2024 Predictions

AL EAST

Toronto Blue Jays 95-67 (2 seed)
Pittsburgh Pirates 87-75
Philadelphia Phillies 80-82
New York Yankees 76-86
Boston Red Sox 71-91

AL CENTRAL

Texas Rangers 95-67 (3 seed)
Detroit Tigers 92-70 (2 WC)
Chicago White Sox 84-78
Minnesota Twins 83-79
Cleveland Indians 60-102

AL WEST

Los Angeles Dodgers 96-66 (1 seed)
Hollywood Stars 94-68 (1 WC)
California Angels 67-95
San Diego Padres 66-96

NL EAST

Washington Nationals 100-62 (1 seed)
New York Mets 95-67 (1 WC)
Florida Marlins 89-73
Baltimore Orioles 75-87
Atlanta Braves 63-99

NL CENTRAL

Cincinnati Reds 93-69 (3 seed)
Houston Astros 92-70 (2 WC)
Kansas City Royals 82-80
St. Louis Cardinals 75-87
Chicago Cubs 55-107

NL WEST

San Jose Athletics 94-68 (2 seed)
Colorado Rockies 91-71
Arizona Diamondbacks 89-73
San Francisco Giants 57-105

PLAYOFFS

WILD CARD

AL- Detroit over Hollywood
NL- New York over Houston

DIVISION SERIES

AL- Los Angeles over Detroit 3-2
AL- Texas over Toronto 3-2
NL- Washington over New York 3-1
NL- San Jose over Cincinnati 3-0

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

AL- Texas over Los Angeles 4-2
NL- San Jose over Washington 4-3

WORLD SERIES

San Jose over Texas 4-3

Who Won the Trade?

-Crow

We continue my  weekly review to judge (maybe prematurely) of who won the trade. We will look at the talent involved, prospects, salary-cap implications for each team and judge each on a basis for THIS year and going forward. Feel free to disagree…

The Basics:

Boston Receives:

SP: John Peterson (93), 25 years-old, 20.5 until ’22 (arbitration)

Milwaukee Receives:

SS: Ian Flory (74/89), 21 years-old, Arbitration ‘25
RF: Rich Schroeder (67/85) = 20 years-old, Arbitration ‘25
SP: Reiji Igarashi (71/90) = 20 years-old, Arbitration ’25
SP: Nate Lagasse (76/87) = 21 years-old, Arbitration ‘25
SP: Nelson Tobias (80/93) = 25 years-old, Arbitration ‘24
MR: Paul Godden (74/84) = 23 years-old, Arbitration ‘22

Season Implications:

Toronto is currently sitting 3 games ahead of Boston in the ALE but the Sox just gained the best SP in the game to help their chances. Peterson has unbelievable control, power, movement, etc…He’s a once in a generation talent who can help them NOW. They were in desperate need to improve their rotation and Peterson will definitely keep them in games. Although Boston needed help in the rotation, I fear that the bullpen may not keep up their current pace of production. If the Red Sox are smart, they will need to build their pen a bit more so they can hang on in games.

The Brewers are in re-building mode and have no real aspirations of contending for this year. This deal moves the best SP in the game and may help them lose a few more along the way to get a better draft pick. We’re not sure who Leb is going to plug into the rotation, but it won’t be someone who can win now. In the short-term we are unsure of how this affects the Brewers since they are looking to move. The current fans in Milwaukee may be pissed about this trade, but from what we’ve heard that won’t affect the future fans (wherever they are).

Long-Term Implications:

Boston receives a cornerstone SP and a possible future HOF’er. Luckily the Sox have the cap space to keep Peterson around until he’s in a nursing home. However, taking a deeper look into the Boston farm, it looks as if he took a big gamble on this acquisition. Tobias is probably near his peak and probably doesn’t have much more room for growth. A positive from this trade is Boston was able to retain their best SP prospect. Yet, it will be interesting to see how the Sox will be able to re-build their depleted farm on the pitching side.

Milwaukee just had a shot of heroin into their farm and franchise by making this deal. They get 6 players for 1...Peterson is great, we know that. However, it's hard to build a team on one player. Salary cap flexibility moving forward is key for this franchise in transition. They could have extended Peterson, but his contract may have hindered them for a few years until Leb could find his footing. If 3 of the 6 players pan out, that's a plus for the Brewers. Milwaukee still has flexibility to trade some of those prospects in the future to further help their cause.

Final Verdict:

Milwaukee wins this trade because of long-term implications. Leb was able to build a solid core of young pitchers and it looks like a heavy price to pay for one player. Boston’s GM is savvy and it will be interesting to see how this plays out for the next few years. If Ryan is able to rebuild his farm after this trade in the subsequent years, I may eventually call this a PUSH. Yet, in the short-term it doesn’t fix Boston’s impending bullpen problem and is only a very over priced band-aid. The Sox get an ace who will be under control, but it’s hard to rebuild the farm depth…Let’s see what Ryan does next and where the team can go in the short/long-term.

Who Won the Trade?

This will be a weekly review by myself (Crow) to judge (maybe prematurely) of who won the trade. We will look at the talent involved, prospects, salary-cap implications for each team and judge each on a basis for THIS year and going forward. Feel free to disagree…

This Week’s Highlighted Trade:

(For the initial installment, we will review the Orioles-Marlins trade since I was involved in it)

The Basics:

Orioles Receive:
SS Trea Turner 89 – 28 years old – 11.8 until ‘22
C Gaetan Galeano 70/89 – 24 years old – arbitration
Marlins 3rd Round Pick (71) and 4th (101)

Marlins Receive:
SS Willy Adames 93 – 26 years old – 15.6 until ‘26

Season Implications:

Baltimore is rebuilding, they great a great defensive stopper at SS. Galeano gives them depth in the minors and sometimes gems can be found in the 3rd and 4th, they also shed almost 4 million in salary during a season where they aren’t expected to really compete as they are rebuilding.

Florida is trying to find their mojo again and wanted to add a big bat or at least a medium-sized one. Their rotation should be their main concern, but they’re hoping offense can help carry them. Galeano was their best prospect, but they saw him as a gamble.

Long-Term Implications:

Baltimore picks up a decent prospect and also add the 3rd and 4th rounders from the Marlins in a deep draft. The Orioles should either be able to use those picks or trade them to get something better in the long-run.

Florida continues to trade draft picks and farm assets to try and compete. The past two years they haven’t seen results using this strategy. However 3rd and 4th round picks are gambles anyhow. Gaining a younger SS in Adames may be beneficial to the team who will continue to be under team control for the near future.

Who Won?

In the long-term the Orioles win this trade…they were able to shed about 4 million in salary while getting an above average catching prospect as well as picks to help rebuild the farm for future trades.

Adames is a great SS, yet he doesn’t have the defensive prowess many teams need up the middle. It looks like the Marlins traded for a bat and are hedging their bets they will be able to out-score teams. Adames makes sense in the short-term, but not for the horrid farm they have now.

Final Verdict

For both teams it's a PUSH...they both have their short-term and long-term values, yet I think each team won for what they're looking for now.

Crow's Pre-Season Predictions

NL East – Washington 99-63
NL Central – Pittsburg 85-77
NL West – Arizona 95-67

NLWC 1 – Colorado 91-71
NLWC 2 – Florida 88-74

AL East – Toronto 84-78
AL Central – Chicago 94-68
AL West – Texas 108-54
ALWC1 – San Jose 99-63
ALWC2 – Houston 89-73


Playoffs:
NLWC: Florida over Colorado
ALWC: San Jose over Houston

Division Series:
Florida over Washington 4-3
Arizona over Pittsburg 4-1

San Jose over Texas 4-2
Chicago over Toronto 4-0

NLCS/ALCS:
Arizona over Florida 4-2
San Jose over Chicago 4-3

World Series:

Arizona over San Jose 4-1

Copied over from League News section. Please give Crow GM credit for article.  

2022 Pre-season Predictions


AL East

1. Toronto      87-76 #3 seed
2. Montreal    86-77
3. NY Yankees 72-90
4. Boston   71-91
5. Baltimore 60-102


AL Central

1. Kansas City  90-72 #2 Seed
2. Chicago       88-74 (WC2)
3. Detroit         84-78
4. Minnesota  69-93
5. Cleveland 54-108

AL West

1. San Jose  100-62 #1 seed
2. Texas    98-64 (WC1)
3. Houston 82-80
4. California 76-86
5. Seattle  60-102

NL East

1. Washington  94- 68 #2 Seed
2. NY Mets   90-72 (WC1)
3. Philadelphia 88-74
4. Florida Marlins 84-78
5. Atlanta Braves - 68-94

NL Central

1. Cincinnati 84-78 #3 Seed
2. Milwaukee 80-82
3. Pittsburgh 75-87
4. Chicago 70-92
5. St. Louis 50-112

NL West

1. Arizona 94-68 #1 Seed
2. LA Dodgers 89-73 (WC2)
3. Colorado 88-74
4. San Francisco 88-74
5. San Diego 64-98


Wild Card Round:

AL:  Texas over Chicago

NL: Mets over Dodgers

Divisonal Round:

AL:

San Jose 3-2 over Texas

Kansas City  3-1 over Toronto

NL:

Arizona 3-2 over Mets

Cincinnati 3-2 over Washington

Championship Rounds

AL

San Jose 4-1 over Kansas City

NL

Arizona 4-0 over Cincinnati

World Series


Arizona 4-3 over San Jose.

2021 Predictions

AL EAST

Toronto Blue Jays 84-78 (3 seed)
Montreal Expos 81-81
New York Yankees 78-84
Baltimore Orioles 70-92
Boston Red Sox 66-96

AL CENTRAL

Chicago White Sox 92-70 (2 seed)
Kansas City Royals 86-76
Detroit Tigers 81-81
Minnesota Twins 77-85
Cleveland Indians 67-95

AL WEST

Texas Rangers 105-67 (1 seed)
San Jose Athletics 97-65 (1 WC)
Houston Astros 90-72 (2 WC)
California Angels 87-75
Seattle Mariners 60-102

NL EAST

Washington Nationals 106-56 (1 seed)
Florida Marlins 93-69 (1 WC)
New York Mets 87-75
Philadelphia Phillies 85-78
Atlanta Braves 80-82

NL CENTRAL

Cincinnati Reds 90-72 (3 seed)
Pittsburgh Pirates 88-74 (2 WC)
Chicago Cubs 83-79
St. Louis Cardinals 72-90
Milwaukee Brewers 70-92

NL WEST

Arizona Diamondbacks 95-67 (2 seed)
San Francisco Giants 84-78
Colorado Rockies 82-80
San Diego Padres 79-83
Los Angeles Dodgers 75-87

PLAYOFS

WILD CARD

AL- San Jose over Houston
NL- Florida over Pittsburgh

DIVISION SERIES

AL- Texas over San Jose 3-2
AL- Chicago over Toronto 3-0
NL- Washington over Florida 3-1
NL- Arizona over Cincinnati 3-2

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

AL- Texas over Chicago 4-3
NL- Washington over Arizona 4-2

WORLD SERIES

Texas over Washington 4-3

BOTTOM 5

1. Seattle
2. Boston
3. Cleveland
4. Milwaukee
5. Baltimore

2020 League Samplings

    Recently on a flight with an exceedingly long layover, I had an opportunity to interview a smattering of fellow league GM's. Below is what followed:

First off we started with current reigning world champion (2nd in 3 years) Crow....

Q1. Is a rebuild in the near future? Or do you feel you can win with your current makeup?

Ans). We're constantly trying to rebuild and make our next run in the playoffs. When you ask me the question, "Do you feel you can with your current makeup?" It feels slightly condescending. We just won the World Series for the 2nd time in 3 years - of course we can win, but of course we can miss the playoffs like we did in 2018 with a .500 record. Baseball is a fickle game, you have to have the right combination of players and a little bit of luck. I plan on making a few trades this year to help both in my run for the playoffs and for "re-building". To me, "re-building" is a constant thing...we're always looking to improve.
I'm not a firm believer in the "let's blow it up if we don't win" mentality. I was back at .500 the year after I won 103 games and was the World Series Champion, I could have easily said, "Fuck it, my team isn't producing lets blow this bitch up." If I would have taken that stance, I'm likely not a playoff champion the next year...My goal as a GM is to continually improve my team in trades and our position. If you look back at the history of trades with my team, you will notice that I usually sell one year and try to grow the next. Currently we're in the process of doing both.



Q2. Current prospect(in the upcoming draft) you are most excited about.

Ans). I usually only scout the prospects that will be around my pick range, which currently sits at 30, 32, 92...I'm not at liberty to divulge who I do like and don't like.

Q3. Any changes you would like to see the league make for the long term success and well being of the league.

Ans). I would like to see the league move to a draft lottery as I talked about last year. I've tried to be competitive every year that I've been in the league and it's not fun if I'm not chasing something. My first year - as I was trying to make the team my own, I chased .500 after I traded Jose Fernandez, Joey Votto, and Mike Stanton...I couldn't imagine trying to tank like some teams have in the past (luckily those GM's aren't with us anymore). To me, a lottery helps out to keep all teams competitive throughout the season. My proposal which I shared last year only affects the 1st Round - and then in the subsequent rounds it follows the normal route. With a lottery, there's a 1 in 15 chance a near playoff team could get a difference maker for the next year.

With Crow's answers you can see how competitive this guy is, and while I think a draft lottery could help I just not sure it would get full league backing. Maybe a combination and do a draft lottery type system for IFA's instead of having to throw bid money out or using the lottery to setup the order of preference for signing. I'm sure something can evolve out of this suggestion by Crow. 

Next I sat down with the newest GM of the LA Dodgers, MGM. 

Q1. Are you in position to contend, or do you feel a rebuild is still the best practice?

Ans). I believe that, with one of the strongest rotations I've ever put together in a league, we should be in a position to contend. We really need our lineup to come through though and produce at least some runs to help support our pitching in order to win games. If that doesn't happen and we go on an extended slide through the first half of the season, we may need to re-adjust and rebuild.

Q2. Current prospect(in the upcoming draft) you are most excited about.

Ans). Obviously I would love the top pitcher in the draft, Montrell Johnson, but since I'm picking in the middle of the order, I have to look further down the draft board. I don't intend on revealing my hand on who I'm interested in in the draft.

Q3. Any changes you would like to see the league make for the long term success and well being of the league.

Ans). I believe that in order to keep talent sustained for the long haul, focus needs to be made on improving the depth and quality of the draft classes. The fact that by the time the end of the second round rolls around we have guys with peaks in the mid/upper 70s getting picked shows lack of depth in talent in the draft classes. I'm not suggesting to boost everyone in draft classes, but adjust settings to improve depth at need positions. In addition, some need to be more open to creative and fun changes to increase league activity such as past special features like Winter Ball or Winter League.

That MGM...couldn't get a read on that guy. He seems to be doing something right though. His Dodgers through the first 38 games have a team ERA of 2.57. Tops in the whole league. He may not divulge his current love affair in the upcoming draft but he hit something in that rotation he's built. Maybe this will be his year. 

Finally we end with the league commish. He has informed me that he is effectively re-signing from his post because Chris Sale is a dill hole and he's sorry for that. But no really below are his answers. The third Answer will be bolded unlike everyone elses. There IS A LEGITIMATE RULE CHANGE IN THERE. Please read it. I'm sure it will be posted on the site as well. 

Q1. Is a rebuild in the near future? Or do you feel you can win with your current makeup?

Ans). No rebuild anytime soon. We have just recently in the last season or two called up all of our young guys. We are going into the prime of our players careers and we feel like we have the next while to compete. We have some places we need to build up in the upcoming seasons and we need to replenish the farm but we think we can be a player for years to come.

Q2. Current prospect(in the upcoming draft) you are most excited about. 

Ans). Really like the top of the draft and guys like Montrell Johnson and Eric Galcia. But we won't be anywhere close to getting them nor are we planning on moving up. We are evaluating other guys but we are not in a position to give that draft plan out. We will be looking to build up the future rotation and maybe a 3B and OF.

Q3. Any changes you would like to see the league make for the long term success and well being of the league.

Ans).  I do not know if we will have any changes coming up. We just made a couple of changes this past off season but anything is possible. One rule I am thinking about changing is the debt Free Agents. I am thinking of proposing a rule change that would give allow teams that are in debt when they start Free Agency be allowed to sign/bid on free agents. Here is the official idea below-

If you go into Free Agency in debt, but then trade out of it, you have to wait a 24 hour period or until the next file to begin bidding on Free Agents. This would eliminate a long wait time to bid.

So there you have it. A simple chat among some rival GM's. Whatever they are doing seems to be working and we got some good ideas from Crow and MGM. NWU dropped the ball again but yeah we have a new rule which should help some budget strapped teams. My league suggestion would be why not institute a hard cap and soft cap for budgets like what the NHL uses. This would eliminate "tanking" to an extent and help keep smaller markets more viable with better revenue sharing to help them reach the mid ground salary wise. 

Anyway good luck to all the league GMs this season!!

2020 season preview

        It is that time of year again!! Kickoff to another year of Big League Mogul. New General Managers of teams, teams that have been stockpiling talent ready to make a move and become competitive. In the American League it still appears that everything will either travel through Arlington Texas or the Southside of Chicago. The Senior circuit appears to still be dominated by the likes of Washington with strong competition coming from Arizona and New York.


       Will Florida compete for a third world championship in 4 years? Will the Mets still be a threat with the release of Matt Olson? Will Olson fit in in Texas? All these questions will be answered through out the upcoming season..

Lets look at the predictions for the American League.



East:

1. Boston 86-76 (3)
2. Toronto 84-78
3. New York 80-82
4. Baltimore 72-90
5. Montreal 70-92

Central:

1. Chicago 94-68 (2)
2. Minnesota 88-74 (WC2)
3. Kansas City 84-78
4. Detroit 80-82
5. Cleveland 72-90

West:

1. Texas 102-60 (1)
2. California 90-72 (WC1)
3. San Jose 83-79
4. Seattle 76-86
5. Houston 68-94

Now the National League.

East:

1. Washington 100-62 (1)
2. New York 89-73 (WC1)
3. Florida 88-74 (WC2)
4. Philadelphia 80-82
5. Atlanta 72-90


Central:

1. Chicago 86-76 (3)
2. Cincinnati 85-77
3. Pittsburgh 80-82
4. St. Louis 72-90
5. Milwaukee 68-94

West:

1. Arizona 96-66 (2)
2. Los Angeles 87-75
3. San Francisco 86-76
4. Colorado 75-87
5. San Diego 70-92


And now the wildcard games:

AL:

California over Minnesota

NL:

Florida over New York

Division series

AL

Chicago over Boston 3-1

Texas over California 3-2

NL

Chicago over Arizona 3-2

Washington over Florida 3-0

League Championships

AL

Texas over Chicago 4-1

NL

Washington over Chicago 4-0

World Series

Texas over Washington 4-2


      Again this is all speculation and may or may not come to frutition. It looks to be an exciting season. And by the the June 12th Draft day we should know more about how the races are going. Hopefully we can get an interview or two by then.

Mets GM Resigns Leaving Team in Financial Ruin leads too New Free Agency Rule

As of 11:32 PM last night CraigF officially resigned as the General Manager for the 2019 first place finishing New York Mets. 

In his initial statement Craig said "I'm sorry to say, but if the last week is any indication, I'm not going to have the free time to be active on here with my current classload. I'll try to stop in at some point." But there is a bit of controversy over his resignation as he is leaving the Mets in a deficit as they are projected to lose $104,089,592  in the 2020 season. 

BLM head commissioner Nwuhockey was quick to say something over his departure saying "...you are resigning leaving your team (104) million over budget. That is the biggest d*** move I have ever seen. Its absolute bulls*** that you are gonna pull that crap leaving that team financially ruined for a brand new GM to have to clean up." In my honest opinion it was pretty irresponsible for Craig to even go so far over the teams budget in the first place and should've been held responsible more when he was putting the Mets over budget in the first place such as at the beginning of 2019 when he gave DH Matt Olson a 55 Million 7 year contract and SP Nate Karns a 30 Million 5 year contract which accounts for just about 35% of the Mets actual payroll. 


Now in response to this controversy Nwuhockey has announced a new Free Agency rule to stop teams from going into major debt. The new rule states "As commissioner I (Nwuhockey) have the right to deny you a free agent signing if I feel that it puts your team's finances at risk. I do not care how much cash you have. If it possibly cripples you financially I will very nicely tell you no." I think this rule is for the best as in foresight you have to do what's best for the future GMs of BLM and will keep GMs now responsible for there actions.

The response has been kind've against the rule as Bears was the first to react saying "Why don't you let the GM's of this league do what they feel is best for their teams, let them deal w/the consequences(good or bad), and stop babysitting them? If they want to ruin their team, what is that any of your business?" MGM came in defense of the new rule with a valid point saying "The major issue that you seem to be overlooking is that NWU, as a commissioner, needs to make sure that a team stays viable for the next GM to take over in the case a GM resigns. Putting a team in such a financial hole makes a team less attractive to take on for a future GM, makes them far more difficult to manage and stay financially viable, and will leave that team without a GM. This certainly then becomes the business of the commissioner trying to keep all teams filled and finding new GMs to take over teams." With MGM's point in mind it is obvious that this rule is whats best for BLM and in my opinion needs to be put in place otherwise you will be risking teams looking way too unappealing for future GMs.

In the end I think this controversy had a positive overall result as now GMs cannot be irresponsible with their budgets and payrolls thinking that their cash will just get them out of any trouble. 

2019 Predictions

AL EAST

Baltimore Orioles 88-74 (3 seed)
Boston Red Sox 85-77
Toronto Blue Jays 80-82
New York Yankees 77-85
Montreal Expos 65-97

AL CENTRAL

Chicago White Sox 97-65 (1 seed)
Kansas City Royals 88-74 (2 WC)
Cleveland Indians 82-80
Minnesota Twins 78-84
Detroit Tigers 70-92

AL WEST

Texas Rangers 95-67 (2 seed)
California Angels 94-68 (1 WC)
Houston Astros 84-78
Seattle Mariners 72-90
San Jose Athletics 60-102

NL EAST

Washington Nationals 96-66 (1 seed)
New York Mets 90-72 (1 WC)
Florida Marlins 88-74 (2 WC)
Philadelphia Phillies 82-80
Atlanta Braves 80-82

NL CENTRAL

Chicago Cubs 93-69 (2 seed)
Cincinnati Reds 87-75
Pittsburgh Pirates 81-81
Milwaukee Brewers 77-85
St. Louis Cardinals 72-90

NL WEST

Arizona Diamondbacks 88-74 (3 seed)
Colorado Rockies 82-80
San Diego Padres 81-81
Los Angeles Dodgers 77-85
San Francisco Giants 75-87

PLAYOFFS

WILD CARD

AL- California over Kansas City
NL- Florida over New York

DIVISION SERIES

AL- Chicago over California 3-2
AL- Texas over Baltimore 3-1
NL- Washington over Florida 3-1
NL- Chicago over Arizona 3-1

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

AL- Texas over Chicago 4-3
NL- Washington over Chicago 4-2

WORLD SERIES

Texas over Washington 4-2

What is momentum? By Crow

Momentum
noun, plural momenta
[moh-men-tuh] momentums.
1.
force or speed of movement; impetus, as of a physical object or course of events:
The car gained momentum going downhill. Her career lost momentum after two unsuccessful films.
2.
Also called linear momentum. Mechanics. a quantity expressing the motion of a body or system, equal to the product of the mass of a body and its velocity, and for a system equal to the vector sum of the products of mass and velocity of each particle in the system.
3.
Philosophy. moment (def 7).


-We talk about momentum all the time when it comes to sports. So-and-so has the momentum – they’re going to win now. Usually this is after 1 or 2 games. Most times, we discount the body of work by a team as a whole. Momentum doesn’t exist…As you look at definition 3 – it’s a philosophical term.

-So who has the momentum for the playoffs?

-The simple answer is no one.

-What team is the odds on favorite?

-Washington.

Does that mean Washington has momentum?

-No…they’ve been the favorite a few times.

-What about the Phillies who hit 95 wins this year?

-What about San Fran? Who wasn’t even expected to get to the playoffs last year, but made it to the NLCS and are in the playoffs again. Does their experience of taking Florida to 7 games in the NLCS last year translate?

-Probably not, this is a new year…and as I’ve said – there’s no such thing as momentum.

-Did Baltimore ride their momentum of not making the playoffs last year to winning the AL East?

-Baltimore had a great year, that doesn’t mean shit in the playoffs.

-Where did San Diego’s momentum come from? Did he pray to the momentum Gods and get some extra mojo?

-No, San Diego plays in a weak-ass division…that’s what happens when you play a bunch of scrubs.

-The basis of this argument is that we often assign arbitrary attributes to how a team performs over the course of the season. Momentum cannot be measured, unlike 1000+ baseball stats that can be. The thought of having “Momentum” is a philosophical “feel good” to help fans out when they either win or lose a game/series.

-What happened to Florida’s momentum after winning the World Series?

-Our team sucked, trades that we thought would make the team better didn’t…and maybe it just wasn’t our year.

-Who will win the World Series?

-The Nationals – they have a lot of unrealized potential, which can translate into momentum 

2018 Sim 1 Power Rankings

1. Washington Nationals 9-4
2. Houston Astros 9-4
3. Atlanta Braves 8-5
4. California Angels 9-3
5. St. Louis Cardinals 9-3
6. Chicago Cubs 7-5
7. Baltimore Orioles 8-5
8. New York Yankees 7-5
9. Chicago White Sox 7-4
10. Florida Marlins 7-6
11. San Francisco Giants 7-5
12. Los Angeles Dodgers 7-6
13. Toronto Blue Jays 7-5
14. Minnesota Twins 7-5
15. Texas Rangers 7-5
16. Detroit Tigers 6-6
17. Kansas City Royals 5-6
18. San Diego Padres 6-6
19. Philadelphia Phillies 6-6
20. Cincinnati Reds 5-7
21. Pittsburgh Pirates 5-7
22. Seattle Mariners 6-7
23. Milwaukee Brewers 5-7
24. Arizona Diamondbacks 6-7
25. Colorado Rockies 5-9
26. Boston Red Sox 5-8
27. Cleveland Indians 3-9
28. Montreal Expos 3-9
29. New York Mets 3-10
30. San Jose Athletics 1-11

2018 Pre Season Power Rankings

1. Florida Marlins
2. Washington Nationals
3. Kansas City Royals
4. Chicago Cubs
5. Boston Red Sox
6. California Angels
7. Atlanta Braves
8. Houston Astros
9. Chicago White Sox
10. Cleveland Indians
11. New York Yankees
12. Baltimore Orioles
13. St. Louis Cardinals
14. Texas Rangers
15. San Francisco Giants
16. Cincinnati Reds
17. LA Dodgers
18. Colorado Rockies
19. Toronto Blue Jays
20. Detroit Tigers
21. Philadelphia Phillies
22. Seattle Mariners
23. Milwaukee Brewers
24. San Diego Padres
25. Pittsburgh Pirates
26. Montreal Expos
27. Minnesota Twins
28. New York Mets
29. San Jose Athletics
30. Arizona Diamondbacks

2018 Projections

AL EAST

Boston Red Sox 95-67 (1 seed)
Baltimore Orioles 85-77
New York Yankees 82-80
Toronto Blue Jays 78-84
Montreal Expos 70-92

AL CENTRAL

Kansas City Royals 93-69 (2 seed)
Chicago White Sox 88-74 (1 WC)
Cleveland Indians 87-75
Minnesota Twins 72-90
Detroit Tigers 70-92

AL WEST

California Angels 88-74 (3 seed)
Houston Astros 87-75 (2 WC)
Texas Rangers 85-77
Seattle Mariners 71-91
San Jose Athletics 65-97

NL EAST

Washington Nationals 100-62 (1 seed)
Atlanta Braves 95-67 (1 WC)
Florida Marlins 92-70 (2 WC)
Philadelphia Phillies 81-81
New York Mets 78-84

NL CENTRAL

Chicago Cubs 94-68 (2 seed)
St. Louis Cardinals 88-74
Cincinnati Reds 83-79
Milwaukee Brewers 75-87
Pittsburgh Pirates 69-93

NL WEST

LA Dodgers 82-80 (3 seed)
Colorado Rockies 79-83
San Francisco Giants 77-85
San Diego Padres 75-87
Arizona Diamondbacks 68-94

PLAYOFFS

WILD CARD

AL- Chicago over Houston
NL- Florida over Atlanta

DIVISION SERIES

AL- Boston over Chicago 3-2
AL- Kansas City over California 3-1
NL- Washington over Florida 3-2
NL- Chicago over LA 3-1

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

AL- Kansas City over Boston 4-2
NL- Washington over Chicago 4-3

WORLD SERIES

Washington over Kansas City 4-2

BLM ALL TIME GM RECORD

BLM ALL TIME GM RECORD (3 SEASONS)

1. OTB- 310 wins*
2. SMM- 296 wins
3. Phil- 274 wins*
4. SCM- 274 wins
5. Nate- 271 wins*
6. mhall- 268 wins*
7. Ryan- 267 wins*
8. Vertigo- 259 wins*
9. Joey- 259 wins*
10. Hopesfall- 257 wins*
11. McKennam- 254 wins*
12. Bearsfolife- 253 wins*
13. Allen- 246 wins
14. Chuck- 245 wins*
15. nwuhockey- 244 wins*
16. Brez- 238 wins
17. mzylinsky- 234 wins*
18. Kain- 234 wins*
19. Gormly- 223 wins*
20. Turtle- 219 wins*
21. Blez- 216 wins*
22. Leb- 213 wins*
23. xxchampion- 210 wins*
24. Mauer- 208 wins*
25. Erick- 203 wins*
26. Bud Selig- 201 wins*
27. CraigF- 193 wins*
28. Crow- 183 wins*
29. Jmel- 146 wins
30. Cheddar- 141 wins*
31. Josh- 110 wins*
32. Dan- 95 wins
33. mwoulf- 46 wins
34. DerbyCity- 8 wins*
35. Krytycal- 0 wins*
36. p_amour- 0 wins*
37. Titan- 0 wins*

2016 Playoff Odds

2016 Playoff Odds

WILD CARD

BOS 80% to KC 20%
PIT 70% to ATL 30%

AL CHAMP

NYY- 60%
BOS- 30%
CAL- 10%
KC and CHW- 0%

NL CHAMP

WAS- 50%
CIN- 30%
ATL- 10%
COL- 10%
PIT- 0%

WORLD CHAMP

WAS- 40%
NYY- 30%
CIN- 20%
BOS- 10%

BLEZNORFICUS MOGUL POWER RANKINGS

Trade Deadline Edition

With most of the season down, the 2016 Big League Mogul playoffs are taking shape. In the NL, four teams have all but locked down spots, with the NL West still up for grabs between Colorado and Los Angeles. In the AL, there is a battle for the two wild card spots between Toronto, California, Boston, and Kansas City with only 3.5 games separating them. And then there are the other 16 teams who are all about as talented as a poopy-flavored lollipop.  

We take a look at each team's MLB rank, path to the playoffs, and contender status in a vaguely disguised attempt to waste ten minutes of your time with biased and unsupported rantings. It's like click bait, except only for nerds that spend the majority of their days talking about fake baseball players who have never really existed except as 1's and 0's.

POWER RANKINGS

1. New York Yankees (88-43)

A $320 millon budget and 5 players with at least 20 home runs? Are you betting against this team? Zero of the first 77 wins came from new acquisition Jose Fernandez, and him and his 2.47 ERA were just added to the roster. Good luck, AL, you're going to need it.

Hero: Jose Bautista (38 Home Runs)

Loser: Didi Gregorius (only player with under .310 OBP)

Path to the playoffs:  Make sure you don't choke on your bubble gum while you skip toward the finish line.

STATUS: CONTENDER

2. Washington Nationals (85-47)

You wish this AAA team was in your MLB (40 homers from players that are not every day starters). That doesn't even take into account the pitching, which has seven starters and relievers with less than 2.99 ERA. Have yourself a Strasburger and enjoy the ride.

Hero: Bryce Harper (.438 OBP)

Loser: Francellis Montas (4.38 ERA - see what I did there?)

Path to the playoffs:  The Nationals get in unless every player on their team eats nothing but Strasburgers between now and October. And even then maybe.

STATUS: CONTENDER

3. Pittsburgh Pirates (79-51)

No single player on the Pirates will blow you away, but the roster is solid throughout. Especially the bullpen, where Mark Melancon and John Holdzkom have pitched lights out. The Pirates almost guarantee themselves a playoff spot, but they better hope they can hold off the oncoming Reds for the division, or they will be caught in a play-in without a clear SP to throw in it. My bet is the Reds just barely edge them out and PIT falls in the Wild Card.

Hero: The aforementioned Melancon and Holdzkom

Loser: Yu Darvish (5.15 ERA)

Path to the playoffs: Score more runs than the other team and hope the other team is the Reds.

STATUS: PRETENDER

4. Atlanta Braves (81-51)

The Braves sport a lot of home-grown talent, and a certain fish-named individual who is certainly not home-grown. The farm is all but lifeless, but if their MLB can maintain it's current form, they have perennial contender written all over them. Shelby Miller gives them a great shot in the wild card game, where they will almost certainly be appearing thanks to division alignment.

Hero: Casey McGehee (.301 BA as a defense-first 3B)

Loser: Any prospect on the roster in the beginning of the year who enjoyed living in Atlanta.

Path to the playoffs: Beat the Pirates/Reds in the wild card game.

STATUS: CONTENDER

5. Oakland A's (73-59)

The A's get this spot on account of having the best shot to avoid the one game play-in of the playoff teams despite most pundits saying they don't have the talent to compete with the other division leaders. Joey's last name might just be "Beane" as he has taken the league's leftovers and turned them into a Frankenstein's monster of hungry baseball-playing machines. Too bad it won't help them get anywhere if they can outrace California to the playoffs.

Hero: Billy Butler (league leading .327 BA)

Loser: Dellin Betances (5.19 ERA)

Path to the playoffs:  Outrace the self-proclaimed "rebuilding" Angels to the finish line.

STATUS: PRETENDER

6. Kansas City Royals (74-57)

I won't bet against last year's champs, and neither should you. They have a lethal top three SP for their playoff run, and scouts are saying minor league prospect Kyle Zimmer will almost certainly play a pivotal role in the playoffs. They likely will continue to run all over the place deep into October (6 players with 13+ steals).

Hero: Yordano Ventura (3.14 ERA)

Loser: Brandon Finnegan, who just got bumped by Zimmer.

Path to the playoffs:  .5 games back of the White Sox and 1 back of the Wild Card. In order to get in they need their 4th and 5th starters to provide quality starts every game. 

STATUS: CONTENDER

7. Cincinnati Reds (78-53)

Already having more wins than all of last year, the Reds have mortgaged the farm at a chance to compete now with a fair amount of financial stability for the future. After the Cincinnati fans submitted a petition with 200,000 signatures on it to bring back Joey Votto, the Reds' GM surprisingly acquiesced and brought him back in a blockbuster trade. Next time Cincinnati, make sure your petition includes a request for bikini-clad cheerleaders to be on the sidelines at every game.

Hero: Votto

Loser: Pittsburgh's division chances

Path to the playoffs: Make up the last 1.5 games on Pittsburgh and keep on keeping on.

STATUS: CONTENDER

8. Boston Red Sox (75-56)

The unappreciated middle child of the AL East is looking way up at NYY, and way down at Tampa and Baltimore, but is tied with older brother Toronto thanks to the last two weeks. Mookie Betts looks like he is on his way to being a Top 5 player in the entire MLB, and Taki Sato has been a welcome addition from the Yomiuri Giants of Japan. The question in my mind is: do they have enough power to make a playoff run? When your leadoff hitter leads your team in dingers, I'm guessing no.

Hero: Betts/Sato
Loser: The middle relief corps (5.28 and 5.63 ERA)
Path to the playoffs: No real chance at the division, but in the driver's seat in the wild card. Boston needs their veteran pitchers to keep up with the young guns to outrace the other 3 teams for that spot.
STATUS: CONTENDER

8. Toronto Blue Jays (75-56)

Perhaps the second best team in the AL, the division alignment means they will be playing the lottery winner of the second Wild Card spot for a chance to face their division rivals. Indeed, a fairly likely scenario has the Blue Jays facing the Red Sox for a chance to face the Yankees. Won't there be egg on my face if the AL East doesn't make it to the Series?

Hero: The 3-7 hitters.

Loser: A leadoff man with a .285 OBP (Dee Gordon)

Path to the playoffs: See if the team can quit choking and have old-man Wainwright use his playoff experience to keep the Blue Jays alive in the wild card game. If you would have asked me two weeks ago, I thought this team was one to be reckoned with. But now I think they are a...

STATUS: PRETENDER

9. Chicago White Sox (74-56)

A newcomer to the concept of winning, the South Siders have the most under-achieving talent in the league. Can they put it together for the playoffs? If they get over the loss of Jose Abreu, my bet is yes.

Hero: Jake Peavy (2.21 ERA)

Loser: A left-handed former ace with a 4.39 ERA (James Shields)

Path to the playoffs: Try to actually play to your potential and win the division. Otherwise a wild card game is not a lock.

STATUS: CONTENDER

10. Los Angeles Dodgers (73-58)

The Dodgers made up quite a few games in June-July to put themselves .5 games back of Colorado. But even if the Dodgers don't take the division, Clayton Kershaw has been the most consistent pitcher in the Bigs this year and gives them a huge advantage in the Wild Card, if they could somehow make up those 5 games they are behind. Winning the division is the more attainable goal.

Hero: Kershaw

Loser: Zack "Why can't I consistently perform" Greinke

Path to the playoffs:  Land one more haymaker than Colorado in the vital six games in LA and Denver in September.

STATUS: CONTENDER

12. Colorado Rockies (73-57)

The best offense in the league meets a decidedly mediocre rotation that has actually improved a great deal in the last year.  Troy Tulowitski is earning every penny of his 19 million dollar salary. With a few upgrades in the 'pen and at DH, the Rocks could be a perennial playoff contender. This year, they likely need to win the division to get in to the playoffs, and it will be tough to do against the more well-rounded Dodgers.

Hero: Tulo
Loser: Any pitcher that dares step within 20 yards of the mound at Coor's.
Path to the playoffs: Take four of six from the Dodgers and take advantage of a relatively easy schedule in September (Giants, Padres, D-Backs).
STATUS: PRETENDER

13. California Angels (71-59)

The seriously over-performing Angels suddenly find themselves in limbo deciding whether to buy or sell at the deadline. Can they make it to the playoffs? Hey, I don't think anyone had them coming this far. Will they go anywhere if they get there? As much as I want to bet on the underdog, give me 5 mil on whoever they are facing.

Hero: John Jaso (.317 BA)
Loser: 10 year olds everywhere with Anaheim Mike Trout jerseys.
Path to the playoffs: Win the division. There are too many good teams in the Wild Card hunt for CAL to take them all, so beating Oakland in five of six in September is the best bet.
STATUS: PRETENDER

14. Detroit Tigers (66-65)

The Tigers made some hard choices to keep themselves from being financially screwed for the next 20 years thanks to pre-existing contracts. The unavoidable result? No farm and an MLB team just above .500.  A few shrewd moves could put the Tigers in it, but the lack of top prospects is concerning. With the moves this GM has made to save the franchise already, don't expect them to be down for long.

Hero: FA signing Chris Davis (38 HR)
Loser: Any fifth-starter named Green/Greene
Path to the playoffs:  Making some serious moves before the trade deadline and then somehow making up the 9 games they need to get in to the Wild Card.
STATUS: PRETENDER

15. Chicago Cubs (69-61)

Apparently there can only be so many wins in Chicago, and the White Sox are not good at sharing. The Cubs have the talent to compete, but just haven't done it this year. Now 8.5 games out of the division and wild card, the Cubs will be back but not this year.

Hero: Nobody.
Loser: Javier Baez hitting below the Mendoza line.
Path to the playoffs: Make up 8.5 games on Cincinnati in the 30 games remaining. Easy enough, right?
STATUS: CONTENDER (but not this year)

16. St. Louis Cardinals (66-65)

A quick rebuild, a slash in salary, and still above .500. St. Louis' AAA team may just be better than their MLB team, and next year expect those players to make an impact. A four team race for the NL Central could be in our future, and that should make everybody happy.

Hero: Phil Hughes
Loser: Every team that has faced the Memphis Redbirds all season
Path to the playoffs: Build a time machine to go a year into the future and bring back all the players that are set to break out.
STATUS: PRETENDER (but not for long)

17. Houston Astros (65-67)

The Astros have some elite bats and some awful pitchers, and the result has been a .500 record. It has looked all season as though no one has been behind the wheel of this organization, and as a result the brass has made the unprecedented move of removing the GM in August. What can Houston do this year? Nothing. What will they do next year? Your guess is as good as mine.

Hero: Jon Singleton
Loser: Anybody who has wanted to trade with Houston for the past 4 months.
Path to the playoffs: 10.5 games out of the second Wild Card and looking up at 4 teams. A sudden shift toward trading for starting pitching, combined with winning every game in September might be just enough to do it.
STATUS: PRETENDER

18. Miami Marlins (61-70)
STATUS: REBUILDING

19. Minnesota Twins (59-71)
STATUS: REBUILDING

20. Philadelphia Phillies (57-74)
STATUS: REBUILDING

21. San Diego Padres (59-72)
STATUS: REBUILDING

22. Cleveland Indians (58-72)
STATUS: REBUILDING

23. Tampa Bay Rays (54-76)
STATUS: REBUILDING

24. Seattle Mariners (53-78)
STATUS: REBUILDING

25. New York Mets (51-80)
STATUS: REBUILDING

26. Milwaukee Brewers (51-81)
STATUS: REBUILDING

27. Baltimore Orioles (50-81)
STATUS: REBUILDING

28. Arizona Cardinals (50-82)
STATUS: REBUILDING

29. San Francisco Giants (50-82)
STATUS: REBUILDING

30. Texas Rangers (47-85)
STATUS: REBUILDING

Coach's Picks- 2016 Predictions

AL EAST

1. New York Yankees 96-66 (1 seed)
2. Tampa Bay Rays 93-69 (1 WC)
3. Toronto Blue Jays 89-73 (2 WC)
4. Boston Red Sox 82-80
5. Baltimore Orioles 68-94

AL CENTRAL

1. Kansas City Royals 92-70 (2 seed)
2. Chicago White Sox 85-77
3. Detroit Tigers 83-79
4. Cleveland Indians 80-82
5. Minnesota Twins 77-85

AL WEST

1. Oakland Athletics 84-78 (3 seed)
2. Seattle Mariners 82-80
3. California Angels 75-87
4. Texas Rangers 70-92
5. Houston Astros 62-100

NL EAST

1. Washington Nationals 105-57 (1 seed)
2. Atlanta Braves 90-72 (2 WC)
3. Miami Marlins 86-76
4. Philadelphia Phillies 74-88
5. New York Mets 67-95

NL CENTRAL

1. Chicago Cubs 95-67 (3 seed)
2. Pittsburgh Pirates 93-69 (1 WC)
3. Cincinnati Reds 85-77
4. St. Louis Cardinals 84-78
5. Milwaukee Brewers 72-90

NL WEST

1. Los Angeles Dodgers 100-62 (2 seed)
2. Colorado Rockies 80-82
3. Arizona Diamondbacks 70-92
4. San Diego Padres 68-94
5. San Francisco Giants 60-102

PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

WILD CARD

AL- Tampa Bay over Toronto
NL- Pittsburgh over Atlanta

DIVISION SERIES

AL- New York over Tampa Bay 3-2
AL- Kansas City over Oakland 3-1
NL- Washington over Pittsburgh 3-1
NL- Los Angeles over Chicago 3-2

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

AL- New York over Kansas City 4-2
NL- Washington over Los Angeles 4-3

WORLD SERIES

Washington over New York 4-3

NL Lineup Ranking

NL Lineup Rankings

NL EAST

1. Washington Nationals
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Miami Marlins
4. Philadelphia Phillies
5. New York Mets

NL CENTRAL

1. Cincinnati Reds
2. Chicago Cubs
3. Pittsburgh Pirates
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. St. Louis Cardinals

NL WEST

1. Colorado Rockies
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. San Francisco Giants
5. San Diego Padres

OVERALL NL RANKINGS

1. Washington Nationals
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. Chicago Cubs
4. Pittsburgh Pirates
5. Colorado Rockies
6. Atlanta Braves
7. Los Angeles Dodgers
8. Miami Marlins
9. Milwaukee Brewers
10. St. Louis Cardinals
11. Arizona Diamondbacks
12. Philadelphia Phillies
13. San Francisco Giants
14. New York Mets
15. San Diego Padres

AL Lineup Rankings

AL Lineup Rankings

AL EAST

1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Tampa Bay Rays
5. Baltimore Orioles

AL CENTRAL

1. Detroit Tigers
2. Kansas City Royals
3. Cleveland Indians
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Minnesota Twins

AL WEST

1. Seattle Mariners
2. Oakland Athletics
3. Texas Rangers
4. California Angels
5. Houston Astros

OVERALL AL RANKINGS

1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox
3. Detroit Tigers
4. Seattle Mariners
5. Toronto Blue Jays
6. Kansas City Royals
7. Oakland Athletics
8. Tampa Bay Rays
9. Cleveland Indians
10. Texas Rangers
11. Chicago White Sox
12. Minnesota Twins
13. California Angels
14. Baltimore Orioles
15. Houston Astros

NL Rotation Rankings

NL Rotation Rankings

NL EAST

1. Washington Nationals
Projected- 1. Tyler Glasnow (93/95) 2. James Shields (93) 3. Alex Colome (88) 4. Joe Ross (89/93) 5. Lucas Giolito (89/93)

2. Miami Marlins
Projected- 1. Jose Fernandez (93) 2. Nate Karns (90) 3. Jared Cosart (85/88) 4. Homer Bailey (88) 5. Mat Latos (83)

3. Atlanta Braves
Projected- 1. Shelby Miller (93) 2. Alex Wood (92) 3. Julio Teheran (89) 4. Kyle Lohse (84) 5. Matt Garza (79)

4. New York Mets
Projected- 1. Matt Harvey (92) 2. Noah Snydergaard (93/95) 3. Zack Wheeler (82) 4. Bartolo Colon (79) 5. Rafael Montero (79/82)

5. Philadelphia Phillies
Projected- 1. Max Scherzer (93) 2. Brandon McCarthy (83) 3. Wei Chung Wang (87/94) 4. Kyle McGowin (80/83) 5. Chris Anderson (80/84)

NL CENTRAL

1. Chicago Cubs
Projected- 1. Jake Arrieta (95) 2. Madison Bumgarner (93) 3. Jon Lester (93) 4. John Lackey (84) 5. Kyle Hendricks (84)

2. Pittsburgh Pirates
Projected- 1. Yu Darvish (92) 2. Gio Gonzalez (92) 3. Francisco Liriano (85) 4. Derek Holland (86) 5. AJ Burnett (80)

3. Cincinnati Reds
Projected- 1. Jacob deGrom (90) 2. Robert Stephenson (90/94) 3. Aaron Sanchez (84/90) 4. Pierce Johnson (81/85) 5. Domingo German (84/89)

4. St. Louis Cardinals
Projected- 1. Stephan Strasburg (94) 2. Lance Lynn (84) 3. Marcus Stroman (91) 4. Drew Hutchison (84) 5. Jon Niese (74)

5. Milwaukee Brewers
Projected- 1. Ian Kennedy (85) 2. Hisashi Iwakuma (86) 3. Casey Kelly (85) 4. Willy Peralta (84) 5. Mike Fiers (84)

NL WEST

1. Los Angeles Dodgers
Projected- 1. Clayton Kershaw (95) 2. Jordan Zimmerman (93) 3. Zack Greinke (93) 4. Cole Hamels (93) 5. Hyun Jim Ryu (86)

2. San Diego Padres
Projected- 1. CJ Wilson (83) 2. Wade Miley (79) 3. Michael Wacha (80/84) 4. Robbie Erlin (79/82) 5. Aaron Northcraft (78/79)

3. Colorado Rockies
Projected- 1. Jon Gray (86/90) 2. Joe Kelly (79) 3. Tyler Matzek (79) 4. Marco Estrada (77) 5. Christian Friedrich (80)

4. Arizona Diamondbacks
Projected- 1. Gerrit Cole (86/91) 2. Allen Webster (71/73) 3. Chase Anderson (80) 4. Vidal Nuno (76) 5. Kevin Munson (82)

5. San Francisco Giants
Projected- 1. Matt Cain (74) 2. Brett Anderson (78) 3. Daniel Hudson (75) 4. Yusmeiro Petit (78) 5. Clayton Blackburn (79/85)


OVERALL NL RANKINGS

1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Washington Nationals
3. Chicago Cubs
4. Miami Marlins
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
6. Atlanta Braves
7. Cincinnati Reds
8. St. Louis Cardinals
9. New York Mets
10. Philadelphia Phillies
11. Milwaukee Brewers
12. San Diego Padres
13. Colorado Rockies
14. Arizona Diamondbacks
15. San Francisco Giants

AL Rotation Rankings

AL ROTATION RANKINGS

AL EAST

1. Tampa Bay Rays
Projected- 1. Chris Archer (93) 2. Jake Odorizzi (92) 3. Alex Cobb (90) 4. Dallas Keuchel (84) 5. Henderson Alvarez (84/88)

2. Toronto Blue Jays
Projected- 1. Johnny Cueto (93) 2. Adam Wainwright (92) 3. RA Dickey (88) 4. Tony Cingrani (88) 5. Nathan Eovaldi (86)

3. New York Yankees
Projected- 1. Doug Fister (90) 2. Michael Pineda (88) 3. Andrew Cashner (86) 4. Masahiro Tanaka (88) 5. Garrett Richards (86)

4. Boston Red Sox
Projected- 1. Jameson Tallion (91/94) 2. Rick Porcello (90) 3. Taki Sato (86) 4. Andrew Heaney (86/89) 5. Clay Buchholz (82)

5. Baltimore Orioles
Projected- 1. Chris Tillman (92) 2. Kevin Gausmann (88) 3. Jered Weaver (86) 4. Dylan Bundy (85/93) 5. Mike Wright (81)

AL CENTRAL

1. Chicago White Sox
Projected- 1. Chris Sale (94) 2. Jose Quintana (90) 3. Jeff Samardzija (88) 4. Jake Peavy (86) 5. Mark Buehrle (82)

2. Kansas City Royals
Projected- 1. Tanner Roark (90) 2. Yordano Ventura (90) 3. Matt Shoemaker (85) 4. Scott Kazmir (82) 5. Brandon Finnegan (85/93)

3. Detroit Tigers
Projected- 1. Justin Verlander (91) 2. Buck Farmer (90/93) 3. Anibal Sanchez (86) 4. Nick Tropeano (86) 5. Shane Greene (78)

4. Cleveland Indians
Projected- 1. Corey Kluber (93) 2. Carlos Carrasco (92) 3. Danny Salazar (86) 4. Carlos Martinez (88/90) 5. Trevor Bauer (82/86)

5. Minnesota Twins
Projected- 1. Phil Hughes (90) 2. Michael Lorenzen (88/93) 3. Alex Meyer (83/88) 4. Trevor May (85/88) 5. Colin McHugh (82)

AL WEST

1. Seattle Mariners
Projected- 1. Felix Hernandez (94) 2. Yovani Gallardo (86) 3. Sean Nolin (90) 4. Tiajuan Walker (81/89) 5. Tim Cooney (81)

2. Oakland Athletics
Projected- 1. Sonny Gray (92) 2. Jarrod Parker (86) 3. Jeff Hoffman (82/91) 4. Daniel Norris (81/90) 5. AJ Griffin (73)

3. California Angels
Projected- 1. David Price (93) 2. Tyson Ross (92) 3. Danny Duffy (86) 4. Austin Voth (75/78) 5. Tyler Skaggs (74/81)

4. Texas Rangers
Projected- 1. Mark Appel (84/90) 2. Reynaldo Lopez (86/94) 3. Alex Gonzalez (78/84) 4. Zach Petrick (80) 5. Matt Harrison (77)

5. Houston Astros
Projected- 1. Lance McCullers (84/88) 2. Matt Moore (79) 3. Brett Oberholtzer (74) 4. Dan Straily (74) 5. Martin Perez (72/75)

OVERALL AL RANKINGS

1. Tampa Bay Rays
2. Chicago White Sox
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Detroit Tigers
6. New York Yankees
7. Cleveland Indians
8. Seattle Mariners
9. Boston Red Sox
10. Baltimore Orioles
11. Oakland Athletics
12. Minnesota Twins
13. California Angels
14. Texas Rangers
15. Houston Astros