Where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday that Sam Holbrook was calling infield flies and Josh Hamilton was dropping pivotal fly balls. No worries though folks, 2012 is long gone and 2013 is here and ready to go.
Will the World Champion San Francisco Giants repeat? Can the Los Angeles Angels make the playoffs? These questions and more will be answered within the next seven months. Before you know it the All-Star break will be upon us and Mark Teixeira will still be injuring himself during batting practice.
The first thing we need to look at is who the “best” teams in baseball are as of April 1. Obviously these rankings aren’t set in stone but are a good feel for what to expect throughout the season.
Here we go.
Updated Power Rankings
1. San Francisco Giants
2. Detroit Tigers
3. Washington Nationals
4. Cincinnati Reds
5. Atlanta Braves
6. Los Angeles Angels
7. Tampa Bay Rays
8. Toronto Blue Jays
9. St. Louis Cardinals
10. Los Angeles Dodgers
11. Oakland Athletics
12. Texas Rangers
13. Baltimore Orioles
14. Philadelphia Phillies
15. Milwaukee Brewers
16. Arizona Diamondbacks
17. Kansas City Royals
18. Cleveland Indians
19. Chicago White Sox
20. Pittsburgh Pirates
21. San Diego Padres
22. New York Yankees
23. Boston Red Sox
24. Seattle Mariners
25. Colorado Rockies
26. New York Mets
27. Minnesota Twins
28. Chicago Cubs
29. Miami Marlins
30. Houston Astros
American League
Tampa Bay Rays: This pitching staff has been built from the ground up. You have to give Joe Maddon a lot of credit for what he has molded. With David Price, Jeremy Hellickson and Matt Moore anchoring the starting rotation, the Rays look poised to make a World Series run. If Evan Longoria can stay healthy and play like he is capable of they might just shock the world. They also have some great talent in their minor league program with Wil Myers looking to be the next superstar of Tampa Bay.
Toronto Blue Jays: It has been said time and time again. Paying for great players doesn’t automatically make you a great team. Just ask the 2012 Miami Marlins. With that being said, the Blue Jays are going to be good. Not good enough to win the division, but good enough to receive a wild card spot. With Jose Bautista at 100 percent, the offense in Toronto is going to be explosive. They went after Melky Cabrera, who is fresh off a steroid suspension. 2013 is a World Series or bust type of year for the Blue Jays. The bandwagon in Toronto is officially full and the expectations are through the roof.
Baltimore Orioles: Orioles fans are going to hate me for this but I’m going to say it anyways... Last season was a fluke. Yes, you made the playoffs. You also won 29 one run games. In fact, the 2012 Orioles broke the major league record for one run wins. Call me crazy but there is no way they can do that again next season. Adam Jones will need to be the All Star of this young team. With that being said, they do have a lot of young talent up and down their lineup. The name that everyone should and will soon know is Manny Machado. He dazzled at third base last season and is the shining future of the Orioles.
New York Yankees: Could this be the beginning of the end? For years the Yankees have been one of the most dominant teams in baseball. 2013 does not look to be the same. Derek Jeter is coming off a devastating playoff injury, while Mark Texeira injured himself in the WBC about a month ago. Mariano Rivera is coming off an ACL injury and announced that this will be his final season. If that wasn’t enough grief, the speedy center fielder Curtis Granderson is out with a broken forearm. The one bright spot on this Yankee’s roster is Robinson Cano. He has stamped his name in as the best second basemen in the game today, bar none. Look for him to put up massive numbers while the rest of the team struggles.
Boston Red Sox: If 2011 wasn’t painful enough, 2012 got even worse for Red Sox fans. Most thought Bobby Valentine would be the answer to all the problems in Boston, not the case. The Red Sox had a horrendous season racking up 96 losses. How does 2013 look? Basically the same as last year, except now they have an overpaid outfielder who goes by the name of Shane Victorino. Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester also need to have bounce-back years if Boston has any shot of not losing 90 games. If they can go .500 consider that about as good as your going to get from this group of misfits.
Detroit Tigers: The 2012 season ended very ironically for the Tigers, with Miguel Cabrera striking out looking. Even though they didn’t reach the pinnacle of success, this team had one hell of a year. Prince Fielder has proved he is worth all the money they gave him and if Victor Martinez plays like he did in 2011 the Tigers are going to be tough to beat. Justin Verlander will once again dominate the competition, while Doug Fister and Max Scherzer look to build on impressive 2012 campaigns. All the pieces are there for the Tigers to make another World Series run. The sole question that remains is, can they do it again?
Chicago White Sox: This White Sox club is better than most people give them credit for. They have a reliable rotation with Chris Sale, Jake Peavy and Gavin Floyd at the top. Not only do they have good pitching, but they have speed and talent in the field. Alejandro De Aza had a great 2012 and is primed for a solid 2013. Alexei Ramirez is a great fielding shortstop with impressive range. They also have some big boys who can crush the ball in Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko. Obviously they aren’t the best team in baseball but should outperform most analysis projections of them.
Cleveland Indians: The addition of Michael Bourn does not hurt this Indian team at all. They made Terry Francona their manager and things are starting to look up. The defense on this team will be fun to watch. As a pitcher you have to feel confident knowing such an intricate defender is at shortstop in Asdrubal Cabrera. Carlos Santana is another good defender and decent play caller behind the plate. Add in Nick Swisher, Drew Stubbs and Jason Kipnis and you’re looking at a team that could shake the standings and shock the world. Don’t count this team out whatsoever. They could be the Baltimore Orioles of 2013.
Kansas City Royals: On paper the Royals look like a pretty solid baseball team. The pieces have slowly been moving for years in Kansas City but no success has came. One of the main reasons is the lack of production Eric Hosmer has given the Royals. If this team wants any chance they need Hosmer to produce. Billy Butler will provide you with at least 20 home runs and is a career .300 hitter. Also, look for Alcides Escobar to put up an above average stat line. It doesn’t look like this will be enough for the Royals to make the playoffs.
Minnesota Twins: It seems like just yesterday that the Twins were making the playoffs and losing in the first round to the Yankees. Those years are long gone and the rebuilding process has begun. Joe Mauer will need to produce like he did in 2010 for the Twins to keep their heads above water. Josh Willingham should put up his regular numbers but other than him in left, the outfield in Minnesota looks pretty rough. The pitching staff is also below average with Vance Worley as the teams “ace.” This should be another slow year for this ball club.
Los Angeles Angels: Is this the year that the Angels finally make the playoffs? The addition of Josh Hamilton should help their offense immensely. The fact that the Angels have Mike Trout also gives this team a whole nother dimension. If this team wants to be as dominant as they can be C.J. Wilson needs to pitch better than he did the second half of 2012. Jered Weaver will also need to compete at the level he is capable of. If this team stays healthy they have the potential to be the best team in all of baseball.
Texas Rangers: Last season ended abruptly for the Rangers as the Athletics stole the division right out of their cold dead hands. The same will not happen in 2013 and the Rangers will be back to their winning ways. It won’t be enough to take down the Angels but Elvis Andrus and David Murphy should both be intricate pieces to help them take home a wild card. Matt Harrison and Yu Darvish will be the one, two punch on the pitching mound as well. This team will need to win within their division to have any shot at reaching a playoff birth.
Oakland Athletics: This Athletics team might just have the best outfield in the American League with; Yoenis Cespedes Coco Crisp and Josh Reddick. They also have a good pitching staff, the only question is whether they can do it again. Brett Anderson and Jarrod Parker are both reliable pitchers who can get you through six innings easy. The tides will turn this season and the A’s will fail to make the playoffs.
Seattle Mariners: The addition of Michael Morse should help this team's offensive struggles immensely. They have some decent talent on their team but most of them have yet to prove themselves over a long shelf life. Felix Hernandez will once again be the best player in Seattle but even his great pitching will not be enough to help this team reach the .500 mark. This team will struggle all year and will never really find its identity. It’s looking like another down year for the Mariners.
Houston Astros: Consider 2013 a groundbreaking year in major league baseball. Interleague games will be played throughout the entire season and every division now has five teams in it. All though Houston is not in the NL Central, they will still be in last place. This team has arguably been the worst in all of baseball over the past five seasons and things don’t seem to be looking up anytime soon. The speedy second basemen Jose Altuve is looking like the best player on this team. He is about the only potential All Star coming out of Houston. This is the worst team in all of baseball and will easily surpass 100 losses.
Most Valuable Player
Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto Blue Jays: All eyes are on the Blue Jays but not necessarily on Encarnacion. Look for him to have an impressive season that surprises a lot of people. He can hit 40 home runs and end up being the most important role in Toronto. Pitchers will be worried about pitching to Bautista, giving Encarnacion more RBI chances than normal. He may not be the AL MVP favorite but he is going to be in the conversation this year.
Cy Young
David Price, Tampa Bay Rays: This 27-year-old is just now getting into his prime. He had his best season ever in 2012 with a 2.56 ERA along with 200 strikeouts and 20 wins. Price is so good that he could take the reigns of best AL pitchers from Justin Verlander this year. Oh yeah, his WAR last season was 6.4, four points better than 2011. This are looking great for this young Rays pitcher.
Rookie of the Year
Wil Myers, Tampa Bay Rays: Most expected Myers to be dawning a Kansas City Royals uniform but a shocking trade sent him to the Rays. This guy can hit and hit hard. In double and triple A he batted .314 and received Player of the Year honors. If he gets called up early in the season he could be a game changer for Tampa Bay. Look for Myers to be at the top of most rookie of the year lists.
Coach of the Year
Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays. I did not expect three of my four American League awards to be going to Tampa Bay employees, but it just shows how dangerous this team is. Maddon is one of, if not the best coach in all of baseball. He is the best “players manager” you can think of and has the respect of all his players. He has already won two coach of the year awards within in the past four years. Look for him to snag another in 2013.
National League
Washington Nationals: This Nationals team is the overwhelming favorite to come out of the National League. They have a dangerously talented pitching staff with arms like; Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmermann. They also have a crazy good bullpen with newly acquired Rafael Soriano. Other big names out of the pen are, Drew Storen and Tyler Clippard. The main question mark coming into the 2013 season is their offense. Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper need to step up. If they can score four runs a game, the Nationals are going to be tough to beat.
Atlanta Braves: Arguably the best lineup in all of baseball comes out of Atlanta. This team has the potential to take home the NL East. They look completely different than they did in 2010 with new faces of; Justin Upton B.J. Upton and Chris Johnson. Not only does their offense look like it could score some big runs but the bullpen is out of this world too. Everyone is well aware of what Craig Kimbrel can do in the ninth. Also look for Kris Medlen to make a name for himself once again.
Philadelphia Phillies: The clock is ticking on the Phillies and they are running out of time. Their pitching is getting older and Roy Halladay is not looking like the pitcher everyone is used to. Cole Hamels is the new ace of this squad followed by Cliff Lee. The addition of Ben Revere is an update in center but won’t be a big enough impact to put them in the playoffs. This team had their time and it is long gone now.
New York Mets: For having one of the biggest markets in all of baseball the Mets aren’t doing much with it. Getting rid of R.A. Dickey is about the best move this team could have made. They also signed David Wright to an impressive sum of money. Other than Wright, the Mets look horrendous. They are not the worst team in baseball but are very far from being even an average team.
Miami Marlins: Oh, Miami... This franchise is the laughing stock of baseball. In 2012 they went all in and lost it all. The first mistake they made was signing Ozzie Guillen as their head coach. I don’t know if it is possible for the Marlins to be any worse than they were last season but darn it, they will try their hardest. The one All Star in Miami goes by the name of Giancarlo Stanton and can he ever hit. This guy is a lock for 30 home runs and could flirt with 40 this season. Other than Stanton the second best player on this team is, Juan Pierre? Hah. Miami should stick to basketball.
Cincinnati Reds: Maybe the most well rounded team in all of baseball resides in Cincinnati. They have a great pitching rotation along with power bats and defensive studs. Brandon Phillips is easily the best second basemen in the NL while Joey Votto is arguably the best first basemen in the NL. Add in Johnny Cueto Bronson Arroyo and Mat Latos and you're looking at a crazy tough team. Oh yeah, they have some guy named Aroldis Chapman who can throw 106, closing out their games.
St. Louis Cardinals: There is a lot of question marks on this team. Can Adam Wainwright stay healthy? Will David Freese and Rafael Furcal come back from injuries and play like they are capable? These and many other questions come to mind. Regardless, they have a lot of talent. The outfielding core of; Matt Holliday Jon Jay and Carlos Beltran is a positive along with the best catcher in baseball, Yadier Molina. This team is always expected to perform below average and always surprise. Who knows, you might just be seeing this team in the World Series again.
Pittsburgh Pirates: This Pirates team is very strange. They dominate from April till about mid July, then for whatever reason they fall off. Andrew McCutchen is obviously the best player on this team and can single handedly bring fans to the stadium. His speed is top ten worthy and he is gaining discipline at the plate. If the Pirates want any chance at a wild card spot, McCutchen will need to kill it. They also need to have A.J. Burnett and James McDonald be good all year. You can count on Wandy Rodriguez but that is about it in terms of pitching.
Milwaukee Brewers: If this Brewers team could just be healthy they would have a shot at snagging a wild card spot. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Mat Gamel has underwent his second knee surgery in two years, while Corey Hart continues to prove he can’t play more than 155 games. They have the best outfielder in baseball in Ryan Braun who will put up massive numbers this year. They will need a lot of young pitchers to step up. This team has the potential to make the playoffs but I do not see it happening this year.
Chicago Cubs: Boy, it must be hard to be a Cubs fan. They haven’t won a World Series since William Taft was president in 1908. Things do not look to be changing anytime soon. They have horrible pitching, lazy outfielders and an immature shortstop. Anthony Rizzo looks to be one of the better players on this team but that isn’t saying much. Look for this team to flirt with 100 losses in 2013. It may be the twenty first century but some things never change.
San Francisco Giants: Everyone knows what this team is capable of. They have great pitching from front to back and arguably the best catcher in the league. Posey is obviously the biggest deal to this team but they also have amazing pitching. Matt Cain is one of the best pitchers in baseball, while Madison Bumgarner and Ryan Vogelsong are close behind. This team will be in the playoffs for sure.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Having a guy like Matt Kemp in center field is a game changer. Beast mode was injured for a chunk of last year but seems healthy and ready for the season to start. Andre Ethier is highly underrated and if Carl Crawford can perform like he did in 2010 this team is gonna be tough to beat. Add in the best pitcher in the NL, Clayton Kershaw, and you're setting yourself up for success. You can throw Zack Greinke into that dominate pitching conversation as well. The Dodgers are going to be very tough, don’t sleep on this team.
Arizona Diamondbacks: This organization turned a lot of heads in the offseason when they traded Justin Upton. The trade looks bad on paper but overall this team can still compete. Martin Prado who was apart of the Atlanta Braves trade is a jack of all trades. He can play any position on the field, while still dominating at the plate. The D’Backs have no big names but have a lot of nice pieces that could mesh perfectly together. This team could steal a wild card spot from any number of teams.
Colorado Rockies: The goofiest team in baseball award goes to the Rockies. This team has one of the worst pitching staffs in all of baseball. When the number one pitcher on your team is Jhoulys Chacin you kinda know it’s gonna be a rough year. The one positive here is their batting order. Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki can crush the ball. Add in Dexter Fowler and Michael Cuddyer and you’re looking at some good bats. This will not be enough to get them into the playoffs but they could squeak out a .500 season.
San Diego Padres: Here is another ugly looking team. Take out Edinson Volquez and this rotation is ratchet. Add in the Chase Headley injury and you’re looking at a team that will struggle a lot. Cameron Maybin is a great defender but will not be nearly enough to make a big impact. This team just doesn’t have the talent to compete at the major league level at this time. Unless the Padres have some big names in triple-A they are going to be struggling for awhile.
Most Valuable Player
Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds: What hasn’t this guy done? He is a career .315 hitter, a Gold Glove winner and a three time All Star. He won the NL MVP in 2010 and is primed to do the same this season. The Reds are the clear favorite in the central and Votto is going to be the main reason why. He racks up the walks and can crush home runs. Watch out for this guy in 2013.
Cy Young
Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers: Kershaw got robbed of a Cy Young last season by some knuckleballer in New York. He won the Cy Young in 2011 along with the pitching version of a Triple Crown. He had the best ERA of all starters last season and will do the same again this year. He is only 25 years old and already locked in. When it is all said and done this guy might just be the best pitcher in baseball for the next 10 years.
Rookie of the Year
Oscar Taveras, St. Louis Cardinals: If you do not know who Taveras is you need to. He batted .386 in the minors in 2011 and came back and batted .321 in 2012. His time is soon to come in St. Louis, the only problem will be how long he has to wait. Their outfield seems to be set but an injury will call him up quickly. This guy is going to kill it once he gets his chance.
Coach of the Year
Davey Johnson, Washington Nationals: He guaranteed a playoff berth in 2012 and he didn’t disappoint. For 69 years old he is not doing to bad. He came into Washington at the perfect time and has proven he is a great manager. There are many managers who are deserving of this award but none more than Davey. If he can get his team to 100 wins he is a lock for coach of the year.
ALCS Prediction
Detroit Tigers over Tampa Bay Rays in 6.
NLCS Prediction
Atlanta Braves over San Francisco Giants in 7.
World Series Prediction
Atlanta Braves over Detroit Tigers in 7.