Ranking MLB's 5 Most Underrated Lineups in 2015
Pitching and defense might win championships, but a roster full of Cy Young Award winners and Gold Glove defenders isn't going to find much success if its players can't put a few runs on the board.
Outscoring your competition is how the game is ultimately won, after all.
While offense continues to trend downward, as Jonathan Judge of The Hardball Times noted last year, baseball still has plenty of formidable lineups for opposing pitchers to worry about.
Much has been written during the offseason and as spring training has gotten underway about the potential of lineups like those found in Baltimore, Boston, Colorado, Detroit, Los Angeles (both teams), Oakland, San Diego, Seattle and Toronto, among others.
But in highlighting what many consider to be the best of the best, a handful of clubs get lost in the shuffle. That's a shame, for these clubs have some pretty formidable lineups of their own that, for one reason or another, nobody's really talking about. Not yet, at least.
But come season's end, these five teams will have given baseball fans plenty to discuss.
Note: These rankings are subjective and based entirely on this writer's opinion. Lineups are ranked in order of least underrated to most underrated.
5. Milwaukee Brewers
1 of 5
Projected Lineup
| Carlos Gomez | CF | R |
| Jonathan Lucroy | C | R |
| Ryan Braun | LF | R |
| Aramis Ramirez | 3B | R |
| Adam Lind | 1B | L |
| Khris Davis | RF | R |
| Scooter Gennett | 2B | L |
| Jean Segura | SS | R |
Overview
It's easy to forget that for much of 2014, Milwaukee was the cream of the crop in the National League Central—and much of that success had to do with the team's ability to put runs on the board.
Milwaukee ranked sixth in baseball (and second in the National League) with 423 runs scored over the first half of the regular season only to see that production disappear after the All-Star break, when it dropped to 28th in baseball (13th in the NL) with only 227 runs scored.
While there's plenty of blame to go around for that drop in production, much of it rests on the shoulders of Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez, who both battled injuries down the stretch (Braun's thumb, Ramirez's hamstring) that impacted their ability to produce.
"The big challenge is, I couldn't really use my top hand," Braun recently told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. "As soon as I made contact my top hand was irrelevant, so I was trying to stay inside a lot of balls and take an inside-out swing and kind of filet it to right field."
A healthy Braun and Ramirez, to go along with dynamic players in Carlos Gomez and Jonathan Lucroy, give the Brewers (potentially) one of the best top halves of a lineup that you'll find in either league.
Newcomer Adam Lind, despite his issues against left-handed pitching, will serve as an upgrade over the Lyle Overbay/Mark Reynolds platoon at first base, while Khris Davis is a massively underrated source of power.
Jean Segura, buried at the bottom of the lineup, is a prime candidate to bounce back with a big year at the plate after a 2014 season that saw him distracted by a number of off-field issues, none bigger than the midseason passing of his infant son.
4. St. Louis Cardinals
2 of 5
Projected Lineup
| Matt Carpenter | 3B | L |
| Jason Heyward | RF | L |
| Matt Holliday | LF | R |
| Matt Adams | 1B | L |
| Yadier Molina | C | R |
| Jhonny Peralta | SS | R |
| Kolten Wong | 2B | L |
| Jon Jay | CF | L |
Overview
St. Louis may not offer much in the way of power—whether it be in the form of home runs or a superstar in the heart of the lineup—but what the Cardinals do have is a group of talented hitters that know how to produce runs.
Matt Carpenter and newcomer Jason Heyward are both adept at getting on base consistently and could be baseball's most dynamic top-of-the-order combination, while the heart of the Cardinals lineup is more than capable of bringing them home when they step to the plate.
Yadier Molina arrived to spring training significantly lighter than he's been in the past and completely healed from the thumb surgery that cost him 40 games in the middle of the season and limited his ability down the stretch, when he produced a .267/.309/.319 slash line from late August through season's end.
Kolten Wong, who broke out in the playoffs with seven extra-base hits (three home runs), six RBI and a .991 OPS over eight games, tells MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch that, unlike last year when he was pressing from the onset of spring training, he's far more relaxed this time around.
"I want to have fun," Wong said. "Spring Training is a time to get ready for the season. You don't need to press so hard worrying about performance. It's definitely a different feeling this time."
A more relaxed Wong should be a more productive Wong, and it wouldn't surprise anyone if he broke out in his sophomore campaign.
3. New York Mets
3 of 5
Projected Lineup
| Juan Lagares | CF | R |
| Daniel Murphy | 2B | L |
| David Wright | 3B | R |
| Lucas Duda | 1B | L |
| Michael Cuddyer | RF | R |
| Curtis Granderson | LF | L |
| Travis d'Arnaud | C | R |
| Wilmer Flores | SS | R |
Overview
If you're one of those people who believes that David Wright is done, that the captain of the New York Mets has nothing left to offer as he enters his age-32 season, well...you're a fool. It was an unstable shoulder, not a sudden disappearance of his skills, that led to the least productive season of his career.
Fully healed, Wright should be able to get back to his pre-injury form and serve as a force in the middle of a talented Mets lineup.
Youngsters Juan Lagares and Travis d'Arnaud continue to develop at the plate, while Lucas Duda will look to build on his breakout season, which included a career-best 30 home runs, 92 RBI and garnered him some support in the National League MVP Award race.
The addition of Michael Cuddyer will help solidify things, though the fact that he played in just 49 games last season for Colorado is a cause for concern. If he can stay healthy, Cuddyer could wind up being one of the best offseason additions that any team made.
Another notable offseason addition is that of hitting coach Kevin Long, who spent the previous eight years with the New York Yankees. His familiarity with Curtis Granderson should find the Grandyman putting up far better numbers than the woeful .227/.326/.388 slash line he mustered in his first season with the club.
.png?w=256)
2. Cincinnati Reds
4 of 5
Projected Lineup
| Billy Hamilton | CF | S |
| Todd Frazier | 3B | R |
| Joey Votto | 1B | L |
| Devin Mesoraco | C | R |
| Jay Bruce | RF | L |
| Brandon Phillips | 2B | R |
| Marlon Byrd | LF | R |
| Zack Cozart | SS | R |
Overview
Cincinnati's core may be aging, but injuries, not age, was the biggest culprit behind the team's lack of offense last season.
A quad injury sidelined Joey Votto for nearly 100 games, Brandon Phillips missed more than a month with foot and thumb issues, and Jay Bruce was never right after May knee surgery and struggled through the worst season of his career.
"I would never ever use it as an excuse," Bruce told John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer. "But I wasn't healthy, and I just didn't play well. At the end of the day, I didn't play well and that's what matters. There's nothing to talk about."
A return to health from all three will go a long way toward curing what ails the Reds, as will the arrival of veteran Marlon Byrd, who represents a major upgrade over Ryan Ludwick and the rest of the team's forgettable left field options from a season ago.
Todd Frazier and Devin Mesoraco will look to build off their breakout campaigns, while Billy Hamilton's new dedication to getting on base more consistently should see his numbers improve over what was a solid rookie campaign—and could once again find the Reds with one of baseball's most dynamic and dangerous lineups.
1. Minnesota Twins
5 of 5
Projected Lineup
| Danny Santana | SS | S |
| Brian Dozier | 2B | R |
| Joe Mauer | 1B | L |
| Kennys Vargas | DH | S |
| Torii Hunter | RF | R |
| Trevor Plouffe | 3B | R |
| Oswaldo Arcia | LF | L |
| Kurt Suzuki | C | R |
| Aaron Hicks | CF | S |
Overview
Minnesota returns the bulk of a lineup that, by nearly any measure, was one of baseball's most productive in 2014. Seriously. A team coming off its fourth straight 90-loss season had—and continues to have—one of baseball's best lineups.
Among all major league teams last year, the Twins ranked fifth in on-base percentage (.324), seventh in runs scored, ninth in OPS (.713) and 11th in slugging percentage, Only one team, the Oakland Athletics, drew more walks (586) than Minnesota (544).
Did I mention that the Twins pulled all of this off despite having only one regular, Brian Dozier, play in more than 140 games? Believe it or not, there's room for improvement—and chances are we'll see it this year.
Dozier and Trevor Plouffe are both coming off career years and remain in the thick of their primes, while a healthy Joe Mauer should be able to best a .277/.361/.371 slash line (the worst of his career) from a season ago.
Danny Santana (.319/.353/.472) emerged as a legitimate force atop the lineup, while Oswaldo Arcia and Kennys Vargas offer emerging power. Vargas, in particular, could become a game-changer, having delivered 20 extra-base hits (nine home runs) and 38 RBI in only 54 games.
While he's not the All-Star he was when he first left, Torii Hunter remains a highly productive player, delivering 52 extra-base hits (17 HR), 83 RBI and a .765 OPS a season ago. His biggest value to the club might be his leadership and knowledge, which will benefit the entire roster.
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs.
Find me on Twitter to talk all things baseball: @RickWeinerBR
.png?w=480)
