NL East power rankings a fourth of the way through the 2023 season

The Braves had separated themselves from the pack, but after a rough week of baseball for Atlanta, the race is once again close.

The Philadelphia Phillies found some steam this week, taking five of their last six, and are only five games back from the Braves.

Let's take a look at our NL East power rankings as we are a fourth of the way through the 2023 season.

5. Washington Nationals

Record: 17-23

Current/Upcoming Series: New York Mets

Previous Rank: 5

Early Season Recap: The Nationals are staying right around six games under .500, but I expect them to take a dive to a way worse record the deeper we get into the season. This ball club has a long way to go if they want to get back to relevance in a deep NL East.

Who has Played Well: Josiah Gray had a really good couple of starts over these past few days. The righty has his ERA at 2.96 through eight starts. Gray has a K/9 of 7.9 which is a good number for a starter through eight starts.

4. Miami Marlins

Record: 20-21

Current/Upcoming Series: Off Day then Washington Nationals

Previous Rank: 3

Early Season Recap: The Marlins have stayed right around .500 all season, and that trend didn't change over this past week. I am a little surprised that the Marlins are still in the middle of the race for the East, but I expect them to vanish sooner rather than later, especially with their sudden injury issues (OF Jesus Sanchez and closer AJ Puk to the IL, Jazz Chizholm dealing with turf toe and expected to go to the IL as well)

Who has Played Well: Luis Arraez's batting average dipped over these last few days, but he is still hitting .382, which leads MLB. The left-handed hitting second baseman has had an impressive start to the 2023 season for the Fish.

3. New York Mets

Record: 20-21

Current/Upcoming Series: Washington Nationals

Previous Rank: 2

Early Season Recap: The Mets caught up to the Braves a little bit over this last week but are still floating around the .500 mark, like just about every other team in the division. I still expect the Mets to stay in this race, especially if the Braves can't stay healthy.

Who has Played Well: Brandon Nimmo had a good week for the Mets, raising his batting average ten points to .320. Nimmo is tied for the fifth-best batting average in MLB over forty games into the season.

2. Philadelphia Phillies

Record: 20-20

Current/Upcoming Series: San Francisco Giants

Previous Rank: 4

Early Season Recap: The Phillies had a good week getting themselves back into the race for the East and raising two spots in our power rankings. They have had a few essential pieces return from the IL, including Bryce Harper, which will give this ball club a boost.

Who has Played Well: Nick Castellanos has been playing better lately and has raised his average to .316. This average gives Castellanos the ninth-best average in the MLB. He has also mashed five homers so far this season.

1. Atlanta Braves

Record: 25-15

Previous Rank: 1

Current/Upcoming Series: Texas Rangers

Early Season Recap: The Braves had a rough week, which included a sweep at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays. Injuries to the pitching staff have played a big part in this slide. Despite a rough week, the Braves still have a five-game lead over the next closest challenger in the division...but with the Phillies heating up, the Braves need the pitching staff to heal and quickly.

Who has Played Well: Ronald Acuña Jr. had an outstanding week at the dish raising his batting average eight points to .346. This puts Acuña Jr. right behind Arraez for the second-best batting average in the MLB. The Ronnie for MVP campaign is strong as ever.

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