House That Hank Built
Fansided

Atlanta Braves: Reassessing NL East contenders ahead of trade deadline

By Jonathan Magel

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 23: Johan Camargo #17 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates with Ozzie Albies #1 after hitting a two-run home run against the Washington Nationals during the tenth inning at Nationals Park on June 23, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 23: Johan Camargo #17 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates with Ozzie Albies #1 after hitting a two-run home run against the Washington Nationals during the tenth inning at Nationals Park on June 23, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 4
Next
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – JUNE 16: Blooper plays a joke on Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies prior to their game against the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park on June 16, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – JUNE 16: Blooper plays a joke on Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies prior to their game against the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park on June 16, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images) /

The NL East figured to be a dog fight between four of the five teams, now closing in on the halfway point things aren’t as clear as before. The Atlanta Braves have been on a hot streak and have begun to pull away.

The NL East and NL Central both were projected to be the deepest divisions in baseball, with a fight for the division title and wild card spots going to the end of the season. The NL Central has lived up to the billing but the NL East has faltered as of late with the Atlanta Braves taking charge.

Coming into this week, the Atlanta Braves were 6.5 games ahead of the second place Phillies who sit one game above .500 and are 1-9 in their last 10 games.

The Phillies were thought to be the team who would take the NL East title from the Atlanta Braves, but their recent struggles have put that into question.

Their major acquisitions in the off-season made headlines, but so far have not lived up to the hype. Bryce Harper leads the way with a $330 million dollar investment and a return that doesn’t match.

He’s batting .248 on the year but last year he only batted .249, maybe this is just the new Bryce Harper. J.T. Realmuto is posting solid numbers with a .260 batting line — only 17 points beneath his career average of .277 and there’s plenty of time to get back to his career numbers.

Jean Segura, who was acquired from the Seattle Mariners, was thought to be a high contact hitter amidst a lineup of home run giants. However, Segura has been in a bit of a dry spell lately batting .268 compared to his career .285 but has the ability to turn it around.

However, the biggest loss was the injury to their leadoff hitter, Andrew McCutchen. He’s out for the year with a torn ACL and provided a spark to the top of the order. The Phillies are 6-12 since losing him adding to the disappointing season.

Fellow outfielder Odubel Herrera has been placed on administrated leave due to suspicion of domestic violence and is believed to be suspended at some point.

The Phillies look to be in the midst of a tough stretch with no end in sight.

Home/Braves News