Spring training is coming up, and
with the offseason almost over, who has the advantage at the start of the
season? We’re ranking the teams, this week and next, so let’s look at the 25-21
teams, after looking at the worst five previously.
25. Chicago White Sox
2013 Record: 63-99
The White Sox arguably had the best
offseason than any other team. They struck early by adding the Cuban slugger
Jose Abreu, a very good power hitter that can replace the soon-to-retire
favorite, Paul Konerko. They also added Adam Eaton, plus got prospect Avisail
Garcia in the Jake Peavy trade in July.
Best Player: Chris Sale. The one bright spot in their rotation,
Sale is one of the best pitchers in baseball – and he’ll only be 25 in 2014. He
finished 11-14 with a 3.07 ERA last season, but don’t let that record fool you.
Sale finished with a 6.9 WAR, a 4.91 K/BB ratio, and has proved to have one of
the sickest sliders I’ve ever seen. I love the potential for him, and he could
easily bring back the Cy Young award in Chicago.
Who needs to step up: Abreu. It’ll be a make-or-break season,
depending on how he does. The rest of the lineup, though young (minus Adam
Dunn), is sloppy and discombobulated. The team finished with a .302 OBP (27th
in MLB) and a .378 slugging percentage (25th), ending the year
scoring 598 runs (29th). He might just go in the clean-up spot in
this order. If he cleans up his defensive game and can hit to his potential
(25-30 home runs), he could easily win the Rookie of the Year.
The White Sox have some young talent
that can strike into a .500 record, but they still need some tools to make it
there. Remember though, this team was in first place for the longest time in
2012 before blowing it in September. Manager Robin Ventura will have to lead
the team back to those numbers.
Projected 2014 Record: 72-90
24. Toronto Blue Jays
2013 Record: 74-88
Like the Philadelphia Phillies, I’m
having trouble trying to figure out where this team is going for 2014 and for
the future. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, despite having decent hitting,
they are just in a tough division and lack pitching to compete. That being
said, they’re the one team that I might be pushing too hard.
Best Player: Edwin Encarnacion. The power hitter for Toronto just
came off of 42 home runs in 2012 and 36 in 2013, his two best years. Lately, he
has also put up better averages and OBP numbers, and has had 100+ RBI’s in both
seasons. He’ll be 31 in 2014, so a little past his prime, but still has some
juice in him (and no, I’m not saying he’s taking steroids). He leads a team
that finished 8th in the MLB in slugging percentage at .411.
Who needs to step up: Honestly, it’s up for grabs for this team,
but I’ll give it to R.A. Dickey. The 39-year old and 2012 Cy Young winner still
has more to prove if he wants to be the ace after being traded for a lot of
good prospects (Travis d’Arnaud is just one of them). He still put up ok
numbers in 2013, going 14-13 with a 4.21 ERA, which are usually knuckleball
numbers. I’m just saying that if this team does want to compete, he’s got to be
the ace of this team, and that ERA has to go down. With a knuckleball pitcher,
I know it’s tough, but it’s been proven possible for him.
Their two best pitchers are Dickey
and Mark Buehrle, who are well past their prime. They didn’t make too much of a
splash in the 2014 offseason, but in 2015, they could be the next Seattle
Mariners. As for 2014, I can’t see them beating the Red Sox, Rays, Yankees, and
Orioles.
Projected 2014 finish: 74-88
23. Milwaukee Brewers
2013 Season: 74-88
Ah, the Milwaukee Brewers. So many
decent players, yet they still pull out 14 games under. Statistically, they
should be in the middle of the pack in the rankings. But why aren’t they in the
runnings?
Ever since John Axford’s absurd
2011 season, the team has had a mediocre bullpen. Jim Henderson seems to be
their closer now after trying to mix with Axford and Francisco Rodriguez, who
put up fine numbers in 2013. Brandon Kintzler seems to be their set-up man, who
had 27 holds last season.
Yovani Gallardo has been their ace
for the past few years now, and despite having his 5th 10-game win
season, Gallardo put up his worst numbers in 2013, going 12-10 with a 4.18 ERA.
They also have Kyle Lohse who put up a team best 3.30 ERA among starters, but
he is aging too.
All-star Corey Hart got injured
towards the beginning of the season, which just crashed the team. And of
course, Ryan Braun was suspended. That surely made an impact, right? Truth is,
the day Braun was suspended, the Brewers were still 17 games under, and they
were in last place.
But hey, 2013 is over, so let’s see
what they’ve got coming in 2014.
Best Player: Carlos Gomez, and yes, not Ryan Braun. Braun was
suspended for steroids last season, so how could I possibly put him as their
best player? Plus, Carlos Gomez was one of the best players in baseball last
season and few even realized.
Carlos Gomez was the best defensive
outfielder last season, winning the CF Gold Glove Award, and put up great offensive numbers. Gomez
finished the season batting .284/..338/.506 with 10 triples, 24 home runs, 73
RBI’s, and 40 steals. He also finished with an 8.4 WAR, which was higher than
both MVP’s, Andrew McCutchen and Miguel Cabrera. Plus, he’ll be entering his
age 28 season in 2014.
Who needs to step up: It’s more of a statement for himself, but
Braun. He is only entering his age 30 season, and still is one of the best
hitters in the national league. But now with the whole steroid thing, the 2014
season is his chance to prove to the world that he’s one of the best outfielders
in the NL. He also can determine whether this team finishes under .500 or over.
The fans don’t like him anymore, baseball doesn’t like him, so he needs to
prove his role once again. Hell, it might spark the team on a winning streak.
Another factor to watch out for is
Jean Segura. He’ll be only 24 in March, and was one of the best shortstops
offensively and defensively in baseball. He finished last year batting
.294/.329/.423 with 44 steals. If he gets his OBP up, he can be the next Derek
Jeter. Also watch out for their new acquisition in Matt Garza. He is a strong
arm that immensely boosts this pitching rotation.
2014 Prediction: 75-87
22. New York Mets
2013 Record: 74-88
The Mets dove into the offseason
acquiring Curtis Granderson, but after a while they just stopped getting big
guys, which was surprising because it looked like they’d make a bigger splash. Either
way, can the team fix their struggles? They finished 29th in batting
average AND in slugging percentage (.237, .366), plus they finished 25th
in OBP (.306). Pitching was stronger, but they still finished 20th
in batting average allowed (.256).
Best Player: Career wise, it’s probably Johan Santana, but for
2014, it’s David Wright. “Captain America” was sidelined with injury in 2013
and played just 112 games, but he still batted .307/.390/.514 with a 5.8 WAR.
If he stays healthy, he might go up for MVP once again.
Who needs to step up: Everybody that has been injured. Good lord is
this team weak when David Wright and Johan Santana don’t play. One guy that
also needs to stay healthy is rookie Travis d’Arnaud. If he stays healthy and
has a good spring training, he might just start on Opening Day and win Rookie
of the Year honors.
Yes, Santana is nothing like his
days in Minnesota, but if he can make a comeback, he can still put up good
numbers. Wright will be entering his 31 season, and still has his hitting to be
a great player.
The Mets will most likely pull out
in 3rd place in the NL East, but that’s mostly because it’s a poor
conference. If people stay healthy, they could be closer to 2nd than
everyone might think. That being said, there’s a low probability that all of
them will come back healthy and strong.
2014 Prediction: 75-87
21. Colorado Rockies
2013 Season: 74-88
Like the Mets, the Rockies need to
stay healthy in order to be contenders. Their 74-88 record is a 10-game
improvement from 2012, but they still need a better pitching rotation, who,
despite playing in the heavy hitter-friendly Coors Field, finished dead last in
pitching stats in 2013. That being said, they had one of the best offenses in
the game.
Best Player: You could give this to Michael Cuddyer or Carlos
Gonzalez and I wouldn’t argue, but I’d say Troy Tulowitzki. Tulo, who will be
only 29 in 2014, is the best offensive shortstop in the game right now, but he
has to stay healthy. The last time he had a season with 150+ games was in 2009,
one of two seasons with more than 150 games played.
Who needs to step up: Justin Morneau. The new acquisition for the
Rockies has to replace the greatest Rockie to ever play, Todd Helton, at first
base. But the 33 year old finished batting .259/.323/.411 with the Twins and
Pirates last season, hitting 17 home runs and driving in 77 runs. Entering a
hitter-friendly ballpark, I think Morneau can produce numbers like his 2006 MVP
season. My darkhorse for the 2014 season, I’m predicting that Morneau can hit
30 home runs with a .290 batting average.
With top prospect Jonathan Gray
still in the minor leagues, it looks like the Rockies still won’t have enough
pitching until he is called up. With the Dodgers so good this year, it’ll be
too tough to make it to the postseason.
2014 Prediction: 76-86
2014 Prediction: 76-86
Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com for any questions/comments/concerns,
and stay tuned for the middle of the pack teams for next season.
-Evan Boyd
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