Kuzul

You’re a fan without a nation. 

The 2014 MLB Playoff field is set, and while you mourn your beloved New York Yankees from your home probably nowhere near New York, you need a surrogate team. Well, the Washington Nationals bandwagon is accepting applications, and no other franchise makes a better case for your temporary affection. 

The single biggest selling point for Washington isn’t its National League-best 96-66 record, but the way in which those 96 games were won. 

And the only way to truly understand the grit that defines the Nationals is to take an uncomfortable trip down memory lane.

The Nationals don’t play with a chip on their shoulder, they carry around a family-sized bag that they picked up from a 2013 season that can only be qualified as an abject failure.

Washington was coming off a 2012 campaign that saw them earn the best record in baseball, and the core of that season’s roster was still intact for 2013. But the Nationals under-performed from the get go, finding themselves in the conversation for “baseball’s most disappointing team,” according to an article by SportingNews’s Justin McGuire that year. 

The individual parts were a disappointment – i.e. Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg – and their sum was a disappointment. 

It is for that reason that Washington is taking nothing for granted this year, and it’s made the Nationals the most fun team in baseball to watch. And from top to bottom, every member of Washington’s roster wants to win every game. 

And they want it bad.

In a season that spans 162 games across five-plus months, two distinct moments during the summer of 2014 can be pointed to as evidence of that spirit. 

In middle-to-late August, Washington matched its franchise-record win streak of 10 games. 

That’s not the impressive part. 

Half of those games were won in walk-off fashion. The Washington Post’s Neil Greenberg calculated the likelihood of a run like that to be around 0.0977 percent. 

That’s the kind of season 2014 has been for Washington. The Nationals are extremely talented, and they’ve won the games they’re supposed to win, which should have been good for six or seven of those 10 games. 

The remaining wins in the streak? Baseball giveth and baseball taketh away, and the Nationals have made good on the former this year.

The other instance that encapsulated what Washington has been able to do this year fell on the very last day of the season.

Jordan Zimmerman’s no-hitter in game No. 162 of the year saw him exercise complete dominance over helpless Marlins hitters, until the very last out. 

Steven Souza Jr. took over in left field before the start of the ninth inning, making just his 21st big-league appearance of the season, and made arguably the catch of the season to preserve the first no-hitter in franchise history.

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With Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post reporting that the Washington Nationals have reached an agreement to bring back free-agent first baseman Adam LaRoche, it feels like an appropriate time to speculate what the team’s next move might be.

That move should involve trading Michael Morse to the Seattle Mariners.

According to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, the Nationals are already speaking to 5-6 teams regarding Morse.

Rosenthal points out that Morse will earn $7 million this season and then will be a free agent.

While the Mainers could easily begin the season with Justin Smoak at first base, Morse represents a fairly significant upgrade.

CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman tweeted a list of potential suitors for Morse that includes the Orioles, Rays, Yankees, Rangers, Phillies, Mets and Indians along with the Mariners.

Needless to say, there is stiff competition.

Rosenthal goes on to report that Morse strongly opposes being a DH wherever he ends up playing.

While he is poor defensively, according to Fangraphs.com owning a -21.9 career UZR and an .882 RZR, Rosenthal points out that the Mariners have shown that they are more focused on offense over defense after having just signed Raul Ibanez and trading for Kendrys Morales.

Morse owns a lifetime .295/.347/.492/.839 batting line which stands out as somewhat above average.

However, when looking at his career performances playing in Cleveland, New York, Philly, Baltimore, Tampa Bay and Seattle, Morse absolutely rakes at Safeco Field.

In 58 career games, he posted a .309/.382/.441/.822 line with 14 extra base hits and 25 RBI.

The only other comparable landing spot is Philadelphia. While having only played there 28 times, he owns a lifetime .353/.411/.667/1.077 line with 6 extra base hits and 13 RBI.

The Mariners, short of the Morales trade and Jason Bay signing, have really done little to obtain the talent they’ve sought this winter.

When given a full-time opportunity to play, Morse can be an excellent offensive option. In 2011, he played 146 games for the Nationals, starting most of them as Adam LaRoche was injured and just played 43 games.

That season Morse posted a 303/.360/.550/.910 batting line with 31 home runs, 36 doubles and 95 RBI.

While he is no Josh Hamilton, with numbers like that Morse would be a fine silver medal for the Mariners.

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After insisting on a three year deal but ultimately failing to land one, first baseman Adam LaRoche agreed to resign with the Washington Nationals for a two year deal with a mutual third year option.

Now that the Nats have a permanent solution at first base and a full outfield after trading for Denard Span, it appears Washington is ready to field offers for Michael Morse.

Morse enjoyed a solid 2012 season, batting .291/.321/.470 with 18 home runs. Hitting at least .289 in each of the last three seasons, Morse could certainly add a middle of the order bat to a team seeking an offensive upgrade.

For a team like the Tampa Bay Rays that struggled offensively while third baseman Evan Longoria dealt with a hamstring injury for most of the season, Morse could help in this area.

The Rays ranked just 27th in the MLB in batting average. While the Rays did acquire some decent players via trade and free agency, a combination of Yunel Escobar, James Loney and eventually Wil Myers won’t propel their offense to the top of the league this coming season, especially given the departures of B.J. Upton and Jeff Keppinger.

Tampa Bay also lacks a true power bat in their lineup. Last season, first baseman Carlos Pena and Luke Scott failed to fill this clear void, and the need still exists. While Morse’s 18 home runs last season are solid, he is only one year removed from hitting 31 homers. If he can return to form at Tropicana Field, the Rays would be a considerably improved team.

Therefore, it makes sense to add another bat. With a free agent market largely picked over at this point, Tampa Bay may look into upgrading their lineup through a trade, and Morse would certainly be on their radar.

Defensively, Morse is capable of playing several positions. While he is considered a poor defensive outfielder, he could fill in from time to time when necessary. He could also play first base, especially against left handed pitching, as Loney hit just .217 against left-handers last season and .218 for his career. Against right handers, Morse could act as a designated hitter given the fact that Loney hits a career .287 against right handers.

The Rays truly value this type of versatility. Looking at their roster, players like Ben Zobrist and Ryan Roberts who are capable of playing several positions fit well in Tampa Bay, as manager Joe Maddon routinely tweaks his lineups for each situation.

The only drawback to acquiring a talent like Morse is his contract. He makes $7 million next season, which is considered costly for a team like the Rays. Because he only has one year left on his deal, he would likely depart after the season.

Morse would be a great fit, but because he only has one year left, it is vital that the Rays don’t overpay to acquire his services. Given the fact that Tampa Bay just dealt James Shields and Wade Davis to the Kansas City Royals, the Rays have to be careful about trading too much pitching, especially with Cy Young winner David Price likely leaving sooner rather than later. The Rays would be smart to acquire Morse, but only at the right price to ensure that a strength doesn’t become a need.

General manager Andrew Friedman has already made a few trades this offseason and is always looking to improve his ball-club. At the right price, Morse would be a great short-term addition to a squad desperate for a power hitter.

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The American League East is the most competitive division in baseball. From this division, the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles made the playoffs last October. The Tampa Bay Rays came up just short in their playoff push, but have competed for the division crown in each of the past five seasons. With the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox improving their rosters dramatically this offseason, there’s an argument that any of these five teams can win the division this season. 

The Yankees enter the 2013 MLB season with a bunch of question marks. Amazingly, it’s not just their pitching that should make them worried. It’s the bottom of the lineup. Derek Jeter, Ichiro Suzuki, Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson taking up the first five spots in the lineup is still an elite top of the order. After that, it gets ugly rather quickly. 

Their biggest offseason acquisition, Kevin Youkilis, is expected to bat sixth. Sure, everyone remembers Youk’s abysmal start to last season with the Red Sox that got him traded. However, people don’t realize that he wasn’t much better with the Chicago White Sox. His batting average improved by three points (.236 from .233 as a member of the Red Sox) during his time in Chicago. His on-base percentage last season was .336 (.346 with the White Sox), which was by far Youk’s worst output in his career. Let’s also not forget that he hasn’t played more than 125 games in a season since 2009. 

Infielder Eduardo Nunez, rookie catcher Austin Romine and left fielder Brett Gardner are the final three spots in the lineup. Nunez and Gardner are good for steals, but those three guys will not intimidate pitchers at all. And Nunez is the Yankees designated hitter! I don’t think the Yanks will be able to win the AL East this season with a bottom of the lineup as inexperienced and offensively limited as this one. 

So what should the Yankees do? The smart and obvious answer is to acquire Michael Morse from the Washington Nationals.

After signing Adam LaRoche to a two-year deal, the Nationals have a logjam of position players. They have LaRoche as their starting first baseman, along with Bryce Harper, Denard Span and Jason Werth roaming the outfield. This means that they have no room for Morse in the lineup. 

Morse is a great fit for the Yankees for several reasons. One of them is because of his weak glove. Teams love Morse’s bat, but they will shy away because of his fielding. Morse is not a strong outfielder, as proven by his advanced defensive stats. 

However, he would be a huge improvement over Nunez as the Yankees designated hitter. The past three seasons, Morse has accumulated 1,194 at-bats for the Nationals. His .296 batting average, .516 slugging percentage and .861 on-base plus slugging percentage would give the Yankees a huge boost in their lineup. This guy has a plethora of natural power, and he would give the Yankees another offensive threat that they really could use. 

Another reason why Morse makes sense for the Yankees is his contract. As evidenced by their lack of spending this offseason, the Yankees have made it a priority to be under the luxury tax by the start of next season. Morse is a free agent after the 2013 season, so he would actually would not hurt the Yankees’ monetary restrictions.

Now, how can the Yankees acquire Morse? The Nationals lineup and starting rotation is loaded, so they won’t have any interest there. But, their bullpen is lacking left-handed relievers. The Nationals lost three of them this offseason, including late-inning lefty Sean Burnett and long reliever Tom Gorzelanny. In fact, the only lefty reliever they currently have on their roster is Zach Duke. Not the guy I would want to face left-handed batters in tight situations.

The Yankees have two lefties in their bullpen, Boone Logan and Clay Rapada. Now, I doubt the Nationals would accept either of these guys straight up for Morse in a trade. But, if the Yankees add a middle-tier prospect, I think the Nationals pull the trigger. Washington will not re-sign Morse after this season, so why not get value for him that will help the team in the short-term and long-term? 

Trading for Morse is the type of move that could enhance the Yankees’ playoff hopes significantly. It helps the bottom of the Yankees order and it gives them a legitimate designated hitter. He can even play first base whenever Mark Teixeira needs a day off. All I know is, Morse is probably the lowest valued impact bat that the Yankees can acquire. But that bat would make the Yankees the favorites in the AL East again. 

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Somehow this winter Mike Napoli, a man who has played 511 of his 727 career games as a catcher, is being revered as a free-agent first baseman.

Either that is a shining example of how versatile of a player Napoli is, or an indictment on how poor the free-agent market is in terms of first basemen this winter.

If you chose the latter, you’re correct.

The Boston Red Sox have already deemed Napoli worthy of a three-year and $39 million contract. Well, sort of.

I should say that they’ve deemed a healthy Mike Napoli worthy of such a contract.

In recent weeks, questions have arisen surrounding the health of his hip, specifically, the pen has yet to meet paper in four weeks because the Red Sox want language in the contract to protect them should Napoli become sidelined due to a preexisting hip injury.

While those contract negotiations have been running at a snail’s pace, the Red Sox have been kicking the tires on other first base options, specifically Adam LaRoche, as described by ESPN Boston.

Don’t worry Red Sox Nation, Napoli is still a priority, though.

Who then would represent a better option for a team like the Red Sox?

Let’s take a closer look.

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Having been one of the busiest teams in free agency during this offseason, the Boston Red Sox appear nearly set as they head into spring training. However, it’s still possible that their inability to tie up a loose end may force them to make another major acquisition.

Boston thought they had locked a starting first baseman into place when they agreed to a three-year, $39 million contract with Mike Napoli earlier in the month. But to date, no official announcement has been made because of issues preventing the finalization of the deal.

WEEI’s Rob Bradford reported that Boston GM Ben Cherington announced at a recent press conference that no progress had been made with the Napoli negotiations. Cherington explained, “We continue to talk and there’s that consistent dialogue and we’ll continue to do that, work to resolve the issues that are outstanding. I can’t classify it or anything like that.”

SI.com’s Will Carroll tweeted last week that the Red Sox were hoping to renegotiate a shorter deal with Napoli because of health concerns:

Hearing that the Napoli deal back in negotiations, with team asking Napoli to take less years but same AAV. Swisher Plan B.

— Will Carroll (@injuryexpert) December 13, 2012

Although Carroll thought that Nick Swisher would be the Red Sox backup plan if Napoli’s deal falls through, it appears that focus may have shifted. It’s starting to look like Boston’s old friend Adam LaRoche has taken the lead as the possible replacement at first base if terms can’t be reached with Napoli.

The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo reported that the hold-up on Napoli appears to be the Red Sox wanting specific language included in the contract regarding a medical situation involving the player’s hip or leg.

Cafardo believes not being able to complete Napoli’s deal might work out well for the Red Sox because “LaRoche could actually be a better option for Boston.” That possibility is starting to gain more traction as time drags on.

ESPN.com Insider’s Doug Mittler wrote in MLB Rumors on December 17th that LaRoche turned down the Washington Nationals’ $13.3 million qualifying offer for 2013. The first baseman hasn’t been interested in the two-year deal he was subsequently offered, but Cafardo thinks he could bite if the Red Sox were willing to give him the same three-year, $39 million deal they originally earmarked for Napoli.

Adding LaRoche would fit in with the other moves made by the Red Sox this offseason. The 33-year-old can be best described as a complementary player—nearly identical to the identities of other free-agent acquisitions Shane Victorino, Jonny Gomes and Ryan Dempster.

Although he won a Gold Glove last season, according to advanced metrics, LaRoche is really just an average fielder. He has a combined dWAR of 0.0 over the past three seasons, meaning he neither helps, nor really hurts, a team’s defense.

With 162-game averages of .268 with 27 home runs and 93 RBI over a nine-year major league career, LaRoche seems like a good source of production. A closer look at the numbers suggests that he might fall short of those expectations if he were to join Boston.

Other than six games he had with the Red Sox in 2009, LaRoche has played his entire career in the National League.

LaRoche has batting average/OBP/OPS splits of .243/.306/.730 in 106 career interleague games against the AL, which are well below his career marks of .268/.338/.830.

Additionally, LaRoche has typically under-performed against good teams. His career splits of .252/.325/.760 against teams with winning records could portend disappointment if his new home was the ultra-competitive AL East.

Combining LaRoche’s age with the warning signs from some of his stats suggests he may not be the best fit in Boston. Heck, there are no guarantees Napoli will do well. However, there may not be better alternatives.

If the Red Sox do finish their contract with Napoli, it’s highly unlikely they will pursue LaRoche. WEEI’s Alex Speier wrote that the team is nearing the 2013 luxury tax threshold of $178 million— being approximately $9 million under as things stand today.

The 2013 Red Sox first base position has come to be defined by uncertainty and it appears that adding LaRoche would only compound that issue. Only time will tell how it will all play out.
 

Statistics via BaseballReference

Follow @historianandrew

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Baseball’s winter meetings are scheduled to kick off on Monday, December 3.

A few teams are already starting to make some interesting moves prior to the annual baseball gathering.

Some of these interesting baseball moves will directly and indirectly affect the Boston Red Sox.

Russell Martin signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, definitely an unexpected and interesting development. It was first reported here by Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. Have to wonder if this will cause the New York Yankees to jump back in to the Mike Napoli sweepstakes.

Napoli will almost certainly get four years now, with competition coming between the Texas Rangers, Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners.

Martin’s contract at first glance seems very reasonable for the Pirates. Two years and $17 million. Wonder if the Sox ever talked to Martin about those terms. That contract may seem far more palatable than going to four years for Napoli.

The Sox will likely need to act fast if they plan to get Napoli under contract for next season.

Two other interesting moves have occurred that might indirectly help the Red Sox, plus there’s a rumor to talk about.

The Washington Nationals traded for CF Denard Span, effectively taking them out of the Michael Bourn sweepstakes. Also, mentioned in this Q&A session with Nats’ general manager Mike Rizzo, Mark Zuckerman brings more clarity to the position of 1B Adam LaRoche.

LaRoche sounds like a man without a country, or more specifically a team.

The Red Sox may have a very real choice to make between LaRoche and Napoli. It may come down to who the Sox can get on a shorter contract.

The other move that could impact the Sox was the Atlanta Braves‘ signing of B.J. Upton. I’m sure that Jacoby Ellsbury’s agent Scott Boras was probably a little frustrated with the relatively reasonable five years and $75.25 million that Upton received.

Ellsbury has more upside but Upton has been able to stay on the field more often and be more productive. They are not exactly the same type of player, but if I am the Red Sox, my contract offer to Ellsbury after next season would look very much like Upton’s contract.

Wonder if free-agent CF Michael Bourn will fall into someone’s lap on a short contract with the Nationals and Braves out of the bidding.

Lastly is the report from Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal that the Sox are one the teams talking to Ryan Dempster. Three years for Dempster? No thanks.

Honestly, the Sox can do better than Dempster, a classic National League pitcher. Dempster was exposed in his half-season with the Rangers, struggling against the stronger lineups of the American League.

If the Sox didn’t have John Lackey, I could understand the interest in Dempster a little more. The Sox should be aiming higher for the third spot in their rotation.

By next Thursday, we should start to have a better idea of what the 2013 Red Sox will look like.

Hopefully we will like what we see.  

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The Washington Nationals’ magical 2012 run officially came to an end last week, and now general manager Mike Rizzo has no choice but to look ahead to next season.

The only major deals Rizzo must choose if he wants to work out are Edwin Jackson and Adam LaRoche. Jackson seems like a sure-fire bet to come back if Rizzo offers him a fair deal, but LaRoche is a different story.

LaRoche had a breakout season in 2012. He hit a career-high 33 home runs and drove in a career-high-tying 100 runs. He did this while sporting a line of .271/.343/.510 and playing great defense at first base (just seven errors on the season).

The Nationals do hold on option on him for 2013, but they have a few options to explore before picking it up. Allow me to explain.

Washington has been linked to center fielders for years now. With both B.J. Upton and Michael Bourn available this offseason, there’s no doubt Rizzo will be very interested.

Currently, the outfield is comprised of Michael Morse in left field, Bryce Harper in center field and Jayson Werth in right field. This is not at all a bad defensive outfield, but it does lack some serious speed.

Upton or Bourn could easily provide that speed in center field.

Should either of them be signed, Morse could slide to first base. If LaRoche is retained and Upton or Bourn is signed, Morse becomes expendable.

The question essentially becomes this—Upton/Bourn and Morse, Upton/Bourn and LaRoche or simply Morse and LaRoche?

Werth was the leadoff man for Davey Johnson after he returned from injury, but it’s easy to see he’s not a prototypical No. 1 hitter. His power and run production are too valuable to leave in the top spot for a full season.

That being said, I think it’s wise to make a push for either Upton or Bourn. Of the two, Bourn is probably the best option. Upton strikes out way too much for a leadoff man, and Bourn is capable of stealing 50-plus bases per season.

With Bourn patrolling center field, Rizzo now needs to make a decision about first base.

LaRoche will be 33 by the time next season starts, while Morse will be 31 by Opening Day. Age clearly shouldn’t be an issue in this decision.

I think the decision should come down to consistency. LaRoche and Morse have both been injured for extended periods of time while with the Nationals, but LaRoche has been the far more consistent player in his career.

He has driven in 80-plus runs six times, while Morse has only done so once. Of those six times, two of them were seasons in which LaRoche racked up 100 RBI. Morse’s career-high is just 95.

Defensively, Morse isn’t terrible. He has made just six errors in 964 chances in his career at first base. Fielding percentage may not be the best judge of defensive talent, but Morse’s numbers are good enough for a .994 fielding percentage.

LaRoche has played significantly more time at first and has compiled over 10,000 chances. He owns a fielding percentage of .995. He’s the better option defensively.

Morse’s ability to play outfield along with first base definitely makes him an attractive option, but I think LaRoche is the best bet in the end. He’s too consistent to pass over.

Morse could also fetch a nice return in a potential trade, so Rizzo could look to add to his already strong bullpen in a deal.

The Nationals are in a good spot this offseason, as there are plenty of options to consider. Rizzo should be excited for the offseason about to unfold.

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Since the franchise’s move to the Nation’s capital in 2005, the Washington Nationals have had relatively quiet off-seasons. In 2010, the Nats bucked that trend in a big way.

Gone are Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham and their unsightly attempts at defense. In are the smooth-fielding Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche.

If Ian Desmond and Nyjer Morgan can play up to their potential defensively, Washington should be one of the better defensive teams in the NL.

With the additions of Rick Ankiel, Jerry Hairston Jr., and Matt Stairs to Mike Morse and Wilson Ramos, the Nats may finally have a bench they can count on.

The National’s have had bullpen problems since that magical 2005 season, but 2011 looks to be the end of that nightmarish run.

The Nats’ already lethal triumvirate of Drew Storen, Tyler Clippard, and Sean Burnett has been bolstered by the arrival of the flame-throwing Henry Rodriguez, who seems to have solved the control problems that plagued him in Oakland.

And don’t underestimate the recoveries of Jordan Zimmermann and Jason Marquis. After missing nearly all of last year with injuries, the two talented hurlers could be like found money in 2011.

If Livan Hernandez and John Lannan can pick up where they left off in 2010, the Nationals may have one of the deepest staffs in all of baseball.

Unfortunately, those are gigantic ifs.

For all the moves that Nationals did make, there was just as many that they failed to get done.

The team still lacks a top of the line starting pitcher, despite the best efforts of GM Mike Rizzo. And the Nationals will struggle to fill the power void left by big Adam Dunn.

Make no mistake, while the Nationals will be improved, they will still struggle to win 80 games in 2011.

But it should be fun to watch, despite the absence of a Mr. Strasburg. But fear not, he’ll be back in 2012—with his friend Bryce.

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In the 2010 season, the first basemen of the Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan Howard, spent a great deal of time on the disabled list.  When doing the math by analyzing the innings played, it shows that Howard played in about seventeen fewer games in 2010 than he did in 2009. 

Of 162 games, missing seventeen games does not sound like that much. Howard usually plays well over 150 games per year.  In 2008, Howard started 156 games and 155 in 2009.  With the injury, Howard only started 139 games in 2010.

Even with missing so much time during the 2010 season, he still produced numbers better than most other players in baseball.  Of 1000+ baseball players, Howard produced numbers good enough for him being tied at 14th rank with the number of home runs. He was 11th in the number of runs batted-in. 

Howard was also ranked 49th for on-base percentage, 25th in slugging percentage and 29th in OPS.

Howard had a very productive season in 2010, although it was certainly not his peak year, that we can blame on the time he missed from injury. 

He did hit for an average of .276 with 31 home runs and 108 runs batted-in.  His on-base percentage was .353 and his slugging percentage was .505 with 152 hits and 59 walks.  He also had 157 strikeouts, which is at a ratio of about a two-percent improvement.

Howard’s numbers were good enough, even with missing all of the time from injury, to be the best and most productive first basemen in the NL East Division.  When comparing Howard to the other first basemen in the NL East, the only player that can actually challenge Howard’s numbers, according to the stats of 2010, is Adam LaRoche.

LaRoche, who was not in the NL East in 2010, batted for an average of .261 with 25 home runs and 100 runs batted-in.  His on-base percentage was .320 with a slugging percentage of .468.

However, LaRoche was still lagging behind the numbers of Howard even though Howard started about 17 less games than usual and less games than LaRoche had played. 

When comparing Howard to LaRoche, it is easy to see that Howard will provide more offense to the team.  Howard beats LaRoche in batting average, home runs, RBIs, on base percentage, slugging percentage and stolen bases. Although neither are particularly a threat to run. 

On the defensive side of the field, they were both credited with the same number of double plays.  LaRoche had a few less errors, but you can expect the same from these two players defensively.

Howard and LaRoche produced similar numbers in 2010.  Although Howard did not beat LaRoche’s numbers all that significantly, that wouldn’t have been true if we were talking about a season that Howard played the entirety of. 

Either way, Howard is the most productive first basemen of the NL East, followed by LaRoche.  The other three first basemen follow these two further down the line.

The New York Mets have Ike Davis and the Florida Marlins have Gaby Sanchez for their role in first base.  These two players are coming off of productive 2010 seasons, but they cannot compare to the top, Howard or LaRoche. 

The Atlanta Braves have Freddie Freeman for first base, but it is hard to speculate how he will fair in 2011 since he is only 21-years-old and has only had 24 major league at bats. 

In those at bats, he had four hits including a double and home run, but only an average of .167. Seeing how Freeman will fare in 2011 will be interesting, but as of right now, I will predict that he will not produce numbers that can compare to Howard, which I think is a pretty safe prediction.

Davis batted for an average of .264 with 19 home runs and 71 RBIs.  He had an on-base percentage of .351 and a slugging average of .440.  Sanchez had an average of .273 with 19 home runs and 85 RBIs.  He had an on-base percentage of .341 and a slugging average of .448.

As these numbers show and Howard continues to prove, he is one of the best offensive producers in baseball, and he is, undoubtedly, the best first basemen that will be found in the NL East for at least the 2011 MLB season. 

If Howard stays healthy, which would be safe to presume about this season, he will certainly shine above the rest of the NL East at first base and most other players in baseball like he has in seasons past.  Howard can afford to play less then 15 games than usual, and still reign towards the top of offensive productivity.

Not only is Howard the most productive first basemen, but he is also the top producer of those who remain in the NL East Division. With the rosters currently set the way they are in the NL East, with all players included, Howard was second with the number of home runs and first with RBIs.

In the NL East, Howard is one of only three players with over 100 RBIs, where the rest of the RBI leaders did not cross 85 RBIs last season.

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