MLB: NL East Preview
The NL East is top-heavy with three teams among the favorites to win the pennant. The Mets are getting most of the attention and national press, but don't count out Philadelphia and Atlanta.
Those two squads have some very attractive future odds at Sportsbook.com. Take a look.
New York Mets
Boston is 10:11 to win the NL East,
9:4 to win the American League, and 4:1
to win the World Series. Their Over/Under
win total is 94 games.
New York is 5:9 to win the NL East, 2:1 to win the National League, and 5:1 to win the World Series. Their Over/Under win total is 93.5 games.
Was it just six
months ago that the Mets collapsed down
the stretch of the regular season, failing
to make the playoffs?
All is forgiven
in Queens thanks to the addition of lefthander
Johan Santana from Minnesota. Santana's presence brings a burst of energy to the fans and players and makes them the substantial favorite in the NL.
One caveat for
this team is they are already dealing
with injuries to old men, Carlos Delgado
and Moises Alou. However, hitters are
always easier to replace than pitchers.
For
More MLB Baseball Betting Discussion
click here to visit The Cappers Picks
Sports Handicapping Forums!
The batting lineup does not inspire
as much fear as the Yankees, but they
were 4th in MLB in runs scored last year
and should be close to that again.
Atlanta Braves
Atlanta
is 5:2 to win the NL East, 10:1 to
win the National League, and 30:1 to
win the World Series. Their Over/Under
win total is 85 games.
The Atlanta
pitching staff has a ‘Back
to the Future’ feel with Tom Glavine
joining John Smoltz and Tim Hudson at
the top of the rotation. The team is
also counting on oft-injured hurler Mike
Hampton, but his staying healthy is a
major long shot.
The batting lineup is minus Andruw
Jones, but having Mark Teixeira for the
entire year is a big plus. A key player
to watch is shortstop Yunel Escobar as
he is replacing Edgar Renteria and also
batting second.
Coach Bobby Cox is still one of the
most respected managers in the game,
and this team has enough talent to make
a run in the division.
Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto is 6:1 to win the NL East, 15:1
to win the American League, and 30:1
to win the World Series. Their Over/Under
win total is 85.5 games.
Toronto is a perennial sleeper team
that is hurt more than any squad in baseball
by the division they play in. The Blue
Jays are still waiting for starter A.J
Burnett to stay healthy for a whole season
and become a dominant number two behind
Roy Halladay. The bullpen also needs
a healthy closer in B.J. Ryan.
The lineup looks to get a jumpstart
with sparkplug David Eckstein at the
top. More importantly, Vernon Wells needs
to have a bounce back year. He struggled
in 2007 after signing his new contract.
A full season from newly acquired third
baseman, Scott Rolen, would also help
matters.
Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia is 7:2 to win the NL East, 6:1 to win the National League, and 20:1 to win the World Series. Their Over/Under win total is 87.5 games.
It's hard to remember that this Philadelphia squad won the NL East last year, although they did suffer an embarrassing sweep to the Colorado Rockies.
The one thing
you know about Philly is they're going to mash. Led by Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins, this squad finished second in MLB in runs scored even without the benefit of the DH. Look for more offensive firepower this year.
Ultimately though,
this team will only go as far as the
pitching staff, and there are questions
about the starting rotation and the bullpen
led by Brad Lidge. The Phillies look
like a good longshot pick for the World
Series at 20:1, but they will need a
lot of breaks to get there.
Washington Nationals
Washington is 50:1 to win the NL East,
50:1 to win the National League, and
100:1 to win the World Series. Their
Over/Under win total is 72 games.
Washington was 30th in MLB in runs
scored last year but there is some cause
for optimism. Centerfielder Lastings
Milledge was acquired from the Mets and
Wily Mo Pena showed he can hit last year
when given at-bats. Add those two to
Ryan Zimmerman and Austin Kearns and
you have the makings of a legitimate
lineup.
Unfortunately, the entire pitching
staff is a mess, especially considering
that starters Shawn Hill and John Patterson
have major injury questions. Help is
on the way from the minors but not soon
enough.
If the
Nationals get any pitching help at
all, they should better last year’s
73 wins.
Florida
Marlins
Florida is 50:1 to win the NL East,
50:1 to win the National League, and
100:1 to win the World Series. Their
Over/Under win total is 70 games.
Florida’s
odds to win the division, NL and World
Series are the same as Washington,
but their Over/ Under win total is
two games less.
A big reason for that is the trade
of Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis
to Detroit. That was a signal to everyone
that this team has no hope of competing
this season.
The Marlins
are still left with a lot of interesting
position players, led by shortstop
Hanley Ramirez. However, the pitching
staff is well behind the offense (a
common theme in the NL East) and they
can’t be expected to carry
their share of the load for a couple
more seasons.
Plenty of websites have online loyalty and rewards programs, but none of them can beat Sportsbook.com's new MVP Program.
Personalized service, exclusive promotions, Birthday gifts, VIP invites to sports events and parties are just the tip of the iceberg.
Powered
By: Sportsbook.com
MLB Baseball Handicapping |
Cappers Picks is an online sports service
and handicapping tips website, not affiliated with any Online Scamdicappers. 
