2012 NL East Preview: Can Anyone Contend with the Phillies?

Short answer: no.

Long answer: The Phillies still have one of the best rotations in baseball. Of their starters, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Cliff Lee all had ERA's under 3 last year. No Roy Oswalt hurts them a bit but Oswalt last year seemed to slightly perform below team expectations. Plus, getting injured didn't help his case. Wonder where he will go? Their lineup seems slightly weakened but should still be respected. Hunter Pence gave them life but they will need a slight rebound from Ryan Howard to get back to a great lineup.

The team that took most of the offseason headlines in this division were the Marlins. The slight name change, moving into a new stadium, and getting new uniforms all almost took a backseat to their aggressive off season signings. Getting Jose Reyes and Mark Buerhle made a splash for them as they move. Sure there is some minor conflict between Reyes and Hanley Ramirez over who will play SS but this will be a minor glitch. Bottom line: their rotation has potential to be one of the best in baseball and their lineup can be too. The keyword here, however, is "potential."

Don't count out the Braves, however. This collapsed team still looks poised to make a playoff run. Their lineup might not look that great but their rotation is still very good. Plus, the team might rally around the fact that this will "supposedly" be Chipper Jones' last season. The Nationals quest to build a great team will continue through the 2012 season. Gio Gonzalez will definitely help but Stephen Strasburg will have to become a regular ace to get them close to October. As for the Mets, need I say more?

Sure the Phillies are the favorite but there is room for one of these teams to be in that Wild Card game at the end of the year. I think the Marlins can make a big leap into 2nd place in the division and make it into that game.

P.S. As for who wins the first NL Wild Card playoff game, my pick will be the Brewers. They are slightly more experienced than the Marlins players plus I think they will have the better record and play host.