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Baseball is almost back, and MLB teams have begun playing in Florida and Arizona during the spring training period. Teams from the East Coast travel down to Florida, while teams from the West Coast travel to Arizona. Teams are figuring out how to use and manage players for the upcoming season, testing rookies, veterans, and new pieces who can make an impact. The National League hosts half of the MLB teams split between three divisions, and the 15 teams will compete during the 162-game season in order to make it to the World Series.
The competitive nature of the National League East will be an exciting battle and the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Miami Marlins, New York Mets, and Washington Nationals are the beasts of the East. The best record of the 2023 MLB season was 104-58, held by the Atlanta Braves, whose explosive home run-hitting offense led the league in hits, home runs, and runs scored. The Philadelphia Phillies have had the Braves number the past two years. Sending the Braves home early in the playoffs, stumping their historical regular season the past two years. The Braves-Phillies rivalry is one of the best in baseball; stars Ronald Acuna Jr. and Bryce Harper will face off once again in the upcoming season. The Mets are pursuing a better season after a disastrous season. Down south, The Miami Marlins look to return to the playoffs, and all-star ace Sandy Alancantra has young award potential for the 2024 season.
The NL Central division with the Cubs, Brewers, Pirates, Reds, and Cardinals is unpredictable. Each year there is a surprise, like last year the Chicago Cubs fell out of playoff contention during the last week of the regular season. The Milwaukee Brewers look to lead the division again. Brewers lose the presence of their ace Corbin Burnes as he signed big money with the Baltimore Orioles in the MLB offseason. The Reds have promising shortstop Elly De La Cruz who shot out on the scene as a sweet-swinging rookie. The Pittsburgh Pirates are a young squad with great potential. The first pick of the 2023 MLB Draft, Paul Skenes, looks major league-ready. The Saint Louis Cardinals are in a rebuilding stage for next season. The five teams of the NL Central will battle for the full 162 games.
The NL West has been dominated by the Dodgers for a decade but a big surprise last season was the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks made it all the way to the World Series as a wild card. The Dodgers have loaded up on stars including Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The NL West is the Dodgers to take this upcoming season. Can the Diamondbacks make another Cinderella run? The San Francisco Giants have entered a rebuilding state, the Giants lack the quality pitching as they did back in the early 2010s. The early 2010s pitching led the Giants to three World Series victories. Down the road, the San Diego Padres are a star-studded team. Players Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and Fernando Tatis Junior look to hit the ball hard next season. NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell is returning another year for the Padres to be their ace.
From east coast to west coast the national league is loaded with talent. Ball Clubs are looking to make big leaps. The 162-game regular season is a long hard grind for teams, Up-and-comers, injuries, surprises, and crazy things can happen. Every game will count as teams chase the top of the division for the whole season. While Spring Training ends the road to the World Series starts.