The 2015 Major League Baseball season is less than a month away as the countdown to Opening Day has commenced for all 30 teams in the MLB.
With spring training already underway, it's time to look ahead to the 2015 regular season as the sun is set to rise on another MLB campaign after a long winter.
Many teams look different than they did in 2014 after a busy offseason throughout the league and some have made themselves better equipped for possible playoff runs while others may have a long season ahead of them.
In honor of the baseball season drawing near, Sports World News will take a division-by-division approach to previewing the 2015 campaign, starting with the National League East.
The Washington Nationals won the NL East in 2014 for the second time in three seasons, going 96-66 before ultimately falling to the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants in the NLDS in four games. Washington also had a successful campaign in 2012 before once again falling in the first round of the playoffs.
The Nationals seem poised to once again win the division as the team brought in Max Scherzer to add to a solid starting rotation that includes ace Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez and Doug Fister. If healthy, Washington has a deep rotation that could help it shake off its past October demons.
The team also boasts a solid bullpen, anchored by closer Drew Storen.
Washington's lineup is bolstered by 22-year-old outfielder Bryce Harper, third baseman Anthony Rendon and the oft-injured Ryan Zimmerman, who is moving over to first base with the loss of Adam LaRoche (Chicago White Sox).
Harper has had some trouble staying healthy, but he's already made a proclamation that he believes the time has come for Washington to win a World Series. Rendon was third in the league with 111 runs last season while outfielder Jayson Werth is coming off of shoulder surgery after placing fifth in the NL with a .394 on-base percentage in 2014.
There are a lot of reasons to believe the Nationals are equipped for a big run under manager Matt Williams in 2015.
The New York Mets finished tied for second in the NL East last season with a 79-83 record, marking their eighth consecutive campaign without a playoff berth and sixth straight losing season -- tying the club with the Houston Astros for futility over the last six years.
Despite another losing campaign, there is plenty of reason for optimism in New York this season as the Mets have plenty of young arms to turn to in 2015.
It all starts with Matt Harvey, who is slated to return after missing the entire 2014 season due to undergoing Tommy John surgery in October 2013. The Mets lost Zack Wheeler to Tommy John surgery this spring, but they have plenty of depth, including 2014 NL Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom, who went 9-6 with a 2.69 ERA last season for New York.
Asking Harvey to pitch as well as he did in 2013 (2.27 ERA) and asking deGrom to replicate 2014 might be a lot, but New York has no shortage of depth in its pitching corps.
The Mets bullpen also took a step in the right direction in 2014 and will see the eventual turn of Bobby Parnell, who may take back the closing role from Jenrry Mejia.
There is already concern with injuries and a lack of a left-handed arm following Josh Edgin's Tommy John surgery, so the Mets are going to have to plug holes early on. Youngster Rafael Montero, 24, seems to be ticketed for a spot in the bullpen and will be the go-to hurler should another injury bite the rotation.
New York had a quiet offseason, but it brought in Michael Cuddyer to plug the middle of its lineup. Cuddyer hit .332 last season with the Colorado Rockies, but he was limited to just 49 games and will go from playing at nitter-friendly Coors Field to spacious Citi Field and continues to be a health risk.
While the Mets have great pitching, David Wright (career-low eight homers, shoulder injury in 2014) and streaky outfielder Curtis Granderson (.220 average) will need to be more productive. The Mets hope that moving in the wall and brining in Kevin Long as hitting coach will help Granderson, who was under Long's tutelage with the New York Yankees.
New York will also hope Lucas Duda will have another big year after hitting 30 homers last season and that Daniel Murphy, who may begin the season on the DL, will continue to show a knack for hitting.
Terry Collins' club's pitching could carry the Mets a long way in 2015, but they'll need some better production out of the heart of their lineup as well.
The Atlanta Braves finished tied with the Mets with a 79-83 record in 2014, but after a series of offseason moves, it appears the team is beginning to rebuild to get ready for its new stadium in 2017.
The Braves have plenty of key losses heading into this season, most notably outfielders Justin Upton (traded to San Diego Padres) and Jason Heyward (dealt to St. Louis Cardinals) and catcher Evan Gattis (traded to Houston Astros).
Atlanta's most notable additions are outfielders Nick Markakis and Jonny Gomes as well as pitcher Shelby Miller, but it's likely the team will take a big step back in 2015.
Miller is projected as the team's third starter behind ace Julio Teheran and Alex Wood. Teheran was a workhorse last season, ranking third in the NL with 221 innings pitched and tied for third with four complete games.
The Braves already struggled on offense last year, ranking 29th in the MLB in runs scored (573) and have dealt a lot of the key sluggers from their roster, leaving more than a few holes to plug.
Atlanta's lineup is highlighted by first baseman Freddie Freeman, who was second in the NL a season ago with 43 doubles and tied for fourth with a .386 on-base percentage. Freeman also led the Braves with a .288 batting average in 2014.
Atlanta also has some exciting young players including defensively-sound shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who is just 25.
The team could use a bounce-back season from Melvin Upton, who owned loathsome .208 batting average last season and finished with 171 strikeouts, the fifth-highest total in the NL. Upton (foot) may not be ready for the start of the season.
The Braves bullpen is anchored by closer Craig Kimbrel, who led the NL and was second in the MLB with 47 saves last season and finished with a 1.61 ERA.
It could be another long season in Atlanta for manager Fredi Gonzalez's club after the Braves made some moves that make it look as though the team is preparing to rebuild.
The Miami Marlins are coming in on the heels of a 2014 campaign that saw them finish 77-85 and in fourth place in the NL East, marking their 11th straight season without a playoff berth and fifth consecutive losing campaign.
Miami had a busy offseason, adding second baseman Dee Gordon (NL-leading 64 stolen bases and 12 triples in 2014), first baseman Michael Morse and third baseman Martin Prado to their everyday lineup and also inking veteran outfielder Ichiro Suzuki to play a role off the bench.
The Marlins offense centers on hulking outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, who had his MVP candidacy cut short last season when he was hit in the face with a fastball in September, ending his campaign.
Stanton led the entire National League in homers (37), total bases (299) and slugging percentage (.555) despite being limited to 145 games due to the injury and he also added a .288 batting average and 105 RBI. The outfielder was rewarded with a back-loaded record 13-year, $325 million contract following the season.
Gordon is expected to take a leadoff role in Miami's lineup while Morse and Prado are projected to slot fourth and fifth respectively, right behind Stanton. Christian Yelich, who just agreed to a seven-year $49.5 million extension, is slated to bat second.
As for their rotation, the Marlins will be without Jose Fernandez (Tommy John surgery in May 2014) for at least the first half of the year, but they brought in Mat Latos and veteran Dan Haren, who has struggled at times, to try and fill the void.
Henderson Alvarez is also a key part of the starting five after going 12-7 with a 2.65 ERA last season and pitching three shutouts while adding a 1.59 walks per nine innings rate that ranked fourth in the NL. Jarred Cosart figures to be the No. 2 starter behind Latos.
The Marlins bullpen ranked sixth in the league in WAR last season and Steve Cishek will be relied upon to close after he saved 39 games in 2014.
Manager Mike Redmond's team made some nice moves this offseason and while it may not get back to the World Series for the first time since 2003, the Marlins could be on their way to boasting their first winning record since 2009.
The Philadelphia Phillies finished 73-89 for the second straight year last season and in last place in the division, which may be a prelude to what happens this season. The Phillies missed the playoffs for the third consecutive campaign in 2014 and their back-to-back World Series appearances from 2008-09 have become a distant memory while their aging core has mostly stayed intact.
The biggest offseason move for Philadelphia was dealing shortstop Jimmy Rollins to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a pair of minor league pitchers, ending his 15-year tenure with the team. The team also lost Marlon Byrd (Cincinnati Reds) and A.J. Burnett (Pittsburgh Pirates) this offseason as well.
While Philadelphia departed with Rollins, they weren't able to find a trade partner for struggling first baseman Ryan Howard or disgruntled closer Jonathan Papelbon.
Howard is part of the team's aging lineup and led the entire MLB with 190 strikeouts last season while hitting a ghastly .223 in 153 games, though he did finish fourth in the NL with 95 RBI.
When healthy, the heart of the Phillies lineup includes catcher Carlos Ruiz (age 36), second baseman Chase Utley (36), and Howard (35), not exactly players in their prime.
Not everyone on the Phillies is old as leadoff hitter Ben Revere, 26, is coming off of a productive season where he ranked fifth in the NL with a .306 batting average and third with 49 stolen bases. Dominic Brown, 27, who has been the subject of trade rumors throughout his young career, will look to bounce back from an ugly .235/.285/.349 slashline from a year ago.
The rotation still has ace Cole Hamels to hang its hat on despite a lot of trade speculation revolving around him this offseason. Hamels, 31, wasn't moved mainly due to general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.'s ridiculous asking price and he is coming off of a 2014 campaign where he went 9-9 and ranked fifth in the NL with a 2.46 ERA.
The Phillies will be without Cliff Lee, who was placed on the 60-day disabled list earlier this week due to a left forearm strain, and he recently questioned how much he had left in the tank. Philadelphia brought in Aaron Harang this offseason, but its rotation doesn't appear to be menacing apart from Hamels. Chad Billingsley (flexor strain) is also on the DL.
It could be a long season for Ryne Sandberg's group as Philadelphia appears to be poised to miss the playoffs for a fourth straight season.
Here are the Sports World News projected standings for the NL East in 2015:
1) Washington Nationals (97-65)
2) New York Mets (86-76)
3) Miami Marlins (84-78)
4) Atlanta Braves (80-82)
5) Philadelphia Phillies (68-94)
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