Baseball 2013 Final Report Card (National League)

NL East

1. Atlanta Braves (96-66)

I love the Braves pitching. Their starters are all young, power pitchers that have shown signs they can be aces. Julio Teheran and Mike Minor took steps forward. Kris Medlen was not as great as he was last season but is still a very good, young pitcher. Brandon Beachy suffered setbacks coming back from Tommy John Surgery but has proven in the past that he could be a top pitcher. The Braves also have a dominant closer in Craig Kimbrel with a pen of hard throwers. Their weakness remains their offense. They have a lot of power but strike out too much. Their big free agent signing BJ Upton was a disaster. They also acquired his brother Justin Upton in a trade. While Justin had a big start, he was inconsistent. Their best hitter is now Freddie Freeman who is an all around great hitter. They also have to decide on whether they can bring back Brian McCann, who is one of the best hitting catchers. The strikeouts piled up again in the first round loss to the Dodgers. Regardless, they will just have to bring back most of the same team next year and hope they hit better. The dominant, young pitching is a great building block.

Grade: A-

2. Washington Nationals (86-76)

The Nationals had big expectations after last season’s success. Future superstar Bryce Harper battled injury all season. The Nationals turned it on too late. However, the future is still bright with Stephen Strasburg and Harper leading the team.

Grade: C

3. New York Mets (74-88)

Matt Harvey showed he is a top pitcher in the league. Unfortunately, he needs Tommy John Surgery and will miss next season. It is a huge blow for the Mets as they were counting on Harvey as their ace going forward. The Mets have also brought up young starter, Zach Wheeler. He has showed flashes of brilliance but will have to be more consistent. The Mets have some promising prospects coming up. However, they will be under pressure to be competitive next year even without Harvey. As such, it is a big offseason for them as they will finally have money to spend.

Grade: C-

4. Philadelphia Phillies (73-89)

The Phillies have aged and the window closed on them. First, their offense got old. Now, their pitching has as well. Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels are still pitching at an elite level. However, they will need a rebound season from Roy Halladay. The bigger problem is the offense. It was deep and powerful when they went to back to back World Series. They will need to add bats in the offense to surround Chase Utley and breakout outfielder Domonic Brown. Ryan Howard needs to make a bit of a comeback and provide some production. The Phillies will take another shot at winning with the core but it may be time to start breaking apart this team and rebuild.

Grade: C-

5. Miami Marlins (62-100)

After spending big for the 2012 season, they had a fire sale and broke the team apart. They have a similar strategy as the Houston Astros. Nevertheless, they were able to develop Jose Fernandez into a top pitcher. He will be the ace and anchor on their staff for years to come.

Grade: D

 

NL Central

1. St. Louis Cardinals (97-65)

The Cardinals are the model franchise and had another great season getting to the World Series. They have young stars in the lineup, starting rotation, and bullpen. Allowing superstar Albert Pujols to walk has already been a great decision. Michael Wacha pitched like an ace in the postseason. The Cardinals did not even use young ace Shelby Miller much in the playoffs to limit his innings. They also have Carlos Martinez and Trevor Rosenthal who are fireballers in the pen. They did not even miss losing their dominant closer, Jason Motte, right before the season started. Although they lost the World Series, the future is very bright.

Grade: A+

2. Pittsburgh Pirates (94-68)

Pirates fans have waited for a long time for the playoffs. The Pirates were able to win the Wild Card game against the Cincinnati Reds then push the Cardinals to 5 games before losing in the NLDS. They have a good mix of veterans and young players. Gerrit Cole is a player to watch next year to see if he can develop into an ace. They will need their farm system to continue to provide good players as they try to sustain their success.

Grade: A

3. Cincinnati Reds (90-72)

They were the second Wild Card and were eliminated in the Wild Card game. They underachieved as they have top players on both sides of the ball. Joey Votto is a MVP first basemen while Aroldis Chapman is as dominant of a closer as there is in baseball. They also have an excellent rotation. Homer Bailey finally broke out this season. With all this talent, they should have been better.

Grade: B+

4. Milwaukee Brewers (74-88)

It was a nightmare season for the Brewers as they lost and their superstar outfielder Ryan Braun was suspended for his connection with PEDs and the Biogensis investigation. A bright spot for their season is the breakout season from Carlos Gomez.

Grade: D

5. Chicago Cubs (66-96)

While they are in a rebuilding process, their young players regressed this season. Fans will need to continue to be patient and trust in Theo Epstein’s long term plan.

Grade: F

 

NL West

1. L.A. Dodgers (92-70)

The Dodgers continue to spend big. While they started out very slow, they got historically hot and rode it to winning the division. They beat the Braves in the NLCS but lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS. Clayton Kershaw had a historical season with a 0.86 WHIP, 1.83 ERA, and 232 Ks compared to 52 walks. The Dodgers will probably spend more in the offseason. However, they need superstar, centerfielder Matt Kemp to have a comeback season. While Yasiel Puig sparked their season, he still has a lot to learn about the game. He is relying on talent and making dumb mistakes. Nevertheless, the Dodgers will be a trendy pick to win it all next year.

Grade: A-

2. Arizona Diamonbacks (81-81)

It was an adequate season. First basemen Paul Goldschmidt established himself as a superstar. Patrick Corbin was sensational as their ace this season. With those pillars, they can move forward and develop their other prospects.

Grade: B

3. San Francisco Giants (76-86)

The Giants were the reverse Red Sox. They went from first to mediocre. Nevertheless, they won 2 out of last 3 World Series before this season. As such, they get a pass for a putrid season.

Grade: F

4. San Diego Padres (76-86)

The Padres continue the rebuilding process. They have some promising, young players but they have yet to develop. Chase Headley fell back to Earth this season but he should still be someone who is an attractive trade piece.

Grade: D

5. Colorado Rockies (74-88)

Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki lead a very good offense. Michael Cuddyer won the batting title. The Rockies have good position players. However, it is always difficult to assemble a pitching staff for Coors Field. They have a couple of promising young pitchers in the rotation with Jhoulsys Chacin and Jorge De La Rosa. It should be interesting if they decide to put their top shortstop, Tulowtizki, on the trade block soon.

Grade: D

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