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

[BenGerman]

Quote: Originally Posted by KHarmo88

What bothers me is that this is being labeled as the official OS rankings. If you would add your following quote to the article, there'd be no argument on your rankings. "First, I'll reiterate that this isn't a traditional power ranking. This is teams that people are going to want to play with in The Show based off of numerous things (ie why I mentioned stadiums in the article)"

Well whenever one of us writes a piece - especially an opinion piece - I don't think it's fair to assume that that's the way our whole writing staff feels. I think that kind of thing goes without saying for most people. I in no way meant to mislead anyone.

But again, just as with any pre-season list you see out there, take it with a grain of salt. I'm a huge metrics guy and when I write these kinds of things, I do research before posting them. I've already admitted than a lot of what I wrote has to do with how appealing the teams will be to actually play with.

All of that said, I totally respect everyone's opinion here and I love the conversation.

[BenGerman]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ghost Of The Year

The most interesting lists are the ones that get your attention, & this list did just that. Kudos

Thanks Ghost!

Like I said in a post above, my rankings are usually a little out there because I evaluate teams differently. I'm a huge Sabr guy who loves big splash moves. I get that not everyone feels that way.

[KHarmo88]

Quote: Originally Posted by BenGerman

Well whenever one of us writes a piece - especially an opinion piece - I don't think it's fair to assume that that's the way our whole writing staff feels. I think that kind of thing goes without saying for most people. I in no way meant to mislead anyone. But again, just as with any pre-season list you see out there, take it with a grain of salt. I'm a huge metrics guy and when I write these kinds of things, I do research before posting them. I've already admitted than a lot of what I wrote has to do with how appealing the teams will be to actually play with. All of that said, I totally respect everyone's opinion here and I love the conversation.

I understand where you're coming from. Injuries have a lot to do with how rankings can change in a heartbeat.

You see all the comments you've received, lol, so I think if you would have just originally stated that this was based off of fun to play teams, stadiums, etc, and not a legitimate ranking, a lot of this could have been avoided

[BenGerman]

Quote: Originally Posted by KHarmo88

I understand where you're coming from. Injuries have a lot to do with how rankings can change in a heartbeat. You see all the comments you've received, lol, so I think if you would have just originally stated that this was based off of fun to play teams, stadiums, etc, and not a legitimate ranking, a lot of this could have been avoided

Perhaps! I'll take that into account next time. Not that I don't love the response, but I definitely don't want to confuse anyone.

And trust me when I say that I'll be spending a large portion of my time with the game playing as the Pirates. I love PNC, love 'Cutch, and think they have a really well-rounded squad that is probably an ace away from a serious playoff push.

[KHarmo88]

Quote: Originally Posted by BenGerman

Perhaps! I'll take that into account next time. Not that I don't love the response, but I definitely don't want to confuse anyone. And trust me when I say that I'll be spending a large portion of my time with the game playing as the Pirates. I love PNC, love 'Cutch, and think they have a really well-rounded squad that is probably an ace away from a serious playoff push.

It's definitely funny seeing some of the responses.

I'm hoping either Taillon or Glasnow can be that ace to push them over the top. I was really hoping they would've been in on Shields

[BenGerman]

Quote: Originally Posted by KHarmo88

It's definitely funny seeing some of the responses. I'm hoping either Taillon or Glasnow can be that ace to push them over the top. I was really hoping they would've been in on Shields

Shields would have made a lot of sense for them. You guys have some pretty decent depth in your farm system, so I wouldn't be surprised if someone emerged.

[SDwinder]

Wow, Angels really getting low-balled. Should be Top 5. Calhoun IS the real deal. Look for him to just get better, with Trout, Pujols, and Don Baylor all supporting him. Now if some of that can just rub off on Josh!

Angels won 98 games last season with a very weak bullpen the first half. Once that got fixed, they took off, actually playing their best ball with Josh sitting. Howie Kendrick went off in Sept. and picked up the slack for Josh. Howie normally is just above average though and should be easily replaced. 2nd Base they have Rutledge and Green. I have always liked Green. Not sure why they don't give it to him. He has good ABs and sure fielder, gets clutch hits too. But they actually have 4 or 5 guys fighting for that spot.

Shoemaker is the wildcard. He was SOOO good the 2nd half. He reminded me of Maddox in his prime. If he can reproduce that the entire season and the the Angels Starting pitching stays healthy, the bullpen is among the very best, the offense will produce but hopefully not just in bunches, but more consistently. Garrett Richards should just get better. He was a true #1 when he went down. Weaver is always good for 15-20 Wins, not because of stuff, but because he knows how to pitch. CJ Wilson can be counted on for 15 Wins, even if he is unreliable at times. That's the top 4 Starters. The 5th spot they have some very good young arms fighting for that and the 6th spot start slot.

Angels should be better this year barring injuries. If Josh can do a .275, 25HR, 80 RBI healthy season, Angels could run away. Remember, he was on fire in April last year, when he dove into 1st Base on an easy Out and busted his hand.

[Resile]

The Padres that far down? If I am not mistaken, our pitching rotation was among the best in the MLB, along with the bullpen. Our rotation only got better this offseason, and our historically-terrible offense a lot better as well. I could have made better rankings by closing my eyes and randomly shuffling teams onto the list.

Also, this list couldn't have been based on just the fun factor; the Padres have one of the nicest stadiums in the league, we have fun sluggers to use (Kemp, Upton, etc), and a deep pitching staff as well (Shields, Cash, Ross, Kennedy, etc). Our farm system still has some solid prospects and our MLB team is relatively young.

I know our uniforms our pretty bland (the brown ones and camo are cool though, and fun to play with in a pick-up game or franchise mode!), but why in the world are the Padres ranked so low? It just boggles my mind...