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MLB 15 The Show Power Rankings: Pitchers and Catchers Report Edition

It seems like baseball, more than any other professional sport, only needs an offseason to have its world rattled. Moves like Jimmy Rollins to the Dodgers, Jon Lester to the Cubs, and the Atlanta Braves practically getting rid of their entire offense are things you would almost never see in another sport. Yet, in the MLB, it feels almost common. So for those of you who haven't stayed up with the most up-to-date roster transactions and acquisitions (or for those of you who just want a refresher), here is our official power ranking of all 30 Major League teams and how they should stack up in-game in preparation for MLB 15 The Show.

30. Arizona Diamondbacks: Outside of Goldschmidt and the recent acquisition of the power hitting Cuban Yasmany Tomas, there is very little to have fun with.

29. Cincinnati Reds: Billy Hamilton and Joey Votto are the extent of what's exciting about the Reds.

28. Philadelphia Phillies: One of the oldest and least talented rosters in baseball, the Phillies are still a few trades away from having the necessary talent for a rebuild.

27. Atlanta Braves: It's hard to imagine what the Braves were thinking this offseason, letting most of their best hitters go to other teams, but they still have a sturdy staff that could be fun to play with.

26. Colorado Rockies: Their ballpark is more exciting than the players that it fields, even if Tulo can stay healthy.

25. New York Mets: Good young pitchers, but maybe the worst offense in baseball. How bad is the N.L. East this year?

24. Houston Astros: They still have a fun stadium and that guy named Springer is pretty good. Otherwise, the Astros can't seem to emerge from the rebuilding identity that they've carried for years.

23. Minnesota Twins: Tons of exciting young players, but when will we see them?

22. Chicago White Sox: This could be the year they make a push, especially with Abreu emerging as one of the leagues best power bats.

21. Milwaukee Brewers: The Brew Crew still has some bashers on their team, but with little to no pitching, how good can they actually be?

20. San Diego Padres: Look for them to make a big deal and surge up the power rankings before Spring Training. They are still one more ace away from being able to compete with the Dodgers.

19. Miami Marlins: They made a few strong moves this offseason, but they still don't have the depth of your usual playoff contender.

18. Tampa Bay Rays: Whether you love or hate Tropicana Field, you can't ignore the small, intelligent moves the Rays continue to make to stay relevant.

17. Baltimore Orioles: They had a bit of a fluky year with pitching last year, and Chris Davis' hitting ability seems to have fallen off of a cliff.

16. Kansas City Royals: The Cinderella story of 2014 is going to have to prove themselves again in 2015, because on paper, their roster still isn't that eye-catching.

15. Texas Rangers: Surely they can't be as bad as last year, right?

14. Pittsburgh Pirates: They still have the most beautiful ballpark in baseball, and have one of the most exciting players to match it.

13. Cleveland Indians: After making a huge second half swing in 2014, it's hard to imagine that they won't be players in 2015. Especially after the addition of underrated Brandon Moss.

12. Los Angeles Angels: Mike Trout, Mike Trout, Mike Trout.

11. Toronto Blue Jays: They remain one of the most exciting lineups in baseball, and with one of the best pitching prospects in baseball (Aaron Sanchez) they may finally have enough to get over the hump.

10. New York Yankees: They made all the right moves in 2014 to get them ready for this year, so it will be interesting to see if a more balanced lineup prevails over the Yankee's usually star-studded roster.

9. Detroit Tigers: They're quickly reaching Phillies territory of of the last few years, but their window should stretch for at least another couple of years.

8. Seattle Mariners: A surprisingly tame offseason may not draw a ton of interest, but the Mariner's still have one of the most diverse and youthful rosters in baseball.

7. Oakland Athletics: If you're not a fan of Moneyball, then you're behind the times. One of the most active off-seasons in recent memory makes them highly playable.

6. San Fransisco Giants: All they do is win, but how appealing is their roster to play with? Bumgarner remains one of the most dynamic pitchers in baseball.

5. St. Louis Cardinals: Along with the Giants, you would be hard pressed to find a better run organization in all of sports. Consistently a threat and always loaded with cheap, young talent. How do they do it?

4. Boston Red Sox: They have loaded up this offseason with a ton of outfielders and pitching depth, not to mention that Fenway is only going to be more fun to play with as MLB: The Show gets better looking.

3. Washington Nationals: There's so much power here that it's hard to believe that the Nationals were bottom dwellers in the N.L. East just a couple of years ago.

2. Chicago Cubs: Theo Epstein is considered the best young mind in baseball, and for good reason. The Cubs are absolutely overflowing with talent at every position, and acquired Lester in hopes that he could guide the Cubs to their first World Series in over 100 years.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers: Even without Kemp, Gordon or Hanley, the Dodgers have to be considered the favorite to win it all in 2015. Kershaw, Greinke and Ryu lead what should be the best rotation in baseball.


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Member Comments
# 21 teebee @ 02/19/15 01:05 PM
I'm not going to go as far as saying you should be fired for this "power ranking" but you should definitely be fired for this power ranking.
 
# 22 ManiacalMF @ 02/19/15 01:05 PM
"...the Dodgers have to be considered the favorite to win it all in 2015."

Isn't that what they said going into the 2014 Postseason? And having said that...GO GIANTS!
 
# 23 andrewochs615 @ 02/19/15 01:08 PM
Orioles had a bit of a fluky year with pitching? You mean the team with the most wins in the division over the past 3 years. HAHA what a joke this list is.
 
# 24 Jimmydm90 @ 02/19/15 01:09 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ManiacalMF
"...the Dodgers have to be considered the favorite to win it all in 2015."



Isn't that what they said going into the 2014 Postseason? And having said that...GO GIANTS!

The lower the Giants go on people's expectations the higher their chances of winning it all... As long as it's an even year...
 
# 25 andrewochs615 @ 02/19/15 01:10 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by HypoLuxa13
The Cubs are "overflowing with talent at every position"? Yes, but that is spread across all levels of the minor leagues primarily. Not sure how that makes someone think they are #2 Power Ranking for 2015? Maybe by 2017, but more like in the 9-12 range is appropriate for this year. 82-85 wins is realistic this year given how much of their talent is 25 or younger. Their 40 man roster is NOT overflowing... yet.
Because if you are the Cubs, prospects don't ever fail
 
# 26 HozAndMoose @ 02/19/15 01:12 PM
Lets not forget this is an opinion. You dont have to like it.
 
# 27 BenGerman @ 02/19/15 01:18 PM
First of all, I appreciate the response. The more I get into all of this stuff, more I'm ready for Spring Training to get here.

Quote:
Originally Posted by HozAndMoose
Real life rankings. In the opinion of the people that post them of curse.
This is actually incorrect.

For all complaining about the list (that's what lists are made for though, right?) this is a power ranking of teams in MLB: The Show, not necessarily real life. I took things like exciting new rosters (i.e. the Cubs) and blended that with how good the team will be. So yeah, big offseasons played a role in the rankings because they'll be more exciting to play with in The Show this year.

Some of the teams you guys are arguing about:

Pittsburgh: FanGraphs is projecting them as the 14th best team in the MLB.
Oakland: Projected as a top ten team by both FanGraphs and Streamers.
Cubs: This is slightly biased on my part, given how much I love their younger players and how smart I think their front office is. Bryant is going to surprise a ton of people.

As for the Astros, someone mentioned Altuve. I LOVE Altuve, but as you can see, I only devoted a sentence or two to each team. He's a good player, but if I mentioned him I also have to mention guys like Zobrist, Kinsler, etc.

Quote:
The best record in baseball last year is ranked 12th? This clearly just a list of the loudest offseasons. Cubs 2nd? Red Sox 4th? Give me a break. Can't do anything but laugh at this.
I actually have the Angels higher than a lot of projections do. Keith Law is also pretty down on the Angels this year, if I remember correctly. I think it's all going to come down to pitching for them, because I doubt guys like Calhoun have a repeat performance. Obviously, I could be wrong.

Hope this helps understand my position behind the rankings! I'd expect nothing less than some passionate fans on OS. Ready to get the season started so this stuff will sort itself out. If it helps, I ranked my Phillies third to last
 
# 28 Lisac @ 02/19/15 02:23 PM
Cubs are my favorite team and the team i use every year in The Show and this year will be no exception. But 2 overall is way to high. My guess is somewhere tween 9 and 14. It will be fun to have the young guns and be able to play at the renovated Wrigley. Just hope they fixed the wind so it playes more life like.
 
# 29 Knight165 @ 02/19/15 02:55 PM
Is this The Show rankings?
I thought this was O.S. ranking the teams.

M.K.
Knight165
 
# 30 ruskoz @ 02/19/15 03:45 PM
Fangraphs have the Pirates finishing at 85-77 which is tied for 6th best in MLB standings! They do show them at 14th in terms of depth chart but it looks like the standings have some how factored in the intangibles. The Pirates are in no way the 14th best team in the league. They are some where between 6-10 a wildcard team as the last 2 years have proven. The problem is they do not have the starting rotation to compete with the 1-6 teams come post season.

It is going to take a decade of good ball or a world series appearance or a couple of deep deep runs for the Pirates to get past the 20years of losing before they start getting preseason props.
 
# 31 MetsMania15 @ 02/19/15 04:16 PM
Mets at #25?? Ouch. Well, just a better reason to prove 'em wrong this year!
 
# 32 KHarmo88 @ 02/19/15 04:27 PM
I'm all about people having and displaying their opinion. But for something to be front page worthy, there should be sufficient facts and details as to how the end product was derived. I'm sorry, but in this case, there's nothing - hence, outrage.

Below are links to rankings that give reasoning for each teams ranking:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2...-entering-2015

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/2...no-longer-no-1
 
# 33 MetsFan16 @ 02/19/15 05:04 PM
Everyone doubting the Mets. Just you wait and see. They will be in contention for WC. Just watch
 
# 34 JoeCoolMan24 @ 02/19/15 05:26 PM
Cubs are the 2nd best team in Baseball???????




AHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA AHAHAHAAHAHA


 
# 35 JoeCoolMan24 @ 02/19/15 05:28 PM
Cubs should be around 18-23. LOL, oh my god, what a terrible and absolutely laughable ranking.
 
# 36 countryboy @ 02/19/15 05:34 PM
Nothing like a list to stir up a debate.



Cards are 5th
 
# 37 Ghost Of The Year @ 02/19/15 05:37 PM
If the Cubs make the playoffs I'll eat my hat.
Wait, make that my laptop
 
# 38 JoeCoolMan24 @ 02/19/15 05:37 PM
I hope these aren't the rankings based on the ratings for MLB '15 The Show. Like I hope the Cubs players are not somehow rated better than the Nationals players.

I hope these rankings are just the product of a blacked out Wednesday night of copious amounts of alcohol and heavy drugs.
 
# 39 The Kid 24 @ 02/19/15 05:39 PM
I don't get why everyone is so down on the Brewers in 2015... They led MLB last year with 150 days in 1st... Yes I know/hear all the time about the collapse... 2015 is a brand new year... This team has 3 legit MVP players (Braun, Lucroy, Gomez) and a solid pitching staff.

I really don't get it.
 
# 40 CWSpalehoseCWS @ 02/19/15 05:43 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeCoolMan24
I hope these aren't the rankings based on the ratings for MLB '15 The Show. Like I hope the Cubs players are not somehow rated better than the Nationals players.

I hope these rankings are just the product of a blacked out Wednesday night of copious amounts of alcohol and heavy drugs.
Hahaha, I'm with you. No way should the Cubs be anywhere near the top 10 - and that is not White Sox bias talking. A lot of teams seem misplaced on that list.

I'm honestly shocked at how low the White Sox are too. They are far from perfect, but they made a lot of good moves. I thought they'd be at least the middle of the pack.
 


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