How does the Philadelphia Phillies lineup rank in NL East?
In what resembled at least some normalcy in Major League Baseball since the beginning of the COVID-19 era, the 2021 offseason was unique for the Philadelphia Phillies and the overall league — in that it established a new form of contract negotiations, and new forms of evaluation in terms of player capability.
The National League East was particularly interesting, with the “lightning rod” personified in Steve Cohen absolutely putting his money where his mouth was — en route to multiple major moves made for the New York Mets. The Washington Nationals went young, the Miami Marlins stayed cheap, the Atlanta Braves got better, and the Phillies … well the Phillies seem to be just treading water.
In terms of offensive production, here is how the National League East lineups stack up.
1. New York Mets
Signing Francisco Lindor is a signal to the rest of the league that New York now has two perennial championship contenders for the next five years. Lindor is a top-10 player in this league, with all the offensive tools to produce big numbers in the big apple. He’s averaged nearly 30 homers, 85 RBIs, and 20 steals per 162 games since his debut. And Lindor is only 27, entering the beginning of his prime. Last season was a bit of a stumble, but with constant trade talks and the Indians failing to add supporting talent, that was to be expected.
Aside from Lindor, the Mets went out and got James McCann, another offensively oriented catcher that will add even more production to the lineup. Michael Conforto and Dominic Smith both hit over .300 last season, as did the age-defying Robinson Cano, who was near the top of the league in hard-hit percentage. Brandon Nimmo will likely lead off in this lineup, and he brings all the intangibles along with a low strikeout percentage and an emerging power stroke. There are really no weaknesses in this lineup, and when you think about Yoenis Cespedes and Jonathan Villar coming off of your bench, there’s unmatched depth in this division. Another note: no player in the Mets projected 2021 lineup, aside from the suspended Nano, will begin the year older than 30.
2. Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves know what they are, and what they are is very good and very young. Ronald Acuna Jr. might be the most polarizing player in baseball right now with the exception of Fernando Tatis Jr.
Acuna can do everything in the field, and at the plate, he’s multi-dimensional as it gets, nearly joining the 40-40 club in 2019. He went reaching for power in 2020, but yet still remained among the most consistent hitters in baseball, hitting the ball hard in 57 percent of his at-bats. Behind him will be the core trio of Ozzie Albies, Freddie Freeman, and Marcell Ozuna. Freeman remains one of the best pure hitters in the game, protected by Ozuna, who led the NL in homers last season.
There’s potential for all four guys mentioned above to be All-Stars this summer. Dansby Swanson flashed more pop last year, but he’s still a 15-20 homer guy that plays a good shortstop. Cristian Pache and Austin Riley round out the order, but there is really no drop-off in production. Pache is another uber-talented prospect for the Braves outfield, and Riley could see himself into 25-30 home season if he modifies his all-or-nothing approach.
The Braves can hit from top to bottom, and the keys for this team are Ozuna and Acuna, who both need to stay healthy and productive this coming year.
3. Philadelphia Phillies
While other major-market teams like the Mets and Dodgers continued to stockpile an arsenal of talent, the Phillies seemed content with standing still and watch free agency pass them by. The Phils added very little to their lineup, unless you count re-signing J.T. Realmuto and Didi Gregorius.
Andrew McCutchen will lead off, and what he has left in the tank remains a mystery. Bryce Harper is in need of a rebound season, although his numbers are often misleading when you look at how often he hits the ball hard and gets on base.
Realmuto and Rhys Hoskins provide the protection in this order. Hoskins is going to be a key cog in the Phillies machine, because as good as his on-base stats look, he has struggled with the strikeouts and selling out for homers.
Alec Bohm is a welcome addition to the Phillies lineup, and while the sample size was small last season, this kid has the ability to hit and hit for power to all fields, a task with the pitching in this division. Gregorius and Jean Segura will again anchor the middle infield, while providing solid output from the bottom half of the order.
That center field spot is still up for grabs, but Adam Haseley has shown the most recent signs of success. Stability may the reason the Phillies remained silent this winter, and it could be a key factor in developing chemistry this season.
4. Washington Nationals
Juan Soto is the future, but he can’t do it alone this season, and he’ll need help after the loss of Harper and Anthony Rendon in successive seasons. But rather than rebuild around Soto, the Nationals quickly retooled. Trey Turner remains a 5=fuve-tool talent at the top of the order, and after last season’s display of power and a crazy low strikeout percentage, I’d expect even more out of Turner this year.
Following Turner will be Soto and two former All-Stars turned castaways, Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber. Bell is only one year removed from hitting 37 bombs, and last season’s lack of production could stem from just a serious lack of talent with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Schwarber never really had a position to call home in Chicago, but he’ll set up shop as the starting left fielder in D.C. Schwarber, like Bell, had a monster 2019 campaign but struggled mightily last season, despite posting excellent bat-to-ball numbers.
The Nats got both Bell and Schwarber for next to nothing, so it could pay off big time this season. Moving on, they also have a couple of veterans bridging the order in Starlin Castro and Yan Gomes, followed by Victor Robles and Carter Kieboom. Robles is stellar in the field, but he’ll need to improve upon the .220 average he posted in 2020. I wouldn’t expect much from Kieboom, who’s been in the system for a long time.
The Nationals are lineup in this division with the biggest gap in terms of floor-to-ceiling potential, and with the pitching staff they have, this lineup could play up even more.
5. Miami Marlins
What was once an extremely youthful organization will now be led by a group of veterans, furthered by the recent acquisition of Adam Duvall, a 2020 breakout player.
This group is full of solid players that grind at-bats, which is part of the reason they got themselves into the playoffs last season. Corey Dickerson and Starling Marte will anchor the top half of the lineup, followed by the meat of the order in Brian Anderson and Jesus Aguilar.
Beyond that, there’s not much to speak of in terms of offensive production, as the Marlins are still far from contending for a World Series. A few years of system development and free agency should change that, but for now, the Marlins remain cellar dwellers for lineups in this division.
light. More. PECOTA projection: Phillies best Braves, Marlins in 2021