Friday, February 15, 2008

Power Rankings- MLB Spring Training



*THE Anna Benson*

ALAS!!!, Spring training has officially begun. Well, for some teams. The Giants Spring Training begins today as our pitchers and catchers will report to THE Scottsdale, Arizona training facility. I am pumped up, as I’m sure all of you are. To prevent any fallout from last week, I want to re-iterate. This is a 2008 Power Ranking, NOT 2009 or 2010. I could careless how talented a rookie may be, if he isn’t on a 40 man roster now, he is not included in any of my rankings. Simple as that. I was also asked to consider making 2 lists, one for the AL and one for the NL. After some thought, I deem that impossible. Every sport has a level of competition that is unequal, just as the AL East is much more competitive than the AL Central. The Yankees will play the Orioles 19 times, where as the Yankees will play the Athletics only 6 times. As for Anna Benson....Keep reading

1 (1). Boston Red Sox- No Schilling, no problem. Bucholtz and Lester are young, talented, and can only get better. Word on the street has it that setup man, Hideki Okajima has a new "secret" pitch.

2 (2) Detroit Tigers- Some board members felt I am to harsh on this teams rotation, thinking it may not be better than Boston's. My rebuttal: Until Kenny Rogers, Nate Robertson, and Dontrell Willis prove that they were not just a 2007 bust, I will continue to stick to my guns.

3 (3) New York Yankees- I doubt Ill ever step foot in "Steinbrenner Field". My only thought on this Clemens steroid case is that Jeter needs to shut up and focus on baseball. If this is a bad time to have hearings, when is a good time??? No your role and quit talking.

4 (4) Chicago Cubs- Speaking of morons, Ryan Dempster damn near guaranteed a Cubs World Series ring. Who elected this guy Nostradamus?

5 (5) LA Dodgers- My clone and I debated the Dodgers legitimacy as a viable WS champion while gambling on some college hoops games at Mandalay Bay. I may hate this team with every drop of Black and Orange blood I bleed, but they have a very threatening rotation, bullpen, and closer. They have the talent to neutralize any lineup in baseball. They also signed Pinch Hit master Mark Sweeney!

6 (6) New York Mets- They may have gotten their man, but they didn’t stop there. They added Tony Armas Jr as an insurance policy and brought in veteran 1b Olmedo Seanz.

7 (7) San Diego Padres- These bastards signed Tony Clark. Now I’m starting to question Brian Sabeans logic. This gives the Padres 2 solid left handed 1st basemen.

8 (8) Cleveland Indians- Those Sabathia extension talks ended with no resolution. No worries, he wants Oakland and Oakland wants him. Beane hates to spend, but mark my words, if C.C is available, Beane will write him a blank check. WTG Indians!

9 (8) LA Angels- Their off-season was as quiet as Anne Frank....Or was it Hellen Keller?? Damn you Clerks!!

10 (10) Arizona Diamondbacks- They failed to negotiate a deal with Livan Hernandez. This could be a good thing. Micah Owings wants the #3 spot in the rotation, well, now ya got it!

11 (11) Chicago Whitesox- I honestly don’t know what else they could do to get any better. Maybe a 5th starter?

12 (12) Colorado Rockies- The weirdest contract in baseball. Garrett Adkins signed a 1 year contract worth $4.3875 million. What ever happened to an even sum with alot of zero's?

13 (13) Houston Astros- With Ensberg gone, who will be their go-to utility guy?

14 (14) Milwaukee Brewers- Not much action this week

15 (15) Tampa Bay Rays- They goto Spring Training in their back yard with a new team and fresh perspective. My God I like this team!!

16 (21) Seattle Mariners- Ask and yee shall receive. Erik Bedard is a Mariner and will be the opening day starter. The Mariners paid a premium but this transaction will pay off with interest. Very well done Seattle! They now have the best Lefty combination in all of baseball. This is trouble for Oakland and Texas, who rely heavily on left handed bats.

17 (16) Philadelphia Philly’s- They take my advice and sign a decent starter. But it’s not the pitcher who I care about, its his hot wife, ANNA BENSON!!! Look out Chase Utley; you’re now the Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn in the clubhouse, as Kris Benson remain the Roger Dorn!

18 (17) Washington Nationals- They didn’t seal the deal on Livan Hernandez, but who cares. They are healthy and young. We expect big things in DC this year.

19 (18) Atlanta Braves- Those Bobby Cox retirement rumors are flaring up again. Its a shame he wont see the post-season this year.

20 (19) Minnesota Twins- They trade baseballs best lefty pitcher and replace him with Livan Hernandez. Yeh, I don’t get it either. If Liriano isnt ready for Opening Day, Livan will be throwing out the first pitch. Spooky!

21 (20) Toronto Blue jays- I may have them as the most under-rated team on the PR at number 20. But they need to dazzle me in order to move up.

22 (22) Cincinnati Reds- They picked up Craig Wilson, whom I used to really like with the Pirates. He may not be an everyday starter, but he brings decent power and a good glove. Very well done Reds!

23 (23) San Francisco Giants- We signed Scott Williamson. Yes, that Scott Williamson. Who won the 1999 ROY award. Yeh, the one who pictched 2/3 of an inning last year with Baltimore before blowing out his arm. Yeh, I know. We are in for a long season. The only bright side is that Bonds will take all that attention away from our potentially lousy season. And yes, if his positive steroid test is indeed true, then i need to re-evaluate my Bonds loyalties.

24 (25) Oakland A's- As bad as we may be, Oakland is still worse. But they picked up one of my all-time favorite players. Mike Sweeney is an A and he is thrilled. Unlike other A's DH's, Sweeney can still play 1b if called upon. Also, they signed Keith Foulke. Yes, the same Foulke that retired last season with the Indians

25 (24) St Louis Cardinals- Lets see, their top 3 pitchers all spent most of 2007 on the DL. Not good news for the Cardinals

26 (26) Pittsburgh Pirates- They have potential to play spoiler come September, but that’s about it

27 (27) Texas Rangers- They bring back the guy with the biggest skull (7 7/8 i Believe) back home. Welcome back Kevin Mench

28 (28) Kansas City Royals- Not a bad pickup with Mike Maroth. If he can pitch 25 games this season, then they chose wisely

29 (30) Florida Marlins- They keep this spot, and most certainly solidify this one.

30 (29) Baltimore Orioles- Bedard is gone and the Roberts rumors are active again. But Oriole fan is happy hence I will get off their backs. Remember, this is 2008 and NOT 2009. Potential means nothing to me or these rankings. Adam Jones has it but he needs to prove it. But even you fine folks have to admit he is not the savior of this franchise in 2008. So let the debates begin.......

9 comments:

Dewey, Cheatem, & Howe said...

The Orioles are not the worst team in baseball. I'm willing to bet they have a better record than at least five other teams this season.

Dews said...

I like the face that we'll be moving forward with Adam Jones and Nick Markakis as our outfield and pillars to build around though.

Next trade will bring in Matt Murton to play Left, though I'd rather see Nolan Reimold get a chance to show off the power and arm thats made him a great prospect. He's got big time power-potential, so the outfield could actually be a strong point for us (for the first time since.... Hell, I don't think we've ever had a really good outfield).

SayHey Kid said...

Dewey- They might, but as of right now, with all the potential and no meat to back it up, AND the fact they are in the AL East, is why they are last place. They could move up, hell, i expect it. But right now, they are That bad.

Murton is a start, but that infield of yours is going to be pure inexperience. 2008 will be a rough year no doubt.

Jack Gonzo, MD said...

I knew you'd be excited bout us signing Sweeney. I should just buy you an A's Sweeney jersey, bring you over to the correct side of the Bay. Had to sign Foulke, Oakland was the last place he pitched well at.

I'm thinking the Yankees should be moved out of the top five. Sure, their lineup is dynamite, and they have Girardi, but pitching...not so much. I know they want to be the St Louis Rams and all but come on

SayHey Kid said...

I might wear it. I remember telling you back in 2005 I wanted a Sweeney jersey!! Oh, Correction, Foulke played well in Boston and even got a WS ring out of it. But Oakland is his sanctuary

The Yankees are in the top 5 by a hair. I kept them in mainly because of the Joba card (other than the offense of course). With him in the bullpen, they have a legitimate setup man and part time closer. BUT they are relying on potential (A word I hate) in the rotation and and aging staff. They could easily take a dive once ST games start in Feb 27th.

Brandon E.M. Savage said...

Okay, so I'm posting on your "updated" rankings which are still way, way way way WAY off...

You're still pulling teams outta your ass and pretending that you have some sort of credibility...

Jack Gonzo, MD said...

And you still haven't stated what exactly you disagree with and why

Jack Gonzo, MD said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
SayHey Kid said...

Apparently we have a Yankee fan who still feel they are the greatest team ever.

Tell me, Strap-On, what dont you agree with here??

As for credibility, if i had it I wouldnt be blogging this you moron! Its purely subjective (As What blogs are meant to be).

That being said, what dont you agree with?? Lets have a friendly debate.