MLB Power Rankings #19-#15

After a hiatus we have finally started working on my Power Ranking posts!! To speed up this process a little bit i am going to sum up the #19-#15 teams in this post. Instead of in depth reviews of each i will breifly summarize each team but i will still list their rotation, bullpen and lineup. I am only doing this for these teams and will return to doing each team individually for the top 10. So lets take a look at the #19-#15 teams in my Power Rankings.

#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

Podcast 2-8-11

It's been a little bit of a gap again but we finally have our next podcast up. Today we recap the Super Bowl, talk about the current College Basketball season, NBA All Star Team snubs, surprises and disappointments of the current NHL Season and the Albert Pujols contract negotiations and Michael Young trade rumors. Hope you enjoy!!

MLB Power Rankings #20

Again there has been a bit of delay in posting. I apologize for making you wait so long for the #20 team but we did get a new podcast up and hopefully will record another one this week. I also plan on doing some sort of fantasy baseball preview that may include podcasts throughout the season. But today we have finally reached the #20 team in my power rankings, and there is a bit of a jump in quality of teams at this point. This is a team that could very well win their division and go to the playoffs but based on my statistical evaluation i think they fall in this spot. This team would be the Los Angeles Dodgers, they have made several moves in this off season that set them up to compete in 2011 but I'm not sure they stand up against the competition ahead of them. Lets take a more in depth look at the Dodgers.

1. Clayton Kershaw
2. Chad Billingsley
3. Ted Lilly
4. Hiroki Kuroda
5. Jon Garland

This is by far the best pitching staff we have looked at thus far. They have a top of the rotation starter in Clayton Kershaw who may become one of the most dominant left handed starters in the game. He may regress some this season because of increased workloads and just being a young pitcher but he should still be a solid top of the rotation arm. Chad Billingsley is a guy who looked like he was becoming the ace of this team after a stellar 08' season. But regressed in 09' and got better in 10' but not to the level he was at before. He is a solid middle of the rotation arm who may have some upside but it looks as if 08' was a fluke. Ted Lilly came over from the Cubs at the deadline last year and was dominant for the Dodgers. He is another solid middle of the rotation arm who doesn't have great velocity and is homer prone but he is a bulldog and can be dominant at times. Hiroki Kurdoa is another solid middle of the rotation arm who will post solid ERA's and strikeout totals and should fit perfectly in the number 4 spot in the rotation. Jon Garland is a solid back of the rotation starter who's success is driven from his ability to induce ground balls. This is a very deep rotation that could easily get a team to the playoffs, it just depends on how the rest of the team performs.

Pen-
CL- Jonathan Broxton
SU- Hong-Chih Kuo
SU- Matt Gurreir
MR- Kenley Jansen
MR- Ronald Belisario

Jonathan Broxton had his struggles last season but i think he has enough of a solid track record to suggest he could be good again this season. He has some nasty stuff and he is a bulldog on the mound, he should be able to rebound. Hong-Chih Kuo was excellent in a setup role last season posting a 1.20 ERA in 60 IP with solid peripheral stats. Matt Gurreir was the big addition to the pen this year after being one of Minnesota's dominant set up man since 2005. Kenley Jansen was excellent last season as well, posting a .67 ERA in 27 IP. He should prove to be a solid middle relief option for this pen. Ronald Belisario struggled in his second season, posting a 5.04 ERA with a minimal amount of strikeouts. He could be better this season as middle relievers are some of the most unpredictable players in baseball. This bullpen is improved from last and should prove to be one of the better ones in the league.

Lineup
1. Rafael Furcal-SS
2. Matt Kemp-CF
3. Andre Ethier
4. James Loney-1B
5. Juan Uribe-2B
6. Casey Blake
7. Rod Barajas-C
8. Jay Gibbons-LF

There be some big names on this roster, but overall this is the weakest part of the Dodgers roster. Rafael Furcal is a solid leadoff hitter, he can hit .300 with a solid OBP and good speed. Matt Kemp was being counted on to be one of the young stars of this team, but failed to do so in 2010. He has pop and speed but didnt get on base enough and played horrendous defense last season. Kemp is a guy that the Dodgers need to bounce back if they want to be competitive in 2011. Andre Ethier was outstanding early on in the season in 2010, but an injury knocked him out for a while and he wasn't the same after his return. The dodgers need to do better than Loney at cleanup and at first base. He can drive in runs but as you know RBI's are a worthless statistic in terms of talent evaluation. He is a middle of the pack hitter who is being relied to do more than he can. Juan Uribe is a nice addition to this offense, he doesn't get on base enough or hit for a high average but he has good pop for a middle infielder and has great versatility. His bat should add some punch to a lineup that really lacks it. Casey Blake is on the downside of a solid career and we are really beginning to see his production fall of here as the average went below .250 last season. He still can play defense and has some pop but he is on the decline. Rod Barajas was effective at the end of the season for the Dodgers last season and has replaced the former star catcher Russell Martin, whose production really fell of this past season. Barajas provides solid pop behind the dish but he isn't going to hit for a high average and is on the downside of his career. The true weak link of this team is in Left Field were they are attempting to platoon a washed up Jay Gibbons and Marcus Thames. Thames can provide some pop but Gibbons hasn't played a full major league season since 2005. His minor league numbers last season look good and he played effectively when brought up last season and if he is effective he should provide some nice pop. But more likely than not Left Field is going to be a problem area for the Dodgers. The Dodgers could be a playoff team if their offense plays to its upside and if the pitching stays healthy. But worse case scenario i think they are around a .500 team.

Rotation

Podcast 1-27-11

In this podcast we discuss the Super Bowl, react to what happened in the playoffs, discuss the Tampa Bay Rays moves, The Bulls, Heat and Spurs successes and failures and Tiger Woods fall to the #3 golfer in the world. Hopefully you will enjoy!

MLB Power Rankings #21

Before i even get into who the number 21 team is in my power rankings i wanted to make a change in my previous rankings. Due to the Nationals acquiring lefty starter Tom Gorzelanny from the Chicago Cubs the Nationals have been bumped up a spot in the rankings to number 23. So here is a look at the current rankings we have so far.

30. Royals
29. Indians
28. Astros
27. Pirates
26. Mariners
25. D-Backs
24. Blue Jays
23. Nationals
22. Padres

Now we can move on to the number 21 team in my power rankings. This is a team that has greatly improved from being one of the worst teams in the American League to being a competitive team. This team would be the Baltimore Orioles, with a plethora of off season moves they have put themselves in the race in the AL East. But unfortunately they play in one of the toughest if not the toughest divisions in baseball. There is absolutely no way the Orioles will win this division as the both the Yankees and the Red Sox are in the top 10 teams in baseball. But they should be able to give the Rays a run for there money for the 3rd place spot in the AL East. Lets take a deeper look at the Baltimore Orioles.

Rotation
1. Jeremy Guthrie
2. Brian Matusz
3. Brad Bergesen
4. Chris Tillman
5. Jake Arrieta

This is what is preventing them from truly competing in the AL East, as they have one of the weakest rotations in the division. Jeremy Guthrie is a solid middle of the rotation arm who has been forced to be the ace of this team the past few years. Brian Matusz is the key to the Orioles season, he has the stuff to become an ace. But he is still in the early stages in his development and can not be expected to carry this team. Brad Bergesen is another young arm but does not have the high ceiling that Matusz has. He could become a solid middle of the rotation starter but he this season he is more of a back of the rotation type in terms of his production. Chris Tillman is yet another young arm who is in between Matusz and Bergesen in terms of potential but has had the least success of the group at the major league level. Jake Arrieta is another young arm who in my opinion has equal potential to Chris Tillman and could become a solid major league starter. This staff has a ton of potential but outside of Guthrie they do not have a dependable veteran to mentor these young pitchers. This is really a boom or bust situation, either these young arms will develop and become a good pitching staff or these guys will implode and bring the team down with them.

Pen
CL- Kevin Gregg
SU- Koji Uehara
SU- Mike Gonzlaez
MR- Jeremy Accardo
MR- Alfredo Simon

The big addition this off season was the pickup of veteran closer Kevin Gregg. While he may not be the best in the business he has proved over the years to be a consistent and dependable closer. But he will have to battle Koji Uehara for the job, as Uehara was very effective as the teams closer last season. But no matter who wins the job the other will be a useful setup man. Mike Gonzalez was expected to become the closer for the Orioles last season after a successful career in Atlanta but failed to live up to expectations. Jeremy Accardo is an intriguing option as he has not pitched a full season since 2007 when he was the Blue Jays full time closer. But if he can come back healthy he could be a vital middle relief arm for the Orioles. The rest of the Pen after those guys is a jumble of mediocre pitchers who likely wont contribute much. Overall this is a pretty average pen as they have some good pitchers in the late innings but lack depth.

Lineup
1. Brian Roberts-2B
2. Nick Markakis-RF
3. Derrek Lee-1B
4. Mark Reynolds-3B
5. Luke Scott-DH
6. Adam Jones-CF
7. Matt Wieters-C
8. J.J. Hardy-SS
9. Felix Pie-LF

The Orioles really revamped their offense during the off-season with the additions of Derrek Lee, Mark Reynolds and JJ Hardy.All three of these guys should elevate the offense to one of the best in the league. Roberts is a veteran lead off hitter who may not be the best in the league but has experience. Markakis may not be an elite power hitting outfielder but he is a good OBP and RBI guy who fits perfectly in the 2 hole. Derrek Lee had a disappointing 2010 season and was traded from the Cubs to the Braves and can still hit .280-20-80 with a plus glove. Then they have a big power hitting 3rd baseman in Mark Reynolds, the only downside is that he has the top 3 spots for the single season strikeout record. So with that power comes a low average and a lot of useless at bats. Luke Scott is a consistent DH who can play 1st and corner outfield and he may have to move there as there are rumors that Vlad Guerrero may be coming to the Orioles. Adam Jones continues to develop into a solid center fielder, I'm not sure he will ever become a superstar but he has the talent to become one. Matt Wieters is another young player who we are waiting on to live up to his talent. But even if he maintains his level of play he is still one of the top catchers in the AL. JJ Hardy managed to bounce back from a rough 2009 to post a solid .268/.328/.394 stat line. Hopefully his power will return to its 07' and 08'(26 HR, 24 HR) levels in Camden Yards. Felix Pie is a solid outfielder who plays great defense but he may lose his job if they acquire Guerrero and have to move Scott to LF. This team will hit a lot of home runs and have some players who should get on base, so look for them to be one of the top offenses in the league. If only the Orioles could improve their pitching they would be one of the elite teams in the league. But until they do they will be in the middle of the pack and battle the Rays for 3rd place in the AL East.

MLB Power Rankings # 22

Again there has been a little bit of a gap in between posts and i apologize for that. I have been sick the past few days and to tell you the truth I've just been extremely lazy. But for some reason i just got really motivated to work on these power rankings. So today we are going to take a look at the #22 team on my power rankings list. This is a team that almost made the playoffs and then lost there superstar player in the off season. By now I'm sure you can guess that I'm talking about the San Diego Padres. With the loss of Adrian Gonzalez they go from being a competitive team to being a mediocre team. They still have some nice pieces and they have constructed a team that should play well at their ballpark but they will not be a "competitive" team in 2011. Lets take a more in depth look at the Padres.

Rotation
1. Matt Latos
2. Clayton Richard
3. Aaron Harang
4. Wade LeBlanc
5. Dustin Mosley

The Padres have a pretty good pitching staff led by one of the better young pitchers in the game in Matt Latos. He put up excellent numbers in his second season in the big leagues but because of the the increased work load in 2010 we may see some regression. Clayton Richard is another promising young pitcher who the Padres acquired in the Jake Peavy deal from Chicago and looks to be a solid number 2 starter. The major free agent signing for the Padres this off season was acquiring Aaron Harang, who was one of the premier starters in the league in 06' and 07' but has fallen off since. But playing in the spacious confines of PETCO Park he could see his numbers get better. Wade LeBlanc is another young pitcher who may not have pitched as well as some of the Padres other young arms but has potential to be a solid major league starter. Dustin Mosley fits the role of back of the rotation starter but likely wont contribute more than that. This is a solid staff that has an ace in the making in Latos and some other nice young arms but they cant compete with the better teams in the league.

Pen
CL- Heath Bell
SU- Tim Stauffer
SU- Mike Adams
MR- Luke Gregerson
MR- Joe Thatcher

This is one of the best pens in the league, with a dominate closer, dominate set up men and really good middle relievers they can play with the best in the league. Even with losing some depth in the Cameron Maybin deal they still have enough depth to rank them in the top 5 bullpens in the league. Bell is a dynamic closer who likely will hit free agency after this season but there are plenty of options to replace him. Stauffer, Adams and Thatcher all had ERA's under 2 and I think Adams could be the future at closer. But all in all this is a top flight bullpen that can keep there team in any game.

Lineup
1. Jason Bartlett-SS
2. Orlando Hudson-2B
3. Brad Hawpe-1B
4. Ryan Ludwick-RF
5. Chase Headley-3B
6. Will Venable-LF
7. Nick Hundley-C
8. Cameron Maybin-CF

This may be the weakest part of the team with the loss of Adrian Gonzalez as he was the cog of this offense. They will attempt to replace his production with Brad Hawpe and eventually Kyle Blanks when he returns from injury. The additions of Bartlett and Hudson should help as well as they will try to play small ball more often. Both are guys who can get on base and have some speed but neither are elite at either of those things. Ludwick will attempt to be the power guy for this team but he struggled after being traded so we will likely see something similar to what happened to Brian Giles happen to Ludwick. Headley and Venable both need to contribute more at the plate and if they do it could really improve this offense. Hundley will finally be the full time catcher and should provide average offense at the position. The real wildcard is Cameron Maybin who the Padres acquired from the Marlins for a couple of relievers. Maybin has always been extremely talented and has all of the tools to be an elite center fielder/lead off hitter with decent power but has failed to live up to the hype. Maybe a change of scenery will help him get on the right track but no matter what he should be an upgrade over Tony Gwynn jr. This offense has some potential but even at its highest potential it cant compete with the better NL teams. Worst case scenario the Padres finish last in the division, best case they finish second to last.

MLB Power Rankings # 23

Before i get into who is the #23 team in the power rankings i would like to briefly recap the previous teams for those who have missed the previous posts.
#30- Kansas City Royals
#29- Cleveland Indians
#28- Houston Astros
#27- Seattle Mariners
#26- Pittsburgh Pirates
#25- Arizona Diamondbacks
#24- Washington Nationals

And the #23 team is.........the Toronto Blue Jays. Now i realize some people may not agree with this position, stating that they finished with a 85-77 Record and have a solid foundation of players to build from. I realize all of those things but the division got better so i doubt they will be as successful against their division foes as they were last season. They also had several players who had career years (Jose Bautista?) and they lost Shaun Marcum to the Brewers which will hurt their pitching staff. But this team is significantly better than the teams bellow it on the power rankings, and with a little luck could be an upper echelon team. Lets take a little bit deeper look at the Blue Jays.

Rotation
1. Ricky Romero
2. Brandon Morrow
3. Brett Cecil
4. Kyle Drabek
5. Jesse Litsch

The loss of Shaun Marcum is going to sting a little but hopefully a full season of Kyle Drabek will offset that loss. This staff definitely overachieved in 2010 but they still have enough talent to be better than any of the staffs bellow them and many of the teams above them. Ricky Romero may not be an ace but he is a solid 1/2 type starter, Brandon Morrow has great stuff but he needs to learn to keep it under control. Brett Cecil was a bit of a surprise in 2010 but his innings went up significantly and he is a young guy so we could see some decline in 2011. The wild card in this group is Drabek, he was the centerpiece of the Roy Halladay trade and we will finally get an idea of how good the trade was for the Blue Jays. Then Jesse Litsch is another interesting option as he was a effective in 07' and 08' but has battled injuries the past few seasons. He could be another surprise in 2011, if Drabek and Litsch meet or exceed expectations this could be a very good staff. But if they flop or some of the other starters regress this could be a very average pitching staff.

Pen
CL- Octavio Dotel
SU- Shawn Camp
SU- Jason Frasor
MR- David Purcey
MR- Casey Janssen

They lost Kevin Gregg, but they replaced him with Octavio Dotel. Dotel does not necessarily have the closer job wrapped up, he will have to battle Shawn Camp and Jason Frasor for the job but Dotel has the experience so i think he will get the job. Both Camp and Frasor are very effective relief pitchers who are dominant set up guys and Janssen and Purcey are solid middle relief options. But projections are predicting that Frasor and Camp take a fall this season so beware. I think this group could be very good but again they overachieved in 2010 so there has to be some regression.

Lineup-
1. Rajai Davis-LF
2. Yunel Escobar-SS
3. Jose Bautista-RF
4. Vernon Wells-CF
5. Adam Lind-1B
6. Aaron Hill-2B
7. Travis Snider-DH
8. Edwin Encarnacion-3B
9. J.P. Arencibia

This was a very home run driven offense and likely will be again in 2011. And although you have to expect some regression by Bautista, players like Adam Lind and Aaron Hill who had rough 2010 seasons may bounce back and make up for Bautista's regression. I think this offense will be equally as good as the 2010 offense but there is a chance that this team could be even better. Davis gives the Jays a strong lead-off hitter and Escobar is the ideal #2 hitter and hopefully will bounce back from a disappointing 2010. Wells will likely continue to put up the same numbers and we are still waiting for Travis Snider to play up to his potential. Edwin is always a power threat but he is extremely streaky and J.P. Arencibia will battle Jose Molina for the starting catcher job. This is a solid offense that will rank near the top of the league in home runs but they are not the best at getting on base. The more I look at this team the more i feel that they deserve to be higher. So i will put in this ranking a disclaimer that i think they could easily move up as high as 13-14 in the rankings. But for now I will keep them at 23 with the idea that they could work there way up. This is a team with promise and probably a bright future ahead but they are in the toughest division in baseball so for them to get to the playoffs it is going to be tough.