2011 MLB Power Rankings Heading into Opening Day
With the 2011 MLB season just around the corner, it's time to see how the these team stack up. There have been a few injuries and several off-season moves and it's now time to see how those will effect each team.
There are only a handful of dominant teams out there with world series aspirations but there are also so teams flying under the radar that could make a run.
Heading into opening day these are where the teams rank, for now.
Kansas City Royals
1 of 30
The Kansas City Royals real team is currently in the minor leagues. With prospects like Mike Moustakas, Aaron Crow, Everett Teaford, Tim Collins, John Lamb, Danny Duffy, and Mike Montgomery, the Royals are a team built for the future.
The problem is the future is not now so the Royals will not be a very good ball club this season.
Be patient Royals fans, the suffering is almost over. Give it a couple more seasons.
Pittsburgh Pirates
2 of 30
The Pirates are another team that is not going to do anything this season. Pittsburgh has to find some pitching, their possible opening day starter is Paul Maholm and he had an ERA over 5.00 last season.
The lineup which is led by Jose Tabata, Andrew McCutchen, and Pedro Alvarez has the chance to be solid. Not an all star batting order but much better than years past.
Pirates are another team that is on the right track, but like the Royals will have to wait. Pittsburgh won 57 games last season, should win 65-75 this season.
Cleveland Indians
3 of 30
The Indians have a solid player in Shin-Soo Choo and one of the best young catchers in Carlos Santana, but it pretty much ends there.The rest of the Indians lineup consists of guys who can't stay healthy, washed up veterans and prospects who haven't reached their full potential. The pitching rotation isn't much better either. Cleveland fans just can't catch a break.
Good new is they have a team that is even worse in their own division.
Seattle Mariners
4 of 30
Felix Hernandez is one of the best pitchers in baseball and Ichiro Suzuki is one of the best hitters this game has ever seen. You can't really say much about the rest of the Mariners roster.
If the Mariners want to accomplish anything this year they have to produce runs. Felix Hernandez had an ERA of 2.27 and won 13 games last season compared to Phil Hughes who had a 4.19 ERA but won 18 games for the Yankees. The lineup should be a little better this season with a healthy Chone Figgens and Justin Smoak who I expect a solid year from.
This teams main focus remains on defense, and being in the improved AL West, it won't be enough to compete.
Houston Astros
5 of 30
With Brett Meyers and Wandy Rodriguez at the top of the pitching rotation Houston has something to work with. Question is, can they get some production out of their lineup?
Michael Bourn and Carlos Lee are the heart of the Houston batting order but players like Brett Wallace and Bill Hall need to step it up for the Astros to have success.
Washington Nationals
6 of 30
Anytime a 36 year old Livan Hernandez is the ace of your rotation, your team is in trouble. Losing Adam Dunn to the White Sox hurts but this Washington team still has a few solid hitters. Newly acquired Jayson Werth along with Ryan Zimmerman, Adam LaRoche, and Ian Desmond, the Nationals could be a lot worse offensively.
The pitching on this team though is hideous. Wait till next season when Bryce Harper gets called up and Steven Strasburg is healthy. Then this team will be fun to watch and could possibly do some damage.
San Diego Padres
7 of 30
The Padres got rid of their best offensive player in Adrian Gonzalez to the Boston Red Sox. But even with Gonzalez in the lineup last season, the Padres were still one of the worst offensive teams in the majors. The Padres could easily replace Gonzalez's numbers with the additions of Jorge Cantu and Brad Hawpe.
The Padres almost won the NL West last season with pitching and defense. With pitchers Matt Latos, Clayton Richard, and closer Heath Bell the Padres may surprise us again.
Arizona Diamondbacks
8 of 30
New GM Kevin Towers cleaned house in Arizona and got rid of pretty much everyone. Arizona has an extremely young team that is talented, but no real star on either the pitching staff or the pitching rotation.
Arizona lost a ridiculous 30 games in which it led or was tied after the sixth inning last year. Signing closer J.J. Putz should fix that.
Although there is not enough talent on the roster to compete right now, I like the direction Arizona is going.
Baltimore Orioles
9 of 30
With the additions of Mark Reynolds, Derek Lee, and Vladimir Guerrero this Baltimore team could be a potential sleeper this season. Baltimore's lineup could be one of the best in baseball with only a handful of teams having a better one.
The problem for the Orioles this season will be pitching. Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta and Chris Tillman are young pitchers who have the potential but have to prove it on the mound.
Baltimore should finish above .500 this year, but being in the AL East will make it difficult for anyone to care if they still finish last.
Los Angeles Angels
10 of 30
The Angels have a solid pitching rotation led by Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, and Ervin Santana. If Scott Kazmir can cut his 5.94 ERA down from last year, look out.
The Angels lineup may be the part that lets this team down as it consists of majority washed up veterans. Good thing is they'll be getting Kendry Morales back but will that be enough?
Pitching can only take you so far and I don't think they did enough in the off-season to compete in an improved AL West.
New York Mets
11 of 30
The Mets are eating a lot a big contracts and those players are either hurt, or just not producing. Johan Santana will miss the start of the season, maybe half, and who knows how he'll perform coming off of surgery.
As far as the lineup is concerned, David Wright can't do it all. Problem is Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes and Jason Bay can't stay healthy.
It's going to be difficult for the Mets to contend in the NL East with an under manned rotation and a lineup that catches the injury bug every year.
Florida Marlins
12 of 30
The Florida Marlins are young, for the most part no names, but talented. The team is led by Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson who are at the top in the majors at their positions.
The thing that makes the Marlins different though, is the young rising talent and they have a lot heading into 2011. Mike Stanton, Gaby Sanchez, Logan Morrison, Ricky Nolasco and Chris Coghlan have tons of upside and can help this Marlins team do great things.
The Marlins need to find their third starter behind Johnson and Nolasco and their hoping it can be Javier Vazquez. They also need Leo Nunez to close games better as the Marlins were ranked 29th in blown saves with 27.
Chicago Cubs
13 of 30
When will the Cubs break the world series curse? The Cubs added a much needed bat to their lineup in the off-season in Carlos Pena who will add some pop, and defense. Pena's drop in batting average over the years should be some form of concern for Chicago.
Adding Matt Garza to the rotation is nice as well. With Garza, Ryan Dempster, and Carlos Zambrano the Cubs have a solid 1-3.
The lineup has some question marks but the pitching will carry the Cubs to no less than 80 wins. Which is 5 more than they had last season.
Toronto Blue Jays
14 of 30
You have to believe last season was a fluke. Jose Bautista hit 54 home runs, before that he never hit more than 16 in his career. Have to expect Bautista to regress to around 25-30 home runs this season.
Good news is the Blue Jays get Aaron Hill and Adam Lind back from injury and that will help. With two young pitchers in Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow leading the way for Toronto, the Blue Jays have some solid pieces to be good for a while.
If the Blue Jays were in any other division you could give them a shot at winning it. But considering their in the AL East with the Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays, they are still another year away.
St. Louis Cardinals
15 of 30
Adam Wainwright is out for the year, and Chris Carpenter is banged up. The Cardinals went from having a solid rotation to question marks on the pitching staff.
The only reason the Cardinals are this high is because of their batting lineup. Hard to bet against Albert Pujols. The key player on this Cardinals team will be Lance Berkman, who's job will be to protect Pujols and Matt Holliday as he will be hitting behind the two.
The Cardinals still have a solid team but only time will tell if that pitching staff can hold up.
Los Angeles Dodgers
16 of 30
The Dodgers are set with Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley and Ted Lilly at the top of their rotation. Pitching is far from this teams worries.
As far as the bats go, James Loney, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp have to have rebound seasons for this team to compete. Rafael Furcal is another person who needs to bounce back as well, when he produces at the top of the lineup this team is hard to beat.
Minnesota Twins
17 of 30
The Twins have taken advantage of a weak AL Central for the last few years. Problem is the AL Central has gotten a lot stronger since last season.
For the Twins to compete with the Tigers and White Sox they will have to answer a lot of questions. Can their starting rotation hold up? Can Morneau and Mauer stay healthy? Can Joe Nathan recover from Tommy John surgery?
Time will tell.
Oakland Athletics
18 of 30
Oakland is loaded with pitching led by Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson and Gio Gonzalez. It's been a while since the Athletics have had a pitching staff this good. The bullpen is solid as well with Andrew Bailey Grant Balfour, Brain Fuentes, Brad Ziegler and Michael Wuertz.
The thing that could hold Oakland back in the AL West is their lineup. With Hideki Matsui and Josh Willingham joining this team they have added some much needed pop. But for the most part it may be difficult for the A's to score runs.
You can go far with great pitching, look at the Giants last season. But you have to be able to score runs as well.
Tampa Bay Rays
19 of 30
How much did the Rays really lose in the off-season? Tampa Bay let Carl Crawford, Matt Garza, and Carlos Pena walk but signed Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon.
Good news is this team still has Evan Longoria and David Price leading this team. Although their bullpen is questionable, a starting rotation of David Price, Wade Davis, Jeff Niemann Jeremy Hellickson and James Shields isn't bad for a group of young pitchers.
Overall Tampa may be in a rebuilding mode but this team is still very talented and can accomplish some great things this season.
Detroit Tigers
20 of 30
Alcohol problems or not, Miguel Cabrera does his job and he does it well. Cabrera has seven straight 100-RBI seasons. Along with 33 home runs or more in six of his seven full seasons and a .313 lifetime batting average. With Victor Martinez added, this lineup is pretty good.
Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer leading the front end of the rotation, while Joel Zumaya and Jose Valverde lead the back end. Not too many ball clubs have a better pitching staff than that.
This team is solid and if everyone stays healthy, could win the AL Central.
Atlanta Braves
21 of 30
For the first time in 20 years the Braves have started a season without Bobby Cox as the manager. Although Cox is a hall of famer, Fredi Gonzalez isn't a bad MLB skipper.
The addition of Dan Uggla adds a much needed right handed bat to team full of power lefties including, Brian McCann, Freddie Freeman, and of course Jason Heyward. Would be nice to see Chipper Jones get healthy and have a good year before he retires.
The pitching rotation isn't too shabby with Tim Hudson and Derek Lowe leading the way.
The Braves overall are a good well rounded team and will compete with the Florida Marlins for second in the NL East.
Cincinnati Reds
22 of 30
The Cincinnati Reds aren't going anywhere as National League contenders. The lineup which is led by Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce is one of the most powerful lineups in baseball.
For a rotation that doesn't have a true ace still consists of Edinson Volquez, Bronson Arroyo, and Johnny Cueto, which is pretty good.
This team should be favored to win the NL Central, especially with the Cardinals losing Adam Wainwright for the year.
Colorado Rockies
23 of 30
Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki and Ubaldo Jimenez are a great core for any team and the Rockies are fortunate enough to say it's theirs.
The lineup is good enough to win but the Rockies season will come down to pitching. Ubaldo is going to need help in the rotation. Jorge De La Rosa has had problems staying healthy and Jason Hammel is inconsistent.
Lack of depth in both hitting and pitching may be a problem for the Rockies this season.
Texas Rangers
24 of 30
The Texas Rangers have a powerhouse lineup led by AL MVP Josh Hamilton that can do damage if everybody can stay healthy.
While the Rangers are a solid team, they still face many questions.
Will the Rangers trade Michael Young? Will Adrian Beltre deliver? Can the pitching rotation stay afloat without a true ace? Can C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis repeat the success they had last season?
Even with all of those questions, they still are the favorites to win the AL West.
Chicago White sox
25 of 30
The biggest addition in the off-season for any team could be Adam Dunn signing with the White Sox. Dunn hit 38 home runs a year in Washington which is a pitchers park. He now has a better lineup behind him and is hitting in a launching pad in U.S. Cellular Field. 50 home runs is not a stretch for Adam Dunn.
As far as their pitching they are another team that lacks a true ace, but have enough to get by. Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Edwin Jackson, Gavin Floyd, and Jake Peavy is enough to get the job done.
The White Sox have a nice lineup and enough pitching depth to be the favorite to win the AL Central.
San Francisco Giants
26 of 30
Who would have thought the Giants would win the world series last season? Returning in 2011 with pretty much the same team, the Giants are once again going to be counting on their pitching to bring them back.
With Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and Madison Bumgarner the Giants have one of the best pitching rotations in the big leagues. Add Brian Wilson who finished last year with 48 saves and it's going to be hard to score runs on this team.
Offense still remains iffy but do have a NL favorite for rookie of the year in Brandon Belt.
Regardless of the sub par lineup, with that pitching the Giants have to the favorite to win the NL West.
New York Yankees
27 of 30
No matter how dead the Yankees look you can never count them out. With Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter looking like their on the decline of their careers, they still have a potent offense.
Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Robinson Cano is about as good as it gets.
The thing that has many doubting the Yankees this season is the pitching. C.C. Sabathia is really the only pitcher you can really count on in this rotation. Phil Hughes did finish with 18 wins last season but had a ERA of 4.19. A.J. Burnett has been terrible over the last three seasons.
Despite the flaws, it's still the Yankees and they normally figure it out in this marathon of a baseball season.
Milwaukee Brewers
28 of 30
Zack Greinke was a huge addition to a Brewers team that had the worse ERA of every team in the NL but the Pirates last season. Add Greinke to Yovani Gallardo and Shaun Marcum and those numbers should change this year.
Corey Hart, Rickie Weeks, and Casey McGehee are amazing middle of the order guys and put up impressive numbers. Throw in Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun and you have a nice lineup.
The Brewers have to be the favorite to win the NL Central going into the 2011 MLB season. Powerful lineup, great bullpen, and the best pitching in their division. I'll take it.
Philadelphia Phillies
29 of 30
We all know about the Miami Heats big three, but the Phillies created their own during the off-season. Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Roy Oswalt has the potential to be all time great. You throw in world series MVP Cole Hamels as your fourth starter and you're talking about the best pitching rotation in the big leagues by miles.
The question about this team is the lineup. Ryan Howard of course is going to have a great year, but Chase Utley is battling injury issues. Raul Ibanez, Jimmy Rollins, and Placido Polanco are all getting up there in age and have trouble staying healthy as well. Domonic Brown has to step up to replace Jayson Werth.
Regardless the questions they have in the lineup, the pitching rotation is flat out ridiculous. If the Giants can win the world series last year on pitching the Phillies can absolutely do the same. Phillies have a better rotation and much better lineup than the Giants had last season.
Boston Red Sox
30 of 30
The Red Sox were already a good team, but with Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez now on the roster this lineup is stacked. If Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis can stay healthy this season the batting order for Boston will be the best in baseball.
As far as their pitching goes, Clay Buchholz had a brake out season going 17-7 with 2.33 ERA. Jon Lester is also a solid pitcher who has had a ERA of 3.41 or lower in three straight years. If Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka can overcome injuries and poor performances they'll be alright. Jonathan Papelbon is another pitcher who needs to return to form.
With an amazing lineup, good defense, great bullpen, and enough pitching to compete in the AL, the Red Sox have to be one of the favorites to win the world series.
