A mock MLB power rankings and where do the Astros stand?

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PORT ST. LUCIE, FL – MARCH 06: The Grapefruit League logo on the third base line before a spring training game between the Houston Astros and New York Mets at First Data Field on March 6, 2018 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

Meaningful baseball is almost here! The Astros hope to the start their title defense strong in Arlington on Thursday.

Oh, wow. Opening Day is nearly here. It feels like yesterday that we were all celebrating the Astros’ first World Series championship. Now, here we are in late March. Time sure flies, huh?

To honor the upcoming Opening Day, let me present to you my power rankings of ALL THIRTY TEAMS. While I won’t go to the great trouble with an in-depth explanation of my rankings, I will throw in tidbits of (useless) commentary.

Enjoy!

30. Miami Marlins
The Miami Firesales, right? That said, the trade return earlier this offseason that was least impressive in my eyes was the one for Marcell Ozuna. And you have to feel for the fans in South Beach.

29. Detroit Tigers
It was just time. The Tigers quite frankly over the past decade-plus had a great run. Sure, there was no World Series parade in Motown, but those Tigers were fun to watch. I will also be watching them closely now as there are some familiar names and faces to Astros’ fans.

28. Chicago White Sox
There is plenty to like about the White Sox. In the future. I’m curious to see how Lucas Giolito performs following an impressive spring training. Seriously, a future core composed of him, Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez, and Michael Kopech has a chance to be special in a few years. Not this year, though.

27. Kansas City Royals
Resigning Mike Moustakas to a short-term contract when his market dried up in free agency was a solid move. Besides that, there isn’t a lot of notable talent on the roster. A rebuild should truly begin this season. The AL Central may be the worst division in baseball.

26. Cincinnati Reds
Joey Votto is automatic. There are lots of young talent starting to make its way to the major league roster. However, the forever question about pitching never changes for the Reds. They still may be at least two years away from pushing the Brewers, Cubs, and Cardinals.

25. San Diego Padres
Eric Hosmer is the new face of the Friars. It remains to be seen if Hosmer, on his new contract, is all that valuable. But the Padres can afford to absorb a contract like Hosmer’s in the foreseeable future as the rest of the roster will be so cheap for a while. This team could be interesting to watch in 2019 once the younger talent develops.

24. Atlanta Braves
I like the Braves talent. Ronald Acuna could be the next big star in baseball. But this team will be quite young. Could be the NL East favorite in the next few years, but not this year. The Braves contending by 2020 may be a reasonable goal.

23. Pittsburgh Pirates
You should not sleep on the Pirates. Sure, they traded Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole. But they got back some interesting players. At best, these Pirates are a fringe Wild Card team. At worst, a thorn in the sides of their NL Central brethren.

22. Baltimore Orioles
Count me as not being sold on the Orioles starting rotation. FanGraphs currently projects Baltimore to have the fourth-lowest fWAR (9.2) out of their starters. The lineup may be fine for a half-season before Manny Machado is traded off. But in the same division as the Yankees and Red Sox, Baltimore will need to outperform their projections, again.

21. Tampa Bay Rays
Believe it or not, but I would’ve ranked the Rays higher if Brent Honeywell and Jose De Leon did not need Tommy John surgery. There is talent on the Rays’ roster. The four-man rotation with a designated bullpen day will be fun to watch.

20. San Francisco Giants
The Giants finished last season with a 64-98 record. Not good. That stated, San Francisco is likely to rebound somewhat as everything that could go wrong last season pretty much did go wrong. Unfortunately, the lose of Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija will likely prevent the Giants from completely bouncing back early on in 2018. Regarding talent, this a team prime for a rebuild. Unfortunately, plenty of long-term contracts remain on the books for a few more years, which usually puts off a rebuild.

19. Texas Rangers
The Rangers will have some powerful hitters in the lineup. Joey Gallo and eventually Willie Calhoun should hit plenty of home runs. I am interested to see if Nomar Mazara takes the next step in his development. I am not as confident in the makeshift starting rotation. Side note: this is also the last season of Adrian Beltre’s current contract, and I tip my hat to the future Hall of Famer if this is his last rodeo.

18. Philadelphia Phillies
For a team with so much payroll to use in the coming years, Jake Arrieta and Carlos Santana were solid acquisitions. The lineup is young and full of promise. They could surprise as early as this season, but the NL East belongs to the Nationals for at least one more year.

17. Oakland Athletics
I like the Athletics’ roster for what it is on paper. The lineup should keep this team in games. The pitching staff needs help but could improve as the season wears on. A.J. Puk’s impending Tommy John is majorly disappointing.

16. Minnesota Twins
I am not sure how I should feel about the Twins in 2018. They exceeded their projections with a Wild Card berth last year. The front office improved the roster with Logan Morrison, Lance Lynn, and Jake Odorizzi. The team could probably contend for a Wild Card this year. It helps that outside of the Indians, the rest of the AL Central is projected to be quite dreadful.

15. New York Mets
The Mets could go either way in 2018. It is not outlandish to think they can overtake the Nationals in the NL East if everything mostly breaks their way. The starting rotation led be Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom will be paramount.

14. Seattle Mariners
There is talent on this Mariners’ roster. Sure, the roster is top-heavy. But this team has the potential to claim a Wild Card spot. The question likely comes down to their pitching staff, especially the health of James Paxton and Felix Hernandez.

13. Colorado Rockies
For the first time in ever(?), the Rockies’ offense may be the weakest link in the club. FanGraphs currently projects the offense to post a 14.5 fWAR. Only four teams have a lower projected fWAR for their offense. The pitching staff, and to a greater extent the bullpen, will be key in their pursuit of another Wild Card berth. This could be the last go-around of Charlie Blackmon in Denver.

12. Toronto Blue Jays
The Vladimir Guerrero Jr. clock starts now. Injuries were probably the biggest deterrent to a team that made the ALCS two years in a row (2015 to -16). This team has potential to make some noise if they clinch a Wild Card berth.

11. Arizona Diamondbacks
It was a bit of pipe dream to keep J.D. Martinez going forward. He always looked prime for Boston once it became clear that he would hit the open market. But I like the moves the front office made to the roster. Just not sure if they have enough to compete with the Dodgers in the NL West this season, especially if Steven Souza is out for a long period of time. A Wild Card berth is a possibility.

10. Los Angeles Angels
Mike Trout. Simple enough. Seriously though, the Angels added quality players to the roster to help Trout in the last few years of his existing contract. Ian Kinsler and Zack Cozart were solid additions. The pitching staff should benefit if Garrett Richards remains healthy. Shohei Ohtani is immensely talented, but will take time to develop. If Ohtani can improve as the season goes along, look out for the Angels.

9. St. Louis Cardinals
Once again, the Cardinals continue to turn prospects we never heard before into legit everyday players. While they do lack a “true” star, this team is solid across the board. Ozuna will be the big bat in the lineup. While they may not win the division, a Wild Card berth is definitely in play.

8. Milwaukee Brewers
I may be higher on the Brewers than others, but this team has the wonderful opportunity to prove that last year’s resurgence wasn’t a mirage. The additions of Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain stabilize the outfield. Former Astro Domingo Santana remains underrated. Legitimate questions abound about the pitching staff and Ryan Braun, but I believe they have enough talent to stay within the Wild Card race. Plus, they are the Astros of the NL. Oh, wait a second.

7. Cleveland Indians
Thanks to a weak AL Central, the Indians should have little issues taking another division title. The majority of the talent is still there from last season’s 102-win team. Jose Ramirez is one of my favorite non-Astros. The true test to their AL Central supremacy may begin next offseason. Alas, this year’s Cleveland team is no joke.

6. Boston Red Sox
So much of their true potential rides on the arm of David Price and the bat of Martinez. If both perform at a high level, the Red Sox may very well overtake the Yankees in the AL East. If not, then another season like their 93-win showing last year may be accurate. Whether that should be viewed as a success or not depends on the eyes of the beholder.

5. Washington Nationals
Could this be the Nationals’ year? It very well may be the last year with Bryce Harper’s looming free agency. This season, though, Washington will have to deal with a stronger NL East as the Mets and Phillies are projecting to be better. Even the Braves may give their NL East compatriots fits. The Marlins, unfortunately, will not be much of a thorn. Maybe an annoying grass sticker?

4. New York Yankees
Aaron Judge. Gary Sanchez. Giancarlo Stanton. Enough said about the lineup. You already know about the bullpen. If the Yankees’ starting rotation can hold up over the course of a full season, there is little reason to expect anything less than an AL East title. The Indians and Yankees are once again two potential roadblocks in Houston’s way.

3. Chicago Cubs
The Cubs may have had a bit of a hangover from their 2016 championship run last year. The Brewers sort of gave the Loveable Losers a good scare. But a full year of Jose Quintana should help matters from the start. Of course, the loss of Jake Arrieta is going to be noticeable despite his gradual decline. Theo Epstein and company are putting a lot of faith into the advanced metrics of former Rockie pitcher Tyler Chatwood. The lineup still figures to be one of the best in the NL.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers are good. The good people in Los Angeles know this much. Heck, the good people in Houston, Chicago, and Pheonix know this especially well following the postseason. This team could conceivably lead all of baseball in wins once again. The lineup will perform quite well, but the starting rotation contains the biggest variables. If health permits, this staff has the potential to be one of the best in baseball. If health doesn’t permit, the bullpen may get taxed earlier in the season. As constructed though, the Dodgers are probably the team to beat in the NL.

1. Houston Astros
Never a doubt, right? The Astros arguably had the best offseason of any contender this winter. This team is built to contend again. Outside of a sudden rash of injuries, the Astros are in prime position to defend their title.

Next: Looking at the risk in the Jose Altuve contract

There you have it. Those are my power rankings. I am probably wrong on a couple of fronts, oh well. This little exercise was fun. Baseball is all about fun, right?

**Statistics and information courtesy of FanGraphs**

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Meaningful baseball is almost here! The Astros hope to the start their title defense strong in Arlington on Thursday.

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