Post by Brian R (Rangers) on Jun 4, 2011 15:34:06 GMT -5
1. Twins - Best combination of talent and depth. Not hard to explain really, lol.
2. Phillies - Swapping out Utley for Hill seems brilliant in hindsight. Great offense, dominant starting pitching at the top, and a solid bullpen.
3. Cubs - Outstanding starting rotation along with a strong infield and bullpen. Well stocked in minors to add later if needed.
4. Rays - Great young starting rotation with high K upside along with good offense and solid bullpen.
5. Brewers - Great, great offense. And a great bullpen anchored by two studs. The starting rotation needs work, but has some depth.
6. Braves - Despite having some hitters in the lineup that are not ready right away, this team has amazing depth at rotation and pen. Oh, and those young hitters are pretty good.
7. Yankees - Adding Cain and Bumgarner was huge for their rotation and their offense is great as is. The lack of any type of solid reliever on this team could be a big flaw and really hurts their overall ranking.
8. Rockies - Great offense with multiple superstars, but lack of SP depth in rotation hurts ranking. Very good bullpen also.
9. Orioles - Good depth everywhere. May be lacking superstar quality, but young and productive players are numerous. Have minor league assets to either make big move or provide big production themselves down the stretch.
10. Reds - Good young hitters, solid rotation, and good bullpen.
11. A's - This team is maybe the biggest sleeper. Loaded with overall talent and a great young rotation. Perhaps the league's best bullpen.
12. Marlins - Good offense, good end of pen arms, but could use more
depth.
13. Dodgers - Loaded with high-end talent. Lacking in depth overall, but the addition of a couple of SP would go a long way.
14. Blue Jays - Put together a nice rotation along with some nice young talent at offense. Utley's uncertainty really hurts their ranking.
15. Mets - Could be poised for a sneaky-good year. Lack of depth hurts their ranking, but if their core players stay healthy, they could have a nice year.
16. Giants - Maybe the league's best rotation. But offense is really lacking and the bullpen has some nice arms, but no sure things.
17. Padres - The offense has a couple of big names and the rotation has a nice 1-4, but the overall depth of the team can be improved. This team's ranking may rise later in the year if everyone produces.
18. Rangers - Some mega-stars on offense but lacking a little bit on overall depth, and the rotation is thin. Another team that could rise later.
19. Angels - Uncertainty of Morales hurts this team significantly as well as a severe lack of depth in the rotation. Overall, alot of talent though.
20. Indians - A great, great offense and solid bullpen, but starting pitching was almost ignored here. If one or two SP can be added, this team will SHOOT up the rankings.
21. White Sox - a solid foundation here, but lacking in depth overall. Nice pen and good rotation; offense could use some help.
22. Tigers - Some superstar talent, and others not so much. Really nice bullpen, but not enough starting pitching. Could rise later.
23. Cardinals - Devastating injury to Adam Wainwright. I could be overreacting to his injury by ranking them this low. Still a well-balanced ball club.
24. Royals - Some nice names on offense, especially the infield. A nice top 3-4 in the rotation, but not a good bullpen and lacking depth overall.
25. Astros - Some great young talent in the OF and overall in offense, but I count maybe only 1-2 SP in the rotation. A tough team to turn around, but the signs are there for improvement. They could rise quickly.
26. Pirates - Some solid depth overall, but not loaded with a lot of stars or overall talent. Has a ways to go.
27. Red Sox - Obviously building for 2012. These rankings hurt him for lack of 2011 talent, but the potential juggernaut he is building for '12 has to be recognized.
28-30. Nationals, Mariners, and D-Backs - All are obviously building for 2012, so hard to separate. D'Backs has done a great job of acquiring quality and quantiy in minor league talent; when that blooms remains to be seen. Nationals had to step away for a while and thus is preparing for 2012 and has acquired high-end prospects for average major league talent. Mariners joined late and is wisely trying to stockpile as much talent as possible for 2012.
Thanks for reading the rankings; I plan to update them as often as possible during the year. If you want to plead your case for a ranking change, please feel free to PM me; if I am convinced, they can change.