#19- Los Angeles Angels
Rotation-
1. Jered Weaver
2. Dan Haren
3. Ervin Santana
4. Scott Kazmir
5. Joel Pineiro
Bullpen-
CL- Fernando Rodney
SU- Scott Downs
SU- Hisanori Takahashi
MR- Kevin Jepsen
MR- Francisco M. Rodriguez
Lineup-
1. Erick Aybar-SS
2. Howie Kendrick-2B
3. Torii Hunter-RF
4. Vernon Wells-LF
5. Kendry Morales-1B
6. Bobby Abreu-DH
7. Alberto Callaspo-3B
8. Jeff Mathis-C
9. Peter Bourjos-CF
The rotation is the strength of this team with 2 top of the rotation arms anchoring several middle of the rotation arms. The bullpen is improved with Takahashi and Downs coming in this season, but the closer situation may be a problem. They need to find an upgrade over Fernando Rodney at closer. The offense should be improved from 2010 with Kendry Morales returning from injury and the addition of Vernon Wells. But they are still a fairly mediocre offense that has power but in terms of getting on base they may struggle. Bourjos should provide some speed but he is only a temporary option in center till Mike Trout reaches the majors which will be sooner rather than later. This is a team that should finish around .500 but it will be tough to compete against the Rangers and A's in 2011.
#18- Florida Marlins
Rotation-
1. Josh Johnson
2. Javier Vazquez
3. Ricky Nolasco
4. Anibal Sanchez
5. Chris Volstad
Bullpen-
CL- Clay Hensley
SU- Leo Nunez
SU- Brian Sanches
MR- Randy Choate
MR- Ryan Webb
Lineup-
1. Chris Coghlan-CF
2. Omar Infante-2B
3. Hanley Ramirez-SS
4. John Buck-C
5. Mike Stanton-RF
6. Gaby Sanchez-1B
7. Logan Morrison-LF
8. Wes Helms-3B
The Marlins are pretty good all around, the staff has an ace in Josh Johnson, they got some help in the pen by trading Cameron Maybin and Hanley Ramirez anchors a powerful offense. The rest of the staff outside of Johnson are good middle of the rotation talent and Javier Vazquez add some experience and more strikeout potential. The bullpen should be pretty good and Hensley looks to be a solid closer in 2011. The best part of this Marlins team in my mind is the offense, there are so many great young players on this roster that are just beginning to blossom. Mike Stanton may very well be the most powerful player in major league baseball and combined with young outfielders Logan Morrison and Chris Coghlan they look pretty good. At third they will likely start Wes Helms to start the year but before the All-Star break we will see top prospect Matt Dominguez. This is a team that has a good long term outlook (as usual) and while they may not go to the playoffs this season, once they get in their new stadium they will have a shot.
#17- Detroit Tigers
Rotation-
1. Justin Verlander
2. Max Scherzer
3. Rick Porcello
4. Phil Coke
5. Brad Penny
Bullpen-
CL- Jose Valverde
SU- Joaquin Benoit
SU- Ryan Perry
MR- Brad Thomas
MR- Daniel Schlereth
Lineup-
1. Austin Jackson-CF
2. Brennan Boesch-RF
3. Magglio Ordonez-DH/OF
4. Miguel Cabrera-1B
5. Victor Martinez-C/DH
6. Ryan Raburn-LF
7. Carlos Guillen-2B
8. Jhonny Peralta-SS
9. Brandon Inge-3B
This is another team that is pretty solid all around. The pitching staff has a legitimate ace in Justin Verlander and Max Scherezer is a very good number 2 starter. There is somewhat off a drop off after those 2 but Rick Porcello has a lot of upside and Phil Coke is an intriguing starting option. The main concern will be the health of Brad Penny as he has a long injury history. The bullpen was bolstered by the addition of Joaquin Benoit and they have a good closer in Jose Valverde. The offense was also bolstered in the off season by adding Victor Martinez to most likely but can catch and play first when needed. With V-Mart now in the lineup we should see Miguel Cabrera's numbers continue to rise and don't be surprised if he finishes as the AL MVP in 2011. It will really depend on if they can keep up with the White Sox and the Twins in a top heavy AL Central.
#16- New York Mets
Rotation-
1. Johan Santana
2. Mike Pelfrey
3. Jonathan Niese
4. R.A. Dickey
5. Chris Young
Bullpen-
CL- Francisco Rodriguez
SU- D.J. Carrasco
SU- Manny Acosta
MR- Pat Misch
MR- Bobby Parnell
Lineup-
1. Jose Reyes-SS
2. Angel Pagan- RF
3. Carlos Beltran-CF
4. David Wright-3B
5. Ike Davis-1B
6. Jason Bay-LF
7. Ronny Paulino-C
8. Ruben Tejada-2B
Some may think this is a little bit of a reach but I think the Mets are a bit of a sleeper team in 2010. They have their faults especially in their rotation but i think the offense is much more talented than what they showed in 2010. Chris Young will be an interesting guy to watch in 2011, if he can stay healthy he could really elevate this staff. The Bullpen is the main area of concern as Francisco Rodriguez has had some off field trouble and they will be relying on some health risks to give them innings in the pen. The offense should rebound as most of these guys experienced injuries last season and most are healthy now. I don't care what you may say about Jason Bay, there is no way he only hits 6 homers again unless he gets hurt. Carlos Beltran is another bounce back candidate for the Mets this season and Jose Reyes is looking to rebuild his value. They have motivation and desperately want to become relevant again so I think they will make a push to be a .500 team in 2011.
#15- Tampa Bay Rays
Rotation-
1. David Price
2. James Shields
3. Wade Davis
4. Jeff Niemann
5. Jeremy Hellickson
Bullpen-
CL- Kyle Farnsworth
SU- J.P. Howell
SU- Joel Peralta
MR- Adam Russell
MR- Andy Sonnanstine
Lineup-
1. Johnny Damon-LF
2. Ben Zobrist-1B
3. Evan Longoria-3B
4. Manny Ramirez-DH
5. Matt Joyce-RF
6. B.J. Upton-CF
7. John Jason-C
8. Reid Brignac-SS
9. Sean Rodriguez
2011 may be a down year for the Rays, but they will still be competitive. They have an extremely tough rotation with ace in the making David Price and up and comers in Wade Davis and Jeremy Hellickson. The bullpen lost almost everyone from the dominant 2010 pen but still looks to be solid although closer may be an issue. The place that took the biggest hit was the offense with the losses of Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena and Jason Bartlett who were mainstays of the Rays franchise. But they brought in some veteran help new young players adjust to the big leagues. Manny should be a huge upgrade at DH and Damon should help offset the loss of Carl Crawford (although he will never be replaced only succeeded). They also have several young stars coming into their own in Reid Brignac, Sean Rodriguez and possibly Desmond Jennings later in the season. As I said this may be a down year but they have excellent management and have plenty of options on the farm to replace what they have lost.
That is the #19-#15 teams on my Power Rankings, I will post my #14-#11 teams later in the week, so look out for that. Before I get into the top 10 i will do a brief recap of all the teams thus far. Please give me feedback on my rankings!!
Chris "da Franchize" Hart
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