MLB Power Ranks: 30-26

With pitchers and catchers reporting over the next week, which team has the lead going into the 2014 season? It’s time to look at all 30 times, from worst to first. Note: these rankings determine how team’s will do come 2014, not how they look in the future, but better rankings will be given for those that had a good offseason. Let’s look at the five worst teams entering the 2014 season.

30. Houston Astros

2013 Record: 51-111

The Astros finished the 2013 seasons with 15 straight losses, the longest season-ending streak since the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, when they lost 16 in a row. Like many others, the Astros are still waiting for their prospects to come into the game, but watch them have the #1 draft pick yet again.

They did, however, make some good offseason moves, like acquiring Dexter Fowler from the Rockies and signing SP Scott Feldman, plus relievers Jesse Crain, Matt Albers, and Chad Qualls. Still, the entire team is pretty bad. But let’s break it down.

Best Player: Fowler, which is sad, because they just got him. He was injured for part of 2013, but the soon-to-be 28 year old batted .263/.369/.407 in 119 games last year. It’s nothing compared to his .300/.389/.474 with 11 triples, 13 home runs, and 53 RBI’s in 2013, but granted he was injured.

Fowler also has good speed with a decent arm, and they need him to lead the outfield until guys like Delino Deshields Jr., George Springer, and Domingo Santana come into the major leagues. They didn’t lose much for him, and I think it was a good move by Houston.

Who needs to step up: Jose Altuve. Altuve is set to be their starting second baseman for the next generation, and so far he’s put up…ok numbers. He’s got tremendous speed, stealing 68 bases over the past two years, but also has been caught stealing 24 times.

Last year, Altuve batted .283/.316/.363 with 31 doubles and 52 RBI’s. He’s only 23 years old right now, and has plenty of room to improve, but he’s going to be the guy that needs to step up for this young talent coming in. Sooner or later, he’s going to be the oldest guy on the team.

Overall, the Astros are going to be poor, especially being in such a tough division. Their future does look bright, though, as they have the best farm system in the game.

Projected 2014: 60-102

29. Miami Marlins

2013 Season: 62-100

The Marlins had one of the most underrated pitching staffs in baseball last year, led by the Rookie of the Year winner Jose Fernandez. However, why did they lose? They had no hitting whatsoever. Their plan was to try to bring back old veterans to hope that they can produce something, like having Juan Pierre and Placido Polanco, but without slugger Giancarlo Stanton, they’re nothing.

 

Best Player: Jose Fernandez. The Rookie of the Year put up historic numbers last season, leading the majors in lowest batting average allowed (.182) and have up just 29 extra base hits in 28 starts. Fernandez finished going 12-6 with a 2.19 ERA, striking out 187 and having a 6.3 WAR.

Will he put up the same numbers as he did last year? I doubt it, only because it’s tough to improve from even those numbers. But this kid is only 21 years old! He is unhittable and has one of the deadliest curveballs in baseball already. He is the best hope that the Marlins have. Pray that he doesn’t get hurt.

Who needs to step up: Giancarlo Stanton. If he’s not injured, he can hit 50 home runs. Enough said.

The Marlins have enough to work with, but it’s whether they can execute it and if they stay health. Besides Stanton, they did not add too much on offense, continuing with grabbing veterans like Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Garrett Jones, Rafael Furcal, and Casey McGehee.

They are nowhere close to the playoffs. But they can be very soon.

2014 Prediction: 66-96

28. Minnesota Twins

2013 Record: 66-96

The Twins had a decent offseason, adding what they needed to get: pitching. The team was awful everywhere last season, finishing 25^th in batting average (.242), 23^rd in slugging % (.380), 29^th in ERA (4.55) and dead last in batting average allowed (.280). When you have a batting differential of -.38, you know something is wrong.

They made some good moves in the offseason, acquiring pitching with Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes, as well as re-signing Mike Pelfrey, and trading catcher Ryan Doumit to the Braves for pitcher Sean Gilmartin. To replace Doumit, the Twins signed Kurt Suzuki, and also snabbed OF Jason Kubel from the free agency. Plus, they are making Joe Mauer a permanent first baseman now, so he’s no longer a catcher.

Best Player: Mauer. In his 10-year career, Mauer has had only three seasons where he batted under .300, and his worst year was when he was injured (2011, where he batted .287). At 30 years old, Mauer batted .324/.404/.476 with 11 home runs and 47 RBI’s.

Switching him to first base is one of the best moves they could have made. The Twins have a good selection of catchers to choose from, and after trading Justin Morneau, they need a guy at first. Adding him at first means he can focus more on his offense, which has been his game anyways.

My predictions? Mauer batted .324 last year with a 5.4 WAR. I think the WAR will stay the game or slightly lower because he will be less of a defensive threat, but I can easily see him bat over .330 with a .420 OBP.

 
Who needs to step up: Phil Hughes. Hughes went 4-14 with a 5.19 ERA in his age 27 year last year. This is the guy that went 18-8 in 2010. What happened? A few injuries here and there has put Hughes up with a 4.50 ERA each year. In a team that has one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball, he has the chance to either jump it to a top 20 club, or keep it to one of the worst in baseball.

Without Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano coming up until the end of 2014 or the start of 2015, this Twins team will not be that good. These past five years have been brutal, but Buxton might just be the next Mike Trout. The future looks good, not as good as other teams, but a few moves could move this team right up on the list.

2014 Prediction: 68-94

27. Chicago Cubs

2013 Season: 66-96

After two years of rebuilding, the Cubs still look like they are going to finish in last place in the NL Central. They had one of the worst offseasons in team history, and did not solve any of their problems from 2013. All that happened was that they watched their prospects get a little better.

They finished 27^th in batting average (.238), 28^th in OBP (.300), and 21^st in ERA (4.00). They did, however, finish 9^th in Quality Starts (91) and 7^th in batting average allowed (.244). Not bad, but they need to fix their offense.

Best Player: Travis Wood. Their lone all-star last year, Wood is an underrated player that will be in his prime in 2014. He finished with a 3.11 ERA and a 4.4 WAR in 200 innings pitched last year. The K/BB ratio is still not up, but I can see him repeating those numbers again. He always has a stretch where he gives up little to no runs, and was also one of the leaders in quality starts last year. He might be the ace of this team in a few years.

Who needs to step up: Starlin Castro, Anthony Rizzo, and Rick Renteria. It’s not good when you have three guys on this list, and I couldn’t pick just one.

The famed Starlin Castro was supposed to be the next superstar in Chicago, but in 2013, his numbers significantly declined. He batted .245/.284/.347 with a career high 129 strikeouts. Just two years ago, Castro led the league in hits, and batted .307/.341/.432 in 715 plate appearances. Yes, his defense needs to improve still, but the guy still will only be 24 years old come next season. In order for this team to be good, he needs to do well, and with Javier Baez waiting in the farm system, if he doesn’t prove himself worthy, they might just boot himself out.

Anthony Rizzo too was supposed to be the next big hitter in Chicago, but in his first full season, Rizzo just batted .233/.323/.419 with 23 home runs and 80 RBI’s. He did have a stellar defensive season though, finishing second in the gold glove balloting behind MVP runner-up Paul Goldschmidt. He’s the power that the Cubs need, but he just needs to bring it out.

Which leads me to their new skipper, Rick Renteria. In the two years where Dale Sveum was the manager, Castro had his two worst years. Coincidence? I think not! Color Renteria a dark horse, because he could really bring this team back up. He needs to focus on bringing this young talent into this full potential. Only then will the Cubs be good.

With a lot of guys coming soon, the Cubs can be a threatening team. But wait ‘till next year, Cubs, wait ‘till next year…

2014 Prediction: 70-92

26. Philadelphia Phillies

2013 Season: 73-89

The Phillies did some resigning and signing some guys, but they aren’t going anywhere. There aren’t that many players that can improve from what they have been. I guess Ryan Howard, if he stays healthy. Domonic Brown is a real interesting player, being only 25 years old last year when he hit 27 home runs.

Best Player: Cliff Lee. There’s no doubt about it. At age 34, Lee went 14-8 with a 2.87 ERA and a 7.3 WAR. He’s such a great ace, but it depends on if he can stay healthy and if he can keep it up, even at 36.

Who needs to step up: Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez. The Cuban power pitcher brings some new hope to this team, and the Phillies hope he can be available at the start of the season. He could make their pitching rotation top 15, after going 27^th in ERA. 

The thing is, I don’t see where this team is going. They are not competing really, and they might just get super injured. The 2008 World Series Champions are nowhere without Cliff Lee and Doc Halladay, and Halladay is gone. Without Cliff Lee, what’s next? After ranking 27^th in BAA, 21^st in batting average, and 24^th in OBP, they might just stay that way for 2014.

2014 Prediction: 70-92

Stay tuned for 25-21 on my list of best players, and soon we’ll see who is the best team in baseball. Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com for any questions/comments/concerns.

-Evan Boyd