Post by Royals GM (BigRussi) on Jan 21, 2014 0:59:31 GMT -5
To Lead this off, this is for 2014 Season performance only, and while farms will be figured in with the analysis, if it isn't coming up in 14' for this list it doesnt fuckin matter. So without further Ado....
The Abyss
30.)Atlanta Braves - The Braves are rebuilding in the Abyss, they do have on thing on every other team in this category is the Wood is their GM.
29.)Seattle Mariners- The Mariners have some nice peices in the farm but are still dreadfully far away.
28.)Toronto Blue Jays- This team definitely belongs in the abyss.
27.)New York Yankees- Jeez theres alot of teams that belong in the Abyss from the AL East.
26.)Milwaukee Brewers- This team may be able to change their name to the Milwaukee Abyss
Purgatory
25.)San Francisco Giants- Lots of talent in the farm and some nice mlb peices still far away, but definitely been to most progress in SF since the cold war days.
24.)San Diego Padres- Theres a team there now.
23.)Houston Astros- Theres more here than what used to be here, but theyre still the Lastros.
22.)Cincinnati Reds- Theres a whole lineup here of guys.
21.)Los Angeles Dodgers- A lot of depth type players Ryan Howard is going to have to play much better if they want a shot at WC, we will see how Granderson fairs in his new home.
20.)Kansas City Royals- Decent Lineup, not much beyond Masterson on the Staff but a nice start could use some of his farm hands getting promoted but could be out of purgatory soon.
19.)California Angels- Could probably be lower on the list but has some decent hitting and some depth at SP, this team is still trying to find a direction.
The Up and Coming
18.)Minnesota Twins- Could finally break through this year, decent lineup, the DEEP DEEP DEEP ZULU WARRIOR pitching staff, will he finally decide to compete for a whole year? Only time will tell.
17.)Boston Red Sox- A sweet 1,2,3 with Fernandez, Grienke, Wheeler, could use some help at OF and 1B but farm is bursting at the seems with potential, could have the largest leap of any team in the rankings by the time we look back at this by the end of the year possibly even a WC.
16.)Miami Marlins- Miami had a lot of good young talent on offense and then added a guy who hit 50+ HRs last year so that can never be a bad thing, Pitching staff could use a leader but otherwise a solid team.
15.)Pittsburgh Pirates- This is another team that could skyrocket up the rankings if their super deep farm system churns anything up during the year, love the pitching staff but the team is very young I expect this team at times to be inconsistent but theres a lot of talent here. I expect a possible WC from them.
14.)Detroit Tigers- Power combo of Wainwright and Lee out of the Rotation, good depth in the rest of the staff, the hitting could definitely use a lot of help. Theres talent down on the farm but not to much of the Impact type guys will be up this year, if they dont add some batters I could see them sliding down these rankings fast.
13.)Tampa Bay Rays- If everything goes right I expect a 1st or 2nd place finish, the problem here is that the depth isnt here and if much goes wrong in the pitching staff the Rays could be in a world of hurt. Overall a solid lineup and pitching staff.
Nice Teams But Need Some Peices
12.)Texas Rangers- A very nice offense but needs a top end pitcher to really solidify his chances of a playoff run.
11.)St.Louis Cardinals- What happens when after a WS win you want a young stud at every batting position? You get the Cards lineup, the Pitching will be what holds this team back from a division title, not a bunch of depth and some question mark guys towards the bottom of the rotation. Still the lineup will let them compete most every week.
10.)Washington Nationals- Miguel Cabrera is the Peyton Manning of fantasy baseball, I expect him and the top level rotation to carry this team a long ways, but they are lacking much of a bullpen and need Weaver to rebound to his former self to get past the meat grinder that is this years NL East
9.)Philadelphia Phillies- The Phillies have an above average amount of speed on offense and some power to back it up, their best weapons are a lock down bull pen and the top SP in the league in Clayton Kershaw who they signed to a massive contract this winter. If they can add a bat or two, and a SP they could compete for the division.
The Contenders
8.)Baltimore Orioles- Probably a favorite to win the AL East this year there is a nice 1-2-3 in Darvish, Wilson, Griffin and the lineup has a good blend of power/speed. The lack of a frontline Closer is a little alarming and they'll probably be fighting the Rays and possibly even the Red Sox for 1st before all is said and done.
7.)Colorado Rockies- Talented and deep, the only thing holding back the Rockies from anything more than a WC birth is Mt. Diamondbacks in the NL West. The Lineup has a good blend of power and speed and the rotation has a good top end if Salazar holds up.
6.)Cleveland Indians- The Indians had a whole lotta money and they went out and spent it adding dynamic 2B Robinson Cano and Stud SP Max Scherzer to an already pretty solid base, its possible that we may be talking about the AL Central champion Indians this year but theyll have a tough road ahead with the next team on our list...
5.)Chicago White Sox- This is your typical White Sox team, lots of power, not much speed, and Great pitching. One of the deepest most talented staffs in the AL, this team could possibly lead the AL in HR when the season is over. I expect this team to be a contender for the AL Pennant
4.)Oakland Athletics- I wanted to put myself 1st for Ego reasons, but I convinced myself for 4th to not be a complete narcissist.
3.)Chicago Cubs- A lot of new proven talent added to a team that barely missed the playoffs last year. The farm still has talent to provide for this season I expect this team to grab their first division title and be a contender for the NL Pennant
2.)New York Mets- Hurts losing a guy like Matt Harvey but this team is still loaded on their staff and bullpen and I would hate to pitch against a lineup like that. They will be heavily favored to win the NL East.
1.)Arizona Diamondbacks- Probably the deepest/most talented lineup/staff of any team in ODC, but can they put it all together? Right now they'd be my paper champions, but anything can happen.
The Abyss
30.)Atlanta Braves - The Braves are rebuilding in the Abyss, they do have on thing on every other team in this category is the Wood is their GM.
29.)Seattle Mariners- The Mariners have some nice peices in the farm but are still dreadfully far away.
28.)Toronto Blue Jays- This team definitely belongs in the abyss.
27.)New York Yankees- Jeez theres alot of teams that belong in the Abyss from the AL East.
26.)Milwaukee Brewers- This team may be able to change their name to the Milwaukee Abyss
Purgatory
25.)San Francisco Giants- Lots of talent in the farm and some nice mlb peices still far away, but definitely been to most progress in SF since the cold war days.
24.)San Diego Padres- Theres a team there now.
23.)Houston Astros- Theres more here than what used to be here, but theyre still the Lastros.
22.)Cincinnati Reds- Theres a whole lineup here of guys.
21.)Los Angeles Dodgers- A lot of depth type players Ryan Howard is going to have to play much better if they want a shot at WC, we will see how Granderson fairs in his new home.
20.)Kansas City Royals- Decent Lineup, not much beyond Masterson on the Staff but a nice start could use some of his farm hands getting promoted but could be out of purgatory soon.
19.)California Angels- Could probably be lower on the list but has some decent hitting and some depth at SP, this team is still trying to find a direction.
The Up and Coming
18.)Minnesota Twins- Could finally break through this year, decent lineup, the DEEP DEEP DEEP ZULU WARRIOR pitching staff, will he finally decide to compete for a whole year? Only time will tell.
17.)Boston Red Sox- A sweet 1,2,3 with Fernandez, Grienke, Wheeler, could use some help at OF and 1B but farm is bursting at the seems with potential, could have the largest leap of any team in the rankings by the time we look back at this by the end of the year possibly even a WC.
16.)Miami Marlins- Miami had a lot of good young talent on offense and then added a guy who hit 50+ HRs last year so that can never be a bad thing, Pitching staff could use a leader but otherwise a solid team.
15.)Pittsburgh Pirates- This is another team that could skyrocket up the rankings if their super deep farm system churns anything up during the year, love the pitching staff but the team is very young I expect this team at times to be inconsistent but theres a lot of talent here. I expect a possible WC from them.
14.)Detroit Tigers- Power combo of Wainwright and Lee out of the Rotation, good depth in the rest of the staff, the hitting could definitely use a lot of help. Theres talent down on the farm but not to much of the Impact type guys will be up this year, if they dont add some batters I could see them sliding down these rankings fast.
13.)Tampa Bay Rays- If everything goes right I expect a 1st or 2nd place finish, the problem here is that the depth isnt here and if much goes wrong in the pitching staff the Rays could be in a world of hurt. Overall a solid lineup and pitching staff.
Nice Teams But Need Some Peices
12.)Texas Rangers- A very nice offense but needs a top end pitcher to really solidify his chances of a playoff run.
11.)St.Louis Cardinals- What happens when after a WS win you want a young stud at every batting position? You get the Cards lineup, the Pitching will be what holds this team back from a division title, not a bunch of depth and some question mark guys towards the bottom of the rotation. Still the lineup will let them compete most every week.
10.)Washington Nationals- Miguel Cabrera is the Peyton Manning of fantasy baseball, I expect him and the top level rotation to carry this team a long ways, but they are lacking much of a bullpen and need Weaver to rebound to his former self to get past the meat grinder that is this years NL East
9.)Philadelphia Phillies- The Phillies have an above average amount of speed on offense and some power to back it up, their best weapons are a lock down bull pen and the top SP in the league in Clayton Kershaw who they signed to a massive contract this winter. If they can add a bat or two, and a SP they could compete for the division.
The Contenders
8.)Baltimore Orioles- Probably a favorite to win the AL East this year there is a nice 1-2-3 in Darvish, Wilson, Griffin and the lineup has a good blend of power/speed. The lack of a frontline Closer is a little alarming and they'll probably be fighting the Rays and possibly even the Red Sox for 1st before all is said and done.
7.)Colorado Rockies- Talented and deep, the only thing holding back the Rockies from anything more than a WC birth is Mt. Diamondbacks in the NL West. The Lineup has a good blend of power and speed and the rotation has a good top end if Salazar holds up.
6.)Cleveland Indians- The Indians had a whole lotta money and they went out and spent it adding dynamic 2B Robinson Cano and Stud SP Max Scherzer to an already pretty solid base, its possible that we may be talking about the AL Central champion Indians this year but theyll have a tough road ahead with the next team on our list...
5.)Chicago White Sox- This is your typical White Sox team, lots of power, not much speed, and Great pitching. One of the deepest most talented staffs in the AL, this team could possibly lead the AL in HR when the season is over. I expect this team to be a contender for the AL Pennant
4.)Oakland Athletics- I wanted to put myself 1st for Ego reasons, but I convinced myself for 4th to not be a complete narcissist.
3.)Chicago Cubs- A lot of new proven talent added to a team that barely missed the playoffs last year. The farm still has talent to provide for this season I expect this team to grab their first division title and be a contender for the NL Pennant
2.)New York Mets- Hurts losing a guy like Matt Harvey but this team is still loaded on their staff and bullpen and I would hate to pitch against a lineup like that. They will be heavily favored to win the NL East.
1.)Arizona Diamondbacks- Probably the deepest/most talented lineup/staff of any team in ODC, but can they put it all together? Right now they'd be my paper champions, but anything can happen.
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