Still a devastatingly long 4 months until the regular season is up and running once more, but as always I will refuse to be silenced by the lack of action on the field. With 2012 almost over, it is time for my early 'power-rankings' in which I will rank every Major League team from 1-30. As always there will be areas for disagreement and without a doubt these rankings will change between now and opening day.
1. Washington Nationals
Having lead the league with 98 wins last season, Washington have done nothing but improve their team so far this off-season. The one-year acquisition of Haren was a no-lose decision, and if Haren can give them 200 strong innings he will further bolster their chances at repeating. The trade for Denard Span solved the center-field and lead-off hitter problems and the likelihood that Bryce Harper will improve makes their line-up ever-more enticing to go with the return of underrated catcher Wilson Ramos. The chance of 800 innings from Strasburg, Gonzalez, Zimmermann and Haren make this team too strong to ignore at number 1.
2. Toronto Blue Jays
At this point, the 2012 season becomes irrelevant for the Blue Jays. They will be fielding an entirely different line-up and rotation in 2013, and will be fielding one of the best in the Majors at that. The lopsided trade with the Marlins allowed them to get their hands on two rotation work-horses (Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle) as well as one of the top lead-off hitters in the game (Jose Reyes). Jose Bautista will return from injury, Edwin Encarnacion will look to improve on a break-out 2012, Brett Lawrie looks set to put up huge numbers and Melky Cabrera will have a point to prove after a controversy-filled season. The rotation will be stud-filled with Johnson, Buehrle, Dickey, Brandon Morrow and Ricky Romero. They are the team to beat in the American League.
3. Cincinatti Reds
A 97-win team in 2012 and the acquisition of Shin-Soo Choo fills a void they struggled with this year at the lead-off spot. Votto will do what Votto does, Brandon Phillips was outstanding this season and Jay Bruce should continue to be strong in hitter-friendly GABP. Johnny Cueto is coming off the back of a Cy-calibre season and Mat Latos should improve. If it is successful, the move of Chapman from bullpen to rotation could be devastating and make the rotation one of the finest in the major-leagues. The Reds look very strong indeed.
4. Detroit Tigers
They arguably have the best hitter and best pitcher in baseball, but the team runs much deeper than just a pair of studs. A deep rotation featuring Verlander, Scherzer, Fister and the re-acquired Anibal Sanchez should be dominant in the AL Central and a line-up that underwhelmed in 2012 will be bolstered by Torii Hunter and Victor Martinez. Should cruise to another Central title (have I heard that before?)
5. San Francisco Giants
This is a really hard team to rank. They warrant a great deal of respect for winning 2 World Series titles in 3 years and having basically spent the off-season so far ensuring they have the same roster next season they are a good bet to repeat. However, I have doubts. Lincecum and Zito are still not great in their rotation despite excellent post-seasons, Marco Scutaro will not continue to hit .360 and the lynchpin of their line-up Buster Posey looks set to regress a little after his MVP season. However, the rotation is still enviable with Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and Ryan Vogelsong heading it up, and I expect Brandon Belt to finally start to be a big impact bat in this line-up. Write them off at your peril.
6. Los Angeles Dodgers
Another team that is hard to rank, but the team just has the kind of depth GM's dream about. The acquisition of Greinke immediately propels the rotation towards one of the best in the NL, but the depth behind him and Kershaw is outstanding. Young Korean left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu is a bit of an enigma, but the Dodgers will be hoping he can provide the kind of impact Yu Darvish did for the Rangers. Behind him is the lambasted Josh Beckett and Chad Billingsley, but the Dodgers still have Ted Lilly, Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang to provide help. The line-up is full of potential with Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier to be joined later in the season by Carl Crawford.
7. Atlanta Braves
The Braves were quietly excellent in 2012, winning 94 games and falling foul of the infield fly rule in the wildcard game with St Louis. Jason Heyward lived up to the hype that surrounded him as a rookie, and the further development of first-baseman Freddie Freeman gave the Braves plenty to look forward to. The off-season acquisition of B.J. Upton replaces Michael Bourn atop the line-up and young Andrelton Simmons looked superb in his short taste of big league action. The rotation received a massive boost with the dominance of Kris Medlen, and he should continue that excellence next season. Mike Minor, Brandon Beachy, Tim Hudson and Paul Maholm complete a strong rotation, whilst Craig Kimbrel should enjoy another dominant season in the 'pen.
8. Texas Rangers
Having claimed it would have a busy off-season, Texas has been disappointing so far in its exploits, losing Josh Hamilton and failing to find his replacement. Yu Darvish was superb in 2012, but the back-end of the rotation is full of question marks and a heavy burden will be on the shoulders of Adrian Beltre to provide the fire-power this line-up needs. Bounce-back seasons should be expected from Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler, although the Rangers are still to find a spot in the line-up for young sensation Jurickson Profar. The Rangers look one big arm and one big bat shy of being a dominant force once again.
9. Los Angeles Angels
As always, hype has been huge surrounding the Angels this off-season, as they once again stole the show with a swoop for Josh Hamilton. The idea of an Angels line-up based on himself, Pujols and Trout is enticing, but question marks surrounding Mark Trumbo and the departure of Kendrys Morales means the line-up is not very deep at all. After Jered Weaver, this is a team with little to show for in the rotation although the recent trade for Vargas shows that management want to fix that and C.J. Wilson should bounce back after a thoroughly disappointing 2012 season. This is a team with a lot of potential but a lot of holes.
10. St Louis Cardinals
Another team that is tough to predict, the Cardinals boast a line-up that is full of potential, especially if outfielders Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday continue to hit well. Furcal and Molina both appear to have turned corners with the bat, and David Freese and Allen Craig are both potent bats. The rotation has a useful mix of experience and youth, as Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright will be workhorses and Shelby Miller and Trevor Rosenthal will push for rotation spots after superb bullpen work at the end of the 2012 season.
11. Tampa Bay Rays
This is a team that went 90-72 last season and was unfortunate to miss out on a play-off spot. The loss of B.J. Upton and James Shields will hurt, but Wil Myers is an outstanding hitting prospect and a rotation featuring Cy-Young winner David Price, Jeremy Hellickson and Matt Moore still has the potential to win a lot of games. Evan Longoria is back from injury and primed for an MVP season, Desmond Jennings should finally meet his potential and Ben Zobrist will continue to fly under the radar as a superb hitter. I like them a lot this season.
12. Oakland Athletics
The surprise package of the 2012 season, the Athletics showed that the young rotation could provide results sooner than anyone expected. An outfield packed with potential in Crisp, Reddick and Cespedes, the acquisition of Chris Young makes this team even stronger at the plate although the infield looks very weak indeed. The rotation took a hit with the exit of Brandon McCarthy but a front three of Milone/Parker/Anderson could prove to be stronger than expected. This team is no weaker than it was in 2012, so expect more magic in Oakland.
13. Arizona Diamondbacks
A team that always seems to be in contention, the D-Backs have had a wild off-season. The recent acquisition of Cody Ross adds another big name to a packed outfield that includes Justin Upton, Gerardo Parra, Jason Kubel and Adam Eaton. The infield is quietly good, with Cliff Pennington brought in to keep the seat warm for newly acquired Didi Gregorius. The rotation looks extremely strong despite the exit of Trevor Bauer, with Brandon McCarthy joining Ian Kennedy, Wade Miley, Trevor Cahill, Daniel Hudson, Patrick Corbin and Tyler Skaggs. Arizona has a huge number of pieces it could deal in the out-field, so I expect their line-up to change between now and opening day. This is a team that could be an outside bet for a big year though.
14. New York Yankees
No, I haven't forgotten about them, I just think they look extremely weak at the moment. Cano is the only reliable bat in the line-up, with Teixeira struggling and Granderson's K-rate rising to astronomic levels. Ichiro is on a down-ward slope and will likely be replaced at the lead-off spot by the returning Gardner. Sabathia and Kuroda are strong at the front of the rotation, but Pettite, Hughes and Nova do not inspire confidence at the back-end and the successful return of Rivera in the bullpen is not a certainty. They'll probably rise up my list as we head towards opening day, but this is a team with a lot of problems.
15. Milwaukee Brewers
Surprising as it may seem, the Brewers scored the most runs in the National League last season, despite the loss of Prince Fielder. They have been quiet during the off-season so far, as early rumours linking them to Hamilton proved fruitless. The outfield is quietly superb, with Braun, Aoki and the suddenly powerful Carlos Gomez playing superb defense and giving the line-up great depth. The corner infielders are strong, with both Aramis Ramirez and Corey Hart set to take advantage of Miller Field's friendly confines. Jean Segura is a good young player and Rickie Weeks should bounce back. In the rotation, they look weak behind Gallardo which holds them back, but if the bullpen can get over the 2012 horror-show they could turn some heads.
16. Boston Red Sox
Fresh off their worst season since 1965, the Red Sox has been revamped so far this off-season. The additions of Victorino and Napoli gives the line-up a shot in the arm, and Pedroia, Ellsbury and Middlebrooks will look to be big contributors. The rotation is flakey, with the suddenly hapless Jon Lester supported by Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront and John Lackey. The addition of Joel Hanrahan gives the bullpen depth, but this team has a long way to go if it wants to compete.
17. Kansas City Royals
Although their trade for James Shields hurts them a lot in the long run, there is no denying it helps them a lot in the short run. Still a lot of question-marks in the rotation though, Ervin Santana needs to be his second-half self and Jeremy Guthrie is not an elite number 2. The loss of Wil Myers may hurt them in the out-field though, as Francoeur's production continues to slide. This team is going to need immense production from Hosmer, Moustakas and Salvador Perez if it wants to challenge for a play-off spot.
18. Philadelphia Phillies
The only reason they rank this high is because of their lights-out rotation. However, as Cliff Lee's record last season showed, dominant pitching is only as good as the hitting behind it. An outfield of Darin Ruf, Ben Revere and Domonic Brown inspires no confidence whatsoever, and the cornerstones of the offense Ryan Howard and Chase Utley appear to be past their prime. Having Michael Young playing 3rd won't help either. Need to pull off a big move before I see them contending.
19. Baltimore Orioles
This is perhaps a harsh ranking considering the Orioles have basically kept the exact same roster that won 93 games last season and took them to the brink of an ALCS showing. As has been pointed out by many however, the Orioles won so many games last season on the back of an astonishingly good bullpen and a unnerving capacity to win one-run or extra-inning games. I don't think that is a trait that can be learnt and repeated, and a rotation with no ace and a line-up that is highly dependent on the production of Adam Jones could be in for a rough season. This is the ranking I feel least confident about however.
20. Cleveland Indians
They won just 68 games last season, but I love the moves they have undertaken so far in the off-season. The rotation is still sketchy, with Masterson erratic and Ubaldo Jimenez struggling a lot. But Jason Kipnis and Carlos Santana lead a good core of young hitters that has been bolstered by the additions of Mark Reynolds and Drew Stubbs although the loss of Shin-Soo Choo will be hard to replace. The bullpen is also very strong, and whilst I think the Indians are at least a year or two away from competing, they are moving in the right direction.
21. Chicago White Sox
Again, this ranking may seem harsh after they pushed Detroit all the way this season, but the brutal truth is that they finished 4 games above .500 despite receiving a good deal of unlikely and probably unrepeatable production. Chris Sale is a legitimate ace and the retention of Jake Peavy was vital. The lower half of the rotation is questionable however, and I expect players like Alex Rios and Alejandro de Aza to struggle more after surprise 2012 breakouts. I just don't see this team competing with Detroit at all.
22. San Diego Padres
A surprise 76-win team in 2012, this young squad looked capable of fighting it out with the best towards the rear-end of the season. However, the young rotation still lacks any big names with Clayton Richard heading Edinson Volquez and Eric Stults. Andrew Cashner has an electric fastball but struggled to control it at times in 2012, and at spacious Petco, the Padres can ill-afford a leaky rotation. Chase Headley looked the real deal in 2012, and the Padres have done well to hold onto him, he should get some support from the likes of Carlos Quentin, Cameron Maybin and Yonder Alonso. Like with a lot of these young teams however, I expect them to fall short in the highly competitive NL West.
23. Chicago Cubs
The Cubs have made some shrewd moves so far this off-season and a rotation featuring Edwin Jackson, Jeff Samardzija and Matt Garza could be competitive. There are bright spots at the plate too, with Starlin Castro on the verge of breakout, Anthony Rizzo delivering on his lofty expectations after his call-up last season and Alfonso Soriano continuing an impressive renaissance. Beyond them, however, the team is extremely lacking in power bats, and whilst they could win more games than you think, they are still way short of a play-off spot.
24. Pittsburgh Pirates
Still lacking an ace, or anything that resembles an ace and the loss of Hanrahan is unlikely to make the 'pen any stronger. Unless James McDonald can pitch the whole 2013 season as he did the first few months of 2012 the Pirates will be shipping far too many runs to contend, and a line-up with no-one other than Andrew McCutchen is going to struggle to keep up. Another what-if season for the Pirates.
25. Seattle Mariners
Looked for a big bat all off-season and were only able to get the waning production of Kendrys Morales in exchange for 200 innings out of the rotation. Another young team that looked good at times in 2012, King Felix has a useful number 2 behind him in Iwakuma but unless players like Jesus Montero, Dustin Ackley and Justin Smoak can fulfil their potential it will be another season of struggle in the tough AL West. Their outfield is just paper thin.
26. Minnesota Twins
The worst team in a terrible division last season, and the acquisition of Vance Worley fails to fill the most obvious hole for the Twins which is the need for an ace. Josh Willingham is unlikely to continue his power surge, and Joe Mauer is probably going to be traded by the deadline, this team is a long way shy of being competitive.
27. New York Mets
Their 2015 rotation looks enviable, but unfortunately for Mets fans, the 2013 version still includes Frank Francisco and no R.A. Dickey. David Wright and Ike Davis are the only bright spots in the line-up for the Mets who may choose to bring enticing catching prospect Travis D'Arnaud up sooner rather than later. The only bright spot they'll have this season is the ability to beat up on the team next on this list.
28. Miami Marlins
This time last season, the Marlins were a new team, with the off-season acquisitions of Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle. This time the only reason to continue watching them is Giancarlo Stanton who will literally be forced to be the entire offensive output for this woeful team. The rotation has a few bright spots, but this is a team that will be playing with unhappy players in an empty stadium, maybe they'll rebuild again next season.
29. Colorado Rockies
Only due to the offensive prowess of Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez do the Rockies avoid the ignominy of being last on this list. There were some bright young players for Colorado in 2012, and Josh Rutledge, Wilin Rosario and Tyler Colvin will look to build off that. Unfortunately, the rotation still looks appalling and will be forced to play every other game at hitters paradise Coors Field.
30. Houston Astros
This franchise has been reborn in the off-season, with new uniforms, logos and mascots to match the new division. Unfortunately, the Astros will be the whipping boys of the AL West and look set for another season of trying to avoid being the worst team in baseball.
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