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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