Power Rankings (11-16)

16) Oakland Athletics – Steve Quarnstrom

This may be a surprise to some people seeing a playoff team from last year at number 16, but I feel this is right where the team belongs to be. The reason I say this is because Oakland only had 3 starting pitchers to start the year. Yes, they are really good starting pitchers, but there is only 3. I enjoy the offensive lineup as well with big names like Beltre, Castellanos, Kepler, and Matt Chapman. If the A’s can make some moves during the season to grab some pitching, expect this team to climb up the power rankings. BUT in a league so driven by pitching, 3 to 4 starts won’t get it done against the good teams. The A’s have a driven front office and they will take this ranking to heart and make some moneyball moves to make this a playoff team again.

Projection: 3rd place AL West

15) Toronto Blue Jays – Matt Transon

When I made these rankings about a week ago, I had this Blue Jays in the top 10 based on their big name guys like Big Dick Wily Contreras, Carlos Santana, Josh Harrison, Yasiel Puig, Zach Godley, David Price, and Madison Bumgarner. After the Bumgarner injury, my expecations for them went out the window and this team looked very weak. The depth was lacking to pick up for the Bum Man’s injury and with a 2 month injury coming for him, this team is moving down. This team still will be able to win some games with the absence of Madison, but against all the above average teams, I think he’s going to have a tough time. If Blue Jays can be .500 when Bumgarner comes back, he will have a chance to compete for the AL East title.

Projection: 3rd Place AL East

14) San Diego Padres – Dave Handley

The Padres are the second team off the board in the NL West and as the Padres have shown improvement over the last couple years, I think it will be tough to compete against the Rockies for the upcoming year. Their bats are super solid with names like, Travis Shaw, Odor, Pollock, and Obudel Herrera. The offense should keep the Padres in most games, where I think pitching could hold them back a bit. The pitching staff looks average, but there are no stars in that roation. Mike Leake, Chase Anderson, and Tyler Chatwood are all good pitchers, but they don’t scare you by any means. I think the Padres could find them in the wildcard race at the end of the year, but some moves will need to be done for a chance to win that spot.

Projection: 3rd Place NL West

13) San Francisco Giants – Sean McGinn

And we have another member of the tough NL West with the Giants, who are ready to win now. Giants have been a busy team in the transaction department. Nolan Arenado and Adam Jones were the big additions, but I still feel like there isn’t enough there to win the NL West or take home a wildcard spot. A solid bullpen and a solid offense will keep this team at or above .500, but I think there is a lack of star power missing from the pitching roation. King Felix, Cole Hamels, and Happ will lead charge in the staff, but another year on the tires for these pitchers could decrease their stats. I still have high hopes for this Giants team because you can tell their going all in to win. I also wish there was more depth for both offense and pitching to take care of any injury problems.

Projection: 2nd Place NL West

12) Texas Rangers – Adam Weber

We got a rookie team here so I think 13 is a very fair ranking, so when the season stars, he can earn his way into the top 10. Being a rookie is never easy. The only rookie to ever win the whole thing was Mike Duncan in 2016. After that, a rookie has never taken home the big one. Rangers have a very solid team, but will the transition of moving the team from Houston to Arlington be a factor? Only time will tell. Texas has star talent on both sides of the ball with names like Johnny Cueto, Yu Darvish, Freddie Freeman, Robinson Cano, Josh Donaldson, Francisco Lindor, Lorenzo Cain, Christian Yellich, and Wil Myers. The question is can this offense carry this team on a week to week basis. The pitching has the 2 big names, but after that it is a bunch of uncertainties and lack of depth. I think this team has the potential to keep moving up, but if the injury bug hits them, it could lead to a nasty finish in the standings.

Projection: 2nd in AL West

New York Mets - Eric Valin

And now we have our first team from the dreaded NL East where getting 15 wins might not even be good enough for a playoff spot. The Mets first year in the league was well above average, but then had a rough falling in 2017, where they finished last in the division. I think this team has plenty of talent, but being in the NL East is a death sentence this year. While the Mets might be good, the Nats, Marlins, and Braves are better. Mets have great talent in Javy Baez, Eric Hosmer, Kyle Seager, Andrew McCutchen, JD Martinez, and Jonathon Lucroy. There was more I just got tired of naming names and that was just hitting. For pitching they will rely on Tanaka, Quintana, Alex Cobb, and Sean Manaea. As I’m saying more names, I’m starting to like this team more and wanting to move them up my rankings. I’ll leave them here for now though based on the rest of the NL East, but expect this team to move into the Trojan Top 10 rankings very soon.

Projection: Tied for 3rd NL East