Midterms, Part 2

So there were some positive responses from the first post, which is great. Good to hear I'm not an EPIC F. Well, as promised, here is the National League grades. Enjoy.

NL EAST

Atlanta Braves (46-33) Grade: A-
I actually picked them to make the playoffs this season, so it makes me happy that halfway through, they are in 1st place. Hayward has looked great, the pitching staff is top notch, and given this is Bobby Cox's last season, the team is playing with a ton of heart. In a tough division though, they'll have to keep their level of play high to hold off the Mets and especially the Phillies.


New York Mets (44-35) Grade: B+
While I thought the Braves would excel, I expected very little from the Amazins. Besides the addition of Jason Bay, the Mets accomplished little else this past offseason. Last season, their pitching was horrendous, only getting consistently good starts from Johan Santana. Now, their pitching is fantastic. Mike Pelfrey puts up a good argument to hold the ace spot and the dysfunction is no longer there. They can only hope that the Marlins aren't in their schedule to end the season again.

Philadelphia Phillies (41-36) Grade: B
They certainly are not playing like a team capable of repeating as NL Pennant winners, wanting to get revenge on the Yanks. Roy Halladay is, of course, a gem. But from there, the Phils are having the same issue as the Yanks, stars under performing. This is only magnified due to their current slot in 3rd place. A lot is on Cole Hamels, since the Phils went against Jimmie Rollins' wishes, and let go of Cliff Lee. A rotation of Doc, Lee, Hamels, JA Happ, Old Man River; would be hard to beat. Now though, they're looking at Pedro Martinez to possibly save them. AND, Chase Utley is injured. Good luck.

Washington Nationals (35-45) Grade: D+
The Nats, at one point, were in the thick of the race. Now, there are at their usual position, the cellar. They do have hope though, as Stephen Strasburg has been pitching like a 3 year veteran. I would of thought his arrival might have rejuvenated the team. Instead, the hitting went MIA and they continue to lose games, even when Strasburg pitches. Once the initial wave of the Strasburg phenomenon fades, the only way to keep fans in the seats is to win. And the Nats aren't very good at that.

Florida Marlins (37-41) Grade: D-
Very high expectations are now flushed down the toilet. They're moving into a new stadium next season and signed extensions to key players this past offseason (might have been the 1st time that has happened). Then, trouble started when Hanley Ramirez went off his rocker for a week, Fredi got Fired and now they're sinking. They have the talent to turn things around, but they're missing a leader to slap them into shape. Put a Derek Jeter on this team and they'd be in 1st.


NL CENTRAL

Cincinnati Reds (45-35) Grade: A
Well, this was unexpected. The Red Stockings have one of the best hitting teams in MLB. Combine that with decent, (Johnny Cueto), to mediocre, (Bronson Arroyo, Aaron Harang) pitchers, and the promise of Mike Leake and Aroldis Chapman; this team has a shot to finally, FINALLY, stop competing with the Pirates for last place. I assumed the Cardinals were going to run away with this division, so kudos to the Reds for making things interesting.

St. Louis Cardinals (43-36) Grade: B+
Given all I said about the Reds, I still think the Cards will eventually run away with this division. They are the veteran team, with veteran pitching and The Machine, Albert Pujols. This team is all around good, and with the disappointing ending to last season, they should be hungry for more. As long as Tony LaRussa stops trying to distract his team with his support of the Arizona immigration law, the Cards should squash the rest of the division.

Milwaukee Brewers (36-43) Grade: C
This team has a solid lineup, especially in the middle, with Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun, a scary one-two punch. Their problem lies in pitching. Outside of Yovani Gallardo, their pitching is downright terrible, from the starters to the closer. Trevor Hoffman may have the most saves, all-time, but it is looking like he needs to hang up the cleats. End his career with the most saves, but only second best closer of his generation.


Chicago Cubs (34-45) Grade: F
Another team with a ton of talent being killed by dysfunction and under productivity. The massive contracts of Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano are draining this team. There is only so much Sweet Lou Pinella can do, when his team is letting him down so much. His tenure with the Cubbies may be over soon, ending without a ring again. Maybe he is destined to coach good teams to failure. Here's to another hundred years without a title.

Houston Astros (31-48) Grade: F
This team is just plain awful. All around terrible. They do not have one hitter batting over .300. Lance Berkman is batting .249. Carlos Lee is batting .234. That is just not going to cut it. Their pitching isn't making things better as Roy Oswalt and Brett Meyers are decent, but I wouldn't want Oswalt in a trade if I was looking for an ace. After those two, the pitching sharply drops off. I don't know what can save this team.


Pittsburgh Pirates (28-51) Grade: F
I would hate to be a Pirates' fan. This team rebuilds every other year. Once a player starts being liked by the fans, because of above average skill, he gets traded away for younger talent. This team has a stockpile of young talent, but no veteran skill. They will remain in the bottom of this division every year without some experienced veterans to mold these young guys. And maybe the management can shell out some money to keep their stars. Maybe then their beautiful stadium would be filled with fans.

NL WEST

San Diego Padres (46-32) Grade: A+
What this team is doing on the field is mind boggling. They don't have hitting, besides Adrian Gonzalez, but their pitching is near unhittable. A team with few players even the more knowledgeable fans could name is storming through the NL West, and if it continues, through the postseason. Pitching is what wins games in the postseason, so if they can make it there, it is very possible they advance. Anyone who put money on the Padres before the season is a crazy person, but could end up crazy rich as well.

Los Angeles Dodgers (43-35) Grade: B+
After last year's playoffs, I thought the Dodgers would drop in the division due to mediocre pitching. Clayton Kershaw is turning into the ace they needed last year, and their rotation looks good, even better with Jonathon Broxton dominating the 9th (except against the Yanks). Their lineup is very good, and being in La La Land, they have Andre Ethier providing the drama for the finale of games.


Colorado Rockies (42-37) Grade: B
The Rockies seem to always have an average team that stays competitive every year. Last year they were losing, fired their manager, and then ignited. This year, they are already winning, behind some Cy Young pitching in Ubaldo Jimenez, so firing the manager seems unlikely, but they will need a spark to bring them past the Padres. A Cy Young winner won't be enough in a division with the best pitching in baseball.


San Fransisco Giants (40-38) Grade: B-
Their hitting is really letting me down. I picked them to win the division. Their pitching is fantastic; Barry Zito, Matt Cain, Jonathon Sanchez and of course Timmy Lincecum are keeping the team in games, with Brian Wilson available to close them out. The Giants with Pablo Sandoval leading the way, are not getting RBI's, (they are 14th in the NL with 298; the Reds are in 1st with 377). They are getting on base, getting hits, just not bringing them around.

Arizona Diamondbacks (31-48) Grade: F
Well, they just fired their GM and Manager tonight, so they will remain at the bottom all season. I feel that this team goes through new managers yearly. Their rotation is pitching subpar, and they have a hitter, Mark Reynolds, who breaks his own record for strike outs in a season every year. They are looking at some pretty good GM's to save this team, but a respectable team is years away at this point.