2007 MLB Quarterly Report: NL East
The New York Mets Are Showing why They were a Preseason Favorite
May 20, 2007 James Lincoln Ray
New York Mets (28-14, First Place)
Pitching (A). Starting pitching was supposed to be a weak point for the Mets this year, with three senior citizens comprising 60% of their starting rotation. Contrary to the experts' predictions, this has been the best aspect of the team so far. The entire staff ranks first in Wins and second in ERA (3.40). The team has also surrendered the least hits and least runs in the National league. Who's getting it done?
Tom Glavine has moved closer to 300 wins by going 5-1 with a 3.43 ERA. John Maine is even more impressive, going 5-1 with a 2.15 ERA. Veteran Lefty Oliver Perez, who entered the season with a 30-44 career record, is 5-3 with a 2.90 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP, and Jorge Sosa is 3-0 with a 2.25 Earned Run Average.
The bullpen is solid, with Aaron Heilman, Scott Schoenweiss and Joe Smith briging the gap to Billy Wagner, who has 10 saves and an ERA below 1.00.
Hitting (A). The Mets lead the NL in Hits (9.7/game), Batting Average (.284), On Base Percentage (.354), Runs (5.34 per game) and Slugging Percentage (.446). They are led by Jose Reyes, who may just be the best lead-off hitter in the game today. Jose is hitting .331and has become a more patient hitter, picking up 21 walks so far to raise his on-base percentage to .402. He leads the National League in triples (7), stolen bases (25), and ranks second in Hits (59), Runs (37), and times on base (80).
Carlos Beltran is having another strong year, hitting .300 with 8 home runs and 30 RBI. And although Carlos Delgado and David Wright have started slowly, their slack has been picked up by Shawn Green (.320, 5 HR, 21 RBI), Endy Chavez (.390 BA while filling in for injured Moises Alou) and Damion Easley (.268, 6 HR).
As good as this team has been through the first quarter of the 2007 season, they should only get better. El Duque Hernandez, who is always effective if he is healthy, returns to action soon. Pedro will also be back after the All-Star break, and given his limited durability, having him start the season so late may be the best thing for the Metropolitans.
Overall Grade: A. The team hasn't played this well since their glorious 1986 World Series season.
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Atlanta Braves (26-17; Second Place)
Pitching: (B). Surprise! Surprise! The Braves have good pitching again this year. 40-year old John Smoltz is 6-2 with a 2.85 ERA. Smoltz is just one win away from 200 for his career. Package that with his 154 saves and years of post-season heroics, and you've got a first ballot Hall of Fame pitcher. Tim Hudson has returned to the man he was with Oakland, sporting a 6-1 record and an ERA under 2.00.
Atlanta has also gotten solid pitching from starter Chuck James (4-3), and although their bullpen has been good, it hasn't been great. If they intend to make a real run at the Mets, the Braves will need either one more solid starter to make up for the disappointing Mark Redman (0-4, 11.63), or another good arm to get the ball to Bob Wickman (who also could be better).
Hitting: (B+). The Braves are fourth in batting average, third in home runs, third in runs, and third in on-base percentage. Chipper Jones has led the way with his best start to a season in years. He is hitting .309, and ranks second in the National League in homers (12), first in extra base hits (27), and third in total bases with 98.
While his little brother Andruw is off to a slow start (.219 BA), a number of recent additions to the Braves have really smacked the ball. Jeff Francouer, Kelly Johnson, and Brian McCann are are the engine driving this machine. Unless Jones starts hitting for average, however, this lineuo cannot compete with the Mets.
Overall Grade: B+
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Philadelphia Phillies (21-22; Third Place)
Starting Pitching (B-). Cole Hamels is turning out to be everything the Phillies had hoped for. The lanky lefthander is 6-1 with an ERA of 3.30. His 70 strikeouts in 62 innings put him one strikeout behind Jake Peavy for the Major League lead. Jon Lieber and Jaime Moyer have been a nice 4-5 combo, with a combined 6-5 record and 3.76 ERA. Freddy Garcia has struggled after his spring injury and Adam Eaton hasn't started to earn his $25 million contract.
Bullpen (C-). Three weeks ago, this crew would have gotten an F. They had the highest ERA, the most blown saves, and the fewest holds of any team in the National League. However, since Myers has been moved from starter to closer, he has given the group a big lift by putting up some very impressive numbers: 15 Games, 19 Innings Pitched, 29 Ks, 0.95 ERA, and five saves in five opportunities.
Hitting (B): Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley both get high Bs for their early season hitting. The "Flyin' Hawaiin," as teammates call Shane Victorino also gets a B. Aaron Rowand gets an A for his .331 average, six homers and 21 RBI. Pat Burrell started off well, and even picked up a few clutch hits in early April. But he has slowed down recently, and is just two pop-outs with men on base from hearing those Boo-Birds in his sleep. Ryan Howard has been terrible. He needs to get heathy and start hitting before the Mets get too far ahead.
Overall Grade (B-).
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Florida Marlins (20-23; Fourth Place)
It's really a shame that the NL East has four very good teams while the NL Central has only one. The Marlins are a very talented young squad that sports a couple of future superstars, a solid young pitching staff, and on of baseball's best all-around players in Miguel Cabrera. But they have to play almost sixty games aginst the three above teams. That is tough and it has resulted in a 20-23 start for Florida.
Dontrelle Willis continues to amaze, perplex, confuse and confound hitters, fans and media alike. Willis is prone to streaky pitching, both good and bad. This season, he has actually been having a rough streak, with an ERA near 5.00. But his team has given him the best run support in the majors, and as a result, the D-Train is already 6-3. Willis had a good outing in his May 19 win over the Pirates, and seems to be on the verge of a hot streak. If he kicks in, the whole team will be re-enrgized.
All in all, however, the Marlins' pitching gets only a C for the First Quarter.
Miguel Cabrera, Dan Uggla and Hanley Ramirez continue to hit well, as has the rest of the young team, who rank fourth in runs, third in hits, third in extra base hits and third in home runs. The offense gets a good solid B, and surely has the ability to move even higher as the season progresses.
Overall Grade: C+
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Washington Nationals (15-28; 5th Place)
Hitting: (F). There is not much good to say about the Nationals' hitting. They rank dead last in the National League in the following categories: Runs, Hits, Batting Average (.228), On-Base Percentage (.304), and Slugging Percentage (.331).
Pitching: (D). The pitching has not been much better. The Nationals rank last in wins, 12th in runs given up, and 12th in home runs surrendered. They have given up the second most walks and struck out the second fewest batters in the National League.
Overall Score: D
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See the AL East Quarterly Report.
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