2014 Regular-Season Grades for All 30 MLB Teams
From the surging Washington Nationals to the lowly Arizona Diamondbacks, the 2014 regular-season grades for the 30 MLB teams are all over the board.
When it came to dishing out each team's report card, the most important factor was wins. Clubs with the most W's landed the highest marks, while some of the squads that scuffled flat-out failed. However, wins and losses weren't the only criteria on which teams were graded.
Preseason expectations and power rankings were also part of the equation. Plus, teams were scored on their offseason additions, midseason pickups and how well they're set up to succeed in 2015 and beyond.
Houston Astros
1 of 30Preseason Power Ranking: No. 30
The Report Card
The Houston Astros took a big leap forward in 2014.
After dropping at least 106 games in three consecutive seasons, the club will finish the season 70-92. The win total should only go up in 2015 thanks to the assortment of talented young players that the Astros have on the roster.
Jose Altuve has piled up 225 hits, and the second baseman has absolutely crushed left-handed pitching. He finished the season hitting at a clip of .414 against lefties. Dallas Keuchel and Chris Carter, the owner of 37 home runs, are also worth mentions.
The Grade: B-
Los Angeles Angels
2 of 30Preseason Power Ranking: No. 16
The Report Card
The Los Angeles Angels cruised to the American League West title and posted the best record in baseball in 2014.
What's particularly impressive is that the squad accomplished all of that with an unheralded rotation. A lot of the credit for that goes to the now-sidelined Garret Richards and rookie Matt Shoemaker. Richards posted a 13-4 mark with a 2.61 ERA before a knee injury ended his season in August.
Meanwhile, manager Mike Scioscia summed up what Shoemaker meant to the team, via Robert Morales of the Los Angeles Daily News.
“Besides saving our season, what has he done?”
This year, the 28-year-old put up a 16-4 record with a 3.04 ERA.
At the plate, Albert Pujols was a major contributor. The right-handed hitter clubbed 37 doubles and 28 home runs and topped the 100-RBI plateau for the 12th time.
The Grade: A
Oakland Athletics
3 of 30
Preseason Power Rankings: No. 9
The Report Card
The Oakland Athletics are an extremely difficult team to figure out.
The club owned the best record in baseball in the first half, but after the Midsummer Classic, Oakland was among the worst in MLB. Jon Lester and Jeff Samardzija, the team's blockbuster midseason acquisitions, were both lights-out after arriving at the O.co Coliseum.
Of course, it can't be ignored that Oakland's offense vanished once Yoenis Cespedes was dealt to the Boston Red Sox. In the end, even with the second-half slide, the club limped into the second wild-card spot.
The Grade: B-
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Seattle Mariners
4 of 30
Preseason Power Rankings: No. 21
The Report Card
The Seattle Mariners shattered the team's preseason expectations in Robinson Cano's first go-round in the Pacific Northwest.
The second baseman was just as advertised. He not only provided all sorts of production on the diamond, but also guided the team to its first winning season since 2009. While the M's spent a mint on the six-time All-Star, the team also made an excellent low-risk, high-reward investment in Chris Young. The veteran right-hander, who posted a 12-9 record with a 3.65 ERA, was inked to a one-year, $1.25 million deal.
Unfortunately for the Mariners, Young fell apart at the worst possible moment, posting a 0-3 record and a 8.59 ERA in September. His struggles mirrored those of the team, as a subpar final month of the season resulted in the Mariners narrowly missing out on the No. 2 wild-card spot.
The Grade: B+
Texas Rangers
5 of 30
Preseason Power Ranking: No. 8
The Report Card
The 2014 season was a debacle for the Texas Rangers.
There's no question that injuries torpedoed the team's chances, but there were still some highly questionable decisions made before the season even got underway. Last winter, the Rangers signed Shin-Soo Choo to a seven-year, $130 million deal, and the outfielder promptly produced his worst-ever big league season.
Then there's the Prince Fielder mess. Before neck surgery ended his year at the end of May, the first baseman connected on just three home runs. Between Choo and Fielder, the Rangers have a ton of money tied up in a couple of aging veterans with serous injury question marks.
The Grade: D
Chicago White Sox
6 of 30Preseason Power Ranking: No. 26
The Report Card
The Chicago White Sox deserve plenty of credit for betting on Jose Abreu last winter. The team signed the Cuban to a six-year, $68 million deal in the offseason, and the first baseman went on to have a monster rookie season.
However, aside from Abreu and staff ace Chris Sale, the White Sox's 2014 season was completely underwhelming. They were a non-factor in the AL Central and wild-card races throughout the season.
The Grade: C
Cleveland Indians
7 of 30Preseason Power Ranking: No. 17
The Report Card
If not for an ugly 10-17 record in April, the Cleveland Indians could have easily grabbed a wild-card spot. The Tribe turned a .500 or better record in every other month, but ultimately that early hole proved too much to dig out of.
While there will be no October baseball for manager Terry Francona's squad, there were still a number of encouraging developments for 2015 and beyond. At the top of that list is the emergence of Corey Kluber. The right-hander finished the season with an 18-9 record, a 2.44 ERA and 269 punchouts. Those numbers make him a top candidate for the AL Cy Young Award.
The Grade: B
Detroit Tigers
8 of 30
Preseason Power Ranking: No. 3
The Report Card
It's been a busy year for Dave Dombrowski.
The president, CEO and general manager of the Detroit Tigers has pulled off some big moves dating back to last offseason. Of all the deals he's made, the swap of Ian Kinsler for Prince Fielder has worked out the best. While Fielder endured a miserable season with the Texas Rangers, Kinsler was a highly valuable contributor for Detroit.
The decision to jettison Doug Fister did not play out nearly as well. The right-hander, who the club shipped out last winter, posted a 16-6 mark with a 2.41 ERA for the Washington Nationals. Moving him also indirectly resulted in the club's need to pick up David Price at the trade deadline.
Price has been shaky since joining the Tigers, but the lefty pitched 7.1 scoreless innings on the final day of the season as Detroit locked up the AL Central title.
The Grade: B
Kansas City Royals
9 of 30Preseason Power Ranking: No. 13
The Report Card
Entering the season, the Kansas City Royals were a popular pick to claim a spot in October. In the end, manager Ned Yost's team proved the prognosticators right, as the squad snagged the No. 1 wild card in the AL.
It was the dominance of the starting staff that carried the club to its first postseason appearance since 1985. James Shields anchored the rotation, but a lot of credit goes to the young arms like Yordano Ventura and Danny Duffy as well. With Greg Holland and Wade Davis leading the way, the team's bullpen was also airtight.
The Grade: A-
Minnesota Twins
10 of 30Preseason Power Ranking: No. 28
The Report Card
The Minnesota Twins finished in the AL Central cellar for the third time in four seasons.
Once again, ineffective starting pitching was the Twins' fundamental problem in 2014. After the team's starting staff posted the worst ERA in baseball in 2013, the Twins earned that infamous distinction this year as well.
It's worth noting that Minnesota did try to fix that issue in the offseason. The club brought in Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes last winter. While Nolasco was an absolute bust, Hughes posted a respectable 16-10 mark with a 3.52 ERA.
If the Twins are going to have any chance of making noise in the playoff race in 2015, the club will once again need to buy a couple of starting pitchers this offseason.
The Grade: C-
Baltimore Orioles
11 of 30Preseason Power Ranking: No. 20
The Report Card
The Baltimore Orioles ran away with the AL East, as manager Buck Showalter's club turned out to be one the best all-around teams in baseball.
Last February, the O's added Nelson Cruz to a one-year, $8 million deal, which proved to be the shrewdest signing of the entire offseason. The outfielder/designated hitter clubbed 40 home runs to lead baseball. As Cruz explained via Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com, not even the 34-year-old expected that kind of output at the beginning of spring training.
"No shot I [would be] able to do that number. I didn't expect 40, the number. I think the aim for any player is to stay healthy, play as many games as he can, stay on the field."
On the mound, Baltimore's pitching staff has been deceptively effective. Since the All-Star break, the Orioles pitchers have posted the lowest ERA in baseball.
The Grade: A
Boston Red Sox
12 of 30Preseason Power Ranking: No. 5
The Report Card
It became evident early in the season that there would be no repeat for the Boston Red Sox in 2014.
While there's no diminishing the disappointment of a 71-win season, the front office has already done an excellent job of setting the team up to compete again in 2015. By parting with Jon Lester during the Red Sox's midseason fire sale, the club was able to bring in Yoenis Cespedes.
Boston also added Rusney Castillo on a seven-year, $72.5 million deal at the end of August. The 27-year-old offers plenty of potential. On September 26, the Cuban hit a moonshot that not only cleared the Green Monster, but left Fenway Park altogether.
The Grade: C
New York Yankees
13 of 30
Preseason Power Ranking: No. 7
The Report Card
For the second year in a row, the New York Yankees won't be taking part in October baseball.
That's a bad look for a club that dished out contracts to Brian McCann, Masahiro Tanaka, Carlos Beltran and Jacoby Ellsbury in the offseason. The role that injuries—especially to the starting rotation—played can't be ignored.
Still, even manager Joe Girardi expected better from the expensively assembled roster, which is cluttered with aging veterans. Wallace Matthews and Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York cited a "clubhouse source" who said that Girardi called out the team in a pregame meeting during the final homestand and questioned whether some of the players had been "hungry" enough.
The Grade: C-
Tampa Bay Rays
14 of 30
Preseason Power Ranking: No. 12
The Report Card
From a business perspective, it's difficult to argue with the Tampa Bay Rays' decision to ship out David Price at the deadline. After all, the lefty ace is set to make a ransom via the arbitration process this winter.
It's also difficult not to wonder how the Rays' season might have worked out had the team held on to the 2012 AL Cy Young Award winner. Admittedly, Price had dealt with his struggles since that trade, but at the time of the swap, Tampa Bay was two games under .500 and six games out of a wild-card spot.
Considering how poorly teams like the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners closed out the season, there's a chance that manager Joe Maddon's squad would have been able to steal the second wild-card berth.
The Grade: C-
Toronto Blue Jays
15 of 30Preseason Power Ranking: No. 18
The Report Card
A disastrous 9-17 record in August sunk the Toronto Blue Jays' chances of snagging a wild-card spot, but there are still positives to take away from the season.
On the mound, there's a lot to like about how 2014 turned out for Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez. Stroman posted an 11-6 record with a 3.65 ERA, which was the second-lowest mark of all the club's starting pitchers. While working out of the bullpen, Sanchez produced a 1.09 ERA in 24 outings. There's no question that the Blue Jays will need to add an ace this offseason, but both Stroman and Sanchez will be key contributors in 2015.
Dalton Pompey, who earned a September call-up after a highly productive season in the minors, also impressed in both the field and the the plate in his time with the big league club.
The Grade: C+
Arizona Diamondbacks
16 of 30
Preseason Power Ranking: No. 14
The Report Card
With 64-98 record, the Arizona Diamondbacks were the worst team in baseball in 2014.
The D-Backs were so awful that the housecleaning is already well underway. General manager Kevin Towers was fired in the middle of September. The club then got rid of manager Kirk Gibson during the final week of the season, per Steve Gilbert of MLB.com.
One of the biggest challenges facing chief baseball officer Tony La Russa and new GM Dave Stewart will be to figure out how to revamp the club's suspect starting rotation. In 2014, Arizona's group of starters posted the second-worst ERA in the NL.
The Grade: F
Colorado Rockies
17 of 30Preseason Power Ranking: No. 25
The Report Card
It's easy to forget that the Colorado Rockies started the season 23-16.
After that high-water point in early May, the Rockies plunged into a 43-80 slide to finish the year with a 66-96 mark, which was the second-worst record in baseball. Just about nothing went right for Colorado.
Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki, the club's two most dynamic players, endured season-ending injuries during the summer. Considering that both of them have strong trade values, the Rockies' brain trust will have to seriously consider moving one or each of them in order to reboot the franchise.
The Grade: F
Los Angeles Dodgers
18 of 30Preseason Power Ranking: No. 2
The Report Card
The Los Angeles Dodgers earned their second consecutive NL West title despite the fact that the team never quite fired on all cylinders.
One Dodger who was dealing all season was Clayton Kershaw. The left-handed starter won 21 of his 27 outings, which made him the first pitcher to accomplish that feat since 1880, per ESPN Stats & Info.
While the Dodgers offense got production from all over the the lineup, one player who deserves to be singled out is Matt Kemp. The outfielder clubbed 17 home runs and posted a .971 OPS after the All-Star break.
The Grade: A-
San Diego Padres
19 of 30Preseason Power Ranking: No. 23
The Report Card
For the fourth season in a row, the San Diego Padres missed out a on winning campaign. San Diego's most glaring problem was the team's dismal offense. The Padres ranked last in baseball in runs, average and OPS.
While the club's hitting was woeful, the rotation is in much better shape. Both Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner finished the season with sub-3.00 ERAs. Plus, the Padres added the intriguing Odrisamer Despaigne in May. The 27-year-old Cuban put up a 4-7 record with a 3.36 in his first season.
The Grade: C+
San Francisco Giants
20 of 30
Preseason Power Ranking: No. 15
The Report Card
After a midseason lull, the San Francisco Giants rebounded in August and September to grab the second NL wild-card spot.
The club's most noteworthy offseason acquisition was the signing of Tim Hudson, who earned a trip to the All-Star Game this summer. However, the second half of the season didn't go to plan for the 39-year-old. In his last 10 starts, Hudson posted a 1-5 record with a 5.94 ERA.
Fortunately for the Giants, GM Brian Sabean added Jake Peavy in a trade with the Boston Red Sox back in July. While the move didn't generate many headlines at the time, the 33-year-old posted a 6-4 record and 2.17 ERA in 12 starts.
The Grade: B+
Chicago Cubs
21 of 30Preseason Power Ranking: No. 29
The Report Card
Even though the Chicago Cubs landed in last place in the NL Central, the club still surpassed its preseason expectations by posting a 73-89 record. That mark worked out to a modest seven-game improvement from a season ago.
In the second half, young players like Javier Baez, Arismendy Alcantara and Jorge Soler saw lots of action. While Soler impressed, Baez and Alcantara were both badly overmatched, leading to questions about just how soon either player will be ready to contribute on the big league stage.
The Grade: C+
Cincinnati Reds
22 of 30
Preseason Power Ranking: No. 11
The Report Card
The Cincinnati Reds' season spiraled out of control in the second half.
The team finished the year 76-86, which works out to the Reds' worst record since 2008. Injuries to key players like Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Mat Latos factored prominently into the team's slide. Still, it's surprising that the Reds recently gave general manager Walt Jocketty a two-year extension, as Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.
Since Jocketty isn't going anywhere, that would suggest that a ton of players will be getting shipped out this winter.
The Grade: D
Milwaukee Brewers
23 of 30
Preseason Power Ranking: No. 19
The Report Card
The Milwaukee Brewers fell apart in the second half of the season. After holding on to first place in the NL Central for 150 days, the Brewers went 9-17 in September to tumble out of the playoff picture altogether.
That slide, which started back in July, is just the type of free fall that would usually lead to a manager losing his job. However, considering the lack of expectations that the club had entering the season and the high level of competition in the NL Central, it's possible that Ron Roenicke will avoid the axe.
The Grade: F
Pittsburgh Pirates
24 of 30Preseason Power Ranking: No. 10
The Report Card
The Pittsburgh Pirates are storming into October.
The club reeled off a 17-9 record in September to claim the top spot in the NL wild-card standings. That's particularly impressive considering the Pirates didn't make any high-profile additions during the offseason or at the trade deadline.
However, the few moves that the team did make paid dividends. Last winter, Pittsburgh signed Edinson Volquez off the scrap heap on a one-year $5 million deal, and the right-hander went on to go 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA.
At the plate, Josh Harrison had a breakout season and worked his way into the conversation for the NL MVP Award.
The Grade: A-
St. Louis Cardinals
25 of 30Preseason Power Ranking: No. 1
The Report Card
The St. Louis Cardinals secured the top spot in the NL Central, but it took until the last day of the season to make that happen.
Throughout the year, the Cardinals underwhelmed at the plate as the team finished No. 24 in baseball in runs scored. One player who didn't disappoint was Jhonny Peralta. The shortstop, who signed a four-year, $53 million deal in the offseason, ended the year with 21 home runs.
Pat Neshek also proved to be an excellent low-profile addition. The right-handed reliever, who was pitching on a one-year, $1 million deal, put up a 1.87 ERA in 71 appearances.
The Grade: B
Atlanta Braves
26 of 30
Preseason Power Ranking: No. 6
The Report Card
The Atlanta Braves were awful in the second half of the season.
After entering the All-Star break tied for first place in the NL East with the Washington Nationals, the Braves ended the season 17 games back of their division rival. The biggest issue for the Braves was that the team simply couldn't score any runs. Atlanta ranked No. 29 out of 30 clubs in that category.
General manager Frank Wren has already been discarded, and it's not out of the question that manager Fredi Gonzalez could follow his boss out the door. John Hart gave Gonzalez a vote of confidence, via Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio, but then again, Hart is just the interim GM.
The Grade: F
Miami Marlins
27 of 30Preseason Power Ranking: No. 27
The Report Card
Apparently the Miami Marlins weren't aware of the club's preseason expectations.
After dropping 100 contests a season ago, the Fish finished 77-85 in 2014. Young players like Henderson Alvarez and Marcell Ozuna stepped up for the club as the Marlins made a dark-horse run for a wild-card spot.
Had Jose Fernandez not been ruled out for the year in May and had the team not lost Giancarlo Stanton for the final weeks of the season, who knows where the Marlins would have ended up in the standings?
The Grade: B+
New York Mets
28 of 30Preseason Power Ranking: No. 22
The Report Card
The New York Mets are trending in the right direction.
The most encouraging sign for the club is the success of young starters like Zack Wheeler and Jacob deGrom. In his rookie season, deGrom was dominant. The right-hander posted a 9-6 record with a 2.69 ERA while racking up 144 strikeouts in 140.1 innings.
With the young arms in place, the Mets will be wild-card contenders in 2015 if the team can add a big bat or two in the offseason.
The Grade: B
Philadelphia Phillies
29 of 30
Preseason Power Ranking: No. 24
The Report Card
The Philadelphia Phillies' strategy of handing out multi-year deals to players aged 35 and older didn't pan out.
Last offseason, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. signed Marlon Byrd, A.J. Burnett and Carlos Ruiz, and yet the Phillies landed in last place in the NL East. Arguably the most frustrating aspect of the season is that the front office failed to make any trades at the deadline when it was clear that the team was going nowhere.
In most cases, the unfavorable terms of the respective players' deals or the existence of no-trade clauses made it nearly impossible to execute a deal. Still, a player like Byrd—especially with a dearth of bats on the trade market—should have been moved.
The Grade: F
Washington Nationals
30 of 30Preseason Power Ranking: No. 4
The Report Card
Thanks to a 19-8 September, the Washington Nationals cruised to the top seed in the NL and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The importance of securing that advantage can't be understated, as Doug Fister explained via James Wagner of The Washington Post.
"That was a big milestone for us. That’s going to give us some edge in the playoffs. It’s always nice to be home. You’ve got your home fans, we’ve got our own lockers, our own chairs, whatever it may be.
"
With a 16-6 record and a 2.41 ERA, Fister, whom the Nats picked up from the Detroit Tigers in an offseason trade, played a central role in earning that edge. What makes Washington dangerous entering October is the fact that Fister is just one of the staff's aces.
The Nationals also have Jordan Zimmermann and Stephen Strasburg to round out the top three of the rotation. Strasburg carries a 20-inning scoreless streak into the postseason.
The Grade: A
Note: All stats and videos courtesy of MLB.com. All salary information courtesy of Cot's Baseball Contracts on BaseballProspectus.com.
If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.
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