2014 Outlook: Overall Ranking of All 30 MLB Teams - The Top 15

 This is a continuation from last Thursday's "Bottom 15 list."

15 - Arizona Diamondbacks
The D-Backs had a successful off-season by acquiring slugger Mark Trumbo and boosting their bullpen with Addison Reed. As long as Aaron Hill can actually stay healthy, and Paul Goldschmidt continues to wreck opposing pitchers, the hitting should be fine in Arizona. The pitching staff, however, is worrisome. Bronson Arroyo had a good season last year but the near-38-year old will be asked to do a lot for a staff that lacks reliable arms. Patrick Corbin, the supposed ace of the D-Backs, had an ERA of 8.00 over his last 7 starts which really put a damper on what was otherwise an excellent season.

14 - Kansas City Royals
First baseman Eric Hosmer's sophomore-slump is long forgotten after he torched the ball to the tune of a .323 average in the second-half of 2013. This off-season's additions of Omar Infante and Norichika Aoki round out a team that is above average in all facets of the game except starting pitching. The loss of Ervin Santana and his 3.24 ERA will be felt hard in KC where manager Ned Yost will hope Jason Vargas can replace some of what Santana gave.

13 - Pittsburgh Pirates
Losing A.J Burnett could be detrimental to the Bucs. A large part of the franchise's turn around these last couple of seasons should be credited to Burnett. On a positive note, if Francisco Liriano can repeat last season's performance and Gerrit Cole continue to develop at an incredible pace, Burnett could be long forgotten. The rotation after those two isn't horrible and the 8th-9th inning punch of Melancon and Grilli will once again be one of the best in baseball. Led by the 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen, the Pirates should be contenders for another playoff spot even without Burnett.

12 - Baltimore Orioles
Facing the possibility of another disappointing off-season, the Orioles acquired Nelson Cruz and Ubaldo Jimenez in the same week. Cruz gives them easily one of the best offenses in baseball. Jimenez, however, does not do enough for the Orioles' pathetic pitching staff. Chris Tillman and Miguel Gonzalez both had solid seasons but both also finished top 7 in the AL in BABIP (Batting Average on Balls in Play) with BABIP's under .255, screaming "unsustainable!" Having multiple Gold Glove winners in the field undoubtedly explains the BABIP numbers but, even still, those are too hard to count on. While their offense should keep them above .500, I worry about the Orioles' playoff chances due to a sub-par pitching staff and questionable bullpen.

11 - Cincinnati Reds
The Reds lost Bronson Arroyo and Shin-Soo Choo after going one-and-done in the playoffs. While this may seem like they are trending in the wrong direction, I would beg to differ. Youngster Billy Hamilton is going to give them a much-needed speed boost in the outfield. The team's ace, Johnny Cueto, is healthy after an injury-plagued 2013. Adding in a full season of Tony Cingrani with Homer Bailey, Mat Latos, and Cueto and you have a great staff. Not to mention, the Reds also have one of the three best closers in all of baseball. One thing that intrigues me the most about the Reds is the fact that Devin Mesoraco has finally been handed the starting catcher's job. Despite his struggles so far at the major league level, Mesoraco hit for some pop and a decent average in the minors. He could add some flare to an already stacked lineup if finally given the chance.

10 - New York Yankees
After spending nearly a half-billion dollars in free agency, including the signings of elite center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury and highly touted Japanese ace Masahiro Tanaka, all eyes have been on the Bombers, as usual. In The Captain's final season, there may be some magic in these Yankees. One cannot ignore, though, that CC Sabathia led the MLB in earned runs last season and Hiroki Kuroda, the now-39-year old, had an abysmal second half to 2013 with an ERA of 4.25. The post-Mo and post-Cano era starts in 2014, and it might just be a good season in the Apple.

9 - Oakland Athletics
Yes, no one on their roster jumps out at you. But since when has that mattered for the A's? Led by one of the best managers in baseball (Bob Melvin), the 2013 A's finished with the second-best record in the American League despite a down-season from right fielder Josh Reddick and slugger Yoenis Cespedes missing 27 games. They lost last season's ace Bartolo Colon, but really Colon was lost when the A's opted to start emerging ace Sonny Gray over Colon in Game 5 of the ALDS. The A's lost, but a star may have been born that series in Gray.

8 - Atlanta Braves
Atlanta had an excellent 2013 despite the awfulness of the Upton brothers. Freddie Freeman is an emerging star and the Braves went into the postseason with the second-best record in the National League. The loss of catcher Brian McCann is certainly a tough one, but manager Fredi Gonzalez is hoping slugger Evan Gattis will be able to replace McCann's solid bat in the catcher's spot. If Jason Heyward can hit the way he did in the second-half of 2013 (.305 AVG) as opposed to the first-half (.227) then the Braves should have plenty of offense. Atlanta's pitching is nothing to sneeze at either, especially with the return of righty Brandon Beachy.

7 - Texas Rangers
 There's no way around it - the Rangers have one of the best offenses (on paper) in all of baseball. A lineup that consists of Adrian Beltre, Prince Fielder, Alex Rios, Shin-Soo Choo, and Elvis Andrus is horrifying. Not to mention they have possibly the best pitcher in the American League, Yu Darvish. While these give Rangers fans reasons to be excited, there are still questions concerning the bottom-half of the rotation and the bullpen. Joe Nathan is no easy man to replace, especially with a young arm like Neftali Feliz's who has had such a roller coaster MLB career so far that has included Tommy John surgery. With number-two starter Derek Holland out until mid-season, the Rangers will take pitching from wherever they can get it.

6 - Washington Nationals
At the end of a very disappointing 2013 season, the Nationals went 18-9 in September to give fans hope for 2014. The Nationals were able to acquire starter Doug Fister for pennies on the dollar from Detroit and enter 2014 with a stacked rotation of: Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister, and Tanner Roark. In addition to the great rotation, the Nats still sport one of the best 8-9 inning duo's in baseball with Tyler Clippard and Rafael Soriano. Assuming the offense will rebound from its so-so 2013, the Nats will be right back into the thick of October like they were in 2012.


5 - Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays got handled by the Red Sox in 4 games in the ALDS and have been faced with the dilemma of whether or not to deal ace David Price all off-season. It looks as though they will enter the 2014 season with Price on the team and there is no reason to think the Rays will do any worse this season. A full season of right fielder Wil Myers will give the Rays some extra punch and they should have a decent lineup anchored by Myers and Evan Longoria. The questions fall on the four starters after Price: Alex Cobb, Matt Moore, Chris Archer, and Jake Odorizzi. The oldest of the bunch is Cobb at only 26-years old. While Cobb, Moore, and Archer have been rather successful during their brief tenure's as MLB starting pitchers, it will be interesting to see how such a young staff holds up over a 162 game season.

4 - Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers showed last season that even if their most talented positional player, Matt Kemp, isn't healthy, they're still a force to be reckoned with. They have a seemingly never-ending supply of money, an excellent lineup with former All Stars at five positions, a staff with two Cy Young winners, and one of the best bullpens in the game. It's tough when Kemp, Hanley Ramirez, and Carl Crawford all struggle to stay healthy but the Dodgers should be fine regardless. They are here to stay and will be for a long time.


3 - Boston Red Sox
It's tough to put a team that dominated last season from April all the way to October, winning the World Series, outside the top two. That aside, it is not wise to sweep the loss of Jacoby Ellsbury under the rug. The best lead-off man in baseball, Ellsbury provided the Sox with a great bat, excellent defense that covered a lot of ground in the outfield, and reeked absolute havoc on the base paths. While the health of Clay Buchholz will (as always) be a huge question for the Sox, their X-factor this season will be shortstop Xander Bogaerts. Bogaerts showed excellent plate discipline at the major league level last season and rates as a prospect with plus power and superb bat speed. If Bogaerts can give the Sox what many scouts project he can do, they will return to October baseball.

2 - St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals' loss of Carlos Beltran is just their way of doing business. Slotting All Star Allen Craig into Beltran's right field spot and letting slugger Matt Adams take over the first base duties will give the Cardinals a much-needed defensive upgrade in the outfield. An even more important outfield defensive-upgrade is the acquisition of Peter Bourjos from the Angels. The Cardinals will be able to cover more ground this season and with elite prospect Oscar Tavares looming in the minors, the Cardinals outfield seems figured out for awhile. With Trevor Rosenthal emerging as an elite closer and Jaime Garcia returning to a great pitching staff, the Cardinals look primed to make another run at the World Series in 2014.

1 - Detroit Tigers
Whether you think the Tigers won or lost the Ian Kinsler-Prince Fielder trade, one consequence of this trade is undeniable - the Tigers defense received a huge upgrade. Not only because Kinsler is a decent-fielding second baseman (finished tied for third in all of baseball in defensive runs saved [DRS] from the second base position)  but more importantly this puts Miguel Cabrera back at first base where he is more comfortable and less of a defensive liability. Losing Fielder's powerful bat will have it's repercussions but it is not as if Kinsler is a bad hitter. In addition, Detroit finished second in all of baseball last season in runs scored (only behind the World Series champion Red Sox) - they have the runs to spare. The infield's giant upgrade should greatly benefit ground-ball pitcher Rick Porcello as the Tigers look to replace Doug Fister.

The addition of Joe Nathan cannot go overlooked either. Nathan posted a 1.39 ERA with 43 saves during his sixth career All Star season. As overachieving as Joaquin Benoit was in 2013, Nathan provides Detroit with a substantial upgrade after the team had a 9th-inning ERA of 3.81 last season. The lineup is still loaded, the pitching consists of the league's ERA champion (Anibal Sanchez) and two Cy Young winners (Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander). With an improved defense and a stud like Joe Nathan closing out games, Detroit is as scary as ever. They are my projected #1 team heading into 2014.

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2014 Outlook: Overall Ranking of All 30 MLB Teams - The Bottom 15

Before the start of the 2013 season, it would have been incredibly difficult to find any team ranking list that had the Red Sox in the top 10, or perhaps even the top half of teams in the MLB. Regardless, they went on to win the World Series. This point is not made in order to further relish in the victory of the Sox. Rather, it goes to show that these lists are simply based on projections and opinions. Since the end of the 2014 season, great players have changed teams, new managers have been hired, and top prospects are looking to get their first cracks at the big leagues. Here is the bottom half of the league. Check back next week for the Top 15!

30 - Houston Astros
At some point, the forever-sinking ship that is the Houston Astros will rise once again and flourish like it did during the 90's. With prospects like Carlos Correa, Jon Singleton, George Springer, and Mark Appel the future looks incredibly bright. Unfortunately, even with a few of those players set to debut this season, the rest of the Astros roster is pretty bleak. In an incredibly tough division (that got a lot tougher this off-season), Houston fans are looking at another disappointing season.

29 - Chicago Cubs
Top-to-bottom, the Cubbies look horrible for 2014. After losing 96 games, Theo Epstein's Cubs had a very quiet off-season. Coming off the disappointing 2013 campaign of the highly touted Starlin Castro, the Cubs still look disastrously. The trade rumors never seem to end with Cubs' ace Jeff Samardzija and it would hardly be a shocker if the 29-year old is dealt this season. At least the Cubs have hot prospect Javier Baez to look forward to. Baez swatted 37 homers with 111 RBI and 20 stolen bases in the minors last year. Baez could make his long-awaited debut this season.

28 - Miami Marlins
The Marlins had a busy off-season in which they acquired Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Rafael Furcal, Casey McGehee, and Garrett Jones. While that seems like a substantial upgrade from last season's offense, it still isn't enough and Giancarlo Stanton will still have to carry the majority of the load when he's in the lineup. Marlins fans get to at least see the first full season of Christian Yelich as well as a most-likely dominating sophomore season from 2013 National League Rookie of the Year Jose Fernandez.

27 - Minnesota Twins
There is really no other way to put it - the Twins are bad. With Mauer at first base, he should be able to play more games and perhaps perform at a higher level at the plate. While that's great, the Twins will really miss his leadership and defense at the catcher position. Arcia and Willingham will provide some pop, and Perkins is a top-notch closer, but the mediocre additions of the overpaid Ricky Nolasco and the always-disappointing Phil Hughes were not enough. The Twins may have escaped the basement of the Central Division last season, but they won't in 2014. With top prospect Miguel Sano going down for Tommy John surgery, everything is sad in Minnesota.

26 - Philadelphia Phillies
This ranking may be a bit unfair for a team whose pitching staff contains Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, and AJ Burnett. At the same time, the hitting combination of Rollins-Utley-Howard is not even a shell of itself any more and while Domonic Brown looked like he may have finally broken-out, his second half to 2013 was injury-riddled and he only cracked 4 homeruns. There's simply not enough hitting in Philly.

25 - New York Mets
There's no way around it - Matt Harvey's Tommy John surgery is devastating for the Mets, their fans, and anyone who owns him in a keeper league. At the same time, the never-aging Bartolo Colon had an amazing 2013, finishing 6th in American League Cy Young voting. He is certainly a welcomed addition to the Mets staff as he tries to fill the ace-void Harvey left. While I am a fan of Zack Wheeler and Jenrry Mejia, the pitching staff still leaves a lot to be desired. There are question marks surrounding the age and health of newly acquired Curtis Granderson and how his power will translate to a less-hitter-friendly park than Yankee Stadium. Overall, this team is a few pieces away in all aspects of the game from being a true contender.

24 - Colorado Rockies
The Rockies have plenty of offense... when that offense is actually healthy. Carlos Gonzalez hasn't played at least 150 games in any season of his career and he hasn't played at least 140 since 2010. Tulowitzki hasn't played at least 140 since 2011. As of now, though, the Rockies bats are healthy and added Justin Morneau and speedster Drew Stubbs to an already nice lineup. The issue, however, is the pitching. Even with the addition of Brett Anderson, the Rockies pitching staff is one of the worst in baseball. Also, what is manager Walt Weiss thinking considering LaTroy Hawkins for the closer job over Rex Brothers? Mercy...

23 - San Diego Padres
It will be interesting to see how Josh Johnson bounces back as he moves back to the NL and into a pitcher-friendly ballpark. Cashner, Gyorko, and Venable had very nice 2013 seasons and the addition of Joaquin Benoit should greatly help out the bullpen. If Headley and Quentin can stay healthy, and Everth Cabrera avoid another suspension, the Padres could possibly make some noise. Given their overall talent-level, though, I would not expect much. Especially in a division with the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, and Giants.

22 - Chicago White Sox
This ranking is very generous for the White Sox but over the course of the last year they have gotten a lot younger and should be more exciting. The Garcia-Peavy-Iglesias deal that landed the White Sox Avisail Garcia should pay off greatly for the Sox. Adam Eaton is a superb addition who has 20homer/20steal potential. The key to the White Sox's success, however, will be Jose Abreu. The 27-year old Cuban native won MVP honors in Cuba in 2011 and has all the tools of a great hitter. The pitching staff is questionable, and losing Addison Reed after a 40 save season is going to sting, but the White Sox have improved.

21 -Milwaukee Brewers
Ryan Braun's return will be excellent for a lineup already sporting Aramis Ramirez, Jean Segura, Carlos Gomez, and Jonathan Lucroy. Unfortunately, the Brew Crew's pitching staff is atrocious and their division has three juggernauts in it. The addition of Matt Garza should help, and Yovani Gallardo's ERA should be closer to his career average of 3.72 than his above 4.00 ERA he posted last season, but the pitching still needs major improvements if the Brewers want to be playing in October.

20 - Toronto Blue Jays
Everything went wrong for the Blue Jays last season. Josh Johnson and RA Dickey were pretty terrible, Jose Bautista and Jose Reyes were injury-ridden, and the Red Sox and Rays had great seasons. Unfortunately even if they stay healthy this season, just like the Brewers, the Blue Jays have great hitting but not enough pitching. Also similar to the Brewers, the Blue Jays are in a loaded division.

19 - Seattle Mariners
The incredibly expensive acquisition of Robinson Cano is definitely great for now, but that does not make the Mariners a great team. If Cano's wishes are granted, and Seattle signs Ervin Santana and Kendrys Morales, then they would certainly move up a bit in these rankings. With those signings being highly unlikely, however, Seattle needs a lot more than Cano, Corey Hart, and Fernando Rodney to forget their 71-91 2013 record. While a full season of Mike Zunino and the arrival of Taijuan Walker should help, things are already off to a bad start with Hisashi Iwakuma set to start the year on the disabled list. 

18 -  San Francisco Giants
Buster Posey's Giants had a disappointing 2013 after winning the World Series in 2012. Fortunately, it looks as though third basemen Pablo Sandoval has lost a lot of weight and the team's expectations for him are high. The roster consists of two aces, a great closer, and arguably the best catcher in baseball. The Michael Morse and Tim Hudson acquisitions were low-risk, high-reward and the Giants could very easily return to relevance in 2014.

17 - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Angels' ceiling is as high as any team's. I'm tempering my expectations only because of the very disappointing 2013 campaign. As of now, however, Albert Pujols is healthy and Mike Trout is still the best player in baseball. There should be plenty of offense in Anaheim, even without Trumbo. Assuming Jered Weaver will be able to stay healthy this year, the real question marks fall on Hector Santiago and Tyler Skaggs. If those two young arms live up to their potential, the Angels should be great. If not, they'll be in dire need of some starting pitching.

16 -Cleveland Indians
Despite the nightmarish season Nick Swisher had in his first year as an Indian, the Tribe were still able to surprise most and reach the postseason thanks to stellar play from their All Star second basemen Jason Kipnis. I'm a believer in Kipnis, but not so much the rest of the team. At least, for now, the closer position received a much-needed upgrade and Michael Bourn is temporarily healthy. Regardless, I don't think John Axford and David Murphy will be enough to get Cleveland in the postseason again.

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Figuring Out the 2014 Red Sox Outfield

Undoubtedly when the Boston Red Sox offered Jacoby Ellsbury no more than $120 million they knew he would find more on the open-market. Ben Cherington, General Manager of the Red Sox, was comfortable making his decision on Ellsbury because he knew he had a top 50 prospect in center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. ready to take over. Like any good GM, Cherington aquired some depth through a low-risk, high-reward contract signed by Grady Sizemore. Not only did this provide depth for the Sox but it gave the rookie Bradley some competition. The one stationary piece in the Sox outfield is right-fielder Shane Victorino.  Victorino is a terrific fielder and had played center field exceptionally well during his days in Philadelphia. He has repeatedly stated that he will play wherever the team needs him to be. With Bradley Jr. and Sizemore on the roster, however, Victorino should hopefully be able to remain at his right field post. The left field job projects to be similar to last season in which Daniel Nava and Jonny Gomes will form a platoon at the position. This leaves the center field position up for grabs between Bradley and Sizemore.

Since 2009, Sizemore has had surgeries on both knees, his back, and elbow. In the first Spring Training game he had played in 2014, he did not play in the field. He played center field for a few innings on Saturday, though, but it remains to be seen if a player as fragile as Sizemore has been will be asked to play the physically demanding center field position on a regular basis. Regardless, Sizemore could still force his way in the starting lineup if he can even come close to the way he was playing between 2005 and 2008 (during which he played over 150 games each of those four seasons). Sizemore's 150 game, 20+ steal seasons may be behind him but if he can stay on the field there's no telling what his bat could do. David Ortiz was asked about Sizemore after their first Spring Training game, "He's a great player, man. … he looked good to me. It looked like everything is back to normal, so hopefully everything works out for him this year." Sizemore has gone 1 for 5 so far this spring.

Bradley Jr. has been a prized prospect of the Red Sox since his 2012 minor-league breakout season. After tearing up Spring Training last season, Bradley started the year with the Red Sox. It was a short-lived major league stint, as he batted a lackluster .189 over 95 at bats. Bradley certainly isn't a .189 hitter but he projects to be a single-digit homerun batter with average speed. He does, however, have a knack for getting on base and excellent plate discipline despite the 0.33 walk-to-strikeout ratio he posted during his brief major league experience. Bradley is especially prized by the Sox for his superb defense in center field, something that Ellsbury had provided Boston with for four seasons (not including 2010 and 2012 where he only played a combined 92 games). Many scouts regard Bradley as a plus defender with a plus arm. Very little would drop in the outfield with Bradley Jr. and Victorino out there - similar to last year with Ellsbury and Victorino.

Neither Sizemore nor Bradley can replace what Jacoby Ellsbury brought to the Red Sox. However, the Sox led all of baseball in runs last year (57 over the second most - Detroit Tigers) and were the only club to eclipse 800 runs on the season. With an improved bullpen, including the return of the injured Andrew Miller and the signing of All Star Edward Mujica, as well as a deep pitching staff, the Sox should still have more than enough offense to make up for the loss of Ellsbury. Whether it is Bradley Jr., Sizemore, or a most-likely combination of the two, remains to be seen.

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