The game is getting younger as teams are being smart about using the draft and locking up players at 20-22 years of age for the next 6-8 years.  This recent trend has not only lead to more young players blossoming, but has been a stabilizing force on some of the tradtionally weaker teams.  Before the Phils struck it rich, they became the losingest franchise in MLB history; now, they have been one of the Top 5 teams in the game for the last 4 years. In the past few years, the NL East has shown itself to be a division with good, young homegrown players, such as Ryan Zimmerman, David Wright, Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley to name a few, and in 2009, Tommy Hanson, Jordan Zimmermann, J.A. Happ, and Chis Coghlan etched their name on that list. 

But 2010 and beyond is gong to make the East seem like a power conference.  When your division boasts the top prospects in the game in Stephen Strasburg and Jason Heyward, you might want to consider yourself spoiled, but when those two prospects are considered by many to be the top players for their respective sides of the field (hitting and pitching) that many scouts have seen in 10 years, you should consider yourself blessed.  When you stop and think of the talent on display (or soon to be on display) in 2010 in the NL East, you realize that this may be the best collection of young talent in the game today.  This list reflects players who are either in the majors or will be by June/July (and the #'s in parens reflect the ranking by Keith Law in his Top 100 List):

• Jason Heyward (#1) - OF, ATL: Heyward made the team out of free agency and as a 20 year old is posting (as of May 4th) a .273/.388/.580 line with 7 HR and 23 RBI.  As a 20 year old.  WOW.
• Stephen Strasburg (#2) - SP, WAS: Promoted to AAA on 5/4/10, his numbers in the minors are electric and should be in the rotation by June and shouldnt vacate the majors until about 2025.
• Michael Stanton (#5) - OF, FLA - Remember Miguel Cabrera? Yeah.  Kind of like that.  Comparisons like that abound when you hit 13 homeruns in 24 games as a 20 year old.  Just to let you know its not a fluke? 39 HR as an 18 year old in A ball; 29 HR's in AA and A+ as a 19 year old;
• Drew Storen (#92) - RP, WAS - Promoted to AAA Syracuse right before Strasburg, Storen is the closer of the future and could be a 7th inning guy in an about a month (especially with Bruney's struggles).
• Ian Desmond (NR) - SS, WAS: Seemed destined for flameout when JimBo made the Jeter comment, all Desmond has done since then is work, and its paying off.  While the J-Hey kid or Strasburg are the odds on favorite for the award, Desmond's steady play at SS as an everyday player keeps him in the top 5. 
• Ike Davis (#64) - 1B, NYM: When the Mets made Davis the 18th pick in the draft, many hoped he would replace Delgado, but no one figured this soon.  After posting a .309 average in 55 AA games in 2009 and a .364 average in 10 games at AAA, the Mets called him up, and thus far, his .292 average has stabilized the position and the lineup.
• Jenrry Mejia (#23) - RP, NYM: The youngest pitcher in baseball, Mejia has electric stuff, future top of the staff stuff, and rather than have him down in the minors, the Mets went Joba/Neftali Perez style and Mejia has proved up to the task: 1.38 ERA, 1.23 WHIP in 13 games. The future is bright in whatever role he plays.
• Domonic Brown (#14) - OF, PHI - the "no way we are trading him" chip in the Halladay deal, the Phils hung on to Brown and are better off for it. The 22 year old is mashing with a .358 average and a 1.117 OPS in AAA, and seems likely to get a shot soon if Raul Ibanez keeps struggling.  The Phils have Jayson Werth as a free agent, and need to get Brown some reps to see what he can do.

These players may come up this year, may come up next year or the following, or may flame out completely.  Either way, Keith Law and many other scouts have tabbed these players in their Top 100 based on their age, position, player development, and progression to date.  If even half of these are accurate, this could make the NL East a scary place.

• Logan Morrison (#21) - 1B, FLA: Crushed minor league pitching in A ball and has posted a .983 OPS thus far in AAA.
• Derek Norris (#31) - C, WAS: Further from the majors as he tries to refine his play as a catcher, but his 23 HR, 84 RBI and .926 OPS as a 20 year old catcher cannot be ignored.
• Wilmer Flores (#41) - SS, NYM: 18 year old who can hit and field getting his time in the Sally League.  Reyes' uncertain future has some Met fans interested in Flores already.
• Arodys Vizcaino (#43) - P, ATL: Part of the Javy Vazquez trade, could be the big name in a couple of years.
• Matt Dominguez (#62) - 3B, FLA: Solid hitting 3B who is a plus fielder, should make the Marlins happy as he can add to an infield that will include Morrison and hopefully Hanley Ramirez.
• Freddie Freeman (#67) - 1B, ATL: 20 year old in AAA who is getting his swing down, hoping the power follows.  WIth the Braves starting Troy Glaus at 1B, Freeman could be a late season call up.
• Fernando Martinez (#73) - OF, NYM: Remember Martinez? The jewel of the Mets farm system, Martinez has looked lost at most points of his career, BUT, he is only 21!! The Mets hope a strong AAA season will help him get his game back in line after a .176 average in MLB last year.

Not all prospects work out as we know, but the odds are always that a handful will, even the ones you are not looking for (Tommy Hanson was a 22nd round pick), but this collection of talent is pretty impressive, and with players in the bigs right now demonstrating they belong, and players progressing through the minors with solid track records, the NL East should be a competitive division for a long time.

      

In the history of baseball, there has been no team that has emodied failure and ridicule as much as the Philadelphia Phillies, as evidenced by their historic 10,000th loss a couple of years back.  As much as they are trashed, cajoled and mocked, they have become a symbol of success in the National League, as well as in all of baseball.  As a resident of the Washington DC area, I am left to ponder, "If they can do it, why not the Nats?"  So how did they do it?

The Phillies success did not happen overnight, and it would be too simplistic to just say, "Howard, Utley, Rollins, Hamels".  The Phillies have won 80+ games EVERY year sine 2001, and have won less than 86 games only once, yet in that same time period have had 3 managers (Francona, Bowa, Charlie Manuel) and 3 GM's (Ed Wade, Pat Gillick, Ruben Amaro, Jr.).  What is more telling, and eye opening for Nationals fans, is how a move towards championship first starts with respectability before it can become the team you see today.  In order to build, there are three key pieces a team must focus on:

1. The Draft
2. Player Development
3. Team Identity

The Draft

While much has been made (book, movie) about Billy Beane's draft strategy, no one has pointed out that the Phillies have probably had the best return on investment of any team in the draft. In order to build that impressive team, the following shows the Phillies successful picks for a straight decade:

• 1993: Scott Rolen, 2nd round
• 1994: nothing good
• 1995: Marlon Anderson, 2nd round; Dave Coggin, 1st round
• 1996: Jimmy Rollins, 2nd round
• 1997: JD Drew (didnt sign, more on that); Randy Wolf
• 1998: Pat Burrell, #1 overall; Jason Michaels, 4th round, Ryan Madson, 9th round; Geoff Geary, 15th round
• 1999: Brett Myers, 1st round; Marlon Byrd, 10th round
• 2000: Chase Utley, 1st round
• 2001: Gavin Floyd, 1st round; Ryan Howard, 5th round
• 2002: Cole Hamels, 1st round
• 2003: Michael Bourn; Kyle Kendrick...Bourn became Brad Lidge in a 2007 trade
• 2004: JA Happ, 3rd round 

That return on invesment is amazing.  Think, when you watch the Phillies tonight, 7 of these players may have played (Rollins, Myers, Madson, Utley, Howard, Hamels, Kendrick, Happ) with another player (Lidge) having come to this team via a draft pick (Bourn).  While the Phillies have shown an unreal eye for talent, the key to getting them to the field is player development, and the Phillies are equally impressive there. 

Player Development

What is missing from this list of draftees are the marginal prospects the Phillies got from other teams that have become contributing players.  Rule 5 picks like Shane Victorino or former prospects bordering on washout status like Jayson Werth have solidified this team and filled the gaps where the Phillies need help. In those 8 years of drafting and building the franchise, it is the player development that served as the mortar to this foundation. 

Player Development is a critical component of a budding franchise, and one that requires the long view of the organization's future as well as extreme patience.  It is in the area of player development where so many struggling teams fail, due to a myriad of issues such as flagging attendance, waning interest, and lack of supporting talent on the major league roster.  

It is this lesson that the Nationals need to take to heart the most. With top picks like Zimmerman, Detwiler, Zimmermann, Marerro, Strasburg, Storen, Ian Desmond and Derek Norris, the Nationals NEED to have an infrastructure at every level of the organization where these kids are taught the fundamentals of the game, and move on with improved performance.   It is through this rigorous process that the team will truly equip these players with the skills and maturity they need in high-pressure situations. 

Team Identity

As the Nationals move into the Mike Rizzo era and the search for a manager intensifies, the Nationals have an opportunity to define what type of team they want to be.  While this may sound academic, it is a critical component in building a competitive, respectable team. 

The Phillies lack of mental errors (they are one of the best defensive teams in baseball) is not something they acquired via the draft.  While players like Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard were immense talents, it was the dedication to fundamental baseball throughout the organization and a commitment that they would be a grinding, defensively-minded team that allows them to focus on those tenets at all level. On offense, their ability to grind out at-bats and see multiple pitches per at bat is something that is taught and reinforced by the Phillies coaching staff.

This last piece is something that has evaded the Nationals since their move to DC, and I would argue is just as important as the other 2 components.  When the A's were competing in the AL West for the last decade, Billy Beane used to demand that all his players in all levels of the organization had to see multiple pitches per at bat.  The idea of OBP was central to their identity.  While you can argue that hinders a player, the A's had an organizational identity that was modeled at alll levels of the organization, and the result was a decade of respectability.

The Nationals have a long way to go to gain that competitive respectability, and the sad reality is that some of our current stars may not be here to enjoy the fruits of that dedication.  Just like Scott Rolen in Philly, Ryan Zimmerman may miss out on the Nationals Renaissance, and while that would be disappointing, his role on this team will be central to this team advancing towards respectability. 

So as you begin to assess this franchise, and where they should be in regards to the players, it is essential to take the long view, and see how they Nationals are building their minor league operations, assess how their prospects are maturing (are they developing skill sets beyond what they were touted for), and have patience in how long those players spend in the minors.  The reality is that is the only way for us to get better.

So, here is to 2015 and the first of many NL East championships!