Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
A preseason arms race had the NL East entering 2021 looking like one of the most competitive divisions in baseball.
It’s been just about a month and has this division been competitive? Yes.
Has it been successful? Not quite.
To be fair, each team has dealt with its own adversity, whether it be COVID-19 issues, postponements caused by weather or injuries. But plenty of teams have dealt with similar issues, and it can’t be ignored that through a month of action no team in the division has done enough to even eclipse the .500 mark. More like the NL Least, am I right?
1: New York Mets (9-9)
Last 10 Games: 4-6
Who’s Hot: Jacob deGrom
The best pitcher in the game has 50 strikeouts and just one earned run allowed in his first four starts, and is coming off the best game of his career, a 15-strikeout, complete-game, two-hit shutout against the Nationals last Friday.
Who’s Not: The entire lineup
Brandon Nimmo, Pete Alonso and JD Davis have done some nice things at the plate, but as a team the Mets are last in the majors with a dismal .193 average with runners in scoring position.
Jeff McNeil blasted an upper-deck home run in a 2-1 loss to the Red Sox on Tuesday, but is hitting just .196 on the year. Meanwhile, Francisco Lindor has been stellar in the field, but is hitting just .212 with one homerun on the year. His 1-for-4 performance on Tuesday prompted boos from the Citi Field faithful.
Injury Report:
The Mets have been fortunate since the start of the season from an injury standpoint, and are close to the return of starter Carlos Carrasco and reliever Drew Smith. Seth Lugo could return by mid-May, with Noah Syndergaard on his way back from injury as well to bolster the already-elite pitching staff.
Outlook:
Like last year, the Mets haven’t been able to string together wins with any kind of consistency, wasting mostly-dominant pitching through the early going. They’ll host the first-place Red Sox Wednesday with deGrom on the hill before a day off Thursday leads into a stretch of 10 consecutive games.
2. Atlanta Braves (11-12, 0.5 GB)
Last 10 Games: 6-4
Who’s Hot: Ronald Acuna Jr.
The 23-year-old superstar has lived up to his billing so far, hitting a blistering .355 with eight homers and 17 RBI. His 1.1233 OPS ranks second in the majors behind only Mike Trout.
Who’s Not: Marcell Ozuna
After a monster 2020 campaign, the Braves brought back Marcell Ozuna on a four-year, $65 million deal. The powerful righty is off to a gruesome start however, hitting just .184 with 26 strikeouts and only one extra-base hit. Ozuna went 0-for-6 with three strikeouts in a double-header against the Diamondbacks on Sunday.
Injury Report:
The Braves haven’t gotten anything out of top-of-the-rotation starters Mike Soroka and Max Fried in 2021. Fried has three starts and an ugly 11.45 ERA and was placed on the injured list with a hamstring strain after giving up 13 runs in six innings of work over his last two starts.
He could return as soon as next week, while Soroka, who has yet to pitch this year after suffering an Achilles tear last year, may not be back until at least June as he deals with shoulder inflammation.
Outlook:
The Braves, winners of the last three division crowns, gained the dubious honor as the first team to be no-hit in a seven-inning game Sunday against Madison Bumgarner. All told, Atlanta mustered only one hit over the course of 14 innings during the double-header, but scored a combined 13 runs on Monday and Tuesday in victories over the Cubs.
The Braves have two more against Chicago before heading to Toronto for a three-game set, ending a stretch where they will have played 10 games in 10 days.
3. Philadelphia Phillies (11-12, 0.5 GB)
Last 10 Games: 4-6
Who’s Hot: Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins
The electric Bryce Harper is off to a scorching start, hitting .329 with an OPS of 1.083, while Rhys Hoskins is seemingly rounding into form with six homers over his last seven games.
Who’s Not: Andrew McCutchen
The 2013 NL MVP is off to the worst start of his storied career, hitting just .154 and slugging only .231 — almost 200 points below his career average.
Injury Report:
Jean Segura was off to a hot start, hitting .333 through 60 at-bats before injuring his quad last week. He is eligible to come off the injured list May 1.
Outlook:
The Phillies are through five games of a grueling stretch of 17-consecutive, with division contests against the Mets and at the Braves on the horizon. Aaron Nola and Zach Wheeler have been great at the top of the rotation, but Philadelphia needs a more consistent effort from the rest of its staff during this run.
4. Miami Marlins (10-13, 1.5 GB)
Last 10 Games: 4-6
Who’s Hot: Trevor Rogers
The Marlins have done a great job of building up young pitching talent, and are reaping the benefits of that in the form of Trevor Rogers. The rookie lefty has posted a 1.29 ERA through five starts this year, striking out 28 batters and only allowing one home run.
Who’s Not: Adam Duvall
The Marlins struggling lineup needs more out of Adam Duvall, who got his first career start in center field on Sunday, but is hitting .195/.235/.416. Miami has shown that the veteran power hitter is going to be in the lineup one way or another, so he’ll certainly have every chance to break out of this early season slump.
Injury Report:
Already dealing with a bad case of the injury bug, the Marlins placed electric rookie Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the IL Wednesday with a hamstring strain. Chisholm joins other everyday players Starling Marte, Brian Anderson and Jorge Alfaro on the shelf, as well as talented young starter Sixto Sanchez.
Outlook:
After surprising all of baseball with a playoff berth in the shortened 2020 season, the Marlins are struggling to find their footing early on in ’21. When healthy, the Marlins are a young and pesky team, but they need that to happen sooner than later.
5. Washington Nationals (8-12, 2 GB)
Last 10 Games: 5-5
Who’s Hot: Trea Turner
The multi-dimensional shortstop hit two homers Tuesday, giving him six on the year to go with a .286/.337/.558 slash line. He’s already racked up five stolen bases and his four defensive runs saved is one of the best in the majors at his position.
Who’s Not: Josh Bell
The Nationals signed Josh Bell this offseason, hoping to get the player that hit .277 with 37 homers and 116 RBI for the Pirates in 2019. Instead, the switch-hitting first baseman is slashing a paltry .109/.192/.217 with one homerun and three RBI in the early going.
Injury Report:
In terms of talent lost, no one in the division has it worse than the Nats. Superstar 22-year-old Juan Soto was placed on the IL on April 20 with a left shoulder strain, and could return in the next week or so.
Starter Stephen Strasburg also could return soon; he hit the IL with shoulder inflammation after making just two starts.
Outlook:
Despite an inauspicious start to the year, the Nationals aren’t in near as bad as a predicament as they could be, thanks to every other team in the division underperforming. After wrapping up a two-game set with the Blue Jays on Wednesday, three of the next four series’ Washington plays are against division foes in the Marlins, Braves and Phillies.
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Right now the National League East is a wide open division, with all five teams separated by just two games. Any team that can find some consistency in the near future has the chance to create some real separation in the standings.
