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

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.