When all of the teams headed down South for spring training a lot of people expected the National League East to be the best division in the NL. The All Star game will be taking place in New York in a few short days and the NL East has been anything but the best division. The NL Central clearly has the most competition. One of the main reasons the East isn’t so scary this year is due to how disappointing the Washington Nationals have been. To this point in the season their current record is 47-46. A lot of experts had this Nationals team winning over 105 games and that is not going to be the case this year.
Regardless of how well or not well the East has been this year; there is a lot of great talent putting on a show every single night. This brought to mind what the All Star team would look like if the NL East was the only team in the NL. Below is the nine players who would be starting the game along with a starting pitcher and two closers. We will start by showing what the batting order would look like, followed by a more in depth look at why the player who has chosen deserves the spot.
NL East All Star Batting Order
1. Ben Revere, Philadelphia Phillies
2. Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
3. David Wright, New York Mets
4. Domonic Brown, Philadelphia Phillies
5. Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves
6. Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves
7. Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
8. Ian Desmond, Washington Nationals
NL East All Star Pitching Staff
Starter: Matt Harvey, New York Mets
Closer 1: Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves
Closer 2: Rafael Soriano, Washington Nationals
As you can see above; the Phillies, Nationals and Braves all have three members representing their teams. The Marlins failed to have anyone make the team mainly because Giancarlo Stanton hasn’t put up the numbers that he was expected to at this point. Marcell Ozuna also is having a decent year for the Marlins but other outfielders were more deserving of the spot. Finally, the Mets; for the second year have the National League starting pitcher. Fan favorite Wright also made the ball club and should receive a very warm ovation on Tuesday night.
Catcher: Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves
Sure, he has only played in 53 games this year and some people would say that he is not deserved because of the lack of games he has played in. I get it, kinda like the old Yasiel Puig All Star vote discussion people would argue that he just hasn’t played enough. The only reason I would disagree is because how good McCann has been playing after a slow first couple of weeks back. He is clearly the best catcher in the NL East with a batting average of .291 and 12 home runs to go with 31 RBIs. He has been the hottest hitter in baseball over the past two weeks and has the 11th best batting average in the NL in the past 30 games. He did not get picked for the actual All Star game due to how well Yadier Molina has played this season but when it comes to the East he is the runaway favorite.
First Baseman: Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves
The world showed its love for Freeman in the recent fan vote as he beat out Puig while receiving 19.7 million votes. This is the most final votes ever since the new voting system was put into place. Freeman has been the one consistent hitter in an otherwise streaky Braves lineup this season. His batting average is .308 and he has nine home runs along with 61 RBIs. His 61 RBIs is the eighth most in the National League and the third most of any NL first basemens.
Second Baseman: Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
After a 2012 season that had Utley play in only 83 games some people thought that he would not be the same hitter and fielder. He has rebounded nicely though and is looking like the best second basemen in the East. He is batting .271 with 11 home runs and 30 RBIs. His 11 long balls is already as many as he had in 2012 and 2011. Utley could be on the move from the Phillies as his contract is coming to an end and the second base position is very thin. He is the clear leader of this ball club and if he is traded will bring veteran leadership and a positive attitude to whatever club he joins.
Shortstop: Ian Desmond, Washington Nationals
After a 2012 season where Desmond proved he could swing it with the best of them, a lot of people thought Desmond would perform even better this season. That hasn’t been the case yet but he is still playing well. His .277 batting average is the highest of all shortstop in the East. He also has hit 15 home runs and driven in 49 men. He is on pace to surpass his 25 home runs of 2012 but is also on pace to surpass his strikeout rate. Andrelton Simmons has played decent this year as well but it is clear that Desmond has been the better of the two.
Third Baseman: David Wright, New York Mets
The deserved third baseman won the vote this year. Wright is well deserving of this spot and it makes it even better that it is in New York. He is batting over .300 at a mark of .306 with 13 home runs and 44 RBIs. Wright has far and beyond proved to be the best third basemen in the NL to this point in the season. Obviously there is a guy over in Detroit who is the best third basemen overall but Wright will take what he can get. He is also the captain of the NL home run derby as he was critiqued for making some interesting picks for his derby team.
Left Fielder: Domonic Brown, Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies had been waiting a few years to see what Brown would shape into and so far in 2013, I think it is everything they wanted and more. He ranks third in the NL for home runs at 23 trailing only Pedro Alvarez and Carlos Gonzalez. His 65 RBIs is the fourth most in the NL and this guy is having what most would call a breakout year. His batting average is also very well at .277 and he has looked extremely confident at the plate. This guy is now 26 years old and surely going into his prime. We could see him starting a lot more All Star games is the next few years and the Phillies have got to be excited to watch his progress over the next few seasons.
Right Fielder: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
Whether you like it or not Harper has turned into one of the biggest names in the baseball world. This guy is always turnt up and plays the game the way it is supposed to be played. Some people believe he should tone it down a bit, especially after his incident with the wall out in right field. His reply to those people is no. He will not tone it down and he will continue to be one of the most electric players in the game. He has a huge following in the baseball world and for good reason. To this point he is batting .274 with 13 home runs and 29 RBIs. Expect those numbers to go up a lot as he was put on the DL for a short time do to a knee injury.
Center Fielder: Ben Revere, Philadelphia Phillies
The ex Minnesota Twin has a new home in Philly and has not been disappointing. He has one of the best gloves in the game today and shows it off on a daily basis. He is also having a decent season with the bat as he is batting .304 with the fourth most stolen bases at 22. He is what you would call the perfect leadoff hitter. He has zero home runs but that is not a big deal as you don’t need your number one hitter to have a lot of pop. He is speedy and a smart baseball player.
Starting Pitcher: Matt Harvey, New York Mets
The surprise pitcher of the year is easily Harvey. He has been dominating since day one and rightfully deserves the starting pitching spot. For 24 years old it is crazy to think how good this kid is. He is currently 7-2 but the most impressive part to his season is his ERA as it sits at a modest 2.35. He has straight fooled kids on the bump this season and he has 147 ks to his name. He has also only walked 28 men. Look for New York to explode with cheers when he is announced on Tuesday night.