4 Real?

 

So we have graduated from 'the NL Central has 5 teams over .500 looking good' to 'the NL East has 4 teams over .500 looking good and also the Mets'. I'll take it.

The Nationals might be the most intriguing team in baseball right now because they're suddenly looking like they're for real, even if logically they're probably another year away. They don't have the pitching yet, they're still trotting Miles Mikolas out there every 5 days. But...they're outhitting virtually everyone in the division right now. I used to think it was just Abrams and Wood, but it's really not. Daylen Lile is still a really ferocious contact guy, and has 8 homers and 37 RBIs. He also has 3 triples, tied with Nasim Nunez, the league leader in stolen bases. Curtis Mead has been extremely helpful in a corner infield spot, with 11 homers and 34 RBIs. Keibert Ruiz is actually having a pretty nice run, with a .280 average, a .783 OPS and 29 RBIs. I was fearing Ruiz had hit his ceiling but he's still got some pop to work with.

And now, suddenly...and I could be wrong on this...I think Dylan Crews might be taking off finally. He's got 5 homers and 16 RBIs in 28 games. It's not pretty, and he still strikes out too much, but he's showing more life than he did before. As I'm writing this he already has another RBI against the Phillies. If they get him working, which is still kinda a long shot but still possible, that could be pretty cool. I dunno when Brady House or Robert Hassell will be fully ready but that could also be a nice aspect if this team continues to build. There's still one or two pieces that feel a bit replacement level, Jose Tena and Jorbit Vivas chief among them. But they're much closer than they were to a really intimidating roster.

And again...I've had the thought of 'what if it happens this year??' Cause they genuinely have been a match for some great teams, and have had outrageous showings against the Braves, Mariners, Padres, Orioles and Guardians. The thing about the rotation is that even if they lack a wow factor ace, a Chris Sale or Paul Skenes type, they have some efficient guys that aren't unreliable as much as they're unlucky. Zack Littell is 6-6, and has a number of really strong starts under his belt, but the rough ones just outweigh them right now. Cade Cavalli has a really strong upside but his ERA's just over 4. Andrew Alvarez is young and a bit untested but he's been pretty stable in his last few starts. Foster Griffin is the surest thing on this team, and even if he's not, like, unbeatable, the Merrill Kelly comparisons should honestly be there, because he's completely rebuilt himself and has been really steady in his first season stateside. Efficiency is just the name of the game. Brad Lord, the longman, is efficient as hell, moreso than a lot of starters. Richard Lovelady, Clayton Beeter and P.J. Poulin are just efficient, sturdy relief pieces. It just works, even if it isn't always pretty.

The Nationals, honestly like the Marlins, have enough depth and perks to really stand a chance in the wild card race if things continue at this pace. If not, the Nats will probably be competitive anyway in a year or so, so it all works out.

Coming Tomorrow- One of the best pitchers in the AL. Who knows how long he'll be staying in the AL though.