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With the grapefruit league here, and the start of the season just around the corner lets look at the teams and their prospects for winning their divisions.  We will start with the National League and American League East teams.

National League East

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phils come into this year with a lot of confidence stemming from being the defending division champions.  Let's not kid ourselves.  They played inspired baseball the last 3 weeks of the season to catch the Mets, but they needed the Mets to fold as well.  They have to get off to a better start than they did last season and the 2006 season.  They can't depend on the Mets or Braves to come apart, and they can't depend on getting red hot the last month of the season.  The Phillies main need is consistent starting pitching.  They were in the bottom five in ERA last season and struggled for much of the year with their starting pitching.  Adam Eaton disappointed last year and his ERA was up over 6, which was the worst of his career.  The good news for Philadelphia is that he should rebound from that and pitch a lot better.  Brett Meyers has been moved into the starting rotation from the bullpen with the addition of Brad Lidge (already injured).  The Phils are betting a lot that he can be effective as their everyday closer, and that  Meyers can make the transition to starter and thrive.  Those changes will have a lot to do with the Phillies defending their division title. 

We know they can hit.  Rollins, Utley and Howard are as formidable as they come.  Aaron Rowand left as a free agent, and I believe that they will miss him.  He got a lot of big hits for them and was a very hard-nosed player and a good fit on the team.  He will be replaced by Geoff Jenkins, who hit .255 with 21 home runs last year; definitely not an upgrade, but they should have enough fire power to compensate for losing Rowand.  Pat Burrell is another key to this team.  If he can hit consistently, especially on the road, where he only hit .220 last season, they will remain close to the top of the league in runs scored. 

The Phils didn't do a lot to improve their club overall in the off-season.  Pitching will be their key, and they will still need MVP type seasons from Rollins and Howard.  If Lidge can't go, then Tom Gordon will close.

Projected finish - 2nd Place

New York Mets

The Mets collapse at the end of last season has been well chronicled.  The start of baseball season will probably be therapeutic.  One thing is certain -  the Mets will not take anything for granted this year.  Their collapse has left them with a firm resolve and something to prove.  The starting pitching will be decidedly better this year, and not just because of the addition of Johan Santana.  Having Pedro Martinez back in the rotation will be a huge boost as well, as long as he can stay healthy.  The Mets' rotation is as deep as any in the National League.  Last season  there were times when the Mets didn't know who they were going to throw out on the mound to start.  Not so this year.  El Duque and Pedro may be susceptible to injury, but Pedro had most of the year off and they are not depending on El Duque as much as they did last year.  Their middle relief is still suspect, and they are betting a lot that Duaner Sanchez will come back strong from being injured.  Their bullpen was over-used to the point where they had nothing left at the end of the season. 

The lineup is pretty potent, but there are some areas of concern.  Jose Reyes faded in the last month of the season and didn't hit when it counted most (.205 batting average and .279 on base percentage in September). We will see if he can rebound confidence wise.  Carlos Delgado became a liability against left handed pitchers last season and was moved down in the lineup.  His on base percentage was .318 and he only slugged at a .386 clip versus lefty's.  He only hit about .230 with runners in scoring position as well.  His production is decreasing and the Mets need him to help anchor the middle of the lineup.  As a team they didn't hit well against lefty's which they will have to improve upon to be more balanced.  They are pretty solid everywhere else.

How Willie Randolph manages will be a key.  If he learned from last year he will be fine.  He can't abuse his bullpen again, and he will need to rest his players periodically so they are fresh for the stretch run.  They have the depth to do that.  Middle relief is an issue, but the improved starting pitching should make it better.  I believe Reyes will rebound, and if Delgado improves they will fine.  Injuries to key players is about the only thing that could derail them.

Projected finish: 1st place.

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves have gone back to the strategy that made them perennial division champs.  They let their high priced free agents walk and have put the emphasis back on their pitching staff.  The addition of Tom Glavine will help, but he is not the innings eater he once was.  The good thing is he will not be relied upon like he was last year when he was with the Mets.  Smoltz and Hudson anchor the staff.  Hudson was a stud for most of last year, and Smoltz keeps doing what he does at a high level year in and year out.  Glavine is only being asked to be a 3 in the rotation, and he will be fine in that role.  Mike Hampton is another story.  Anything they get out of Hampton will be a plus considering they have gotten nothing for the last 2 years.  As far as their rotation goes, he is the wild card.  Soriano will handle the closing, and he should stabilize that role for them.  Mike Gonzalez is back from injury and he was tough on left- handed hitters out of the bullpen.  This is the formula that the Braves were so successful with for so long.  One key for them will be how the back side of their rotation holds up.  Chuck James and Hampton have to hold up for the Braves to get back to the top.

Yunel Escobar takes over from Edgar Renteria at shortstop, and he is a budding star.  He and Kelly Johnson are a formidable part of a star-studded infield.  Mark Teixeira didn't disappoint last year, and if Chipper Jones can stay in the lineup they won't notice that Andrew Jones and Renteria are gone.  They will notice that Mark Kotsay is in centerfield instead of Jones.  Andrew is one of the best ever to play that position, and you just can't count how many runs he has saved out there.  He was a security blanket for his pitchers.  Kotsay is not a bad centerfielder to say the least, but he is not Andrew Jones.

Many believe the pieces are in place for the Braves to get back to prominence.  They will be good, but I don't think they will win the division.  Smoltz and Glavine are not getting any younger, and Escobar can't struggle as a sophomore.  He didn't play a full season last year.  Chipper is injury prone, and Hampton has a lot to prove.  The bullpen is strong, so they should contend.

Projected finish - 3rd place.

Florida Marlins

A couple of familiar faces will be gone from the Marlins this year.  Miguel Cabrera won't be in the line-up terrorizing opposing pitchers, and Dontrel Willis won't be around to solidify their rotation.  For Florida, it is not a problem.  They have good young talent, and as history has shown us, they probably have some diamonds in the rough that we don't know about.  Hanley Ramirez is the leader of this team now, and he is the one commodity that we know about.  He may be the best all around shortstop in the National League.  Dan Ugla, Mike Jacobs and Josh Willingham are the other familiar faces from last year, and as a group they should get better.  Ugla didn't hit for average but did hit 31 home runs in 2007, so their lineup is not soft.  Cameron Maybin will get his shot to start in centerfield, and many believe that he will be a stud.  He was a highly rated prospect that hit for average and stole a lot of bases in the Florida State league.  Their projected lineup is young and still developing. 

The pitching rotation will be young and relatively untested.  Scott Olsen and Sergio Mitre are slated at the top of the rotation, but there isn't any meaningful experience in the rest of the rotation.  They do have some experience in their bullpen with Gardner and Tankersley, and Kevin Gregg did save 35 games for them last year, so their bullpen looks like their strength.

If Florida gets some decent starting pitching they will be somewhat competitive.  Their problem is that they are in a division with three other solid teams.  They will have to wait and see how some of their young players pan out.  History says some of them will be pretty good.

Projected finish - 4th place.

Washington Nationals

The highlight of last year for the Nationals was beating up on the Mets down the stretch to help foil their playoff aspirations.  Looking at their lineup, they do have some familiar faces.  Dimitri Young and Christian Guzman both hit over .300 last year (Guzman only played in 46 games last year), while Ronnie Belliard and Ryan Zimmerman round out the infield.  It will be interesting to see how Lastings Milledge does as an everyday outfielder.  I for one thought it was a mistake for the Mets to trade him, unless it was for a stud pitcher.

The Nationals are looking to Shawn Hill to anchor their rotation.  They don't have a lot of experience or depth there.  Their bullpen is pretty good though.  Chad Cordero will continue to close.  Saul Rivera, John Rauch, and  Luis Ayala have pitched well in relief.  Make no mistake, the Nationals have talent, but they haven't been consistent.  They can be competitive, but they need consistent starting pitching to contend in this division.  Their starting pitching, looking at their numbers, looks like the worst in the division. 

Projected finish - 5th place.

This division promices to be very competitive.  The Mets and Phillies are already talking, stroking the flames of what could be a heated rivalry, and the Braves are laying in wait.  One thing is for certain.  When everything plays out, at least one team will be able to say, if you can't walk the walk, don't talk the talk, and that is the Last Word.

American League East Preview coming up!