The NL East was supposed to be MLB's best division, but things have been ugly. What happened?
Entering 2021, the National League East was expected to be one of the most competitive divisions in baseball, with the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals pushing the three-time defending champion Atlanta Braves – not to mention the upstart Miami Marlins coming off a postseason trip in 2020.
Instead, this group has been disappointing. The first-place Phillies are the only team at .500 entering Wednesday, the Mets have had one of the worst offenses in baseball, the Braves' reigning MVP is batting .208 and the Nationals have been largely without one of the best hitters in baseball.
A team-by-team look at what's gone wrong in the NL East – and if things can be turned around:
Phillies
What's wrong? Philadelphia totally overhauled its bullpen after the team's relievers posted a 7.06 ERA in 2020 – the second-worst mark in MLB history – but the group is having a tough time again this year, its 4.90 ERA ranks 25th in baseball. Andrew McCutchen (.191 BA) and Alec Bohm (.588 OPS) haven't had the best starts to the season either.
Can they fix it? Hard to tell. The Phillies are in first place entering Wednesday, but they showed last year just how a bad bullpen can tank an otherwise-fine team. Bohm's strong 2020 (.338 average, second in NL Rookie of the Year voting) was a big reason that Philadelphia thought it could end a decade-long postseason drought, but they're going to have ride out the 24-year-old's struggles in the heart of the order.
Nationals
What's wrong? Injuries have piled up for the 2019 World Series champions, with COVID-19 keeping a handful of players sidelined in the season's opening weeks. Juan Soto missed 10 of the team's first 25 games, Stephen Strasburg has only made two starts and key offseason addition Jon Lester didn't make his debut until April 30.
Can they fix it? Yes. Any team with Max Scherzer, Strasburg, Patrick Corbin and Lester in the rotation should be considered a contender – even if Strasburg has a tough time staying on the field. There's some questions with the lineup, but Trea Turner has been perhaps the best shortstop in baseball and Soto's presence everyday will make up for a lot of the team's shortcomings.
Mets
What's wrong? The offense has been anemic, resulting in the Mets firing hitting coach Chili Davis after their loss Monday. Entering Wednesday, the Mets were last in the league in runs (76) and home runs (18) and were batting just .208 with runners in scoring position, worst in the NL. Francisco Lindor has struggled mightily in his first month-plus with the team, batting. 163 with a .494 OPS, just one home run and 3 RBI.
Can they fix it? Probably. The starting pitching has been good as you'd expect (3.05 ERA) and the rotation should welcome back Carlos Carrasco (May) and Noah Syndergaard (June) in the not-so-distant future. You'd have to imagine that this lineup is too good (on paper) to stay quiet for long but nearly a week into May, the struggles are cause for concern – and don't be surprised if Lindor's stat line at the end of the year isn't pretty.
Braves
What's wrong? Injuries have taken their toll on the rotation (Max Fried, Mike Soroka), while reigning MVP Freddie Freeman (.208 BA) and slugger Marcell Ozuna (.570 OPS) have struggled after huge 2020 seasons. The bullpen (4.63 ERA), which didn't get much of an upgrade over the winter, continues to be troublesome.
Can they fix it? For sure. The three-time defending division champions have survived injuries to starters (thanks largely to Huascar Ynoa) and stars like Freeman (a free agent after 2021) and Ozzie Albies are likely to get back to where you'd expect them to be. Ronald Acuña Jr. looks like an MVP favorite so far.
Marlins
What's wrong? Even after the postseason trip last year, the Marlins were picked last in the division and they were expected to be the punching bag for the four other contenders. They've missed young starter Sixto Sanchez (shoulder) and are in fifth place entering Wednesday.
Can they fix it? There's no reason this team can't hang around in the wild-card picture, but the Marlins just don't have the depth to compete for the division crown. Keep an eye on second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (926 OPS, seven steals) and lefty starter Trevor Rogers (1.91 ERA, 44 K in 33 innings) who have both dazzled in the early going.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NL East MLB's worst division? Phillies, Mets, Braves, Nats look flat
