MLB Power Rankings # 24

Since there was such a big gap between my 26th and 25th teams i thought i would give you 2 teams today. So now we will take a look at the #24 team on my power rankings, the Washington Nationals. This is a team that made some significant changes, although they were not able to change in their one major weak area, pitching. I think they may have added a few wins this season but overall they have overpaid to only be marginally better and will likely still be at the cellar of the division this season. Lets take a little bit deeper look at the Nationals.

Rotation
1. Livan Hernandez
2. John Lannan
3. Jason Marquis
4. Jordan Zimmerman
5. J.D. Martin

Like many teams this far down in the rankings they lack a true ace at the top of their rotation. That is not necessarily a death sentence but they do not even hold a number 1 or even a number 2 type starter. Livan Hernandez and John Lannan could both make cases to be middle of the rotation type starters but Hernandez is past his prime and Lannan struggled some last season (although he came on strong in the second half). Jason Marquis was a disappointment last season as he was expected to bring some stability to this rotation but was hurt and struggled, hopefully he can rebound. Jordan Zimmerman was also injured last season and has the potential to be a nice middle of the rotation starter and is a player i really like. J.D. Martin is kind of the fill in the blank type player that will likely fill the back end of this rotation and we will likely see many mid-level prospects pitching in this spot. Overall its not the worst rotation but it is worse than some of the rotations of teams that are behind the Nationals in the power rankings.

Pen
CL- Drew Storen
SU- Tyler Clippard
SU- Sean Burnett
MR- Doug Slaten
MR- Craig Stammen

I actually think that this bullpen will end up being the strength of this team this season. I am a big fan of Drew Storen and he looked legit in the 54 games he pitched this season. Sean Burnett and Tyler Clippard are both effective relievers who both profile pretty well as set up guys. Although Sean Burnett is projected to take a little bit of a fall. Doug Slaten and Craig Stammen are both guys who should provide some pretty effective innings, and Stammen may flip between the rotation and the pen. I think this is a very solid group of young pitcher who will get a lot of innings as the rotation will struggle, and i think they will step up to the challenge.

Lineup
1. Nyjer Morgan-CF
2. Ian Desmond-SS
3. Ryan Zimmerman-3B
4. Jayson Werth-RF
5. Adam LaRoche-1B
6. Rick Ankiel-LF
7. Ivan Rodriguez-C
8. Danny Espinosa-2B

This team definitely has some stars, but they are not deep enough to stack up against the better teams in the league. They made some big moves in the off-season, acquiring Jayson Werth, Adam LaRoche and Rick Ankiel. But they also lost talented players in Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham. Werth should offset the loss of Dunn, and LaRoche will offset the lose of Willingham and maybe add a little bit more value. But overall they will likely be as productive as before in terms of their offense, but they should improve defensively which will benefit their pitching. Morgan is a prototypical lead-off hitter with blazing speed and the ability to bunt but he does not get on base enough or hit enough to be a great lead-off hitter. Ian Desmond was a bit of a surprise in 2010 and hopefully should continue his progression and become one of the top offensive shortstops in the game. Ryan Zimmerman is really the main cog of this team on both offense and defense. He is one of the premier defensive third baseman in the league as well as one of the top hitters in the game. Without Zimmerman this team would lose 100 games, so if he gets hurt they are done. Rick Ankiel is always an interesting power option and maybe moving back to the NL will help him rebound from a rough 2010 campaign. At the back end of the lineup Pudge Rodriguez should continue to hit and hopefully get to 3,000 hits very soon, and Danny Espinosa could be the key to the Nationals success in 2011. If he hits to his potential and has a good season he could propel this offense and team to at least be competitive. I think this Nationals team resembles everything the Expos used to be, a very mediocre team that isn't horrible but isn't good either. They could move up a few slots in the rankings or move down but they will not be a really bad team or a really good team.

MLB Power Rankings # 25

I know its been a while, and im sure all of our faithful readers have been dying to find out what the #25 team is in my power rankings. Well i will skip all the pleasantries and jump right into it. The #25 team is the....Arizona Diamondbacks. After losing the 2007 NLCS this team has steadily declined, falling to a 65-97 record in 2010. This resulted in a change of GM's to former Padres GM Kevin Towers. He has already begun to revamp this team, making an effort to cut down on strikeouts. While they may do that in 2011 they are a much weaker offense overall without the powerful Mark Reynolds at the heart of their lineup. They will have to rely on a multitude of young players to come into their own if they want to improve. Lets dig deeper into this 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks team.

Rotation
1. Ian Kennedy
2. Joe Saunders
3. Daniel Hudson
4. Barry Enright
5. Zach Duke

There are definitely some solid pitchers in this rotation, but they lack a true ace. Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson look to be the foundations of this pitching staff for years to come, but they are not near their full potential yet. Joe Saunders is a nice innings eater type pitcher but again not a guy who can carry your team. Barry Enright is a very weak #4 starter, but i do like Zach Duke as the 5th starter. He has been effective before but a had a rough 2010 campaign, i would look for him to rebound to at least be a solid back of the rotation option. This is not a bad staff but it needs some work, hopefully in the next year or so we can get a look at D-Backs top pitching prospect Jarrod Parker. But even then they need to get some more arms to bolster this rotation before they can contend again.

Pen
CL- J.J. Putz
SU- Juan Gutierrez
SU- Sam Demel
MR- David Hernandez
MR- Blaine Boyer

This is a major weakness of this team, but it was addressed somewhat by the Mark Reynolds deal. They are hoping that David Hernandez can become a solid set up man to Putz. The JJ Putz deal doesn't make a lot of sense for a team like the Diamondbacks who are clearly in a rebuilding mode. Closer is a area that rebuilding team do not need to spend money as they likely wont get many opportunities. The rest of the bullpen is made up of league average arms that they could easily replace, but Towers does have a reputation for building good bullpens. So by the end of the season this may be one of the better pens in baseball, but right now i think they are a very middle of the road group.

Lineup-
1. Chris Young-CF
2. Stephen Drew-SS
3. Kelly Johnson-2B
4. Justin Upton-RF
5. Miguel Montero-C
6. Melvin Mora-3B
7. Xavier Nady-LF
8. Brandon Allen-1B

There is some really good talent on this offense, but i don't think there is enough to keep them competitive in the NL West this season. Chris Young is not an ideal leadoff hitter as he does not get on base enough and hits for more power, but he does have good speed and provides some explosiveness similar to Alfonso Soriano a few years ago. Stephen Drew is a one of the elite shortstops in the game and fits perfectly in the 2 hole and could leadoff depending on Chris Young's performance. The big surprise for this team in 2010, was the emergence of Kelly Johnson. After a dissapointing 2009 in Atlanta the D-Backs picked him up from the bargain bin and they got more than there moneys worth. He posted career highs in HR,R,RBI,SB,and SLG and was the teams most valuable player in 09'. He likely wont repeat but he should at least remain one of the better offensive second baseman in the league. This biggest disappointment for this team in 10' was Justin Upton, after stellar sophomore season his numbers declined in almost every category. He will need to cut down the strikeouts if he ever wants to live up to the hype or else he risks becoming like his brother BJ Upton. The rest of the offense with the exception of stud catcher Miguel Montero is very middle of the pack. With veterans Melvin Mora and Xavier Nady manning third base and left field respectively. The most interesting position will be first base were Brandon Allen and Juan Miranda will battle for the starters job. Both are prospects who have seen little time at the big league level so they really are the unknown piece of this Arizona lineup. While Arizona has some nice pieces they have little to no chance to contend in 2011, they need to focus on rebuilding for 2012 or 2013. But they are a step up from the teams below them. I will try to get the rest of these rankings up a little quicker but things have been pretty busy lately.

Chris "Da Franchize" Hart

MLB Power Rankings # 26

I thought i would try and fit in one more team on my power rankings before i have a very busy weekend. Today we will look at a team that many thought would be a contender in 2010 but failed to even be .500. That would be the Seattle Mariners, as they come in at #26 in my preseason power rankings. As i mentioned in my previous post, the Mariners had been ranked 27th but with the addition of Miguel Olivo i bumped them up to 26th. Lets take a more in depth look at the Mariners.

Rotation-
1. Felix Hernandez
2. Jason Vargas
3. Doug Fister
4. Erik Bedard
5. Luke French

This staff is headlined by CY Young winner Felix Hernandez, who is by far one of the top pitchers in the game right now. But after Hernandez their is a steep drop off, Vargas and Fister may be valuable back of the rotation guys but not top of the rotation guys. Erik Bedard is the wild card of the group he has yet to really be healthy for the Mariners but when he's healthy he can be very good. But don't count on a healthy season, and Luke French is a 5th starter nothing better. David Pauley could become the 5th starter and may be a better option. This staff is similar to the Royals last year, were they have an ace at the top with nothing else of good value.

Pen-
CL- David Aardsma
SU- Brandon League
SU-Garrett Olsen
MR- Shawn Kelly
MR- Danny Cortes

The only arm that is really good here is Brandon League, especially with David Aardsma's injury. He will likely miss opening day and wont pitch for a few weeks allowing League to get some save opportunities. The rest of the Pen has some potential but none are proven relievers who will do much to help this team. This is a mediocre pen that might hold a few surprises but outside of League im not a fan of any of these guys.

Lineup-
1. Ichiro Suzuki-RF
2. Chone Figgins-3B
3. Franklin Gutierrez-CF
4. Jack Cust-DH
5. Miguel Olivo-C
6. Justin Smoak-1B
7. Michael Saunders-LF
8. Brendan Ryan-SS
9. Josh Wilson-2B

I will give them credit, they did add some pop to this lineup (Cust and Olivo). But it will not be enough to compete with the teams in their division. Ichiro is aging and at some point will show some signs of decline. That being said Figgins should play better this season which could help for any regression that Ichiro may show if any. Gutierrez was supposed to be their next superstar and he failed to produce, he did play well defensively but he needs to bounce back on offense. Cust and Olivo will add some solid power to the middle of the lineup, and Smoak was a heralded prospect who hopefully will come through in 2011. The bottom of the lineup is kind of weak with light hitting middle infielders Ryan and Wilson but that usually is a weak part of a lineup anyways. Overall this offense will improve in 2011, but the question is by how much. Even if they improve a lot the pitching outside of Hernandez is not good enough to push them to contention. But they could take steps to respectability in 2011 and no matter what they will not be the worst team in the MLB.

Complete NFL Playoff Predictions

We had to put the MLB Preseason power rankings on hold for a little while so we could do our complete NFL Playoff Predictions. Kevin will probably beat me as he made his picks first and i had to struggle to make mine different. Kevin wanted to write this on his own but was unable because he is currently in the hospital, so lets wish him a speedy recovery. Now to dive in to the predictions starting with Kevin's.

Kevin's Picks
Wildcard

Ravens over Chiefs
Colts over Jets
Saints over Seahawks
Packers over Eagles

Divisional Playoffs

Patriots over Ravens(Close Game/OT)
Steelers over Colts
Falcons over Packers (Close Game/OT)
Saints over Bears

Conference Championships

Falcons over Saints
Patriots over Steelers

Superbowl

Patriots over Falcons

Chris's Picks
Wildcard

Ravens over Chiefs
Jets over Colts
Saints over Seahawks
Packers over Eagels

Divisional Playoffs

Ravens over Steelers
Patriots over Jets
Falcons over Packers
Saints over Bears

Conference Championship

Ravens over Patriots (Close Game/OT)
Falcons over Saints

Super Bowl

Ravens over Falcons

The reason i decided to pick the Ravens for the Superbowl is mainly because they were my preseason pick (The Patriots were Kevin's). After the playoffs we will compare our picks and see who did the best. And if your doing a pool use Kevin's picks not mine (unless you are trying to lose).


Chris "Da Franchize" Hart

MLB Power Rankings # 27

Some moves have been made over the past few days that have made me have to adjust my rankings, which is why it has taken a little longer to get these out. This next team just moved down a spot because the team that was previously at #27 added a piece that bumps them up a spot. This team is slightly better than the Astros but not by a ton, and easily could slip behind them not only in the rankings but in the division. So I'm sure you can guess who this is, I am talking about the Pittsburgh Pirates. Lets take an in depth look at this team.

Rotation-
1. Paul Maholm
2. Ross Ohlendorf
3. James McDonald
4. Kevin Correia
5. Charlie Morton

This is there huge weakness, i actually kind of like their offense but they have BAD pitching. Maholm is an okay lefty who can eat innings but he is not a number one starter. James McDonald looked good when he came over in a trade from the Dodgers but he is not a guarantee. The rest of the staff is garbage, Ohlendorf might be useful but Correia struggled at the most pitcher friendly park last season and was a back of the rotation starter to begin with. The fifth spot could be filled by Charlie Morton, Daniel McCutchen or players off the AAA team. This staff is not as bad as the Royals but they are pretty close.

Pen-
CL- Joel Hanrahan
SU- Evan Meek
SU- Chris Resop
MR- Sean Gallagher
MR- Scott Olsen

Their pen is not as bad as their staff but it is not a good bullpen. Joel Hanrahan could be a fantastic reliever in my opinion, but he needs to limit his walks. The rest of the relievers in this pen they basically got at the bargain bin at Walmart, some might surprise us and then be used as trade bait mid season and the rest will be bad. This is another area the Pirates need to improve upon if they want to ever have a winning season again.

Lineup-
1.Andrew McCutchen-CF
2.Jose Tabata-LF
3.Neil Walker-2B
4.Pedro Alvarez-3B
5.Lyle Overbay-1B
6.Garrett Jones-RF
7.Chris Snyder-C
8.Ronny Cedeno-SS

The Pirates offense will be there best area in 2011, as they have some promising young talent that should continue to get better. McCutchen has been the star of this team for the past 2 seasons and has proved to be a solid top of the order hitter who is a true 5 tool talent. His time as the star of this team is ending as Pedro Alvarez has reached the Big Levels and didn't disappoint in 2010. Expect Alvarez to lead this team in HR and RBI for years to come and be a perennial All-Star. Besides those 2 stars, Neil Walker and Jose Tabata also emerged as reliable contributors on this team. With those young stars and the addition of veteran first baseman Lyle Overbay this should be an above average offense. This will not get them to a winning season but they should be a bit more respectable than in years past. Its hard not to root for this team as it would be nice to see them break that streak of losing seasons but I dont think this is the team to do it.

MLB Power Rankings # 28

Today we will take a look at my number 28 team which i am surprised that they are this low. Its not that it's a great team but i didn't think they would fall this low. This team would be the Houston Astros, i think they have improved their team from last year in terms of overall talent. But I dont think they can rely on Brett Myers to put up the numbers he did in 2010. Lets take a more in depth look at the 2011 Houston Astros.

Rotation-
1. Brett Myers
2. Wandy Rodriguez
3. J.A. Happ
4. Bud Norris
5. Nelson Figueroa

While they may lack a true ace at the top of the staff, their top 4 starters are pretty solid. As i mentioned before Brett Myers had a terrific 2010 season and i doubt he can repeat those numbers. But as long as he can pitch effectively this team can be a solid staff. Wandy Rodriguez has been pretty consistent the past few seasons and is a solid middle of the rotation guy. J.A. Happ came over in the Roy Oswalt trade and is another guy who should be able to eat some innings and be a solid middle of the rotation guy. Then you have Bud Norris who can put up decent strikeout totals but will need to get his walks down if he wants to improve. But again he is a guy who can be a solid middle of the rotation guy. The only real weak spot is that they lack depth and if there are some injuries they could struggle. But this is definitely not the weakest staff in the division.

Pen-
CL- Brandon Lyon
SU-Alberto Arias
SU-Wilton Lopez
MR- Mark Melancon
MR-Jeff Fulchino

The bullpen is going to be the weak spot of this team, with the exception of closer Brandon Lyon this is a garbage pen. Some of the relievers may be serviceable but you could probably pick up someone of the scrap heap and get equal value. It's too bad they had to give up Matt Lindstrom, i have always been a big fan of him.

Lineup-
1. Michael Bourn-CF
2. Clint Barmes-SS
3. Chris Johnson-3B
4. Carlos Lee-LF
5. Hunter Pence-RF
6. Bill Hall-2B
7. Brett Wallace-1B
8. Jason Castro-C

This is not a horrible offense and while it may not have any huge glaring holes at a particular position. It is an offense that lacks true star power, Hunter Pence who should be more of an ancillary piece is being asked to be the offensive star along with a washed up Carlos Lee and inconsistent Bill Hall and a number of young players. The one thing I will say about the Astros is that every year they seem to overachieve compared to expectations and manage to stay in the race. They could definitely do that with this roster considering the talent of the previous teams but i doubt it. This team is significantly better than the two previous teams on my rankings, but don't expect the Astros to be in contention and likely will be at the bottom of the division.

MLB Power Rankings # 29

I have finally completed the Power Rankings so i will be able to release one a day. I think they may cause some controversy as I took some risks on them this year. But today we are going to look at the #29 team, they are not going to be as bad as the Royals but are still going to be pretty bad. Actually it is a team in the same division as the Royals, The Cleveland Indians. While the Indians finished with 69 wins last year they will likely finish around the same record despite being a better team. They have some nice young pieces but are a while away from contention and they do not have a farm system like the Royals to help in the near future. Lets take a more in depth look at the Indians.

Rotation-
1. Fausto Carmona
2. Justin Masterson
3. Jeanmar Gomez
4. Carlos Carrasco
5. Josh Tomlin

I do like the top 2 starters on their staff, Carmona may not be an ace but he is a capable starter who can eat innings effectively. Masterson is my favorite pitcher of the bunch, he has a decent strikeout potential but may struggle with walks. He fits well as a middle of the rotation starter, but the back of the rotation is not as good as the top. Of the back end starters i like Carlos Carrasco the most as he has the most strikeout stuff and was a solid prospect. But this is a staff that lacks experience outside of Carmona and will take some beatings this season.

Bullpen-
CL-Chris Perez
SU-Tony Sipp
SU-Rafael Perez
MR-Joe Smith
MR-Jensen Lewis

Chris Perez looks to be a very good closer as he went 23 for 27 in save opportunities in 2010. He put up good numbers across the board and is only 25 so the Indians have their closer for a while. The rest of the Pen is solid but unspectacular, they should get the job done but will blow their share of leads. None of the other relievers stand out as being really good or bad so they are in better shape then a lot of pens.

Lineup-
1. Grady Sizemore=CF
2. Asdrubal Cabrera-SS
3. Shin-Soo Choo-RF
4. Travis Hafner-DH
5. Carlos Santana-C
6. Matt LaPorta-1B
7. Luis Valbuena-2B
8. Michael Brantley-LF
9. Jayson Nix-3B

Getting Grady Sizemore back should be a huge boost to this offense, but he is coming off some injuries so his production may not be the same. A full season of young Catching prospect Carlos Santana will be another boost to this offense that has lacked star power. The most consistent player on this team the past few years and most productive has been Shin-Soo Choo. He has been able to post lines around .300/.400/.450 consistently while playing good defense. Outside of those 3 players they will be relying on some young players to live up to their potential such as Matt LaPorta, Michael Brantley, Jason Donald and Trevor Crowe. This offense has the potential to be pretty good but they will need the young guys to contribute and Grady Sizemore to bounce back from several injury plagued seasons. This team could very well move up in the rankings as the season goes on they just need a little luck. But they do have more potential than several teams ahead of them.