The Atlanta Braves are still one of baseball's elite teams. With a great lineup and still strong starting pitching this is still a dominant team. Greg Maddux is again the team's ace after winning a team high 19 last year. Tom Glavine has always been a dominating pitcher despite the fact that he doesn't have an overpowering fastball. He led the Braves in wins with 20 last season and is the 3rd winningest pitcher in the game today. John Smoltz, coming off shoulder surgery, should be ready to return about 2 months into the season. A healthy Smoltz should mean another playoff appearance for the Braves. Kevin Millwood has tremendous potential but pitched poorly for much of the 2000 season. John Burkett is one of the best 5th starters in baseball and is very reliable. In the bullpen John Rocker brings 95 mph heat with him when he takes the mound. Kerry Lightenberg, the team's closer in 1998, is dependable. Odalis Perez and Jason Marquis are pitchers who, in middle relief, will play a major role in the success of the Atlanta Braves. The Braves have a deep lineup to go with their great rotation. 1b Rico Brogna, acquired in the offseason, brings a 100 RBI past with him from Philadelphia. If Brogna can produce like he did in Philly the loss of Andres Galarraga won't be felt as much. 2b Quilvio Veras bring speed and a good bat to the table as the leadoff hitter. SS and 2000 Rookie of the Year Rafael Furcal has great speed, hits for average, and can field as well as almost anyone. 3b Chipper Jones, the 1999 National League Most Valuable Player, dominates his position. C Javy Lopez is one of the most complete catchers in baseball. The outfield is also excellent. LF B.J. Surhoff, acquired from Baltimore around the trade dealine in 2000, is a solid hitter with experience. RF Brian Jordan, a former Atlanta Falcon, has always been known to be a good RBI man and has good speed and a capable arm. CF Andruw Jones is the best fielding center fielder in baseball (including Ken Griffey Jr.) and showed it last season, winning a Gold Glove award. He also is one of the best hitters in the game and can change a game with one swing of the bat.
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The Florida Marlins are a young and improving team. Starting pitching will be a key to their success. Alex Fernandez, often injured, is potentially the ace of their young rotation if he can remain healthy. Ryan Dempster, an All Star last season in just his 2nd season in the majors, could be a huge factor this season. Brad Penny is a future standout who throws a 96 mph fastball. Chuck Smith is another young pitcher who could either lead the team's drive to a winning record or could be another symbol of a losing franchise. A.J. Burnett (who pitched a No Hitter vs. San Diego in May) and Vladimir Nunez fill out the Marlins' rotation. Closer Antonio Alfonseca was near the top of the National League saves standings and could get many more opportunities with the improved marlins pitching staff. The Marlins also have a lineup filled with potential. 1b Derrek Lee has power. 2b Luis Castillo is a threat on the basepath and hits for a high average. SS Alex Gonzalez is one of the best fielders at his position but must learn to hit for a higher average. 3b Mike Lowell, a former top prospect of the Yankees, has the potential to be a cornerstone for the franchise. C Charles Johnson returns to the team that he helped win the 1997 World Series and brings with him a productive bat and an excellent arm. In the outfield, Cliff Floyd and Preston Wilson are the standouts. Wilson, the runnerup for Rookie of the Year in 1999, hit over 30 HR's, stole over 30 bases, and drove in over 100 runs last season. Floyd has excellent protection in the lineup due to the presence of Wilson and should be given the opportunity to drive in a lot of runs because of the presence of Castillo at the top of the lineup. LF Mark Kotsay has the potential to be a strong player.
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The Montreal Expos are an improved ballclub. With good young starters and emerging offensive stars this is a club to watch. Javier Vazquez, who went 9-8 with the Expos a year ago, returns and looks like he has the potential to be a star. Tony Armas Jr. also has the look of a future ace. Hideki Irabu has to prove that he can be an effective pitcher like he was for the Yankees in stretches in 1998 and 1999. Britt Reames and Mike Thurman are 2 young pitchers who also have the potential to be productive. Scott Strickland, the closer for most of last season, is now in the setup role and will look to thrive there. Graeme Lloyd, who missed all of last season, will look to have a productive year. Closer Ugueth Urbina is one of the best in the game and had 41 saves last year for the Expos. The linep is young and talented. 1b Lee Stevens is a powerful hitter. 2b Jose Vidro is one of the best hitters in the National League and made the All Star team last season. SS Orlando Cabrera has a lot of potential. 3b Fernando Tatis, acquired from the Cardinals in the Dustin Hermanson trade, brings a big bat and, if healthy, will hit around 30 home runs. C Mike Barrett will look to get back to the form that made him one of the Expos most promising players back in 1999. The star of the team is RF Vladimir Guerrero, who had a stellar season. He is a true 5 tool player - he is gifted with power, speed, a great arm and every other attribute that makes a great player. He is one of the best all around players in the game as he also has a great arm. LF Milton Bradley and CF Peter Burgeron as a pair of young players who could turn into solid players.
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The 2000 National League New York Mets are one of the best teams in baseball. They have a talented offense and solid pitching. Al Leiter is one of the best left handed pitchers in baseball. Rick Reed has great control and is a good 3rd starter. Glendon Rusch, a surpise for the rotation, has been solid this year. Newly acquired Kevin Appier is a solid pitcher who consistently wins around 15 games. Steve Traschel will be the weak link in the rotation and the Mets will struggle when he pitches. However, the bullpen is very deep. Dennis Cook and former closer John Franco are solid lefties. Turk Wendell and Pat Haholmes form a good righty duo. Closer Armando Benitez, who set a Mets single season record for saves, dominated hitters last season by allowing a hit every 2 innings and striking out more than 1 per inning. The offense is also strong. C Mike Piazza is an MVP candidate who always hits over 40 home runs, drives in over 100 runs, and hits over .300. 1b Todd Zeile provided the Mets with a reliable glove and pretty good power last season. 2b Edgardo Alfonzo is one of the best at his position and again made the All Star team to back up the claim. SS Rey Ordonez has to show signs of improvement at the plate, although his great glove makes him valuable. 3b Robin Ventura has a great glove but struggled at the plate in 2000. However, he will look to bounce back in a big way this year. The outfield is a weakness. CF Jay Payton is clearly the team's best outfielder. LF Benny Agbayani has come up with big hits to make his bid to start every day. RF's Darryl Hamilton and Shinjo are capable players but lack home run power.
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The Philadelphia Phillies are a talented team. They have a solid staff and a good lineup. Robert Person is the best pitcher on the staff and will benefit from the high strike zone. Randy Wolf, who led the team in wins last season, could be a big surprise for the Phillies. Omar Daal, who lost 19 games last season but won 16 the year before for Arizona, most return to his 1999 form in order for the Phillies to have a chance to win big. Bruce Chen and Cliff Politte round out what figures to be a suspect rotation. In the bullpen, the Phillies brought in Jose Mesa, who once saved over 50 games for Cleveland, to close games. In recent years Mesa has struggled, so the Phillies see the signing of Ricky Bottalico as insurance. The offense has a lot of young talent. C Mike Lieberthal had a great year in 1999, hitting .300 with 31 HR and 96 RBI. He could easily match those numbers this season. 2b Marlon Anderson has a lot of potential. SS Jimmy Rollins is an exciting offensive player but can be a liablity in the field. 3b Scott Rolen is one of the best in the game and is the star of the Phillies ball club. LF Pat Burrell has the potential to be a very good power hitter and could be a cornerstone of the team in the future. CF Doug Glanville had a great year in 1999 but, like most Phillies, slumped in 2000. RF Bobby Abreu is another tremendous talent. RF Bobby Abreu will try to improve his batting average but has the speed-power combination to be a yearly candidate for the 30-30 club.
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