Calling the NL East would be an understatement.
The division has the top two starting pitchers in the National League in Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom, against whom the Phillies will face tonight. Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin, Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler … so many poor echelon arms in the division.
Among position players, the Braves have two perennial MVP candidates in Freddie Freeman and Ronald Acuña Jr.
The Nationals have one in Juan Soto. (The division thanks the Angels for signing Anthony Rendon.)
The Phillies have a former MVP in Bryce Harper and one of the best baseball players in JT Realmuto.
The Mets have two exciting newcomers in Pete Alonso, who hit 53 homers last season as a rookie, and Jeff McNeil, who has hit .319 in 882-record appearances since debuting in 2018.
Who is the best player in the NL East?
Jim Salisbury (Insider of Phillies)
There is no right or wrong answer to this question. You could go with Freeman, Acuña Jr., Soto, Realmuto, Harper, Scherzer or deGrom and not be wrong. If I built a team in the long run, I would go with Acuña or Soto. If I had to win a game right now, I would go with it deGrom. In an era of small parks, spicy stretch zones, rocky hard bats and baseballs flying like Titleists, he has won the National League Cy Young Award the last two seasons. He regularly hits 200 innings and 240-plus strikeouts. I think most of my colleagues will go with offense; I’ll go with what stops offending – start with pitching – and someone who does it right.
Ricky Bottalico (Analyst of Phillies Pre / Postgame Live)
No-brainer: Soto. A perfect swing from home. Doesn’t work out much. He missed the start of the season, but doesn’t even look a bit influenced by time away. He hit .414 with five home runs and 10 RBIs in just eight games. He is 21 years old with a long career ahead.
Corey Seidman (Phillies writer, Pre / Postgame analyst)
Even though Freeman is still probably the more feared hitter, I agree Acuña, which I had a bit of for Soto and Freeman for his skill set with five tools. Acuña can do it all – hitting close to .300, hitting power, running, fielding, throwing. Last season he hit 41 homers, rode in 101 runs and led the NL with 37 stolen bases and scored 127 goals. He hits right on left and right.
He’s not even 23 years old yet, and he’s on one of the best contracts in all of baseball – an eight-year, $ 100 million contract that will pay him just $ 1 million in 2020.
I think Freeman and Soto are a little better overall hitters – Freeman, because the guy just released coupling and Soto, because his selection of records is at the highest level. But the gap is not large enough to ignore the other ways Acuña offers more overall value.
Michael Barkann (live host of Phillies Pre / Postgame)
Do not go with deGrom, Freeman, Acuña Jr. or even Soto. Call me a homer (“you’re a freakin ‘homer!”) But Harper is the man. He came in Thursday night with numbers that would translate to 50 homers and 125 RBIs over an entire season. He has released MVP-type numbers so far this season, then there is his defense and leadership. Number 3 is the answer.
Casey Feeney (producer of Phillies)
In my mind, there are seven players worth considering: Harper, Soto, Scherzer, deGrom, Alonso, Freeman and Acuña Jr.
Because of their daily influence, I tend to go over a pitcher with a position player. Maybe there is bias from seeing him every day, but I would take Harper ahead of the other named position players.
Freeman and Soto are better pure hitters than Harper. Acuña Jr. is a more electric athlete and has perhaps the highest ceiling of any player in baseball. But Harper strikes me as the most complete package of the group. He is also asked to wear a larger degree an otherwise incomplete grid than the other mentioned hitters.
Sean Kane (producer of Phillies Pre / Postgame Live)
There are so many great players in the NL East – several spectator pitchers from Cy Young and MVP-worthy position players. Mar Freeman is the best player in the division. He is definitely the man I would choose for my team first. His skills speak for themselves. He’s one of the best heatsers in baseball, he plays a great first base and he’s a better baserunner than he gets credit for. Most importantly, he sets the standard for the team that sets the standard in the NL-East. He is the undisputed leader of the Braves, both on the field and in the clubhouse. He always plays hard and he always makes the right play. If you are interested in winning baseball games, then Freddie Freeman is your man.
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