The NL East Standings Look Like Bizarro World But Forecast A Bright Future

Let me start by saying I was raised in New York and lived there until I was 26 years old. And let me also say that, as a Mets’ fan, 2015 was probably my favorite season in any sport — ever. But now let me say this: the NL East, which has been largely dominated by the Nationals and Mets ever since the Phillies’ trio of stars got old, is much improved and changing for the better. Do I want the Mets to have more competition? As a fan, of course not. But as a reporter and media guy? It’s what’s best for baseball and the cities that make up the division.

Right now, the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies sit atop the NL East standings. Just last year, the pair combined for a 138-186 record and in the years before that, it was even worse. However, led by young stars like Dansby Swanson and Odubel Herrera, the Braves and Phillies are promising young teams on the rise. And in addition to the young talent each franchise is employing, they also have a nice blend of veterans to keep the locker room together.

The situation the NL East finds themselves in right now is semi-rare and super encouraging. Sometimes, there isn’t a division in baseball with four of their five teams over .5o0, yet that’s what the skinny is with the NL East right now. Only the Marlins, as expected, are under .500 and just two years ago they were on the cusp of an NL Wild Card spot. The Braves, Phillies, Nationals, and Mets are all within three games of one another.

It should be noted that only one other division shares this honor right now — the NL Central.

I remember how lit those Reyes-and-Wright-led Mets’ games were against the Rollins-Howard-and-Utley-led Phillies — it was East Coast baseball at its best, with the tensions high and the fans engaged. Even back in 2015, when the Nats and Mets were fighting for the NL East, it was regular-season baseball at a playoff level. This is what’s best for the NL East. The more important games strewn across the schedule, the better.

Besides Miami, the division is made up of East Coast cities that really love baseball and their respective franchises. In fact, this season, the four main teams are all averaging over 24,700 fans per game. When you look at other big-time Eastern cities like Pittsburgh (13,838) and Baltimore (17,727), it’s a testament to how much they actually care and want to support their ball clubs.

I’m not saying the Braves and Phillies hold the pace they’re currently on, it’s too early. What I can say with a fair amount of certainty, though, is that they’ll be playing a lot more meaningful baseball over the next five years than they did in their previous five.

The Braves are currently in first place with a 21-14 record. Philadelphia is a half-game back at 21-15 while the Nats (20-18) sit in third and the Mets (18-17) sit in fourth place. Miami, well, who cares…