NL West

[asianxcore]

Best or worst divison? I say best, all the teams are +.500, and compete with the best teams in the Majors.

[NetNerdsRevenge]

not the best, not the worst.

just there.

[asianxcore]

not the best, not the worst.

just there.
They compete with everyone. Most competitive? Maybe.

[weezer182]

They definitely are the most competitive division. They also arent the worst division either this year. Its going to be a fun race

[Broken Parachute]

Not the best, but certainly one of the most competitive.

[LeftWideOpen]

for christ sake, not this argument again ..this is the same exact bs you used to say the Big Ten was better then the Big East.

The NL West has definitely improved from last year, but they are just beating up on each other so far. Nobody has played that difficult of a schedule and for every team thats played a little above expectations (Colorado, Arizona) there's a team playing below expectations (Dodgers, Padres). Like NetNerd said, I think it isnt the worst either ..it's just average. I don't want to take anything away from it though, because it's DEFINITELY improved. You couldnt get much worse then last year.

Personally, I think it's the NL Central. The Pirates certainly bring it down a bit, but the other teams are all playing as well as they should be or surpassing expectations. I know you are going to point out the Cubs and Astros as having played poorly, but they've actually have better Win/Loss records then they should because they've played tough schedules.

The AL East and AL Central arent far behind either in my opinion. The only problems in those divisions right now are that the Yankees and Indians are playing below expectations.

[asianxcore]

for christ sake, not this argument again ..this is the same exact bs you used to say the Big Ten was better then the Big East.

The NL West has definitely improved from last year, but they are just beating up on each other so far. Nobody has played that difficult of a schedule and for every team thats played a little above expectations (Colorado, Arizona) there's a team playing below expectations (Dodgers, Padres). Like NetNerd said, I think it isnt the worst either ..it's just average. I don't want to take anything away from it though, because it's DEFINITELY improved. You couldnt get much worse then last year.

Personally, I think it's the NL Central. The Pirates certainly bring it down a bit, but the other teams are all playing as well as they should be or surpassing expectations. I know you are going to point out the Cubs and Astros as having played poorly, but they've actually have better Win/Loss records then they should because they've played tough schedules.

The AL East and AL Central arent far behind either in my opinion. The only problems in those divisions right now are that the Yankees and Indians are playing below expectations.
NL Central is no good. Like you said teams play above expectations (Reds), some play below (Astros, Cubs). But it is safe to say the Cubs are done, and I dont like the look of the Astros. Also how are the Dodgers and Padres playing below expectations? Ones 25-20, the other 23-22. Not bad records. Oh, and every team in the NL West has a winning record against all NL Central teams. I think if not the best, in MLB, maybe NL.

[LeftWideOpen]

NL Central is no good. Like you said teams play above expectations (Reds), some play below (Astros, Cubs). But it is safe to say the Cubs are done, and I dont like the look of the Astros. Also how are the Dodgers and Padres playing below expectations? Ones 25-20, the other 23-22. Not bad records. Oh, and every team in the NL West has a winning record against all NL Central teams. I think if not the best, in MLB, maybe NL.

The Dodgers and Padres have had it easy and there expected Win/Loss records are a few games above what they've done. That isnt the same story for the Cubs and Astros ..they've each actually overachieved if you consider the schedule to this point. Cincinati also has played above expectations and St. Louis + Milwaukee are playing the kind of ball they should be at this point. The NL West has certainly improved, dont get me wrong, but this won't hold up over the course of the season.

If I were going to rank the divisions, I'd put the NL West 4th, behind the NL Central, AL Central and AL East. Then I'd go w/ the AL West 5th and the NL East 6th because the Marlins and Nationals are just awful in the bottom 2 slots.

[wessa]

NL Central is no good. Like you said teams play above expectations (Reds), some play below (Astros, Cubs). But it is safe to say the Cubs are done, and I dont like the look of the Astros. Also how are the Dodgers and Padres playing below expectations? Ones 25-20, the other 23-22. Not bad records. Oh, and every team in the NL West has a winning record against all NL Central teams. I think if not the best, in MLB, maybe NL.

the nl west is no where near the best. It is competitive, but i dont think any of those teams would be considered to be in the top ten teams in baseball. I think the nl central is the best because they have the highest amount of good teams. Brewers, Reds, Astros, and Cardinals are all very good. You can't really say that the cubs are playing belows expectations because they lost derek lee and have not had kerry wood or mark prior. When Lee went down all expectations went out the window. And how are the astros playing below expectations, they lost clemens and they 25-20 in the best division in baseball.

I think the divisions go like this

NL Central
AL Central
NL East
AL East (before anybody gets mad at me for putting nl east before al, i basically said that both had three very good teams and two bad teams. I basically threw out the two bad teams. But right now the yankees are hurting and the braves are turning it on and looking to be competitve again, so i have to give the nod to the nl east by a little bit.)
NL West
AL West

[NetNerdsRevenge]

http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=133204

I knew my work would come in handy

This topic should die for now and then be brought back when I do records for April and May.

[Clarett'sGreyGoose]

the nl west is no where near the best. It is competitive, but i dont think any of those teams would be considered to be in the top ten teams in baseball. I think the nl central is the best because they have the highest amount of good teams. Brewers, Reds, Astros, and Cardinals are all very good. You can't really say that the cubs are playing belows expectations because they lost derek lee and have not had kerry wood or mark prior. When Lee went down all expectations went out the window. And how are the astros playing below expectations, they lost clemens and they 25-20 in the best division in baseball.

I think the divisions go like this

NL Central
AL Central
NL East
AL East (before anybody gets mad at me for putting nl east before al, i basically said that both had three very good teams and two bad teams. I basically threw out the two bad teams. But right now the yankees are hurting and the braves are turning it on and looking to be competitve again, so i have to give the nod to the nl east by a little bit.)
NL West
AL West
The Braves are turning it on AND are getting fucked in the ass with pitcher injuries.

[mikeford]

how can you guys say the yankees are sliding? they are only 2.5 games back.

[LeftWideOpen]

how can you guys say the yankees are sliding? they are only 2.5 games back.

i'm not saying they are sliding ..they are just playing below expectations (for obvious reasons). I still think they are a legit threat in the division, they are just a big reason why the AL East isnt the best division in the league right now. If they were completely healthy, it'd probably be a different story.

[mikeford]

see, i think the fact that they are still hanging in there proves the AL East is the best.

[wessa]

how can you guys say the yankees are sliding? they are only 2.5 games back.

they are 3-6 in their last 9, which is not the worst, but one of those wins was a total breakdown by the rangers, and the other was when wagner threw the game away after they were totally outplayed for 8 innings. They did not deserve to win that game. And the injuries are adding up. Weren't they leading the division last week, it would be considered a slide if they are now 2.5 games back.

[LeftWideOpen]

see, i think the fact that they are still hanging in there proves the AL East is the best.

yeah i mean if we are talking long term, i think you are right. I expect the AL East to be the best division in baseball as the season goes on because the bottom 3 are all pretty legit this year, especially Toronto. Toronto actually looks like it might be a contender, while Baltimore and Tampa look like they'll keep things interesting.

up to this point though, i don't think it has been the best division. we're only 1/4 the way through though.

[mikeford]

im rooting for tampa to finish 4th. i hope the O's are in last. chumps.

[LeftWideOpen]

im rooting for tampa to finish 4th. i hope the O's are in last. chumps.

same here. i love kazmir, gomes and cantu. if they had an owner who wasnt a cheapskate, they could keep their young talent and be a contender 3 years from now.

that'll never happen though.

[mikeford]

julio lugo is the man.

[Flags of Dawn]

if the brewers get their shit together, i'd say the NL central would be up there. you cant really expect the cubs to be good on any given year with their history, not to mention they count on wood and prior to be ready at the start of every season, and that contributes to expectations being so high, and the letdown always happening. plus its the cubs.

[Emopunkthrice]

AL Central/NL Central after all-star break...the teams will definately all finish strong with the exception of teams like the royals, pirates, etc.