Post by Royals GM (BigRussi) on Oct 21, 2012 19:16:05 GMT -5
On Deck Circle Power Rankings-
1.) New York Yankees- Better respect the defending World Series champs who have added a lot more firepower in Kubel and Shields, expect the FA guru to work his magic again and to see another solid year out of the champ.
2.) Detroit Tigers- The Machine keeps chugging along with argueably the best rotation in ODC and a great young OF probably one of the most complete rosters in the league. I expect to see a deep playoff/WS run again
3.) St.Louis Cardinals- When did Murderer's Row move to StL? Dont expect to win many offensive cats against this team. The Rotation and Pen leave some to be desired but overall this will be a damn good team in 13'
4.) New York Mets- You could possibly rename this team to the New York Dickstompers with the Rotation/Lineup theyve put together, youngsters Kipnis, Machado, Montero will look to improve and stay consistant and Pitching cats will be hard to steal from this team
5.) Kansas City Royals- At the start of 2012 who woulda thought they would have this kind of roster heading into 13'? Through good trades and having guys move up the farm the Royals have amassed some of the most talent in ODC, Weaver will lead a decent staff into battle backed up by a very strong lineup featuring Ryan Braun, The AL Central will be a grind.
6.) Boston Red Sox- If you want a blue print of how to run a team w/o a farm you need to go talk to this guy, Weiters, Freese, and Heyward are going to lead a young talented offense with a great pitching staff that includes David Price, Max Scherzer, and Jarrod Parker. Add all that with the fact they will be able to have around 50M at their disposal during FA, look out!
7.) Chicago White Sox- Triple Crown Winner? Check. Studs at the hardest positions to find in ODC? Check. Gio Gonzales and Jordan Zimmerman have a lot of work to put in but I think this team can make some noise in the AL, itll be tough to do out of such a solid division but thats why they play the games.
8.) California Angels- Troy Tulowitski and Brandon Phillips lead a high powered offense that should set the bar in the AL West, CC Sabathia and Cole Hamels will hold things down for the pitching staff. The biggest question with the Angels is what will their team look like during the regular season to avoid cap penalty? We will see but def loads of potential here
9.) Cincinnati Reds- Yoenis Cespedes and Tyler Colvin will lead a undervalued offense into the foray that is the NL Central, but the real gem of this team is the starting pitching and the pen that features Cliff Lee, Matt Latos, Johnny Cueto and has 3 Closers. Theres a lot of potential here but one bad injury could derail a season.
10.) Miami Marlins-A good but incomplete lineup that includes sluggers Cano, Davis, and Agon and all around up and coming all star Bryce Harper, the pitching staff is talented but is still a question mark just to see if these guys can improve in 13'. Expect the Marlins to be in the hunt for the NL East title.
11.) Texas Rangers- A young talented lineup here with C Yasmani Grandal, Todd Frazier, and Billy Butler which could be really solid if Pedroia and Ellsbury can improve their numbers in 13'. The Rangers have really improved their Pitching Staff which is led by Johnson and Sale, still a few moves needed I think to really compete for a title but they will make it an actual race for the Angels this year.
12.) Philadelphia Phillies- This is gonna be a tough team to beat on offense as they have Lucroy, Reynolds, Granderson, and Garret Jones, but the real story of the season will be if Roy "Doc" Halladay can rebound to anchor the mediocre pitching staff. Expect Kimbrel and Marshall to hold things down for the pen, dont see them making the playoffs unless they catch some breaks but its possible
13.) Montreal Expos- JP Arencibia, Neil Walker and Danny Vicideo look to improve a young talented offense and Gallardo, Lynn, and Chapman look to be solid again. If the farm can produce some MLB guys this year they could make some teams scratch for some wins.
14.) Arizona Diamondbacks- This team is lacking a few things but is def a favorite in the NL West. Ryan Howard will need to have a injury free bounce back year, Adrian Beltre will need to stay strong and Aaron Hill and Rollins will have to keep hitting this year for them to have a real chance. Stephen Strasburg is the lone stud in their pitching staff but they should have a beast closer in Huston Street. Playoff team probably, WS winner probably not.
15.) Houston Colt 45's- Whos knows how the hell theyre getting under the cap but its pretty obvious theres talent on this team. The Lineup is full of bombers in Dunn, Mauer, Hardy, Youk, and VMart but the pitching leaves someone wondering if this guy remembers theres 7 pitching cats too. If they can get under cap and get a solid sp and some bullpen guys they could be pretty good though.
16.) Baltimore Orioles- The Orioles have recently rejuvenated a very down trotten club by making some solid trades, Molina, Willingham, and Morse look to lead their offense but the real wilcards are Jeter staying healthy, and Pagan/Alvarez improving on promising 12' campaigns. Lincecum and Mike Minor should provide a excellent 1/2 punch in the SP department and Clippard was a steal. I dont expect them to win the East but crazier things have happened.
17.) Minnesota Twins- Freddy Freeman, Will Middlebrooks, John Jay, and Desmond Jennings should be a young solid nucleus that will probide stability for years to come. The real problem with this team is that it needs a true 1,2, and possibly 3 for their SP side of their pitching staff. I dont see a good chance at this team being in the playoffs, but you cant just pencil in a 10-2 against them anymore
18.) Washington Nationals- With a new GM in town the Nats have made quite a bit of moves. Expect Pujols to produce a little better in his second year with a new team and hopefully Rizzo and Utley can provide some pop to help out a mediocre offense. Yu Darvish/Dan Haren will need to be brillant if they want to win pitching cats. I think these guys will be more of a contender next year when they have a ton of money to add talent.
19.) San Deigo Padres- Nick Markakis and Rickie Weeks will have to have career years to help these guys out, but the division is weak enough that that might be all they need, Edison Volquez is the Dr.Jeckel/Mr.Hyde of ODC but if hes on hes a solid sp. I expect the padres to use their 55M in cap to get some much needed talent but we will see.
20.)Cleveland Indians- Jones, LaRoche, HanRam, and Ryan Vogelsong are good but the rest of the team/the gm are pretty bad, with a human in control of this team I think they could be a lot better than they currently are.
21.) Milwaukee Brewers- Losing Josh Hamilton will hurt and there isnt much past Napoli, Votto, and Dickey, theres some peices here and with a few moves they may be able to make some noise, but theyre a year or two away.
22.) San Francisco Giants- There are some good young players on this team Starling Marte, Danny Espinosa, Dave Murphy, and Chris Carter, B.J Upton could have a more solid year and this team could win some cats but the pitching is abysmal and I dont think theyll really be a contender while they rebuild. But who knows anyone could compete in the NLWest Worst
23.) Los Angeles Dodgers- Josh Rutledge, and Eric Young Jr. will have to power the offense and thats a tall order for those youngsters, but the bright spot on this team is their solid young pitching strikeout specialist Mike Fiers should help anchor down the staff along with Bud Norris and Lucas Harrell but they all need to mature, this team is a year or two away but no denying that the owner has made some solid moves.
24.) Atlanta Braves- Some recent trades have improved the talent on this team, Ryan Zimmerman and Alex Rios are inconsistant but sometimes powerful offensive weapons but Wade Miley is clearly the most exciting talent on this team if he can continue to develop. The Braves will need Wandy Rodriguez and Johan Santana to step up if they want to compete.
25.) Oakland Athletics- Ryan Lavarnway and OF De Aza will be exciting to watch and the A's have been making moves to help their lineup. If Josh Donaldson and Jordan Pacheco can improve the offense will be a little better but theres still some time before these guys contend.
26.) Tampa Bay Rays- Arguebly the best farm in ODC but really needs these guys to come up to win anything this year. Theres a ton of talent that will be coming up shortly but there is still a wait for this young club.
27.) Chicago Cubs- Another team with an insane farm and an a lot of future potential they are in the same boat as the Tampa Rays and will compete in the future but a wait is still in store for these cubbies because Goldschmidt cant do it alone!
28.) Colorado Rockies- They still have standouts J.D Martinez and Alex Cobb, and a wildcard in Romero but nothing else at the MLB level, the farm needs work still but you can see the effort is there.
29.) Blue Jays- These guys are in need of a TON of things but they are in the middle of a rebuild and shouldnt expect to compete this year anyways, they are headed in the right direction and it will take time for the vision to come to a reality.
30.) Seattle Mariners- The farm is getting better but they are just starting a rebuild with a very limited amount of talent to start with.
1.) New York Yankees- Better respect the defending World Series champs who have added a lot more firepower in Kubel and Shields, expect the FA guru to work his magic again and to see another solid year out of the champ.
2.) Detroit Tigers- The Machine keeps chugging along with argueably the best rotation in ODC and a great young OF probably one of the most complete rosters in the league. I expect to see a deep playoff/WS run again
3.) St.Louis Cardinals- When did Murderer's Row move to StL? Dont expect to win many offensive cats against this team. The Rotation and Pen leave some to be desired but overall this will be a damn good team in 13'
4.) New York Mets- You could possibly rename this team to the New York Dickstompers with the Rotation/Lineup theyve put together, youngsters Kipnis, Machado, Montero will look to improve and stay consistant and Pitching cats will be hard to steal from this team
5.) Kansas City Royals- At the start of 2012 who woulda thought they would have this kind of roster heading into 13'? Through good trades and having guys move up the farm the Royals have amassed some of the most talent in ODC, Weaver will lead a decent staff into battle backed up by a very strong lineup featuring Ryan Braun, The AL Central will be a grind.
6.) Boston Red Sox- If you want a blue print of how to run a team w/o a farm you need to go talk to this guy, Weiters, Freese, and Heyward are going to lead a young talented offense with a great pitching staff that includes David Price, Max Scherzer, and Jarrod Parker. Add all that with the fact they will be able to have around 50M at their disposal during FA, look out!
7.) Chicago White Sox- Triple Crown Winner? Check. Studs at the hardest positions to find in ODC? Check. Gio Gonzales and Jordan Zimmerman have a lot of work to put in but I think this team can make some noise in the AL, itll be tough to do out of such a solid division but thats why they play the games.
8.) California Angels- Troy Tulowitski and Brandon Phillips lead a high powered offense that should set the bar in the AL West, CC Sabathia and Cole Hamels will hold things down for the pitching staff. The biggest question with the Angels is what will their team look like during the regular season to avoid cap penalty? We will see but def loads of potential here
9.) Cincinnati Reds- Yoenis Cespedes and Tyler Colvin will lead a undervalued offense into the foray that is the NL Central, but the real gem of this team is the starting pitching and the pen that features Cliff Lee, Matt Latos, Johnny Cueto and has 3 Closers. Theres a lot of potential here but one bad injury could derail a season.
10.) Miami Marlins-A good but incomplete lineup that includes sluggers Cano, Davis, and Agon and all around up and coming all star Bryce Harper, the pitching staff is talented but is still a question mark just to see if these guys can improve in 13'. Expect the Marlins to be in the hunt for the NL East title.
11.) Texas Rangers- A young talented lineup here with C Yasmani Grandal, Todd Frazier, and Billy Butler which could be really solid if Pedroia and Ellsbury can improve their numbers in 13'. The Rangers have really improved their Pitching Staff which is led by Johnson and Sale, still a few moves needed I think to really compete for a title but they will make it an actual race for the Angels this year.
12.) Philadelphia Phillies- This is gonna be a tough team to beat on offense as they have Lucroy, Reynolds, Granderson, and Garret Jones, but the real story of the season will be if Roy "Doc" Halladay can rebound to anchor the mediocre pitching staff. Expect Kimbrel and Marshall to hold things down for the pen, dont see them making the playoffs unless they catch some breaks but its possible
13.) Montreal Expos- JP Arencibia, Neil Walker and Danny Vicideo look to improve a young talented offense and Gallardo, Lynn, and Chapman look to be solid again. If the farm can produce some MLB guys this year they could make some teams scratch for some wins.
14.) Arizona Diamondbacks- This team is lacking a few things but is def a favorite in the NL West. Ryan Howard will need to have a injury free bounce back year, Adrian Beltre will need to stay strong and Aaron Hill and Rollins will have to keep hitting this year for them to have a real chance. Stephen Strasburg is the lone stud in their pitching staff but they should have a beast closer in Huston Street. Playoff team probably, WS winner probably not.
15.) Houston Colt 45's- Whos knows how the hell theyre getting under the cap but its pretty obvious theres talent on this team. The Lineup is full of bombers in Dunn, Mauer, Hardy, Youk, and VMart but the pitching leaves someone wondering if this guy remembers theres 7 pitching cats too. If they can get under cap and get a solid sp and some bullpen guys they could be pretty good though.
16.) Baltimore Orioles- The Orioles have recently rejuvenated a very down trotten club by making some solid trades, Molina, Willingham, and Morse look to lead their offense but the real wilcards are Jeter staying healthy, and Pagan/Alvarez improving on promising 12' campaigns. Lincecum and Mike Minor should provide a excellent 1/2 punch in the SP department and Clippard was a steal. I dont expect them to win the East but crazier things have happened.
17.) Minnesota Twins- Freddy Freeman, Will Middlebrooks, John Jay, and Desmond Jennings should be a young solid nucleus that will probide stability for years to come. The real problem with this team is that it needs a true 1,2, and possibly 3 for their SP side of their pitching staff. I dont see a good chance at this team being in the playoffs, but you cant just pencil in a 10-2 against them anymore
18.) Washington Nationals- With a new GM in town the Nats have made quite a bit of moves. Expect Pujols to produce a little better in his second year with a new team and hopefully Rizzo and Utley can provide some pop to help out a mediocre offense. Yu Darvish/Dan Haren will need to be brillant if they want to win pitching cats. I think these guys will be more of a contender next year when they have a ton of money to add talent.
19.) San Deigo Padres- Nick Markakis and Rickie Weeks will have to have career years to help these guys out, but the division is weak enough that that might be all they need, Edison Volquez is the Dr.Jeckel/Mr.Hyde of ODC but if hes on hes a solid sp. I expect the padres to use their 55M in cap to get some much needed talent but we will see.
20.)Cleveland Indians- Jones, LaRoche, HanRam, and Ryan Vogelsong are good but the rest of the team/the gm are pretty bad, with a human in control of this team I think they could be a lot better than they currently are.
21.) Milwaukee Brewers- Losing Josh Hamilton will hurt and there isnt much past Napoli, Votto, and Dickey, theres some peices here and with a few moves they may be able to make some noise, but theyre a year or two away.
22.) San Francisco Giants- There are some good young players on this team Starling Marte, Danny Espinosa, Dave Murphy, and Chris Carter, B.J Upton could have a more solid year and this team could win some cats but the pitching is abysmal and I dont think theyll really be a contender while they rebuild. But who knows anyone could compete in the NL
23.) Los Angeles Dodgers- Josh Rutledge, and Eric Young Jr. will have to power the offense and thats a tall order for those youngsters, but the bright spot on this team is their solid young pitching strikeout specialist Mike Fiers should help anchor down the staff along with Bud Norris and Lucas Harrell but they all need to mature, this team is a year or two away but no denying that the owner has made some solid moves.
24.) Atlanta Braves- Some recent trades have improved the talent on this team, Ryan Zimmerman and Alex Rios are inconsistant but sometimes powerful offensive weapons but Wade Miley is clearly the most exciting talent on this team if he can continue to develop. The Braves will need Wandy Rodriguez and Johan Santana to step up if they want to compete.
25.) Oakland Athletics- Ryan Lavarnway and OF De Aza will be exciting to watch and the A's have been making moves to help their lineup. If Josh Donaldson and Jordan Pacheco can improve the offense will be a little better but theres still some time before these guys contend.
26.) Tampa Bay Rays- Arguebly the best farm in ODC but really needs these guys to come up to win anything this year. Theres a ton of talent that will be coming up shortly but there is still a wait for this young club.
27.) Chicago Cubs- Another team with an insane farm and an a lot of future potential they are in the same boat as the Tampa Rays and will compete in the future but a wait is still in store for these cubbies because Goldschmidt cant do it alone!
28.) Colorado Rockies- They still have standouts J.D Martinez and Alex Cobb, and a wildcard in Romero but nothing else at the MLB level, the farm needs work still but you can see the effort is there.
29.) Blue Jays- These guys are in need of a TON of things but they are in the middle of a rebuild and shouldnt expect to compete this year anyways, they are headed in the right direction and it will take time for the vision to come to a reality.
30.) Seattle Mariners- The farm is getting better but they are just starting a rebuild with a very limited amount of talent to start with.