MLB Power Rankings: Predicting the Home Run Totals for Each Team

The days of the Steroid Era and people hitting 70 home runs a season are in the past now.

However, while no one is threatening to break Roger Maris' record any more, the state of big home run hitters is still very much the "haves" and the "have nots".

The L.A. Angels, the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers have some of the biggest sluggers in the game and will compete for playoff berths in 2012. On the other end of the spectrum are teams like the San Diego Padres, who are going nowhere this year.

Here we take a look at each team and predict how well they will perform with the long ball in the upcoming season.

San Diego Padres

2011 total: 91

2012 projection: 75

The San Diego Padres are going nowhere. They have very good pitching, but with the loss of Adrian Gonzalez after the 2010 season, they have no offensive threats.

Last year, only one player made it into double figures in home runs: Ryan Ludwick hit 11. He's not even on the team this year and San Diego traded away their most promising prospect, Anthony Rizzo.

Houston Astros

2011 total: 95

2012 projection: 90

There was little to shout about in 2011 if you are a Houston Astros fan. Their two best long ball threats, Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence, both have problems. The former is an ever-regressing catastrophe; the latter now plays in Philadelphia.

Any improvements their young players can make will be somewhat mitigated by their migration to the American League West. They will struggle again this year.

Oakland Athletics

2011 total: 114

2012 projection: 98

The acquisition of Yoenis Cespedes could be a huge boon for this team. Scouts have raved about his offensive prowess and predictions of 30-40 home runs have been thrown about. However, the departures of Josh Willingham, David DeJesus and Hideki Matsui represent a loss of 51 home runs.

Signing Manny Ramirez is low-risk, high-reward move and getting anything at all from the veteran slugger will be a pleasant surprise

Pittsburgh Pirates

2011 total: 107

2012 projection: 113

For the last few years, Andrew McCutchen has been the sole speck of gold in the vast river of mud that is this Pittsburgh Pirates team.

They started very well last season, but collapsed in the second half and recorded their 18th consecutive losing season.

If their younger players continue to improve, you could see a slight increase in offense but don't expect much; this is still the Pirates we're talking about.

Los Angeles Dodgers

2011 total: 117

2012 projection: 114

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a great player in Matt Kemp. He hit a phenomenal 39 home runs in 2011. However, the rest of the team is so weak by comparison that he single-handedly represented a third of the Dodgers' homers.

Jerry Sands is a promising talent and with more playing time could hit 20 this year, but L.A. is hanging everything they have on Kemp staying on the field.

New York Mets

2011 total: 108

2012 projection: 115

It's really not the New York Mets' fault that they can't hit home runs to save themselves. Citi Field is simply cavernous. The Mets don't have the compliment of players the cross-city Yankees do, but their ballpark is a big part of the reason they hit fewer than half the home runs of their neighbors.

Carlos Beltran was traded at the deadline but he still ended up leading the team, with 18. If Jason Bay and David Wright can stay healthy, they can make up the difference, but no one is going to come close to 25 in Citi Field.

Seattle Mariners

2011 total: 109

2012 projection: 115

The Seattle Mariners don't yet have a slugger but they have some good young talent.

Youngsters like Justin Smoak, Mike Carp and Casper Wells have shown good signs and the team should improve in 2011.

St Louis Cardinals

2011 total: 162

2012 projection: 125

Albert Pujols has been the St Louis Cardinals' best player for the last decade. For the first time since 2000, the Cards will start a season without their talismanic first baseman, who packed up his 445 home runs and moved to Anaheim.

He hit 37 homers last season and there's just no way the Cardinals can recoup that loss.

Kansas City Royals

2011 total: 129

2012 projection: 135

Jeff Francoeur had a good 2011, with 20 home runs, and things look promising in 2012. Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer are very highly thought of; the former had a dazzling September, hitting .352 and slugging almost .600.

That being said, though, the Royals' strength is once again their starting pitching. Their lineup can be good but if KC achieves anything in 2012, it won't be the main reason why.

Minnesota Twins

2011 total: 103

2012 projection: 135

2011 was something of a lost season in Minnesota. The Twins collapsed with injuries and lost 99 games for only the second time since 1957, when the team was still called the Washington Senators.

Injury-free in 2012, the team has the potential to be great but players all of the way through the lineup have question marks about their health. It would take a brave person to bet on them staying healthy all season long.

Chicago Cubs

2011 total: 148

2012 projection: 140

The decline of the St Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers should give Chicago Cubs fans some hope. It will still be an uphill struggle but they have a better chance this year.

They did lose their best homer threat in Carlos Pena (who hit 28 last year) but the future is promising with the acquisition of Anthony Rizzo.

Chicago White Sox

2011 total: 154

2012 projection: 140

It is hard to predict what the Chicago White Sox will do in 2012. If Adam Dunn returns to his 40-home run days, they can have a great season, and hit over 170 home runs. If he does what he did last year, and has one of the worst seasons in the history of baseball, the Sox will struggle again.

Alex Rios is similarly a question mark. He is now five years removed from back-to-back All Star Game appearances, and posted a terrible .121 ISO in 2011.

Thank goodness for Paul Konerko, or this team might have no chance at all.

Milwaukee Brewers

2011 total: 185

2011 projection: 140

Things don't look good for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2012. They had a great season last year, winning the NL Central for the first time but a painful loss to the St Louis Cardinals in the ALCS was followed by accusations that NL MVP Ryan Braun had tested positive for PEDs.

Braun this week won his appeal against his positive test, but the fact remains that the additional media scrutiny will make reproducing his performance all the tougher in 2012. It was going to be hard enough, anyway, with the huge loss of first baseman Prince Fielder. That's 38 home runs gone right there and the Brewers have no way of replacing them.

San Francisco Giants

2011 total: 121

2012 projection: 145

Buster Posey's injury last year was discussed for months after it happened. People spoke mainly about the ramifications for catchers across all of baseball but the effect it had on the Giants was evident too.

Posey managed just 45 games. His return will be a big boost in 2012. Pablo Sandoval and the incoming Melky Cabrera are coming off great seasons and should continue that next year.

Cleveland Indians

2011 total: 154

2012 projection: 152

The Cleveland Indians looked all set with their rotation when they acquired Ubaldo Jimenez last year. But now their best hope of reaching the playoffs lies in their offense.

When the Tribe started so well in 2011, it was largely down to their offense. Asdrubal Cabrera and Carlos Santana should both hit at least 25 home runs again, but the decline and continuing injury woes of Grady Sizemore mean he won't contribute much.

Miami Marlins

2011 total: 149

2012 projection: 155

The Miami Marlins have good reason to be excited for 2012. A new name, new uniform, new stadium, new manager and new players have generated a buzz about this team.

They were in good shape with their pitching already, but their offense looks good too for the upcoming season.

With Hanley Ramirez, Emilio Bonifacio and Jose Reyes, this is a team built primarily on speed, not power. However, they do have players who can go yard; Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton, who last year combined for 57 home runs, remain with the team.

Philadelphia Phillies

2011 total: 153

2012 projection: 160

Much like Kansas City, the Philadelphia Phillies' strength lies in their pitching rotation. The Phils' lineup is much more potent than the Royals', though.

The loss of Ryan Howard for the start of the season is big, as is the departure of Raul Ibanez. However, a full season of Hunter Pence, and the bit-part additions of Jim Thome, Ty Wigginton and Laynce Nix should be a boost to the team.

Washington Nationals

2011 total: 154

2012 projection: 165

If they didn't know it before they signed him, the Washington Nationals must surely now know that they overpaid for Jayson Werth. His 36 home runs in 2009 was an aberration brought about by the lineup around him and the friendly surrounds of Citizens Bank Park. He only managed 20 last year and will probably pop the same in 2012.

Danny Espinosa had a breakout year, with 21 dingers, and figures to hit 25 or 26. Michael Morse's 31 led the team in 2011 and he should have another good season, even if he can't quite break the 30-mark again.

Ryan Zimmerman, the ink still drying on his new contract, should bounce back from a year hampered by injury, and be back in the 25-homer range.

Arizona Diamondbacks

2011 total: 172

2012 projection: 168

If baseball games were decided by how good your lineup was, the Arizona Diamondbacks would have won the NL West each of the last two seasons. Their pitching has been terrible and has let them down time and time again.

The D-Backs had five players with at least 18 home runs, led by Justin Upton's 31. Slight regression is probably to be expected, but they should be fairly similar to the level they played at in 2011.

Cincinnati Reds

2011 total: 183

2011 projection: 168

The Cincinnati Reds, one gets the feeling, are very close to being a great team. They have an MVP leader in Joey Votto and last year Jay Bruce continued to improve with a career-best 32 home runs.

Overall, though, it's a weak lineup, and finding 180 homers again could be a challenge.

Atlanta Braves

2011 total: 183

2012 projection: 175

The Red Sox weren't the only team to have a September collapse in 2011. While Boston was blowing a nine-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays, the Atlanta Braves were letting their eight-game advantage over St Louis slide.

But while Boston has undergone a face-lift in the offseason, Atlanta has done very little to change the makeup of their team. They were a playoff-caliber side, led by Dan Uggla's monster 36-homer campaign. It will be difficult for him to do that again, given his frequent struggles last season, but the Braves should still be a very good team.

Baltimore Orioles

2011 total: 191

2011 projection: 175

Did anyone expect Baltimore to have such a good offensive season? They were still a terrible team, but they somehow ranked fourth in the Major Leagues in home runs in 2011.

Mark Reynolds led the team with 37 and could easily produce at the same level in 2012. J.J. Hardy might have a tougher task replicating his 30, though.

Colorado Rockies

2011 total: 163

2012 projection: 180

The acquisition of Michael Cuddyer didn't make many headlines but it is a big addition for the Colorado Rockies. He joins Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez in what is now a pretty good offensive team.

Combined, the three of them hit 76 home runs and the Rox also have Todd Helton and are hopeful about what Dexter Fowler can do from the leadoff spot.

Toronto Blue Jays

2011 total: 186

2011 projection: 180

The Toronto Blue Jays have the best pure home run hitter in baseball right now. Jose Bautista's 43 led the Major Leagues and proved that his 54 in 2011 was not just a fluke.

Other than Bautista, though, the Jays don't have solid threats with the long ball. Adam Lind and the young J.P. Arencibia show a lot of promise, though.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

2011 total: 155

2012 projection: 194

Last year, the Los Angeles Angels managed to hit just 155 home runs, good for eighth in the American League. That won't happen again this year.

Anaheim won the offseason's biggest prize, landing Albert Pujols on a colossal 10-year deal. Last year was the first season of his career he failed to have a 30-100 year but he was close, with 99 RBI. 40 home runs isn't out of the question this year.

The Angels' biggest surprise of 2011 came in the shape of Mark Trumbo, who led the team with 29 home runs and came in second in Rookie of the Year voting.

Tampa Bay Rays

2011 total: 172

2012 projection: 195

The Tampa Bay Rays' fire sale in the 2010 offseason led many to believe that they would struggle mightily in 2011. That was not the case and with a little help from Boston's historic collapse, the Rays won the AL Wild Card.

Carried by their young talent, the Rays had a great season, with eight players hitting double digits in home runs. Three hit at least 20 and Evan Longoria slugged a team-best 31.

In 2012, former Ray Carlos Pena returns to the team after a season in the north side of Chicago. Pena hit 28 home runs with the Cubs last year but the Rays didn't miss him. Having him back, though, will be excellent for this team.

Detroit Tigers

2011 total: 169

2012 projection: 200

The Detroit Tigers will be one of the most improved teams in 2012. The signing of Prince Fielder is the type of acquisition that could make the difference between a very good season and a meaningful playoff run.

Fielder drilled 38 home runs in 2011 and he joins a team that was already flush with good hitters. Chief amongst them is Miguel Cabrera, who has hit 30 home runs and finished in the top five in MVP voting each of the last three seasons.

Boston Red Sox

2011 total: 203

2011 projection: 205

The Boston Red Sox have legitimate 30-homer threats in the top half of their lineup. Jacoby Ellsbury proved last year he could do it, Kevin Youkilis can do it if he's healthy, David Ortiz has made a living out of doing it and if Adrian Gonzalez gets hot for a stretch, he could end up with 45.

Last year the Sox got unexpected production from Ells and a career-best from Dustin Pedroia. Even if they don't repeat their numbers, though, others should pick up the slack, as Boston went through periods last year where they were woeful.

New York Yankees

2011 total: 222

2011 projection: 220

A few years ago, the primary concern facing the New York Yankees was that their core was aging quickly. Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon were core and key contributors to the 2009 World Series-winning team.

However, they have managed to find great players to help them in their transition to the next era. Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano have emerged as leaders capable of carrying the team to the playoffs year after year. In 2011, Granderson had by far the best season of his career, clubbing an American League second-best 41. Mark Teixeira hit just two fewer, and Cano and Nick Swisher both hit more than 20.

Expect the Yanks' home run numbers to stay somewhere in the same region as last year. Granderson will likely regress a little, but a full season from A-Rod should make up for that.

Texas Rangers

2011 total: 210

2011 projection: 222

The Texas Rangers reached the World Series in 2010, lost to San Francisco and saw their ace leave in free agency that offseason.

They reached the World Series last year too, lost to St Louis and saw their ace leave in free agency in the offseason.

Not many teams could suffer the loss of Cliff Lee and C.J. Wilson in successive years and live to tell the tale. The Rangers can, and that's down to their lineup. No other side in baseball can boast the explosive power Texas can.

Last year, eight players hit more than 10 home runs, five hit at least 25, and three had more than 30. The big names like Nelson Cruz, Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler and Adrian Beltre all return this season.