Post by Nick(Cubs) on Feb 18, 2011 11:12:45 GMT -5
1. Detroit Tigers
Offense: One of the better lineups in the league. Pair that along with a stacked bench as well. One of the risks that Detroit has is Rollins and Cruz staying healthy. Most complete team in the league as far as hitting goes.
Pitching: 2 aces in Haren and Verlander equal a good front of the rotation. Morrow and Carmona both have potential to be legit number 2/3 starters. Solid bullpen as well. Kuo should pick up saves early in the season but he has Broxton breathing down his back. Perry is also a very useful reliever.
Overall: With that offense and above average pitching the Tigers are a huge threat to win the World Series.
Grade: A
2. Texas Rangers
Offense: Very young offense that is just bursting out with potential. Upton is going to have to be as advertised for the Rangers.
Pitching: Even with Josh Johnson’s injury this is still an excellent rotation. Ubaldo, Grienke, and Lewis could all be #1’s for some other teams. They got their closer in Francisco, but their bullpen is currently their weakness. I expect the Rangers GM to address their bullpen during FA to solidify their spot as an elite team.
Overall: Their offense is somewhat risky with all the 1, 2, and 3 year players. But still lots of talent their. Add a loaded rotation and you got one of the best teams in the American League.
Grade: A
3. Los Angeles Angels
Offense: Nice looking infield with two top 20 players. Davis is pouring out potential for 30HR. Holiday and Rios are good starting points for the Angels OF. Time for the Angels to start worrying about what they are going to do at 3B and RF.
Pitching: This is a stacked rotation. Hanson should have a tremendous season. Bullpen still needs quite a bit of work but there is still time to tweak that.
Overall: Good offense despite the couple empty positions. Top notch rotation will lead this team.
Grade: A
4. Tampa Bay Rays
Offense: Very Talented outfield with Crawford, Jackson, and Brown. Probably the best in the league. The acquisition of Cantu was a smart move. With Longo leading the infield if the Rays can get a 2B via trade or something their hitting would be set.
Pitching: Hamels and Lester make for a very solid 1-2 punch. But after signing Crawford do they have enough cap to fill in the rest of their rotation? Also have one of the better bullpens in the league with Marmol, Capps, and Sale.
Overall: Very talented and young team. Just need a decent 2B and some solid fillers in that rotation.
Grade: A-
5. Boston Red Sox
Offense: Nice infield considering Posey has a year like everyone thinks he will. A question mark for the Red Sox are if Bay will regain some of his numbers from the AL and if Werth will produce the same way as he did in Philadelphia. Seeing Vlad on their bench gives the Sox a good trading piece in Ichiro.
Pitching: Young and Talented. Seems to be the theme of what people want with their Rotation. If Dice-K can gain some of his stats from 2008 watch out. The Red Sox pen has 2 elite RP in Street and Paps, definetly need to fill that in with solid complimentary relief pitchers.
Overall: Great rotation up and down with an above average lineup.
Grade: B+
6. Houston Astros
Offense: Solid lineup. Got the power in the infield and speed in the outfield.
Pitching: Stacked rotation. Price, Latos, Wandy, Sanchez. Then one of the better rotations in the league. You could argue that the Astros have the best overall pitching the league.
Overall: This is a very good team. Good hitting and excellent pitching.
Grade: B+
7. Cincinnati Reds
Offense: If Miggy can stay sober, Wiggington repeats a stellar 2010, and Furcal stays healthy this is a very potent offense.
Pitching: One of the better roations with all of the depth. Especially if Beckett can regain his former self. Amazing bullpen. Chapman, Meek, Perez, Masset. Could be the best in the league.
Overall: Good offense, above average starting pitching, great bullpen. This team has zero holes.
Grade: B
8. Chicago Cubs
Offense: Very powerful lineup. Their average is awful so due to Howard, Bautista, Hall, Stubbs. This team will should be able to snag most of the power stats and if they can get some SB from Aybar and Stubbs the Cubs are working with a very good offense.
Pitching: Lots of potential here, Bumgarner and Minor could end up being aces in the near future. Carpenter gives them a proven ace while Lackey picks up the strikeouts. Bullpen is turning out nicely if Mike Gonzalez finds a groove this season.
Overall: The Cubs may have a contending team. Good hitting with a solid rotation and pen.
Grade: B-
9. Pittsburgh Pirates
Offense: Huge upgrade from what they started with. Somehow they ended up with Duun, Wright, McCutchen on the same squad. And Ramos could be a very significant player this season for the Pirates.
Pitching: Marcum may step into the ace role for the brewers and LeBlanc has tremendous upside. Still their rotation should be a focus during FA. Some nice players in the pen so far but they don’t have any saves yet.
Overall: If they can add a few front line starters this team has the ability to play for a playoff spot this season.
Grade: C+
10. Milwaukee Brewers
Offense: Need to upgrade C / RF. Also they are going to have to rely on Scott Siezmore and Aclides Escobar to live up to their past hype.
Pitching: Very young roation. Hopefully Volquez can stay healthy and Wood keeps his rotation spot. Brewers have a top 5 bullpen at the worst. Axford and Soria should lock up saves for them every week.
Overall: If their young talent on offense can progress to become near all-star level this team becomes a contender.
Grade: C+
11. Philadelphia Phillies
Offense: A few top players don’t make an elite lineup. Way too many holes to consider it above average at this point. Sure they got Hamilton, Youk, and Phillips but what if one gets injured?
Pitching: I like the Phillies rotation so far. Garza will feast in the NL along with the improving Wilson and Romero. Decent bullpen, they need to look at getting some saves on their roster though.
Overall: They need to fill all of their holes with serviceable players to compliment their studs. Which is going to be very difficult to do.
Grade: C+
12. Florida Marlins
Offense: This team is FAST. And depending on the development of Wallace, Stanton, Valencia, and Coghlan, this team has a above average offense that can compete.
Pitching: Below average SP. Nolasco, Lilly, Santana, and Leake are all up in the air about where their stats will be this season. Also counting on Clay being a top pitcher again. Above average bullpen as well.
Overall: Think this team is a little too young to compete for a title this season. Also they are a good SP or 2 away.
Grade: C+
13. Atlanta Braves
Offense: Too many question marks. Is Jeter going to be the 2009 Jeter or 2010? Is Chipper going to remain healthy long enough to even be considered a factor? Will Infante and CarGo repeat? Could be very good, but there is also a huge downside to having this many players that’s stats will be up in the air.
Pitching: More question mark’s with Jair. Lowe is getting old. Venters is going to be solid but they still don’t have any saves on their roster.
Overall: This team is going to be really good…..or really bad. Only time will tell.
Grade: C
14. St. Louis Cardinals
Offense: Need to upgrade at SS. Good outfield. Could be a season killer if Morneau gets hurt.
Pitching: Until Johan is healthy I’m not sold on this rotation. Wainwright is going to be a stud but will Garcia repeat? Will Big Z keep his head straight. And will Kazmir rebound? Not a bad pen. Guzman could have a huge season along with Broxton.
Overall: Not a great team, but could still contend in the NL central for a playoff spot.
Grade: C
15. Los Angeles Dodgers
Offense: Offense is below average. Can’t expect too much out of Aviles, Blake, Hardy, Manny. Kemp is going to have to have a monster season for the dodgers offense.
Pitching: Kershaw, Billingsley, and Hudson make for a tough start of the rotation. With all that cap I would not be surprised to see them land Lee. Have a solid pen as well.
Overall: Offense is not strong enough at the moment but their roation and pen could sneak them into the playoffs.
Grade: C-
16. New York Yankees
Offense: Lots of changes. All in all not a bad offense. The lineup is full of solid players, But Yankees are counting on Young players such as Kila Ka'ahiue and Julio Borbon to live up to the hype. They also need a rebound from Aaron Hill and for Ian Kinsler to stay healthy.
Pitching: After C.C they don’t have any above average SP. Narverson, Nova, and Holland could have a breakout season so we will see. Fairly solid bullpen. O'Day will rack up the holds along with Janssen. Morales has the talent to be a future closer even though he did not show it last season.
Overall: Somehow they got $22M under the cap, but the Yankees paid the ultimate price. In a division with such strong competition the Yanks are nowhere close to a lock to make the playoffs.
Grade: C-
17. Chicago White Sox
Offense: After Mauer a very mediocre lineup. Placido is a solid INF but after that this hitting is not going to scare anyone.
Pitching: Very good staff. Cain and Danks can anchor the Sox staff while Hughes and Davis are the young guns with ace like potential. I also have a feeling they are not done pursuing pitchers in FA. Not much as far as RP goes. Bard is a nice piece and Bowden is solid. Still lots of work to be done in the pen.
Overall: If their offense can win them just a few stats each week their pitching might be good enough to keep them in the race for a little bit.
Grade: C-
18. Minnesota Twins
Offense: If Konerko has another MVP type season and Johnson / Headley keep improving this infield will fit nicely for Minnesota. Their OF is not great but you can’t complain with Kubel, Zobrist, Cuddyer, and Venable.
Pitching: Lots of young players such as Richards, Sanchez, and Volstad are key for the Twins staff. But you cant expect 3 different players to evolve in one year……They also have no bullpen yet, probably will be one of their main targets in the next weeks or so.
Overall: Offense is balanced out extremely well. The Twins pitching will be their Achilles heal this year barring some major moves before the start of the season.
Grade: D+
19. Washington Nationals
Offense: Need Beltran and Roberts to stay healthy. Some aging players is never a good sign but they should be fine for this season.
Pitching: Lots of solid #2/3 starters but no ace. Also counting on better years out of Jordan Zimmerman and Brett Cecil. Lyon and Clippard make a solid bullpen, still need a few solid arms that can pick up some holds.
Overall: This team has sacrificed their future for the present, they have some pieces to make a run for a playoff spot but don’t expect too much.
Grade: D+
20. Seattle Mariners
Offense: The M’s offense has some solid pieces with Adrian Gonzalez, Neil Walker, Alexei, and Beltre. Their batting should help them stay somewhat involved in a strong division.
Pitching: Not much yet. Matusz could be a future ace but only time can tell. League is a solid RP. But not strong pitching in the pen or the rotation. Definitely will need to be addressed during FA.
Overall: Solid hitting, but generally just bad pitching.
Grade: D+
21. Baltimore Orioles
Offense: Their infield will rely on Aramis and Guillen staying healthy and Starling emerging into a top 5 SS. Their outfield is generally weak because the uncertainty about the amount of playing time for Murphy, although he should get plenty of at bats with Cruz and Hamilton injured all of the time.
Pitching: Doc and Oswalt are a scary good 1-2 punch, and Tillman is still very young and could have a surprising year. Still some work to do in the starting pitching FA market. Koji Uehara is a closer….barely. He is 38 and with Mike Gonzalez and Jim Johnson waiting how long will he remain the CP ( although Baltimore owns Johnson as well )
Overall: Offense is below average. And their playoff hopes will be counting on their two aces.
Grade: D
22. New York Mets
Offense: Alvarez and Tabata are going to have to produce big time in order for the Mets offense to compete.
Pitching: Very weak rotation. McDonald could end up being a pleasant surprise for the Mets however. Very solid bullpen lead by Heath Bell. Easily the teams strongest factor.
Overall: This team is too raw to compete this season. Although they do have a lot of good pieces to build around.
Grade: D
23. Oakland Athletics
Offense: Their hitting, just like the real A’s is very weak. Oakland is expecting Kouzmanoff, Davis, and Suzuki to lead their team.
Pitching: Also just like the A’s a very impressive staff filled with young talent up and down. Anderson may turn into an ace. Same thing with Cahill and Gio. Bailey is a shut down closer but after that you don’t see much life in the A’s pen.
Overall: Good pitching….awful hitting. This team is a few bats
away from contention.
Grade: D
24. Arizona Diamondbacks
Offense: Not a bad offense, tons of power. Need to acquire a 2B somehow and upgrade in LF.
Pitching: Pitching is average but with tons of cap available they should look into getting a big name SP soon. If not trade for some talent because they can afford it. Bullpen is below average at this point.
Overall: If the D-backs think they are contenders, with all that cap they need to look into trading for expensive players that other owners will trade for cheap.
Grade: D
25. Colorado Rockies
Offense: Freeman could be a stud. Granderson could end up going 30/30. That’s still not enough to take this offense seriously.
Pitching: In a few years this rotation is going to be SICK. Also have Feliz who may step into the rotation in Texas. Overall not bad pitching this season .
Overall: This team is too young to be considered a contender.
Grade: D-
26. San Diego Padres
Offense: Not a great offense, most of the players are past their prime.
Pitching: Mediocre staff. When your best SP is not even guaranteed a rotation spot you have a problem. Bullpen is below average as well.
Overall: Probably should have looked into rebuilding instead of trying to contend.
Grade: F
27. Cleveland Indians
Offense: Decent hitting. Old, but they will produce. Wieters has to have a huge turn around from his previous seasons in order for Cleveland to contend. Also need Grady to stay healthy.
Pitching: Not a whole lot in the rotation. Peavy will miss most of the season and the rest are below average. Their relief pitching is not helping them much either.
Overall: This team should be in a rebuilding mode instead of trading for overpriced players on the wrong side of 30.
Grade: F
28. Toronto Blue jays
Offense: Going to be tough for them to find a Catcher and a 2B that can produce. The Jays are really relying on Pierre to have another 50+SB season, Snider and Smoak to have a breakout season, and Dejesus / Cabrera to stay healthy. Overall not a very good offense at all.
Pitching: Edwin Jackson is a solid pitcher along with Burnett but they should not be a team’s top pitcher. Hopefully the Jays can sign a few top notch SP in the next few days. Camp and Marte are both solid pieces to any teams pen but still lots of work to do their as well.
Overall: Young team. Still has a lot of holes to fill. Don’t expect any type of run from them this season.
Grade: F
29. San Francisco Giants
Offense: No power can be found in this lineup. Morel could end up being the next David Wright. Looking at this team….they are going to for an incredibly high average which may bother lots of teams.
Pitching: Not enough pitching to really grade yet. And the bullpen has a decent start but Joba is never a sure cut talent.
Overall: This team is rebuilding, but to do that they had to trade lots of their MLB talent.
Grade: F
30. Kansas City Royals
Offense: Seems like the Royals GM is trying to sell some seats by signing Ibanez, Overbay, Ankiel, and Guillen
Pitching: Incomplete…..nothing else to say. They need to sign an excess amount of pitching.
Overall: Not much to evaluate. But this is exactly how you should rebuild. No need to trade prospects for stars. Just go sign serviceable players while your prospects develop.
Grade: F
Offense: One of the better lineups in the league. Pair that along with a stacked bench as well. One of the risks that Detroit has is Rollins and Cruz staying healthy. Most complete team in the league as far as hitting goes.
Pitching: 2 aces in Haren and Verlander equal a good front of the rotation. Morrow and Carmona both have potential to be legit number 2/3 starters. Solid bullpen as well. Kuo should pick up saves early in the season but he has Broxton breathing down his back. Perry is also a very useful reliever.
Overall: With that offense and above average pitching the Tigers are a huge threat to win the World Series.
Grade: A
2. Texas Rangers
Offense: Very young offense that is just bursting out with potential. Upton is going to have to be as advertised for the Rangers.
Pitching: Even with Josh Johnson’s injury this is still an excellent rotation. Ubaldo, Grienke, and Lewis could all be #1’s for some other teams. They got their closer in Francisco, but their bullpen is currently their weakness. I expect the Rangers GM to address their bullpen during FA to solidify their spot as an elite team.
Overall: Their offense is somewhat risky with all the 1, 2, and 3 year players. But still lots of talent their. Add a loaded rotation and you got one of the best teams in the American League.
Grade: A
3. Los Angeles Angels
Offense: Nice looking infield with two top 20 players. Davis is pouring out potential for 30HR. Holiday and Rios are good starting points for the Angels OF. Time for the Angels to start worrying about what they are going to do at 3B and RF.
Pitching: This is a stacked rotation. Hanson should have a tremendous season. Bullpen still needs quite a bit of work but there is still time to tweak that.
Overall: Good offense despite the couple empty positions. Top notch rotation will lead this team.
Grade: A
4. Tampa Bay Rays
Offense: Very Talented outfield with Crawford, Jackson, and Brown. Probably the best in the league. The acquisition of Cantu was a smart move. With Longo leading the infield if the Rays can get a 2B via trade or something their hitting would be set.
Pitching: Hamels and Lester make for a very solid 1-2 punch. But after signing Crawford do they have enough cap to fill in the rest of their rotation? Also have one of the better bullpens in the league with Marmol, Capps, and Sale.
Overall: Very talented and young team. Just need a decent 2B and some solid fillers in that rotation.
Grade: A-
5. Boston Red Sox
Offense: Nice infield considering Posey has a year like everyone thinks he will. A question mark for the Red Sox are if Bay will regain some of his numbers from the AL and if Werth will produce the same way as he did in Philadelphia. Seeing Vlad on their bench gives the Sox a good trading piece in Ichiro.
Pitching: Young and Talented. Seems to be the theme of what people want with their Rotation. If Dice-K can gain some of his stats from 2008 watch out. The Red Sox pen has 2 elite RP in Street and Paps, definetly need to fill that in with solid complimentary relief pitchers.
Overall: Great rotation up and down with an above average lineup.
Grade: B+
6. Houston Astros
Offense: Solid lineup. Got the power in the infield and speed in the outfield.
Pitching: Stacked rotation. Price, Latos, Wandy, Sanchez. Then one of the better rotations in the league. You could argue that the Astros have the best overall pitching the league.
Overall: This is a very good team. Good hitting and excellent pitching.
Grade: B+
7. Cincinnati Reds
Offense: If Miggy can stay sober, Wiggington repeats a stellar 2010, and Furcal stays healthy this is a very potent offense.
Pitching: One of the better roations with all of the depth. Especially if Beckett can regain his former self. Amazing bullpen. Chapman, Meek, Perez, Masset. Could be the best in the league.
Overall: Good offense, above average starting pitching, great bullpen. This team has zero holes.
Grade: B
8. Chicago Cubs
Offense: Very powerful lineup. Their average is awful so due to Howard, Bautista, Hall, Stubbs. This team will should be able to snag most of the power stats and if they can get some SB from Aybar and Stubbs the Cubs are working with a very good offense.
Pitching: Lots of potential here, Bumgarner and Minor could end up being aces in the near future. Carpenter gives them a proven ace while Lackey picks up the strikeouts. Bullpen is turning out nicely if Mike Gonzalez finds a groove this season.
Overall: The Cubs may have a contending team. Good hitting with a solid rotation and pen.
Grade: B-
9. Pittsburgh Pirates
Offense: Huge upgrade from what they started with. Somehow they ended up with Duun, Wright, McCutchen on the same squad. And Ramos could be a very significant player this season for the Pirates.
Pitching: Marcum may step into the ace role for the brewers and LeBlanc has tremendous upside. Still their rotation should be a focus during FA. Some nice players in the pen so far but they don’t have any saves yet.
Overall: If they can add a few front line starters this team has the ability to play for a playoff spot this season.
Grade: C+
10. Milwaukee Brewers
Offense: Need to upgrade C / RF. Also they are going to have to rely on Scott Siezmore and Aclides Escobar to live up to their past hype.
Pitching: Very young roation. Hopefully Volquez can stay healthy and Wood keeps his rotation spot. Brewers have a top 5 bullpen at the worst. Axford and Soria should lock up saves for them every week.
Overall: If their young talent on offense can progress to become near all-star level this team becomes a contender.
Grade: C+
11. Philadelphia Phillies
Offense: A few top players don’t make an elite lineup. Way too many holes to consider it above average at this point. Sure they got Hamilton, Youk, and Phillips but what if one gets injured?
Pitching: I like the Phillies rotation so far. Garza will feast in the NL along with the improving Wilson and Romero. Decent bullpen, they need to look at getting some saves on their roster though.
Overall: They need to fill all of their holes with serviceable players to compliment their studs. Which is going to be very difficult to do.
Grade: C+
12. Florida Marlins
Offense: This team is FAST. And depending on the development of Wallace, Stanton, Valencia, and Coghlan, this team has a above average offense that can compete.
Pitching: Below average SP. Nolasco, Lilly, Santana, and Leake are all up in the air about where their stats will be this season. Also counting on Clay being a top pitcher again. Above average bullpen as well.
Overall: Think this team is a little too young to compete for a title this season. Also they are a good SP or 2 away.
Grade: C+
13. Atlanta Braves
Offense: Too many question marks. Is Jeter going to be the 2009 Jeter or 2010? Is Chipper going to remain healthy long enough to even be considered a factor? Will Infante and CarGo repeat? Could be very good, but there is also a huge downside to having this many players that’s stats will be up in the air.
Pitching: More question mark’s with Jair. Lowe is getting old. Venters is going to be solid but they still don’t have any saves on their roster.
Overall: This team is going to be really good…..or really bad. Only time will tell.
Grade: C
14. St. Louis Cardinals
Offense: Need to upgrade at SS. Good outfield. Could be a season killer if Morneau gets hurt.
Pitching: Until Johan is healthy I’m not sold on this rotation. Wainwright is going to be a stud but will Garcia repeat? Will Big Z keep his head straight. And will Kazmir rebound? Not a bad pen. Guzman could have a huge season along with Broxton.
Overall: Not a great team, but could still contend in the NL central for a playoff spot.
Grade: C
15. Los Angeles Dodgers
Offense: Offense is below average. Can’t expect too much out of Aviles, Blake, Hardy, Manny. Kemp is going to have to have a monster season for the dodgers offense.
Pitching: Kershaw, Billingsley, and Hudson make for a tough start of the rotation. With all that cap I would not be surprised to see them land Lee. Have a solid pen as well.
Overall: Offense is not strong enough at the moment but their roation and pen could sneak them into the playoffs.
Grade: C-
16. New York Yankees
Offense: Lots of changes. All in all not a bad offense. The lineup is full of solid players, But Yankees are counting on Young players such as Kila Ka'ahiue and Julio Borbon to live up to the hype. They also need a rebound from Aaron Hill and for Ian Kinsler to stay healthy.
Pitching: After C.C they don’t have any above average SP. Narverson, Nova, and Holland could have a breakout season so we will see. Fairly solid bullpen. O'Day will rack up the holds along with Janssen. Morales has the talent to be a future closer even though he did not show it last season.
Overall: Somehow they got $22M under the cap, but the Yankees paid the ultimate price. In a division with such strong competition the Yanks are nowhere close to a lock to make the playoffs.
Grade: C-
17. Chicago White Sox
Offense: After Mauer a very mediocre lineup. Placido is a solid INF but after that this hitting is not going to scare anyone.
Pitching: Very good staff. Cain and Danks can anchor the Sox staff while Hughes and Davis are the young guns with ace like potential. I also have a feeling they are not done pursuing pitchers in FA. Not much as far as RP goes. Bard is a nice piece and Bowden is solid. Still lots of work to be done in the pen.
Overall: If their offense can win them just a few stats each week their pitching might be good enough to keep them in the race for a little bit.
Grade: C-
18. Minnesota Twins
Offense: If Konerko has another MVP type season and Johnson / Headley keep improving this infield will fit nicely for Minnesota. Their OF is not great but you can’t complain with Kubel, Zobrist, Cuddyer, and Venable.
Pitching: Lots of young players such as Richards, Sanchez, and Volstad are key for the Twins staff. But you cant expect 3 different players to evolve in one year……They also have no bullpen yet, probably will be one of their main targets in the next weeks or so.
Overall: Offense is balanced out extremely well. The Twins pitching will be their Achilles heal this year barring some major moves before the start of the season.
Grade: D+
19. Washington Nationals
Offense: Need Beltran and Roberts to stay healthy. Some aging players is never a good sign but they should be fine for this season.
Pitching: Lots of solid #2/3 starters but no ace. Also counting on better years out of Jordan Zimmerman and Brett Cecil. Lyon and Clippard make a solid bullpen, still need a few solid arms that can pick up some holds.
Overall: This team has sacrificed their future for the present, they have some pieces to make a run for a playoff spot but don’t expect too much.
Grade: D+
20. Seattle Mariners
Offense: The M’s offense has some solid pieces with Adrian Gonzalez, Neil Walker, Alexei, and Beltre. Their batting should help them stay somewhat involved in a strong division.
Pitching: Not much yet. Matusz could be a future ace but only time can tell. League is a solid RP. But not strong pitching in the pen or the rotation. Definitely will need to be addressed during FA.
Overall: Solid hitting, but generally just bad pitching.
Grade: D+
21. Baltimore Orioles
Offense: Their infield will rely on Aramis and Guillen staying healthy and Starling emerging into a top 5 SS. Their outfield is generally weak because the uncertainty about the amount of playing time for Murphy, although he should get plenty of at bats with Cruz and Hamilton injured all of the time.
Pitching: Doc and Oswalt are a scary good 1-2 punch, and Tillman is still very young and could have a surprising year. Still some work to do in the starting pitching FA market. Koji Uehara is a closer….barely. He is 38 and with Mike Gonzalez and Jim Johnson waiting how long will he remain the CP ( although Baltimore owns Johnson as well )
Overall: Offense is below average. And their playoff hopes will be counting on their two aces.
Grade: D
22. New York Mets
Offense: Alvarez and Tabata are going to have to produce big time in order for the Mets offense to compete.
Pitching: Very weak rotation. McDonald could end up being a pleasant surprise for the Mets however. Very solid bullpen lead by Heath Bell. Easily the teams strongest factor.
Overall: This team is too raw to compete this season. Although they do have a lot of good pieces to build around.
Grade: D
23. Oakland Athletics
Offense: Their hitting, just like the real A’s is very weak. Oakland is expecting Kouzmanoff, Davis, and Suzuki to lead their team.
Pitching: Also just like the A’s a very impressive staff filled with young talent up and down. Anderson may turn into an ace. Same thing with Cahill and Gio. Bailey is a shut down closer but after that you don’t see much life in the A’s pen.
Overall: Good pitching….awful hitting. This team is a few bats
away from contention.
Grade: D
24. Arizona Diamondbacks
Offense: Not a bad offense, tons of power. Need to acquire a 2B somehow and upgrade in LF.
Pitching: Pitching is average but with tons of cap available they should look into getting a big name SP soon. If not trade for some talent because they can afford it. Bullpen is below average at this point.
Overall: If the D-backs think they are contenders, with all that cap they need to look into trading for expensive players that other owners will trade for cheap.
Grade: D
25. Colorado Rockies
Offense: Freeman could be a stud. Granderson could end up going 30/30. That’s still not enough to take this offense seriously.
Pitching: In a few years this rotation is going to be SICK. Also have Feliz who may step into the rotation in Texas. Overall not bad pitching this season .
Overall: This team is too young to be considered a contender.
Grade: D-
26. San Diego Padres
Offense: Not a great offense, most of the players are past their prime.
Pitching: Mediocre staff. When your best SP is not even guaranteed a rotation spot you have a problem. Bullpen is below average as well.
Overall: Probably should have looked into rebuilding instead of trying to contend.
Grade: F
27. Cleveland Indians
Offense: Decent hitting. Old, but they will produce. Wieters has to have a huge turn around from his previous seasons in order for Cleveland to contend. Also need Grady to stay healthy.
Pitching: Not a whole lot in the rotation. Peavy will miss most of the season and the rest are below average. Their relief pitching is not helping them much either.
Overall: This team should be in a rebuilding mode instead of trading for overpriced players on the wrong side of 30.
Grade: F
28. Toronto Blue jays
Offense: Going to be tough for them to find a Catcher and a 2B that can produce. The Jays are really relying on Pierre to have another 50+SB season, Snider and Smoak to have a breakout season, and Dejesus / Cabrera to stay healthy. Overall not a very good offense at all.
Pitching: Edwin Jackson is a solid pitcher along with Burnett but they should not be a team’s top pitcher. Hopefully the Jays can sign a few top notch SP in the next few days. Camp and Marte are both solid pieces to any teams pen but still lots of work to do their as well.
Overall: Young team. Still has a lot of holes to fill. Don’t expect any type of run from them this season.
Grade: F
29. San Francisco Giants
Offense: No power can be found in this lineup. Morel could end up being the next David Wright. Looking at this team….they are going to for an incredibly high average which may bother lots of teams.
Pitching: Not enough pitching to really grade yet. And the bullpen has a decent start but Joba is never a sure cut talent.
Overall: This team is rebuilding, but to do that they had to trade lots of their MLB talent.
Grade: F
30. Kansas City Royals
Offense: Seems like the Royals GM is trying to sell some seats by signing Ibanez, Overbay, Ankiel, and Guillen
Pitching: Incomplete…..nothing else to say. They need to sign an excess amount of pitching.
Overall: Not much to evaluate. But this is exactly how you should rebuild. No need to trade prospects for stars. Just go sign serviceable players while your prospects develop.
Grade: F
