NL East Power Rankings: Miami Marlins fall down the board, Phillies surge
The Braves have officially created a wide gap between themselves and the next closest team in the NL East.
There are a few teams bunched in the middle of the NL East that are competing for a Wild Card spot.
Let's take a look at our NL East power rankings as we near 100 games into the 2023 season.
5. Washington Nationals
Record: 41-58
Current/Upcoming Series: Colorado Rockies
Previous Rank: 5
Early Season Recap: The Nationals have had a rough year, and that rough year will continue throughout the final 60 games of the season. Not a fun time to be a Washington Nationals fan, but the rebuild will work out at some point.
Who has Played Well: Lane Thomas has had a good season batting .295 with 16 homers and 54 RBIs. He leads the Nats in all major hitting statistics.
4. New York Mets
Record: 46-53
Current/Upcoming Series: New York Yankees
Previous Rank: 4
Early Season Recap: The Mets have had a painful season, drastically underperforming expectations much to the liking of those in the Peach State. It looks like the Mets might blow this thing up at the deadline.
Who has Played Well: Kodai Senga has had a good season on the bump posing a 3.27 ERA and a 7-5 record through 18 starts.
3. Miami Marlins
Record: 54-47
Current/Upcoming Series: Tampa Bay Rays
Previous Rank: 2
Early Season Recap: Opposite from the Mets, the Marlins had been surprised a lot of people around the baseball world. There some hope that the Fish could get a Wild Card spot in the playoffs this season - does Miami's 2-8 record last week show that that hope was misguided?
Who Has Played Well: Luis Arraez's batting average has dropped a little bit, but he is still hitting .379. He has a real shot at putting together one of the best seasons in MLB history if he keeps this up for 60 more games.
2. Philadelphia Phillies
Record: 53-46
Current/Upcoming Series: Baltimore Orioles
Previous Rank: 3
Early Season Recap: The Phillies have turned things around but are still buried in the NL East race. Like the Marlins, the Phillies do have a shot to claim a Wild Card spot if they continue to play like this down the stretch - they're currently only 0.5 games out of the 1st Wild Card spot, although they went only 5-5 out of the All-Star Break.
Who has Played Well: Bryson Stott has turned things on as he is batting .304, which gives him the eighth-best batting average in the MLB. The young second baseman is heating up.
1. Atlanta Braves
Record: 64-34
Previous Rank: 1
Current/Upcoming Series: Boston Red Sox
Early Season Recap: The Braves are the best team in baseball, and their record proves that. The key for the Braves is to stay healthy and prepare to make a run to the World Series.
Who has Played Well: Ronald Acuña Jr. is batting .332, giving him the second-best batting average in the MLB. I feel very confident saying that Acuña Jr. will win the NL MVP when this season comes to an end.
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