Dave B’s MLB Power Rankings – Preseason – April 3rd
It is almost that time of year folks – the smell of popcorn and hot dogs is filling the air in 30 North American cities – baseball is here! Every two weeks during the regular season, Dave B will compile a list of teams on the rise and teams on the decline in the Majors.
Let’s kick it off with the preseason rankings – not a whole lot of surprises but there are a few teams that made enormous strides during the offseason and have gone from the outhouse to the penthouse without even playing a game!
Without further adieu – here is the first edition of Dave B’s MLB Power Rankings for 2012!
1. New York Yankees – Yup – the Yankees top the Rankings… again. They were tops in the American League last season and only improved in their one area of concern during the offseason – starting pitching. Although Michael Pineda has yet to impress, he should come around. Hiroki Kuroda is a huge upgrade, able to gobble up innings and manage the game while Andy Petite’s return could be huge. By all accounts the aging club is healthy and ready to make perhaps one more run at a World title.
2. Philadelphia Phillies – The offense may not quite be where it was last year with Ryan Howard and Chase Utley being absent at least for the first part of the season but C’mon – the pitching is insane and only got better with the addition of Jonathan Papelbon. The NL East is going to be tough this year but with the arms the Phillies possess, they should be playing well into October.
3. Texas Rangers – nearly won it all last year and if they didn’t lose CJ Wilson and Darren Oliver, they may be at the top of the rankings. Yu Darvish and Joe Nathan were brought in to replace their defectors – not bad additions but the results will likely take a little time. This team will score runs – guaranteed but they need their newcomers to shine!
4. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson make this team a whole lot better. The starting rotation has C.J. Wilson, Jered Weaver, Dan Haren and Ervin Santana, making it one of the most formidable four in the game. With Pujols anchoring an offense that underachieved last year, the Angels will compete with Texas all season long for sure. The Angels are a threat and are worthy of a Top 5 spot on the preseason Power Rankings.
5. Detroit Tigers – The Tigers addition of Prince Fielder certainly helps this team both offensively and defensively. Even though Victor Martinez will be out for the year, the Tigers still have a very attractive pitching staff and the bullpen isn’t that bad either. The offense makes this team Top 10 all by itself however!
6. Boston Red Sox – maybe a bit high but I have faith that the Sox will return to prominence this season. The pitching staff is still in the Top Tier of American league stats and names like Ellsbury, Martinez and Carl Crawford make this one of the best offenses in the land. There may be some growing pains with the new faces but Boston still has to be considered elite!
7. St. Louis Cardinals – Defending World Series Champion St. Louis has the most to prove this season with departure of perhaps the best player in the game Albert Pujols but the addition of Carlos Beltran should ensure that the drop-off isn’t as horrific as expected. Chris Carpenter is injured and Adam Wainwright is a huge question mark after returning from Tommy John surgery but Beltran, Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman make up a good batting order. They still have some Stud pitchers and their winning tradition could be enough to carry them through some tight games.
8. Tampa Bay Rays – James Shields, David Price, Jeremy Hellickson, Jeff Niemann and Matt Moore make up one of the more attractive rotations in the bigs and they still have Wade Davis that just may see time in the bullpen because of the sheer number of quality arms. 1B Carlos Peña, DH Luke Scott, RP Fernando Rodney, IF Jeff Keppinger, C Jose Molina, RP Burke Badenhop, RP Josh Lueke are all quality pickups for a Rays club that still boasts one of the more exciting young and up-and-coming rosters in the game.
9. Cincinnati Reds – The loss of Ryan Madson hurts for sure but the additions of such names as SP Mat Latos, OF Ryan Ludwick, RP Ryan Madson, RP Sean Marshall, IF Wilson Valdez, UT Willie Harris and SP Jeff Francis should help a Cincinnati Reds team on the rise. Youngsters C Devin Mesoraco and SS Zack Cozart are blue chip prospects that should allow the Reds to stay in the top 10-15 in the Regular Season Power Rakings. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
10. Miami Marlins – A new year brings with it a huge sense of optimism in Miami. A new manager, new pitchers Mark Buehrle, Carlos Zambrano and Heath Bell give the Marlins one of the most improved clubs in the game. Jose Reyes and Austin Kearns help out an offense that could surprise this season.
11. San Francisco Giants – Buster Posey returns to help out an offense that added Melky Cabrera in the offseason. The pitching staff still boasts the likes of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and last season’s surprise, 34-year-old RHP Ryan Vogelsong. With Brian Wilson closing out games, you can bet that the Giants will be very competitive this year.
12. Atlanta Braves – Tim Hudson, Tommy Hanson, Brandon Beachy and Jair Jurrjens return to what should be a very formidable starting four. Pitching is not an issue for Atlanta – if Jason Heyward can return to form Atlanta should be another team to watch in the National League.
13. Washington Nationals – Ya, the Nationals are in my Top 15 largely because of the impending return of Steven Strasburg. Jayson Werth, Bryce Harper, Michael Morse and Gio Gonzalez give the Nats a decent batting order, the likes we have not seen before in the Nation’s Capital.
14. Arizona Diamondbacks – The Diamondbacks came out of nowhere last season and should be prime to compete once again in 2012. The addition of SP Trevor Cahill, OF Jason Kubel, RP Craig Breslow, RP Takashi Saito makes the D’Backs a better team than last year and although there are still a few question marks, Arizona is deserving of a Top 15 place in this year’s preseason Power Rankings.
15. Toronto Blue Jays – There is a ton of optimism in Toronto this year and rightfully so. They shored up a gaping hole in the offseason with their acquisition of closer Sergio Santos from the White Sox and also added RP Francisco Cordero, RP Darren Oliver, RP Jason Frasor, OF Ben Francisco, C Jeff Mathis to a young lineup that will score as per usual and will also stop teams from running up the score on them.
16. Milwaukee Brewers
17. Colorado Rockies
18. Los Angeles Dodgers
19. Cleveland Indians
20. San Diego Padres
21. Oakland Athletics
22. New York Mets
23. Kansas City Royals
24. Chicago Cubs
25. Pittsburgh Pirates
26. Chicago White Sox
27. Seattle Mariners
28. Minnesota Twins
29. Houston Astros
30. Baltimore Orioles
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