Atlanta Braves news: Ronald Acuña Jr., Chipper Jones, PECOTA season projections
By Kevin Henry
Atlanta Braves news: Looking at the projected NL East standings
With the PECOTA standings now public, it’s interesting to see what could be ahead for the Braves, New York Mets, and defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East.
PECOTA (which stands for Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm) is a product of Baseball Prospectus and, if their numbers hold true, shows the Mets winning the division with 97 wins (97.2 to be exact, per PECOTA). Atlanta is second in the division with 91.8 wins, just ahead of Philadelphia’s 89.5 victories. Miami (75.8) and Washington (61.2) round out the NL East standings.
PECOTA: Will Mets win NL East?
The 97.2 wins projected for the Mets are just behind the 97.4 PECOTA is handing the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are projected to grab the NL West title once again, edging out the 94.0 wins by the San Diego Padres.
In a surprising twist, Milwaukee (87.6) and St. Louis (87.5) are almost a dead heat for the NL Central title. Most expect the Cardinals to run away with the division, but could the Brewers surprise?
Atlanta’s 91.8 wins would still put the Braves in the postseason, handing them the fifth seed. Philadelphia would also make the postseason, marking the second straight year the NL East had three teams in the playoffs and the Phillies finishing as the sixth seed.