The National League East has been home to the National League Champions (Philadelphia Phillies) for the last two years. However the division contenders are usually based on who makes the most moves (or spends the most money) not on the young impact players. The Florida Marlins are the one team in the division that regularly puts together a young, competitive team. The Washington Nationals also have young talent though they have not put a semi-successful team together. Even though the Phillies, Atlanta Braves, and NY Mets have relied on veterans, all three teams developed talent that have now become impact players (like Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, David Wright, and Jose Reyes). All three teams also have used young talent to win like Cole Hamels and JA Happ of the Phillies, Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjens of the Braves, and Daniel Murphy and John Maine of the Mets. Despite the division’s reliance on veterans, young talent is needed to keep success sustainable. Here’s a look at some of the division’s breakout players:

Kyle Kendrick

Kyle Kendrick, Philadelphia Phillies (RHP): In 2007, Kendrick was surprisingly brought up to the majors from Double-A Reading. In 20 starts he went 10-4 with a 3.87 ERA. He experienced success quickly, winning 21 games combined in 2007 and 2008. However pitching coach Rich Dubee and manager Charlie Manuel were not happy with his reliance on his sinker. Kendrick was brought to the majors as a two pitch pitcher: the sinker and a fastball, and had yet to truly develop secondary pitches. So in 2008, he was sent back to the minors and was left off the playoff roster.

During the 2009 spring training, Dubee continued to offer unsolicited criticism of the struggling Kendrick. Kendrick was struggling to control his emotions on the mound, ala Cole Hamels. Thus he was sent to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start the season. He went 9-7 with a 3.34 ERA in 24 starts with a .250 batting average against. When Kendrick returned to Philadelphia, he seemed to be a new pitcher. His mentality on the mound surprised all and Kendrick was on the playoff roster. In September, he was 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA while striking out 11 and only walking 3 in 18.1 innings of work.

2010 is a new year for Kendrick. This spring, he is receiving praise from Dubee. “Kyle Kendrick was very good today…really good.” Kendrick is competing for the fifth starter’s spot with veteran left-hander Jamie Moyer (and Drew Carpenter, Ryan Vogelsong, and Jose Contreras). Kendrick worked out this offseason in Florida and is in great shape. He has added a cutter and a slider while refining his change-up. Manuel said that Kendrick now has a “Major League slider”. He is workout partners this spring with newly acquired ace Roy Halladay, which should be beneficial.

“It’s easy to get into the big leagues: it’s hard to stay in the big leagues. That’s what Kyle experienced,” Dubee said. “He has an understanding of what he needs to do to stay in the big leagues now.” If Kendrick wins the fifth starter’s spot, he will be an integral part of the Phillies run at another title.

Tags:

Kyle Kendrick, National League East, Philadelphia Phillies

There are two innings-eating starters left on the market. Both should find employment in 2010 due to their veteran leadership and ability to go out and take the ball every fifth day. Braden Looper settled back into the starter’s role while with the Milwaukee Brewers after starting and relieving while with the St. Louis Cardinals. Despite a winning record (14-7), 2009 was Looper’s worst year. He posted a 5.22 ERA in 34 starts (194.2 innings) and allowed 39 homeruns. He also walked 64 while striking out 100. Looper could return to the bullpen as a long man or a middle reliever, which should lead to more suitors.

Livan Hernandez with the Nats

Livan Hernandez has been an innings-eater since coming into his own in 1997 as he helped the Florida Marlins win the World Series. For his size, Hernandez is a very good athlete as he routinely takes ground balls in the infield during batting practice. He fields his position well and is a decent hitting pitcher. He is considered to have a rubber arm so he will pitch every fifth day. In 2009, he struggled with both the NY Mets and the Washington Nationals. He combined to go 9-12 with a 5.44 ERA in 31 starts (183.2 innings) with two complete games. He walked 67 while striking out 102 and he gave up more than 200 hits. Hernandez and his agent sent the Nationals a proposal back in December about his desire to return to Washington. He is one player who never wanted to leave the Montreal Expos/Nationals organization. It will be interesting to see if he pigeon-holed himself by stating his desire to play for one team.

Chan Ho Park with the Phillies

Chan Ho Park joined the Philadelphia Phillies in 2009 with the hopes of being one of their five starting pitchers. He won the job over rookie JA Happ but pitched poorly in seven starts. Park moved into the bullpen (with Happ moving into the rotation) and thrived in a bullpen that struggled through injuries and inconsistencies all season. Though he was bitten by the injury bug, Park made 38 appearances, going 2-2 with a 2.52 ERA. He did not allow a homerun and walked just 16 while striking out 52. He was a major reason why the Phillies advanced to their second straight World Series. Starting has always been his preference but he excelled in the bullpen so the options should be out there. He wanted to return to the Phillies, but GM Ruben Amaro would rather spend the money on new third baseman Placido Polanco, new starter Roy Halladay, and starting pitcher Joe Blanton. Park has been replaced in the pen by Danys Baez (who has not had a good year since 2005 with Tampa Bay).

Chien-Ming Wang won 19 games in both 2006 and 2007 while with the NY Yankees. However the injuries mounted in the last two seasons, resulting in just 27 total appearances (24 starts). He would be a high-risk, high-reward player as in you could offer him a contract with incentives and he could regain his CY Young-caliber form if healthy. So the Nationals listened to new reliever Brian Bruney and signed Wang today with a news conference coming on Friday to disclose the terms and make the official announcement.

Tags:

Braden Looper, Chan Ho Park, Chien-Ming Wang, Livan Hernandez, Milwaukee Brewers, NY Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals

Jarrod Washburn with Seattle

There are quite a few veteran starting pitchers on the free agent market. One, Mark Mulder, has decided to retire instead of trying to make it back to the majors on a minor league deal. Injuries had derailed Mulder’s career since he was one of the Big 3 dominating with the Oakland A’s. Left-hander Jarrod Washburn had had a dominant career with the Seattle Mariners. He went 8-6 with a 2.64 ERA in 20 starts in 2009 before being traded to the Detroit Tigers to help their playoff run. However Washburn completely fell apart with the Tigers, partly due to a gimpy knee, posting a 7.33 ERA in 8 starts. At 35 years old, Washburn has had few teams interested and his horrendous second half may be the reason why. Many wonder which Washburn will show up in 2010 and many are not offering long-term deals. He reportedly turned down a 1 year, $5 million offer from the Minnesota Twins. Washburn has stated that he would return to Seattle in a heartbeat and negotiations have been underway. He has made a point to say that he is in no hurry to sign because he does not like spring training anyway. Washburn believes that retirement is an option because he does not need the money to play. The team must be a perfect fit for him and his family and since he still has a home in Seattle and loved his time there, the Mariners may be the fit.

Pedro Martinez in Lehigh Valley

Pedro Martinez is in an interesting position. Last year, he was dazzling in the World Baseball Classic for the Dominican Republic, yet he still did not receive any serious offers until midseason. After signing with the Philadelphia Phillies in July and going through the minor leagues for seasoning, Pedro dominated until he seemed to run out of gas in the World Series. Pedro went 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA in 9 starts (44.2 innings) with the Phillies. He walked just eight while striking out 37. He was also dominant against the LA Dodgers in the NLCS. Many believe that Pedro no longer has the stamina to complete a full Major League season so he most likely will be a hot commodity at midseason. He proved in 2009 that he still can pitch competitively without the blazing fastball. The Phillies remain interested in bringing Pedro back, especially if the fifth starter falters.

John Smoltz with St. Louis

John Smoltz found very few takers after his release from the Boston Red Sox as he pitched poorly as a starter with them (2-5 with an 8.33 ERA in 8 starts though he did not walk many: 9BB/33K). The St. Louis Cardinals took a chance and he pitched much better (1-3 with a 4.26 ERA in 7 starts with 9BB/40K). Now with just two days before pitchers must report to spring training, Smoltz sill has not signed. Smoltz is interested in returning to St. Louis but he may be in the same situation as Pedro. At his age (43), he may be best suited to sign at midseason and help with a team’s playoff pitch if he chooses to remain a starter. If he decides to return to the bullpen, teams may be more interested because almost every team needs a veteran reliever. Smoltz will not be the All-Star closer he was with the Atlanta Braves, but I am sure he can help some team in 2010.

Tags:

Detroit Tigers, Jarrod Washburn, John Smoltz, Mark Mulder, Pedro Martinez, Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals

Justin Verlander

Can the SF Giants or Detroit Tigers afford to go to an arbitration hearing with Tim Lincecum and Justin Verlander? If the two teams do, they will break the bank. Then they will have to go through it all over again next year. Why not sign the two aces to extensions to avoid what comes with an arbitration hearing? Verlander, the Tigers ace and American League strikeout leader, has said that the Tigers have not approached him about a long-term deal so he is prepared for an arbitration hearing where he is requesting $9.5 million but the Tigers have only offered $6.9 million. The Tigers are said to want to reach a one-year agreement to avoid arbitration before discussing a long-term deal, which would be a similar strategy they used with first baseman Miguel Cabrera. If the case reaches arbitration, Verlander may win, considering Boston’s closer Jonathon Papelbon signed a one-year deal worth $9.35 million. If no long-term deal is reached, Verlander will become a free agent in two years and he will go to the highest bidder (think Yankees or Red Sox).

Tim Lincecum

Lincecum’s case is intriguing and he will most likely win if it goes to a hearing. Lincecum is special, just as Ryan Howard’s case was special when he was awarded the most lucrative arbitration contract ($10 million) because no one has put up the numbers he has so far in his career. Lincecum is special because he has won back-to-back CY Young awards in the National League in just his first three years. Lincecum made just $650,000 in 2009 and is asking for $13 million, while the Giants are offering $8 million. In his two CY Young seasons, Lincecum is 33-12 with a 2.55 ERA overall in those two years. He is 40-17 with a 2.90 ERA overall in his career. Why wouldn’t the Giants want to lock Lincecum up to a long-term deal? Both sides would want to avoid arbitration because the hearing will just be a bashing of both sides (think Lincecum’s drug arrest and how Lincecum is the face of the franchise). Lincecum has three more years of arbitration before he becomes a free agent. By the end of his arbitration years, Lincecum could be making around $20 million a year. It would be beneficial for both sides to sign an extension and then Giants could keep one of the game’s best pitchers in San Francisco.

A few teams have done this with their aces, as the Seattle Mariners locked up Felix Hernandez for five years and the Florida Marlins locked up Josh Johnson for four years. Both young aces are the faces for the future of their respective organizations. The Philadelphia Phillies also locked up two players, starting pitcher Joe Blanton and centerfielder Shane Victorino for three years each. The deal for the Flying’ Hawaiian makes sense because he is an integral part of the Phillies offense and defense. The Blanton extension is a little confusing because he is only a number four starter and really only pitches well in the second half. Blanton is going to be receiving a lot of money when the Phillies could have just kept left-handed starter Cliff Lee.

Tags:

Detroit Tigers, Felix Hernandez, Florida Marlins, Joe Blanton, Josh Johnson, Justin Verlander, Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners, SF Giants, Shane Victorino, Tim Lincecum

Roy Halladay

The Philadelphia Phillies coveted Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay in 2009, but the price tag was too high. The Blue Jays were rumored to want lefty pitcher JA Happ, top prospect pitcher Kyle Drabek, and an outfielder from Domonic Brown, Michael Taylor, and Anthony Gose. While Drabek, Brown, and Gose were top prospects in the Phillies minor league system, Taylor was having an All-Star season in the minors, and Happ was headed for ROY honors. At the July trading deadline, GM Ruben Amaro did not want to give up the Phillies future. Instead of acquiring Halladay, Amaro pulled the trigger on a deal for the reigning American League CY Young winner Cliff Lee (and outfielder Ben Francisco). In exchange, the Cleveland Indians received four prospects in infielder Jason Donald, catcher Lou Marson, and pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Jason Knapp. Lee’s dominance with the Phillies helped carry them to a second straight World Series.

Kyle Drabek at the Future's Game

However the Phillies still coveted Halladay. In the second blockbuster trade of the offseason, the Phillies acquired Halladay and sent Drabek, Taylor and top catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud to the Blue Jays. Sure the Phillies received some money in this deal (whereas over the summer Toronto was not offering cash) along with a proven winner, but I thought that they were not going to give up the future.  Drabek could have slid into Joe Blanton’s slot in 2011 and d’Arnaud would replace Carlos Ruiz. The move of Taylor was a good one (especially for him) because the Phillies have an abundance of quality outfielders.

In order to try and salvage the farm system, Amaro traded Lee to the Seattle Mariners, acquiring prospects in pitcher Phillippe Aumont, outfielder Tyson Gillies, and pitcher JC Ramirez. The Mariners got a quality arm to team with young ace Felix Hernandez, giving them the top 1-2 combo in the AL. The Phillies received three prospects, none of whom are proven but all have talent. I’m not sure if they compare with what the Phillies gave up.

In the final piece of the deal, the Blue Jays dealt Taylor to the Oakland A’s for coveted corner infield prospect Brett Wallace. Taylor now has a chance to win the starting leftfielder job with the A’s. The Blue Jays received a power hitting corner infielder (which they needed), a catching prospect (which they needed), and one of the top young arms in minor league baseball. If they all produce like they are expected, the Blue Jays will have made out well.

If the Phillies had to have Halladay, they should have made the deal in July of 2009 because they gave up just as much now. Making the deal now, I would have liked to see them keep Lee too. Their rotation is a bit inconsistent so having them both would have solidified it. Amaro said that money was the main reason to trade Lee, but with yet another ticket price hike at Citizens Bank Park, money will be rolling in. Plus they could have traded Blanton (who is set to make almost as much as Lee in 2010) though they wouldn’t have received three prospects like they did for Lee.

With Halladay’s enormous salary, along with the other stars, it is unlikely that the Phillies will re-sign All-Star rightfielder Jayson Werth for 2011, though top prospect Brown could be ready to take over. After the 2011 season, Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, Jimmy Rollins, and Ryan Howard will become free agents. So the Phillies could be a cast of unknowns and Roy Halladay. If the Phillies do not win a World Series with Halladay, the deal will be deemed a failure, especially if Lee carries the Mariners to the playoffs and Drabek dominates for the Blue Jays (he’ll be my 2011 ROY pick).

Tags:

Brett Wallace, Cliff Lee, JC Ramirez, Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor, Oakland A's, Philadelphia Phillies, Phillippe Aumont, Roy Halladay, Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, Travis d'Arnaud, Tyson Gillies