Six divisions litter the Major League Baseball road map, and two months into the regular season, no statistic is more glaring than the current offensive struggles of the National League East.

While these shortcomings were expected from the likes of the Mets and the Marlins, it has been a bit surprising to see such a performance from teams such as the Phillies and Nationals.  Both Washington and Philadelphia are more known for its pitching, but the talent is still there to score runs.  The Phillies may be an aging squad, but this is still a bit puzzling.  In particular, there is the following eye-opening statistics coming out of the NL East:

  • The Marlins are last in baseball in runs scored (122), while the Nationals are ranked 28th (155) and the Phillies are 27th (157)
  • When it comes to overall team batting average, the Marlins (.222), Nationals (.227) and Mets (.229) occupy the bottom three slots in baseball
  • The Marlins have the fewest home runs in baseball, with 23, while the Phillies (38 – 24th) and Nationals (41 – 22nd) are not much better off
  • Regarding team on base percentage, four of the division’s teams land in the bottom five – and only the Braves (13th) are respectable in the category
  • Slugging percentage is no different, as all teams (except Atlanta) are ranked 25th or lower – and once again, the Marlins are dead last (.319)
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Numerous players in the National League East have struggled at times this season, including B.J. Upton, Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Howard, Ike Davis and Giancarlo Stanton

More specific to each of the teams:

National League East Breakdown

Atlanta Braves

  • Justin Upton has been a beast, but three regulars are below the Mendoza Line – Dan Uggla (.184), B.J. Upton (.143) and Jason Heyward (in limited time, .139)
  • For Atlanta, this is a talented team, and the Braves can likely wait to see growth from the likes of Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman
  • B.J. Upton is likely feeling major pressure from joining a new league and a new team, all while signing a very big contract

Washington Nationals

  • For the Nats, it’s all about injuries, as Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth each have all missed some time
  • Adam LaRoche (.224 average) was off to a very slow start, but is heating up
  • Washington has enough talent offensively to match its strong pitching staff, and it will only be a matter of time before this team goes on a bit of a run

Philadelphia Phillies

  • The Phillies are an aging team, and rebuilding will be a necessity soon – and it should be considered as early as this year’s trade deadline
  • Chase Utley has played well, despite past injuries, but Ryan Howard has been mediocre
  • Dominic Brown leads the team in homers and if given more time, he could continue to grow and reach his potential

New York Mets

  • Ike Davis (.152 average in 40 games) has easily been the biggest disappointment
  • Only five players on the entire roster is batting .269 or higher

Miami Marlins

  • The team’s batting leader (with enough at bats) is Placido Polanco, with a .239 average
  • Regulars Juan Pierre (.229), Greg Dobbs (.215) and Justin Ruggiano (.214) also are all struggling from the plate
  • Giancarlo Stanton – the team’s best player – is on the disabled list, and has just three home runs and a .227 batting average in 20 games played
  • Ruggiano’s 7 HR leads the team, but no other player has more than three long balls

KP’s MLB Power Rankings take into account a team’s offensive performance, and the majority of the NL East has taken quite a hit in the rankings because of these current struggles.  With low offensive grades, four of the five teams landed in 20th place or lower, with the Nationals being the team in 20th and the Marlins being in 29th (only ahead of the Astros).

Elsewhere, the Texas Rangers are in first in the latest poll, with a slight edge over the St. Louis Cardinals.  The third through sixth place teams – the Yankees, Reds, Indians and Diamondbacks – are all separated by just one ratings point.

The entire list of MLB Power Rankings is as follows:

KP’s MLB Power Rankings: May 21, 2013

Note: Statistics and point totals as of Tuesday morning (5/21/13) and do not include night games

1. Texas Rangers (116 points) – Last Week: #3

2. St. Louis Cardinals (115 points) – Last Week: #1

3. New York Yankees (95 points) – Last Week: #4

4. Cincinnati Reds (94 points) – Last Week: #9

5. Cleveland Indians (94 points) – Last Week: #8

6. Arizona Diamondbacks (94 points) – Last Week: #12

7. Boston Red Sox (87 points) – Last Week: #11

8. Detroit Tigers (78 points) – Last Week: #2

9. Atlanta Braves (76 points) – Last Week: #7

10. Pittsburgh Pirates (76 points) – Last Week: #13

11. Colorado Rockies (59 points) – Last Week: #15

12. San Francisco Giants (44 points) – Last Week: #6

13. Baltimore Orioles (42 points) – Last Week: #5

14. Kansas City Royals (38 points) – Last Week: #10

15. Tampa Bay Rays (38 points) – Last Week: #16

16. Oakland Athletics (27 points) – Last Week: #19

17. Chicago Cubs (19 points) – Last Week: #18

18. Chicago White Sox (12 points) – Last Week: #22

19. San Diego Padres (12 points) – Last Week: #25

20. Washington Nationals (7 points) – Last Week: #14

21. Los Angeles Dodgers (0 points) – Last Week: #24

22. Minnesota Twins (-8 points) – Last Week: #17

23. Philadelphia Phillies (-9 points) – Last Week: #21

24. Seattle Mariners (-13 points) – Last Week: #20

25. Los Angeles Angels (-22 points) – Last Week: #27

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National League East: 2013 hasn’t been kind to Ike Davis

27. New York Mets (-29 points) – Last Week: #26

28. Toronto Blue Jays (-33 points) – Last Week: #28

29. Miami Marlins (-67 points) – Last Week: #29

30. Houston Astros (-79 points) – Last Week: #30

* All stats per MLB.com

Note: RED = Falling 3+ spots from last week, GREEN = Rising 3+ spots from last week

The Wife Hates Sports MLB Power Rankings system has a method to its madness, attempting to be different and not just rank by popularity and record.  It mixes a secret formula of six completely different categories, meshed into a points system.  The categories don’t just include team results regarding record, but how each team has performed recently, as well as incorporating some statistics on both a team’s offense and pitching staff, too.