2012 Annual Rankings (Read 1,606 times)

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As much as I wanted to pick them last, my 11th ranked team is the Mets. The offense will be pretty good, but with very little depth. At this point most of the complimentary players are already signed by other teams, but some values maybe found during spring training. The closers are both solid, but the starters will have to prove they can be consistent. Gonzalez, Carpenter, and Nova are solid but not much behind them. With a bit of luck and a couple of more moves the Mets maybe able to sneak into the playoffs.

[Giants]

1. A’s: Great offense, solid pitching. Bullpen is a question mark, but their offense and SP will carry them far.

2. Indians: Good offense, and good SP. Like the A’s, the bullpen is a question mark. Should have no problems making the playoffs.

3. White Sox: A good mix of young and veteran talent. Solid offense but concerns at SS and 3B. Decent SP with some depth. The bullpen should be a source of strength.

4. Red Sox: Did some retooling this year. Gone are the big names like Ellsbury and Youkilis. However, the Sox were able to maintain a well balanced team. There are some concerns at SS and 3B. The offense overall is decent, as well as the SP. The bullpen should do well provided Bailey stays healthy.

5. Giants: Great infield, average OF. SP will be great if JJ and Wainwright are healthy. Decent depth in Wandy, Worley, and Ubaldo. Bullpen should be a source of strength. If top 2 SP are healthy, and they can get some contributions from some of the pitching prospects, the Giants should have no problem making the playoffs.

6. Rockies: Well balanced offense. A mix of young and older talent. Despite losing two big starters, he still has solid pitching depth. Concerns in the pen. If healthy, this team should be in the playoffs.

7. Mets: A well balanced team. Solid offense, but pitching will be the achilles heel. Nolasco signing helped the depth. Two great closers, but might struggle in holds. Should challenge all year for a playoff spot.

8. Rangers: Good IF but question marks in LF and CF. Top 3 starters are excellent, decent depth behind them. Nice mix of saves and holds in the bullpen. Should challenge for the playoffs, but needs to upgrade in OF to be a serious contender.

9. Astros: A good team. Good IF, decent OF. Pitching will make or break this team.

10. Phillies: Lots of young, talented bats who if they live up to their promise, will propel this team far. However, starting pitching is a concern due to depth. Will need a bounceback year from Crawford.

11. Brewers: Every offseason, the Brewers get ranked low but usually finish a lot higher than what’s projected. Jim prefers the young talent route, but it hasn’t always panned out for him. Is this the year? Braun not being suspended is a big plus. Will need young players to perform at a high level.

12. Pirates: Good outfield, but 1B, 3B, and SS is a concern. Not a lot of star power in the starting pitching. Bullpen should be a strong point. Will need to shore up SP and IF to be considered a playoff contender.

13. Nationals: Stacked at 1B, however after that, the IF looks iffy. Big concerns in LF and RF. Probably has the best 1-4 SP in the league, but after that, there’s a drop off. Bullpen will be a question mark, as who knows how long Marmol and Capps will be closing. Needs to fix offense before they climb the ladder.

14. Cubs: Took over a bad club and made some improvements. However, this is going to be a rebuild that lasts a couple of years. Offense won’t be terrible, if they can get production from their young players. SP is a concern outside of Gallardo and Cahill. Bullpen is also a big red flag.

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Nice work Justin, though I disagree with my BP being a question mark. I wouldn't trade my pen for anyone's.

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At tenth I have the Pirates. I love Ellsbury but essentially he cost the team Granderson, Ramirez, and Putz with getting little if anything in return. I still like the offense, but the pitching is suspect. I see a drastic improvement once they are out from under the burden of the Ellsbury deal.

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At ninth I have the Phillies. This team is pretty solid if everyone plays up to their potential. Crawford must double his production if this team is going to be able to make a run at the playoffs.

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In eighth I have the Rockies. Decent squad which is presently a little handcuffed with salaries. Has some good bats and an average rotation. As with many teams there are some bullpen deficiencies. Should be able to compete for a playoff spot.

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In seventh I have the Rangers. Great offense. Bad pitching, except for Lee and CC. Any team that has the best player in baseball is definitely in contention for the playoffs. Lucky for the Rangers fielding is not a counting stat.

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In sixth I have the Giants. Have assembled a pretty good rotation and have some of the premier talent in the game offensively. A trade deadline deal maybe the last thing needed for a deep playoff run.

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Good job everyone, keep it up

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In fifth I have the Indians. They did a masterful job signing all their premier talent. No glaring weaknesses. Solid team poised to make a run deep into the post season.

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In fourth I have the White Sox. Solid but not spectacular. I don't see them finishing worse than fourth in the regular season, but may find it hard to be dominant in the playoffs. I think without a couple of more moves even the teams ranked below them would bounce them from the post season.

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In third I have the Nationals. New owner not afraid to be aggressive even when getting tag-teamed by others. As it sits right now there are only 2 players on roster who are not on some list of sleeper candidates or in a position to be a game changer immediately. I hate overpaying for Mccutchen. I really was going to let him go. Next year I will be ready for RFA, this year I had a game during the start, my wife's birthday, and my anniversary all that weekend. Fair warning I owe a couple of you big time. Look forward to a great season.

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In second I have the Red Sox. Solid team with some nice young position players. Trades made during RFA definitely made this team the RFA winner in my book. As long as Lawrie and Jennings continue to perform at a high level the Sox should continue their league dominance.

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Top team is the Athletics. Great young pitchers. Great talent assembled on offense. I have this tem projected o put a beat down on just about everyone. Awesome bullpen too. Only stopping this team would be catastrophic injuries.

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Pardon the ramble, criticism, spelling and grammar I am shooting from the hip. Here is the rundown girls from top to bottom...

1. A's: the offense is sick good top to bottom with a good balance of speed and power. Although durability questions lie within Sandoval/Kinsler/Tulo/CarGo, this team was clearly built around offense. The pitching starts with an expensive ace in Lester and follows by some real solid guys. Looking for Moore/Beachy to become aces will be a big help. I love the bullpen, unmatched IMO with great ratios and solid K's. Call it cockiness, call in confidence but I believe that this team will be staring a first round BYE right in the face.

2: Red Sox: Built around a great infield, especially if Lawrie does what most think he will do. The outfield gets a little dicey and injury prone. Good/healthy seasons from Heyward/Jennings/Hamilton are crucial. Pitching is what is has been, solid and deep which is what a true contender is made off. 3 closers on the back end, Clippard/Brothers could be elite setting up. Playoff lock barring injury or quitting, both are 50/50.

3: Indians: Very good offense top to bottom. Utley/Youk need to stay on the field because there isn't much depth at 2B/3B. Love the staff, top 4 is elite, love nicasio and follow with a solid capuano/dempster/stauffer. Bullpen could be average, 2 average closers and 2 guys who could earn jobs. Team should be in the playoffs as long as he doesn't try to upgrade at the deadline again.

4: Rangers: I dig the offense. Miggy is great but needs good health from Cruz/Reyes/Beltre. Staff is top heavy with solid fillers, good enough to get the job done. 2 closers just what you need, holds will come through moves. Better team than he started with last year, chances are it willy only get better. Can't keep him out of the playoffs.

5: White Sox: Offense is steady from top to bottom, outside of Upton nothing flashy but just steady. Four infielders with 30HR bats don't go on trees. Pitching gets a little dicey, Latos/Kennedy/Marcum studs but question marks about health with Cueto/JJ/Huddy/Peavy. 3 closers? followed by Romo's ratios very nice. Steady, steady, steady call this guy Steady Eddie. Odds say playoff lock.

6: Phillies: Well balanced lineup from top to bottom here. Choo bounces back but Crawford injury is scary. Greinke/Wilson staff anchors but don't sleep on Sanchez/Niese/McDonald. 3 closers, fill your holds cheap. My sleeper for 2012, much improved and a team I think has a great shot to make a step forward.

7: Giants: I like the offense starting with Hanley/Bats/Posey but the rest is marginal for me. Lacks speed and average but with a couple breakouts the big bats might carry the load. SP really hinges on Wainwright/JJ and them throwing 200 innings, flip a coin for either. But Cain/Ubaldo are solid, could use a little depth there. Bullpen, good. 2, possibly 3 closers, Wilson a stud but just average holds guys. A lot of what-ifs for this team to be playoff bound, but if some hit then it could happen.

8: Mets: Above average lineup from top to bottom. Healthy seasons from Wright/Mauer could really fuel things. Rotation is fairly deep, Gio on the brink of fantasy stardom and Carpenter is a steady option when healthy. 2 rocks at closer but holds guys lack skills. A much improved team, on the outside looking in from the top 6 but could change with key moves.

9. Rockies: Pujols and Stanton pick ups provide mass power. Wieters/Upton/Gordon are budding stars. Can ARod/Weeks stay on the field is the question, if so the team could get back to the promise land. Haren is the rock of the rotation and Hanson is elite when healthy but guys like Liriano/Chacin/McCarthy are very scary to follow. Just 1 closer but what could be elite setup in Hernandez/Bastard/Broxton. If all the cards fall right, this team could get back to the promise land but there are questions.

10: Astros: First thing that pops out to me, Santana is a STUD. But nothing else offensively stands out to me. 2B/SS/3B looks good but questions elsewhere. Top 4 in the rotation is above average, but there are injury concerns there. Best pitcher is Strasburg but chances of him seeing north of 160IP are minimal. A couple moves could put him on the cusp but if your ace is shut down during a playoff run things could get dicey.

11: Nats: I look at the offense and I see 4, Tex/Konerko/McCutch/MYoung. Outside of Tex/Konerko, lacks any real power. Outfield has a chance to provide average results at best and lacks a starting catcher. BIG-4 SP great but 5/6 deep isn't going to cut it. Bullpen is OK. Lots of prospects for 2014 clogging up depth, maybe in season moves can change things but I am not seeing right now.

12: Brewers: Braun/Zimm/Hart/Alexei/catchers look good on offense, but gets very week after that. Although I do like Encarnacion as a sleeper. Love, love Luebke and Norris/Danks/Pineda/Baker are nice to follow. No real depth or star power in the rotation though. Pen could use work, Santos could join elite. Really a team tailored for 2013 here but if got in contention could mortgage the farm to have a chance.

13: Pirates: Ellsbury/Cano/McCann/Bruce, the rest of the offense is replacement level. Gaby has good upside, but how good? Outside of Bumgarner/Lewis/Feliz, the rest of the rotation is speculative. Bullpen, maybe the strength? Robertson might be best setup in bigs. Tough to compete when you spend half your roll on 2 players. Questionable moves has pulled this team out of contention and into a rebuild.

14. Cubs: Votto is elite, Jones/Phillips borderline elite. Morneau is a cheap former MVP who if healthy could give this team a boost. Can Cespedes look as good in Oakland as he does on YouTube? Gallardo is elite but after that I don't like what I see. Bullpen very shaky. Can only play the hand you are dealt, but remaining active could change a lot of things.