NL East Question #9

2011 MLB Season Preview:
Biggest Questions in the NL East

9. Who is the most important player in the NL East in 2011?
Obviously, there are some important criteria to examine before we give the answer. In order to be the most important player in the division you have to be on a team that will contend for the division title. Therefore, that strikes everyone from the Mets off the list of candidates. You also have to play, so that would knock Steven Strausberg off of the list. Now let us look at the question.

The Nationals aren’t going to contend for the title, so you can knock them out of the running.

That leaves us the Braves, Phillies, and Marlins. In my opinion, Hanley Ramirez would be the most important player for the Marlins. Ramirez is coming off of his worst offensive season of his career. He hit 21 homeruns, the lowest since his rookie season and his slugging percentage and on base percentage were the lowest of his career. He played in the fewest games of his career because of injuries. There is no way the Marlins can keep pace with the Braves and Phillies if Ramirez does not return to his top form in 2011.

For the Braves, Chipper Jones is the key. Jones is coming off knee surgery that ended his 2010 season. At 38, it is hard to believe that he would be the key for the Braves, however, Jones is just a couple of years removed from a batting title, and his experience is invaluable to the Braves, as is his bat. Without Jones in the lineup, Martin Prado would have to play 3B, leaving Jordan Schaffer to play LF. The Braves are hoping that either Schaffer or CF Nate McLouth can bounce back after tough seasons, but expecting both to be everyday players in 2011 is just too much. With Jones in the lineup, new Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez will have much more flexibility. That is right Braves fans, 2011 depends on a 38-year-old knee that has been through two major surgeries.

The Phillies are the favorite to win the division and maybe not surprisingly, they have the man that I believe will be the most important player in the division in 2011, Cole Hamels. Hamels was at one time the ace of the Phillies staff, but now he is a #3 starter who hasn’t won more than 15 games in his career. Obviously, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee are the best 1-2 pitching punch in the major leagues, but I believe that top to bottom, the Braves can pitch with the Phillies during the regular season. (The playoffs are a different story when you only need 2 great pitchers to win the World Series). There is a lot of hype around the Phillies pitching staff, but I’m not 100% convinced that it is as good as people think. Roy Oswalt is 34 years old and is considering retiring after the season. Joe Blanton seems to have gotten a lot better now that he is associated with the rest of the Phillies staff, but Blanton has only had double-digit wins in one of the last 3 seasons. Hamels is the key to the Phillies having a better staff than the Braves, and I believe he is the key for the Phillies to win the division. If Hamels can be more like the guy who went 15-5 in 2007 and less like the guy who has gone 22-22 in the last two seasons combined, then the Phillies might just have their 4th straight division title.

Only 28 days until Opening Day!

Coming Tomorrow: NL East Question #8 What Impact will the addition of Dan Uggla have on the Braves?