By: Nathaniel Ascher
The AL East and the NL East are both very exciting divisions in baseball. While the AL East is filled with two of the powerhouses in the game, the NL East comprises of four “win now” teams; the Mets, Braves, Nationals, and Phillies. How do the top dogs of the AL East compare to those of the NL East? Which division is more likely to succeed in October?
The AL East has the biggest rivalry in sports: Yankees vs. Red Sox. Both of these teams are currently championship contenders. After these teams, however, the AL East drops off. The Rays haven’t been as good as they were earlier in the season, and they will have to be big buyers at the trade deadline in order to push themselves in front of the Yankees and Red Sox. The Orioles and Blue Jays, two of baseball’s worst teams, haven’t been much competition for anyone in 2019. Although the AL East contains two of baseball’s best teams, the rest of the division is nothing to be excited about.
The NL East, on the other hand, is one of baseball’s most competitive divisions. The Braves are currently a solid 5.5 games ahead of the Phillies, while the Mets and Nationals are only one game away from each other. The Braves’ young core, including Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuna, and Dansby Swanson have shown up so far in 2019. However, the Mets’ aces, Jacob DeGrom and Noah Syndergaard, have not. The Nationals, who own the MLB’s worst bullpen, need to make moves at the trade deadline in order to get back into the race. The Phillies, who were leading the division earlier in the season, have significantly cooled down as of late, and need their franchise star Bryce Harper to take the lead. And the Mets, whose on field struggles are currently overshadowed by their terrible front office and manager, need a total revamp. Besides offensive powerhouses like Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil, the Mets need to get more production from the rest of their lineup. Their bullpen, which isn’t as bad as the Nationals’, needs one to two more elite arms. Finally, the Marlins, who haven’t been as bad as some expected them to be, are getting quality innings out of Caleb Smith and Jordan Yamamoto. One thing is for certain with this division: the race isn’t over until the playoff bracket is finalized.
Both divisions should be able to make noise in the playoffs. The Yankees and Red Sox both have elite teams. The Rays, if they trade some of their prospects for stars at the deadline, will also be able to make a deep playoff run. The NL East, on the other hand, has four teams who could win the division or be a wild card team: The Mets, Phillies, Braves, and Nationals. Time will tell who pulls out ahead of the rest. The AL East has the teams who have a better chance of making a deep run in the playoffs, while the NL East has more playoff caliber teams. Come October, the playoffs could be filled with AL East and NL East teams. While there, the battle to see which division is the better “East” will be put to the test.
The Beasts, Aaron Judge, Pete Alonso, and J.D. Martinez, all come from the AL and NL East.
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