by Scott Rickenbach
Thursday, Mar 31, 2022NL East Division Preview for MLB 2022
Atlanta Braves – The Braves are projected by most to land at around 90 wins this season and battle it out with the Mets for the top spot in this division. However, they are the defending champs and it so tough to repeat and teams can slump some after winning it all. Not only that, as stacked as this team is, the loss of Freddie Freeman, a Brave for so long, could really impact the heart and soul of this team to an extent.
Miami Marlins – The Marlins are expected to finish in a range of mid-70s in wins this season. They have a solid rotation really when you look at it. But the bullpen is solid yet not truly dominant and then this lineup is just not that strong. That is why this team again finishes below .500 and perhaps looking at unders when some of Miami’s top starting pitching is out there will be the way to go with this team.
New York Mets – The Mets are projected by most to land at around 90 wins this season and battle it out with the Braves for the top spot in this division. In my opinion this is the team to beat in the division. However, they will have to improve their road play to win the division as they won just 30 of 81 road games last year! But I like the looks of this lineup and certainly this team is loaded top end talent in the starting rotation too. Solid bullpen as well so this team has the makings to hold off the Braves and Phillies at the top of the NL East as long as they get more road wins which I fully expect this season.
Philadelphia Phillies – The Phillies are certainly still a threat in this division but likely to fall into the mid-80s for a win total and fall just short of both the Braves and Mets. Defense matters and the Phillies were one of the worst teams in the majors defensively last season. However, if Nola bounces back and this solid-looking rotation holds up and the bullpen is decent, this team will be tough to beat. They have a rock-solid lineup of hitters and absolutely could make a push this season. The key will be avoiding the dreaded late season fade that tends to plague this team annually in recent years.
Washington Nationals – Projected to be in the 70-range for their win total this season as Washington continues its slide that began when the Nats finished below .500 in the shortened 2020 season. This team could have quite a few overs in my opinion. They still have a solid lineup but have a lot of question marks in the starting rotation and this season the bullpen is relying a lot on guys that are not 100% proven just yet to say the least. Remember this team had 34 blown saves last year and that is the most since they moved from Montreal over 15 years ago! This year’s bullpen also looks shaky. Strong hitting, subpar pitching combine for a team likely to be good to lack out for considering overs depending on the pitching match-ups.
Atlanta Braves – The Braves are projected by most to land at around 90 wins this season and battle it out with the Mets for the top spot in this division. However, they are the defending champs and it so tough to repeat and teams can slump some after winning it all. Not only that, as stacked as this team is, the loss of Freddie Freeman, a Brave for so long, could really impact the heart and soul of this team to an extent.
Miami Marlins – The Marlins are expected to finish in a range of mid-70s in wins this season. They have a solid rotation really when you look at it. But the bullpen is solid yet not truly dominant and then this lineup is just not that strong. That is why this team again finishes below .500 and perhaps looking at unders when some of Miami’s top starting pitching is out there will be the way to go with this team.
New York Mets – The Mets are projected by most to land at around 90 wins this season and battle it out with the Braves for the top spot in this division. In my opinion this is the team to beat in the division. However, they will have to improve their road play to win the division as they won just 30 of 81 road games last year! But I like the looks of this lineup and certainly this team is loaded top end talent in the starting rotation too. Solid bullpen as well so this team has the makings to hold off the Braves and Phillies at the top of the NL East as long as they get more road wins which I fully expect this season.
Philadelphia Phillies – The Phillies are certainly still a threat in this division but likely to fall into the mid-80s for a win total and fall just short of both the Braves and Mets. Defense matters and the Phillies were one of the worst teams in the majors defensively last season. However, if Nola bounces back and this solid-looking rotation holds up and the bullpen is decent, this team will be tough to beat. They have a rock-solid lineup of hitters and absolutely could make a push this season. The key will be avoiding the dreaded late season fade that tends to plague this team annually in recent years.
Washington Nationals – Projected to be in the 70-range for their win total this season as Washington continues its slide that began when the Nats finished below .500 in the shortened 2020 season. This team could have quite a few overs in my opinion. They still have a solid lineup but have a lot of question marks in the starting rotation and this season the bullpen is relying a lot on guys that are not 100% proven just yet to say the least. Remember this team had 34 blown saves last year and that is the most since they moved from Montreal over 15 years ago! This year’s bullpen also looks shaky. Strong hitting, subpar pitching combine for a team likely to be good to lack out for considering overs depending on the pitching match-ups.
