Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals
Minnesota Twins
Houston Astros
LA Angels
Oakland Athleticss
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers
Atlanta Braves
Miami Marlins
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants
2059 MSL Preseason Power Rankings (the completed version)
Never try posting while heavily distracted. Leads to bad things.
"Kingdom's posting suffers, his threads have lost talent"
All 28 teams are here! And I finished Detroit's. Then updated Houston's blurb!
28. Houston Astros
There tends to be 3 types of bad teams: The uncontrolled, The clueless, and The rebuilders. Houston falls under the first category, as seasons of having no one controlling them has mounted by losing free agents, not being able to replenish lost free agents, and not having great success in the drafts. Telling figure right now: They have more major league catchers than major league starting pitchers. And since I posted the wrong set of rankings, Houston was promptly filled with an old staple of sim leagues to run the team. They will have a future. Now someone find a Chicago White Sox GM.
27. Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona suffers from perpetually mismanaged finances and poor planning. The indecisive direction of the team has led to a disaster for years to come. Their best bet would be trying to sell what they do have left in the bigs for a small rebuild and be patient, but that seems unlikely. Unfortunately for them, their best pro talent right now is a closer, which I'm sure can be had for John Olerud Jr.
26. Texas Rangers
For now, they will get the nod for being this low as they unfortunately descend into Houston's mode. So we need Prez Wilco and Hafdawg2015 to resurrect their GM again. Texas has enough offense to probably rise a few notches BUT they have almost no pitching and they are in a very favorable hitting park. I also believe the two teams they could jump ahead of have the ability to field good defenses to help their miserable pitching. Texas might not, especially if the computer is handling things.
25. New York Yankees
New York is the first example of a rebuilding team, although we know they prefer to call it "expansioning". They have largely gutted a once contender and are likely on the verge of completely wiping the slate clean. They will be building up their organization from ground zero basically. Only time will tell to see how this ultimately turns out, at which point they could slip to at least the second worst team as they wait for farmhands to develop. In the meantime, expect heavy doses of Paul Doles. And maybe Paul Dole II. Or Jr.
24. San Francisco Giants
Rebuilder number two, although they had to rebuild due to a payroll they were unable to handle. Between some leftovers and some young guys, the Giants could field a competitive lineup. And they have, on paper, a talented bullpen. But they have only one capable starting pitcher. If they were to continue their rebuild, they would stay in this general area. If they became creative to address some of the holes, they would creep up significantly on these rankings.
23. Cincinnati Reds
Cinci was an upstart that kept making splashes in the playoffs with their top heavy roster (Rijo, another good pitcher, a few good bats), making it to the world series multiple times before falling to far superior teams. The Reds have fallen on hard times, other than resigning Rijo for pennies, they haven't been able to recreate the magic. It's largely the result of being unable to replace players that have left. On top of that, the draft and development of prospects has been a struggle too. 21 might be too high in fact, as they have very little beyond Rijo, Wells, and Cerrano.
22. Atlanta Braves
They've been mired in a rebuild in awhile now, but to their credit, remain very active and have built up an excellent farm. A large portion of that farm will either be ready to play this season, or next. They're in a position to start making noise as those top prospects develop. The NL East as a whole has come a long way from the days when it was the Mets and 3-4 of the worst teams in the league. Atlanta and Pittsburgh have benefited from good work from their GMs, Montreal and Philly have accrued enough interesting talent to be wild card worthy. Braves won't be in the bottom for a lot longer.
21. Milwaukee Brewers
This was an expansion team to start and they have taken to trying to build through their farm. They have faced some bad luck with their prospects but still have some talent to look forward to. They just don't have much talent in the majors right now. Aside from some development with their younger pitchers, this will largely be the same team that finished near the bottom. They have the potential to finish inside the bottom 3-4 and this ranking might be a tad too high due to the unpredictable nature of 20 and 21.
20. Cleveland Indians
They surprisingly won 77 games and at multiple points last season, were in contention for a wild card spot. Their demise is the strict lack of depth. While they have two potential aces leading the rotation, they do not have much else at this point. Their lineup also does not offer a whole lot at this point. They appear to have really missed out on a chance to build on the 77 wins but remained inactive over the offseason. They appear ready to regress. They and the next four teams are really at this point, on equal footing.
19. Seattle Mariners
This team only won 67 games. That's a 24 game improvement. They are on the verge of building a monster, with 9/10 top ten prospects top tier with 7/10 already in the major leagues. They have a potentially deep lineup in the making and Chuck Norris may only be a season away from joining the ranks. They are one of the youngest teams in the league too. So what's the problem? 17 may be still too high for them, given the state of the pitching staff. They're led by two geriatric starters and have no identifiable closer. Hideki Irabu may get thrusted back in the rotation, and there's 3 teams that can attest to the dreadfulness of that idea.
18. Minnesota Twins
While they haven't made much noise lately, they're really only a few quality pitchers short of likely being a wild card caliber team. They have enough offense and depth in their lineup to succeed. Defense isn't their strong suit and that'll further hurt their weak pitching staff, as they'll be forced to start two guys at this point in the rotation that would barely pass as a triple A lifer. Twins have a solid farm, built with ton of power, but most of it is a long ways away from making the majors. Until the pitching is fixed, they'll toil around with 70-78 wins.
17. Pittsburgh Pirates
They were the worst team in the league last season. They went out and bought two of the most attractive free agents in Tomas and Kim, and added a few more veteran bats in order to lengthen the lineup. The combination of their free agent acquisitions and the development of their younger pitchers suggest they should not be anywhere near being the worst team in the league this season. But they're still short on depth and while they'll be better, it doesn't seem like they're ready for a winning season just yet.
16. Chicago White Sox
This is really an unfortunate scenario. This team has a lot of talent that is starting to blossom and an interesting farm to boot. But no inactivity and ownership has started to bog down promise and ultimately, it's unlikely this team will achieve much until they are properly controlled. They could honestly be a higher ranked team, and certainly contend for at the very least, the wild card. But they will fall by the wayside. You know what would be good? Someone convincing realmofotalk to come back to the sim league world to take them over. I'm just sayin'
15. Detroit Tigers
Someone may want to poke Epic Doug on Facebook and tell him he lost his shortstop to free agency. Detroit went through a long rebuilding phase, finally got good and then..unfortunately became inactive. And yet, they still made the playoffs. Given that they're fairly young and have some top notch prospects on the horizon, it's very unfortunate. This team has staying power with a couple of aces and the ARCHITECT on his way. Tigers lost their swift hitting shortstop due to their inactivity and as a result, are stuck with a guy named Earl.
14. Philadelphia Phillies
They haven't done much to warrant being this high. They're officially my darkhorse. They're pretty young and at some point, all the young talent is going to start playing up to their capabilities. While they lack power, they have a lot of high contact hitters and speed to sort of emulate what New York does. They brought back their best hitter in Hinson and acquired one of the best lead off hitters in the league at a very affordable price. Their pitching stiff is very young, but loaded with potential. If the staff starts meeting its potential, Philly will move up from 14 in a hurry.
13. Montreal Expos
No team is more frustrating than a fairly young team that's gradually improved its win total over the last 5 seasons, than a team that's constantly crying "rebuild" and "firesale". Montreal is the only immediate threat to the Mets reign until Atlanta or Pittsburgh have built up enough. There's no reason why Montreal can't be a contender, especially with their rotation and their young stars. Whether their GM is committed to winning or being an afterthought will determine if this team climbs up the chart. They could and maybe should pass the next 3 teams ultimately.
12. St. Louis Cardinals
They are the Titanic, holes have sprung, and there's not enough duct tape to fix them. The cardinals will present as a good team at times, but only having 3 starting pitchers and a worsening-in-talent lineup will rear its head more and more. The cardinals also face financial hardships with a lack of cash. They might be hanging on too long, as the Cubs flew past them and they might not even be able to keep up with an aging LA and upstart Montreal.
11. Toronto Blue Jays
After being supremely jipped and not given a one game playoff with the AI Tigers, Toronto returns largely the same team that won 87 games. The strength of the team are the developing bats in Hiddleston. Cobb, and Snider. Overall, they have a very potent offense. The achilles of this team will be having enough pitching. As is, they're lacking at least one more solid starting pitcher. And their pitching is not helped out much by a very below average defense. The GM lately has been active but went quiet in the offseason and were left signing scrap heaps to fill some holes. The AL is collectively excited to face Melvin Birdwell again.
10. Anaheim Angels
A top heavy in talent team fell in the second half last season and was not able to make the playoffs. While they have quality starting pitching, they are also very prone to giving up a lot of homeruns, which never bodes well in the AL. Their lineup is also top heavy, not having much talent beyond Crest, Gibson, McGriff, Weathersby, and Caminiti. They are limited in what they can do due to limited finances as well. Despite not being as deep as years past, Anaheim will present as a steep challenge to Oakland and by all accounts, would not surprise anyone if they won the division. At the very least, Anaheim should be in a battle with Boston, Toronto, and AL Central for the wildcard.
9. Colorado Rockies
They're fairly removed from the days of easily winning 100 games or more and looking unstoppable. But they look like they should be better than they have been in recent seasons. Even though they have provided power, Sosa and Abreu haven't been quite as good as they should be in Coors. Henderson hasn't been the same since..well..I coddled him. Colorado has capable pitching, most of their rotation avoids giving up HRs, which is critical in Coors. But they are largely a mediocre or worse defensive team. Finally, let's take a few minutes to further recognize perhaps one of the best players ever to develop in MSL history: Ray Dandridge. If you haven't taken a few moments to look at his player page, do it. And enjoy.
8. Los Angeles Dodgers
LA will always have a decided advantage over most any team in the league: Just about any average of talent pitcher can succeed in their grand canyon. So when you take possibly the top pitcher in the league and put him in that canyon, you get Ricky Jones channeling Christy Mathewson or Cy Young (the real one). 30 wins and a 1.41 ERA. Unreal. But they may not have much beyond he and Mendez. The pen is also pretty good. They'll compete at times for the division but ultimately lack comparable talent to San Diego. They should be good enough to hold off the next closest talents but the core of the lineup is getting very old and weathered.
7. Boston Red Sox
The average position as ranked by Mach, Leo, OrioleMagic, Phillyfan, and Slyder (way to not answer Prez and Hammer, you crackhoze) ended up being 7 and some change. So here is my Red Sox. 20 game improvement from 2057 to 2058, which a lot of that was on some young guys developing and the defense getting a lot better. My lineup should be even better than the 2058 edition, which was the #1 offense. But due to the market being next to nothing, the pitching staff is largely the same and I have no closer. My opinion, I think I am more of a middle-of-the-pack team unless the pitching shows up.
6. Oakland A's
Here's to hoping new ownership can keep Oakland's spirit alive after being molded into a contender. They are, however, financially strapped and do not have much pitching depth. Their powerhouse lineup can only mask so many deficiencies. Let's also take a moment to recognize Frank Howard. He's managed to hit 40 or more homeruns in 6 of the last 7 seasons. And then there's Reggie Jackson, ironically living up to his real life inspiration, by slugging over .500 in the postseason. Formidable team that might be on his last legs unless things are quickly changed.
5. Chicago Cubs
God forbid a team that won over 100 games is 5th in these rankings. I don't believe it'll last. This team seemed to get better as their outfield started to mash. Strawberry is developing into the next star of the league. They have a catcher that's still developing. And they have a power hitting infielder that hasn't yet lived up to his ratings. Basically, I'm saying they have the potential to be the top team in the league. The front of the rotation is young and they have invested a lot of money into a stable bullpen. Their next step may just be world domination.
4. New York Mets
They forego power like most contenders for tons of contact and limited strikeouts. Almost like a juiced version of the Kansas City Royals in real life. They also steal a lot of bases. What makes the Mets stand out, like every season since forever, is that they have the best and most complete defensive team you may ever see. They have a plus defender at almost every position and given that only Eck is a strikeout guy, it fits their pitching staff perfectly. They're old school. Defense, contact, run like a mother..
3. Baltimore Orioles
The big question is.. how much longer can they last? Their lineup and rotation feature all 30+. Only Monroe Osborne, a reliever, appears to be the only vital talent under the age of 30. Until that answer is provided, we still have to face the legendary sim league gauntlet of Gwynn-Carew-Rodriguez-Bonds-Stearnes-Murray. Not much else can be said other than you're looking at 5-6 possible hall of famers right there. The rotation has shown more decline ratings wise, even though Marichal continues to dominate. Orioles added another potential future HOF in Lew Burdette to lengthen the rotation. And finally, sim league Mo has been as amazing as real life Mo. Better just rename Baltimore the "Cooperstown Orioles".
2. San Diego Padres
They have a really strong front 3 rotation. They are loaded with future pitching studs in their farm. Yet the largely underrated aspect of this team is having a deep lineup with a significant amount of power. Nothing changes a game or series quicker than timely homeruns. It's entirely possible that the real life Padres saw how well fielding a lot of power is working. Of course these Padres aren't going to be awful defensively and they do have several aces in their rotation. Adding Carlton for the back of the rotation could be a sneaky filler until one of the farm hosses are ready.
1. Kansas City Royals
I do like to go with the reigning champ, especially when they've done nothing but improve. While they lost several veteran depth pieces to free agency, they upgraded at catcher with Fernandez for offense and Carter for defense. The biggest move was adding Robin Yount to extend the lineup. The move also allows them to field a better defensive infield by DH'ing Morris or Elliott, or shift things around to get Gardner off the field. KC has one of the best, if not the best player in the league in Marston. True superstars tend to overcome most "OOTP shenanigans" and given his postseason performance, he's next a future MVP. The biggest knock on repeating, or even making any noise in the playoffs, is the lack of pitching depth. 1-3 in the rotation is good, but it's dicey after that. The pen has 3 good relievers and a bunch of unknown after that.
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Originally Posted by HollywoodLeo
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