MLB Power Rankings 2012: Contenders with Serious Issues To Address

We're just a couple games into it, but it's already apparent that the 2012 Major League Baseball season is going to be a wild one.

How do I know this? The Baltimore Orioles and the New York Mets are both 3-0 and the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are both 0-3.

Madness. Utter madness. 

Naturally, my preseason power rankings are already obsolete. Same goes for everyone else's. Now that we kinda-sorta know the lay of the land, it's time to draw up a fresh set.

Along the way, we'll focus on some should-be contenders that have some serious issues to address.

1. Detroit Tigers (3-0, Preseason No. 1)

Justin Verlander dominated on Opening Day, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder have already combined for five home runs and Austin Jackson is batting .571. The Tigers scored not one, but two walk-off hits in their opening series. Yeah, they look good.

2. Tampa Bay Rays (3-0, Preseason No. 5)

The Rays offense looks better than advertised, they got good performances out of David Price and Jeremy Hellickson, and they made the mighty Mariano Rivera look like a Red Sox reliever. I picked them to win the World Series this year. Feeling pretty good about that right now.

3. Texas Rangers (2-1, Preseason No. 3)

The Rangers' first series didn't go perfectly, but they got solid performances out of Colby Lewis and Matt Harrison, and their offense looks good despite the fact it hasn't woken up yet. I see no reason for anyone in Arlington to panic.

4. Arizona Diamondbacks (3-0, Preseason No. 13)

Okay, I underestimated the Diamondbacks a little bit. They didn't dominate the Giants, but they deserve credit for outlasting them and for knocking around their three aces. The D-Backs were the team to beat in the NL West last year and they already look like the team to beat in the NL West this year.

5. St. Louis Cardinals (3-1, Preseason No. 12)

The Cardinals already lead the National League in runs scored. Carlos Beltran looks like a great signing and David Freese has picked up right where he left off. Rumors of St. Louis' demise were greatly exaggerated. 

6. Los Angeles Angels (1-2, Preseason No. 4)

Jered Weaver looked ridiculously good on Friday. Other than that, it was a forgettable weekend for the Angels. But since they still have a great rotation and because Albert Pujols hasn't gotten going yet, there's no reason for anyone to panic.

7. New York Yankees (0-3, Preseason No. 2)

Well, that could have gone better.

It's early yet, but there's no denying that the Yankees' pitching failed them in their opening series against the Rays. The Yanks left Tampa Bay with a 5.92 team ERA, a 1.85 WHIP and a .302 BAA.

Though the Rays offense is indeed better than advertised, it's still not great. The fact that they so easily handled the Yankees' starting pitching is a little concerning. CC Sabathia and Mariano Rivera will be fine, but Hiroki Kuroda and Phil Hughes are going to have to get back on track. 

My guess is that the Yankees will be fine, but it's already apparent that they're not going to cruise to an AL East title this year.

8. Philadelphia Phillies (1-3, Preseason No. 6)

Heading into the season, the big question concerning the Phillies was over where the runs were going to come from.

The Phillies did not provide an answer to that question against the Pittsburgh Pirates. They managed just six runs in three games and the only game they won was a 1-0 shutout spun by Roy Halladay and Jonathan Papelbon.

Methinks the Phillies need Chase Utley and Ryan Howard back as soon as possible. Even then, offense is going to be an issue. 

The Phillies will still be good, of course. But let's face it, pitching alone can only get a team so far.

9. Cincinnati Reds (2-1, Preseason No. 15)

I know. I know. I underrated the Reds. But hey, as long as Johnny Cueto is doing work and Jay Bruce is hitting home runs, I'm on board.

...But I'm not banking on Bruce staying hot all season. That's just not his style.

10. San Francisco Giants (0-3, Preseason No. 7)

Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner and Matt Cain all struggled in Arizona. Does that mean everyone should panic about the Giants? 

Heck no. Those three guys are going to be fine and so will the Giants. 

11. Washington Nationals (2-1, Preseason No. 8)

Gio Gonzalez got off to a rough start, but Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmerman both looked great in their debuts. In general, the Nats looked solid. Once Michael Morse and Drew Storen return, the Nats are going to look even more solid.

12. Kansas City Royals (2-1, Preseason No. 18)

Quick! Somebody break up the Royals!

I jest, of course, but there's a lot to like about the way Eric Hosmer swung the bat against the Angels. As if it wasn't obvious enough last year, he's going to be a good one.

13. Milwaukee Brewers (1-2, Preseason No. 9)

I would have liked to have seen a better start by Yovani Gallardo, but Zack Greinke looked like an ace in his first start. The two of them are going to be rolling more often than not and they'll lead the Brew Crew to plenty of wins. 

14. Los Angeles Dodgers (3-1, Preseason No. 17)

Matt Kemp already looks like he's going to win the MVP, and the Dodgers have to be encouraged with what they got from Chad Billingsley in his opening start. If he and Clayton Kershaw stay healthy and productive, the Dodgers might just make a run at a postseason berth this year.

15. Boston Red Sox (0-3, Preseason No. 10)

My goodness, where do we begin?

First, the Sox are screwed if Josh Beckett starts giving up home runs in bunches again. He looked like his 2006 self against the Tigers on Saturday. Clay Buchholz wasn't much better on Sunday.

But more than anything, the Sox should be concerned about their bullpen. It's obvious that Alfredo Aceves is not the guy to take Andrew Bailey's place, and Mark Melancon didn't do much to inspire confidence either.

You have to wonder how long it will be before Daniel Bard gets moved back to the pen. Then the question becomes, who takes his spot in the rotation?

The season is barely underway and the Red Sox are already a mess.

16. Toronto Blue Jays (2-1, Preseason No. 16)

The Jays are undefeated in extra-inning games and Jose Bautista is already batting .333 with a .583 slugging percentage. More importantly, Brandon Morrow looked like the ace that he should be in his opening start. So far, so good for the Jays.

17. New York Mets (3-0, Preseason No. 25)

The Mets are undefeated. Might they make a run at the NL East this season?

No. They got some good performances out of their starting pitchers, but the truth is that they beat up on a Braves team that has a laundry list of issues at present.

Still, my hat is off.

18. Atlanta Braves (0-3, Preseason No. 14)

Don't be too quick to judge the Braves. Despite their season-opening sweep, the Braves are going to pitch just fine this season and they're going to hit better, too. We'll have a better feel for this team when Tim Hudson and Chipper Jones return.

19. Miami Marlins (2-3, Preseason No. 11)

Opening Day didn't go so well for the Marlins. Neither did their three-game series in Cincinnati. Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle are off to slow starts, and Heath Bell blew his first save opportunity.

To make matters worse, Ozzie Guillen is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. First came the story about his nightly drinking habit when on the road, and then came the mess inspired by his Fidel Castro comments. The word from Jayson Stark of ESPN.com is that Guillen is going to fly back to Miami to apologize for expressing his admiration for Castro.

Guillen has become exactly what this Marlins team didn't need: a distraction. Thanks in large part to him, this new era of Marlins baseball has gotten off to a rough start.

20. Pittsburgh Pirates (2-1, Preseason No. 23)

The Pirates got a great start from Erik Bedard to open things up and then they scored back-to-back walk-off victories against a very good Phillies team. Nobody in Pittsburgh should be overreacting to the Pirates' hot start, but it's definitely better than a cold start.

21. Seattle Mariners (3-1, Preseason No. 24)

You know what the most encouraging part of Seattle's hot start is? Chone Figgins is batting over .400. It seems moving him to the leadoff spot was the right call. 

22. Chicago White Sox (1-2, Preseason No. 20)

There's no shame in losing two out of three to a team like the Rangers. But in general, the White Sox already look like a mediocre team. That's exactly what many people expected them to be.

23. Baltimore Orioles (3-0, Preseason No. 29)

In their opening series against the Minnesota Twins, three Orioles starters combined to allow one earned run.

What on earth is going on?! That's not how things are supposed to be!

Wait...oh yeah, the Orioles played the Twins.

24. Houston Astros (2-1, Preseason No. 30)

Hey, maybe the Astros aren't so awful after all. If they can win two out of three from the Rockies at home to start the season, they're clearly at least mediocre.

But nothing better than that.

25. Cleveland Indians (1-2, Preseason No. 19)

Justin Masterson, Ubaldo Jimenez and Derek Lowe all looked terrific in their first starts. That's a very encouraging sign. It's too bad the rest of the team didn't look so hot.

26. San Diego Padres (1-3, Preseason No. 21)

I was expecting better things out of San Diego's starting rotation. Except for Edinson Volquez, of course. He's just another in a long line of Dusty Baker victims.

27. Chicago Cubs (1-2, Preseason No. 26)

Never mind what else happened over the weekend. The most encouraging thing to happen to the Cubs in their opening series was Jeff Samardzija's start. I always knew he was a better pitcher than he was a wide receiver.

28. Colorado Rockies (1-2, Preseason No. 22)

They dropped two of three to the Astros. Nuff said.

29. Oakland Athletics (1-3, Preseason No. 28)

Yoenis Cespedes has a ton of power, and he's going to use it this season. Aside from him and Brandon McCarthy, there's not a lot to like about this A's team.

30. Minnesota Twins (0-3, Preseason No. 27)

The Twins went to Baltimore and scored a total of five runs in a bandbox of a ballpark and against a mediocre pitching staff. To make matters worse, Francisco Liriano and Carl Pavano both got knocked around a little bit in their debuts.

It's going to be another long season in Minnesota.