondee on Talking Chop talks about a surprising twist for the final spot in the Braves bullpen competition. Former Marlins, Cristhian Martinez is competing for a spot.

– Over on Tomahawk Take, Jeff Schafer takes a look at some projections for Andrelton Simmons. Jeff predicts that “Simba,” as he is nicknamed, should become a household name in 2013, namely for his excellent defense and improving offensive game.

– A major surprise for the Braves this spring has been the bat of Evan Gattis. Gattis is expected to be the Braves backup catcher, but struggles behind the plate defensively. The power he provides from his bat is undeniable though. Fred Owens from TT wonders what the Braves should do with Gattis.

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-Tim Kelly of Section 215, a Fansided site for all Philadelphia news, feels that Domonic Brown is the perfect player for the Philadelphia Phillies. Brown was once seen as a “can’t miss prospect,” but his stock has tapered down since.

– Check out the preview for the Philadelphia Phillies on Beyond the Box Score. They look into many topics, including the health of ace Roy Halladay.

– John Stolnis, of That Ball’s Outta Here, makes 10 crazy predictions for the 2013 Phillies. Some of John’s predictions are darn right crazy, including how he thinks the Phills will fare this season.

– Also on TBOH, Justin Klugh examines how Dom Brown has done a terrible job of curbing people’s expectations. Brown is apparently very confident in his abilities.

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– Bad news for the Mets: Johan Santana will not be ready for the start of the season. The two-time CY Young Award winner has been mired with injuries the past few seasons.

– Editor Matt Musico on Rising Apple has updates on the injuries for David Wright and Daniel Murphy. The Mets are being cautious with Wright, but he is expected to be ready for Opening Day.

March 23, 2013; Port St Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets third baseman David Wright (right) in the dugout before the spring training game against the Washington Nationals at Tradition Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

– The Mets announced some news that has been apparent for a while, the Mets are David Wright’s team. The Mets are the third team to name a player their captain, the others: Yankees (Derek Jeter) and White Sox (Paul Konerko).

– Lastly, the RA staff makes final predictions for the 2013 New York Mets record. The range from the writers is anywhere from 78 wins to 82 wins. Seems about right.