Spring training 2020: Breaking down the NL East – The Morning Call

Playoff optimism starts with Jacob deGrom, winner of consecutive Cy Young Awards, and Pete Alonso, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year after leading the majors with a rookie-record 53 homers last season. Four prominent pitchers on the staff grew up in the New York metropolitan area: Porcello, Betances, Marcus Stroman and Steven Matz. Porcello, the 2016 AL Cy Young winner, replaces Wheeler in the rotation after he signed with the rival Phillies. If all the starters are healthy, Wacha or Matz could get bumped into a problematic bullpen that appears deeper this year. The 6-foot-8 Betances, a four-time All-Star with the crosstown Yankees, can make a huge difference if healthy shoulder, lat and Achilles tendon injuries limited him to one appearance last year. New York is also counting on bounce-back seasons from closer Edwin Diaz, starter Noah Syndergaard, reliever Jeurys Familia and 37-year-old second baseman Robinson Cano. J.D. Davis and All-Star Jeff McNeil are likely to get work at both third base and left field this spring. Minor leaguer Tim Tebow, the former star quarterback, returns to big league camp as the finishing touches are put on a $57 million renovation of the complex and Mets ownership looks for another buyer. Still, all eyes will be on enigmatic slugger Yoenis Cespedes as he attempts his comeback from a long injury layoff.

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Spring training 2020: Breaking down the NL East - The Morning Call