Welcome to the third and final installment of NL East Lifers…A list compiled of the players that are mainstays in our great division. We apologize for the hiatus, enjoy…

Silver Status — “NL Easters” (2+ NL East teams, minimum 5 years service)

-Livan Hernandez (Marlins, Expos, Nats, Mets, Braves)- One team shy of riding the NL East carosel full circle. Livan has seemingly pitched forever, but the half brother to El Duque, has put together a pretty impressive career built upon his easy motion and ability to eat up innings. Now 37, he is in the twilight of his career and is somehow still floating around with the Braves. During his 17 year stint in the bigs, Livan has pitched for 9 different teams, notched 2 all star appearences and won a World Series MVP. What may be most surprising is that he has only 15 career errors.

-Jorge Sosa (Braves, Mets, Nats, Marlins)- Jorge Sosa was a guy who had one good year (2005 Braves– 13-3, 2.55 ERA). Outside of that, his defining characteristic was the ability to serve up the long ball. After a promising start with Atlanta, Jorge was shipped off to the Mets during their “suck-something-awful” years and is currently battling for playing time in Japan for the Chunichi Dragons.

-Ryan Church (Expos, Nats, Mets, Braves)- Ryan was a Shea favorite for a while, but his career has been plagued by head injuries. He went down as the official last out at Shea Stadium (good trivia question) and his career has basically all but disintegrated. Concussions suck, sorry bro.

-Luis Ayala (Expos, Nats, Mets, Marlins) – Mets fans know him as a lackluster fill-in closer, but Luis began his career as a quality set-up man when the Nats were still the ‘Spos. Between 2003-2005 he led the NL in holds, but Tommy John would curtail any chance he had of long term success. After the procedure, Luis found a variety of ways to be left off Major League rosters. He has been traded, designated for assignment, released twice, and sent down to the minors.

-Paul LoDuca (Marlins, Mets, Nats)– Paul almost qualifies as a Gold Lifer. Although he started out with the Dodgers, he spent the rest of his career in the NL East with stints on the Marlins (twice), Mets, and Nats. Paul is best remembered as a tremendous contact hitter who played with a true passion for the game. Mets fans loved the fact that he was a Brooklyn boy who didn’t take s*** from anyone.

-Jon Rauch (Expos, Nats, Mets)- Rauch is one big mamma jamma. Standing at 6’11″ he qualifies as the tallest pitcher in Major League history. Rauch is a workhorse with solid statistics as a middle reliever and has a 2000 Olympic Gold Medal to his name. He achieves his NLEaster status from spending 4 years with the Nats and now 1 with the Mets.

-Wes Helms (Braves, Marlins, Phillies)- To be honest, we don’t have much to say about good ol’ Wes. All we know is that he has spent 9 of his 12 Major League years in the NLE. He must like it here…

-Mike Stanton (Braves, Mets, Nats)- Gasoline Mike. Stanton was pretty good with the Yanks, but during his time in the NLE (specifically with the Mets) he had a knack for fueling the fire in the late innings. He liked to keep the game interesting by walking the bases loaded, giving up game tying hits, throwing a million pitches… you know, that sort of thing. But when it was all said and done, Mike had a great career, pitching in 1178 games and winning the WS three times.

-Javier Vasquez (Expos, Braves, Marlins)- Javy had an up-and-down career bouncing around 6 different teams during his 13 years. He had two contracts that the Yankees would like to forget, but had good track records with the Expos and Braves. In 2010, he became one of three active pitchers to beat all 30 MLB teams. Javy has not yet retired, but it’s hard to see him back in the majors. He will most likely pitch for his native Puerto Rico in the next WBC.

-Willie Harris (Braves, Nats, Mets) — Slick Willie tallied a stint in the NLE for three different teams between 2007 and 2011. Harris was a speedy player that could play basically any position. His career numbers were pretty average, but his moment to remember came when he scored the decisive run in the 2005 WS with the ChiSox.

-Greg Dobbs (Braves, Phillies, Marlins) — Greg Dobbs and Wes Helms seem like the same player. Mostly, it’s because there is not much to write about either one. Outside of his three year stint with the Brew Crew, he is a true NLE Lifer, spending a whopping 11 years (both minors and majors) between the Braves, Phillies and Marlins.

-Austin Kearns (Nats, Marlins) — Rat boy as we like to call him (you gotta admit..he looks kinda like a rat), barely makes the list with 5 years combined between the Nats and Marlins. The Reds had high hopes for Rat Boy drafting him 9th overall in the 1998 first year player draft, but he turned into not much more than a fill-in outfielder. His most notable record is being hit three times in a game as a Cleveland Indian…a meaningless achievement he shares with Manny Ramirez.

-Scott Olsen (Marlins, Nats) — Being an ace in his own mind, didn’t exactly translate to reality. Scott is probably best known for getting a black eye from teammate Randy Messenger, calling out Miggy Cabrera for doggin’ a grounder, and getting tasered after fleeing police in a failed attempt to avoid a DUI. His off the field antics and his erratic performances have him struggling for a spot in the White Sox Triple A rotation.

-Luis Castillo (Marlins, Mets)- Luis was an Infield single master and a prototypical #2 hitter. The dude never struck out and could make contact with the best of ‘em. He followed a productive career with the Marlins and Twins with some forgettable years with the Mets and a pop up vs. the Yankees he will NEVER forget.

-Julio Franco (Phillies, Braves, Mets) – It’s hard to say the old man is an NLE Lifer when he started his professional career in 1982 and played for 8 ML teams. In any case, he meets the criteria and deserves the recognition. Julio has had many notable career moments, but we remember him as a great pinch hitter and an unofficial bench coach for both the Braves and Mets. He set many records with his age serving as the sole criteria, but what’s really cool is that he went 24 years between official starts as a 3rd basemen. Julio currently manages the Mets rookie level team in the Gulf Coast League.

-Cliff Floyd (Expos, Marlins, Mets)- The current host of a fantasy baseball program on XM Radio played his way into the hearts of Shea faithful by hitting some monster home runs and catching the division clinching out in 2006. However, his career was hampered by injuries and never quite lived up to his full potential.

-Billy Wagner (Phillies, Mets, Braves)- Billy the kid. Wags can probably still throw gas, but his pin-straight fastball proved to be ineffective after he lost a few MPHs in 2010. Billy saw most of his success with the Astros and Braves but showed he could still dial it up when he notched his 300th career save with Mets in 2006. Billy never reached the WS promiseland, but achieved All-Star status an impressive total of 7 times.

Thanks for reading, be back soon with a new post about the 10 most ridiculous contracts of the 2000s in the NLE.

Be well.

The Brothers verDorn

Follow us on Twitter: @peteverdorn @jbiz2033 @NLEastchatter

We’ve always been fascinated by players that seem to only play on teams in the NL East. That got us thinking– What current players can actually be considered NL East Lifers? You know what we mean…the guys that always pop up against your favorite NLE team, guys you feel like you are always facing, and before you know it they end up logging a stint with your team. In doing a little research we came up with a list of recent guys that are either mainstays of one NLE squad or perpetually resurface within the division. Enjoy this first post in a series of three…

Platinum Grade Lifers
(Current players, 6+ years of service, same team)

You may recognize some of these guys…

-David Wright (Mets)- May not be on this list for much longer, but he better be! The Wilpons might need to find another lucrative ponzi scheme or Flushing could be without their unofficial captain after 2013.

-Mike Pelfrey (Mets)- Now 7 years deep, the Wichita State boy had the best mouthpiece in the bigs, now he’s relegated to the DL with Tommy John. Lick that elbow Mike, it couldn’t hurt.

-Larry “Chipper” Jones (Braves)- ATL legend. 48 career dongs against the Mets, so he named his son Shea. Sigh. We’re sure “LAAAARRRRRY” chants will abound as his video tribute is reluctantly played at Citi Field this year. Hopefully it’s followed by a cordial, but subdued, applause for one of the NL East’s best players. Stay classy Queens…

-Brian McCann (Braves)- He can’t see too well, but doesn’t seem to have a problem hitting. This homegrown talent can’t be denied recognition.

-Martin Prado (Braves)- Super-utility man has logged 8 years for the Bravos. Searching for a position stunted his growth as an everyday player but when he’s in there, he’s dangerous.

-Ricky Nolasco (Marlins)- The all time wins leader in Marlins history. Wait, WHAT!?!? Not a typo, nuff said…

-Josh Johnson (Marlins)- Ace-like stuff, body like Tinman. No one wants to face this gunslinger when he’s 100%

-Annibal Sanchez (Marlins)- The Floridian version of “The Sanchize” has more no-hitters to his credit than anyone in a Mets jersey…ONE! (can you tell what team we root for yet?)

-Jimmy Rollins (Phillies)- JRoll, originator of the skull cap and perpetual Met nemesis has etched his legacy as the NL East’s most consistent SS in the past decade.

-Ryan Howard (Phillies)- The Pedro Cerrano of Philly. An improbable achilles injury during his last AB of 2011 has shelved this power threat for the beginning of 2012. If he comes back healthy, watch out NLE leaderboard.

-Chase Utley (Phillies)- If he gets two artificial knees, he might just be able to play again. Once a 2b fantasy god, because of his power, Chase is looking to resurrect his career in the second half of 2012.

-Cole Hamels (Phillies)- “Fake” tough dude. Plunking phenom Bryce Harper didn’t garner many popularity votes for the Philadelphia lefty, but he’s on pace for a stellar season.

-Kyle Kendrick (Phillies)- Seemingly traded to Japan, but somehow manages to make the list…in our opinion, he won’t make the next one.

-Ryan Zimmerman (Nats)- David Wright’s former AAU teammate has superstar potential and numbers, when he’s healthy. Caveat being when he’s healthy, which is rare. If he stays on the field he could live up to his contract in ways that current NL-Easters Jayson Werth and Jason Bay can’t.

This is just one installment of the NL East for Life series, we dig deeper and get dirtier in the next two…stay tuned.

Feel free to respond with your suggestions.

In the meantime, enjoy the the most competitive division in the majors.

-Brothers verDorn

On Twitter: @peteverdorn and @jbiz2033

Except for very brief moments in New York Baseball history, the New York Met have always been the loveable losers.  And going into this season, surrounded by the ownerships problems, losing Jose Reyes and the possibility of David Wright starting his last season as Met, this season had little hope.  But something has changed with this team.  Their is a personality to the club that all baseball lovers can sense.  They are winning.

Now I know, it is not even June, but if I told you the New York Mets would be 2 games out of first with a 26 and 21 record on May 26th, you would of told me I was homer and out of my mind.  But they are and with a couple of moves, they might not be going anywhere.

Now the NL East is actually is actually the toughest division at the moment.  The Nationals, who are in first, hold only a 4 game lead over the last place Phillies.  That’s right, the Nationals are in first, the Mets and Braves are in second and in both wild card spots, and the two paper favorites, Phillies and Marlins, are in last.

If the New York Mets stay as is, they might win 80-85 games.  The heart they show and the solid pitching they have had, could get them to that mark.  David Wright is on his way to a possible MVP season if he can continue and the Mets can continue to show they can play with the big boys.

Sure, a 85 win season would be awesome, and a great step into the future, but why stop there.  The Mets need a righty bat in the outfield with some pop.  Now I know fans don’t want to hear this, but Jason Bay can be that guy.  Not the Bay from Pittsburgh or Boston, but one who can platoon with Kirk and Torres.  One who can pop some home runs for this team and be a leader for the younger guys on the bench.

Other than just one bat, the Mets need another starting pitcher.  The loss of Pelfrey has hurt this club, but in reality, they need a bonafide number two or three starter.  If the Wilpons can give Alderson any money, and let him make a trade, this Mets team could have one of the top pitching staffs in their league.

And lastly, the Mets need a dominant bullpen arm.  Someone who can take those 7th and 8th innings and just shut them down.  I am okay with Francisco closing, and Rauch and Parnell in the pen.  But need that one arm who is just unhittable.  I am not sure they can find that or its available, but they need to get someone in that pen to help if they want to compete all year.

Even without those moves, the Mets will make this season an exciting one.  They are taking on the personality of their never say die manager.  If they could ever get Ike Davis hitting, and then get Bay back and another starter, they would be a very dangerous team to contend with.

Much like the rest of the MLB this year, the NL East has been rather unpredictable. With the Mets over achieving, the Nationals’ impeccable pitching and the Phillies’ lack luster start, there is a lot to think about after the first 40 plus games. Let’s run down the division and give a look at where the teams stand and where they might end up.

Atlanta Braves: The Braves started the season sluggishly. They began by getting swept by the Mets and finished the first week of the season 2-4. After that, they were able to rebound and work their way to 6 games over .500,  where they currently sit one game in back of the division leading Nationals.

Pleasant Surprise: At age 40 and after announcing his plans to retire at the end of the season, the expectations for  Chipper Jones were probably a little lower than they have been in the past. After 101 at bats Jones is the owner of a solid .307 BA with 5 HR and 24 RBIs. If he can keep this up all year there may not be a need to retire come seasons end.

Solid Starters: Brandon Beachy and Tommy Hanson both have five wins in the season’s early going. While the rest of the rotation has had its ups and downs Beachy and Hanson have been as good as advertised, between the two of them they have pitched 118.2 innings with a 2.42 ERA. Tim Hudson also deserves an honorable mention for his stellar start as well, garnering a 3-1 record with a 3.03 ERA.

Where they finish: As of right now I see the Braves ending the year at 84-78 and competing for the final NL Wildcard spot.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sorry everyone for the redundancy and for the lack of content.  I am having a lot of trouble finding new things to write about and do them first to put content up, and obviously more importantly…needing writers.  Again, were still looking for writers, or creators of blogs for all NL East teams.  Please contact me at mrose@nleastchatter.com and we will consider anyone!  One thing I must warn though, unfortunately this is not a paid job.  I am fine with people using this as a springboard, but although we have some advertising $$, I can’t pay. Obviously if we can really turn this around, that can change.

thanks for the support!

MRose

Hello all, still trying to figure things out over here.

My last chance is  I do have some advertising $$ I haven’t used and have from 3 years of running this site, so any recommendations are great.  As always, if you’d like to write for us… contact info is below!

Thanks and if you are interested again in writing for NLEC or about any of the blogs involved, please email me mrose@nleastchatter.com or find me on twitter @nleastchatter Thanks

Hello to my (tens of?) readers.  I’ve been trying to get NLEC to catch on for almost 3 years now.  I’ve had some good runs and some good writers, but overall, no real success. The domain is registered for a little while more, but I get no bites no new writers and as one person simply don’t have the time to post a ton of stuff. I’ll make one final plea for writers, but I’m not sure what will come of this site.

Thanks and if you are interested again in writing for NLEC or about any of the blogs involved, please email me mrose@nleastchatter.com or find me on twitter @nleastchatter Thanks

Once again, I’ll make a plea, and maybe with the season beginning things will change.

I’m still looking for some writers to write about just about anything NL East related. If you’d like to write specifically about a team, we have Centerfield Gate for the Nats and Phillies Phandom for the Phillies.  If you are Braves or Marlins fan, we can create a whole new blog!

I’d like to give this another go and please shoot me a line with contact below if interested. Thanks!

Contact me at mrose@nleastchatter.com or on twitter @nleastchatter if interested!

Today is opening day for most of the NL East teams, except the Marlins who lost their stadium opener to the Cardinals last night.

On tap today we have the following season openers.  The Mets are the only NL East team with a home opener:
Braves @ Mets 1:10PM EST

Phillies @ Pirates 1:35PM EST

Nats @ Cubs 2:20PM EST

At 4:00PM EST the Marlins will play game 2 of their season against the Reds.

We here at NLEC will try to get back to normal posting, but we are still very thin in the help area.  As always, contact us with any requests to be a new writer for us or any of our other blogs.

Enjoy!

sorry for the delay, but life had gotten in the way.  I put up a quick recap over at TRDMB which you can see here.  Additionally, I’m hoping to get some pictures up shortly.  Stay Tuned!