Preseason MLB Power Rankings

1. Washington Nationals - Can you say pitching? Because Washington can.  How about that rotation of Scherzer, Strasburg, and Zimmerman?  Oh yeah AND Gio Gonzalez and Doug Fister.  That is one lethal pitching staff, and one capable of carrying them the whole way to a World Series.   Maybe this is the year Bryce Harper carries the offense on his own, and that's a scary thought if he can stay healthy and produce for a whole year.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers  - The reigning MVP, Clayton Kershaw, is back and he headlines a strong pitching staff. Yaisel Puig has been sensational early in his career, and he may be ready to put up an MVP type season. The Dodgers lineup is loaded, and well paid too.  They finally need to break through into October - it's about time.

3. Los Angeles Angels - Mike Trout is the best player in the game right now, and that has to count for something, right?  The Angels have a solid supporting cast and a tough 1-2 punch at the front end of the rotation with Weaver and Richards.  Look for the Halos to make a run into October, it would be something else to watch Trout on that stage.

4. Seattle Mariners  - Seattle has Robinson Cano leading the attack, Kyle Seagers protecting him, and they certainly solidified the lineup with the addition of Nelson Cruz and his 40 home run potential.  It is a formidable offense, with King Felix leading the attack from the mound.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates - The Bucs have one of the most dynamic outfields assembled in recent history, and a veteran infield with offensive potential. McCutchen is as good of a player as there is in the NL and he can carry them into the postseason.  Don't forget about the good pitching staff with a budding star like Gerrit Cole leading the charge.

6. St. Louis Cardinals  - The Cardinals have a good not great pitching staff, and they have a good but not great offense.  It's the same thing every year. The Cardinals are always going to be good.

7. Detroit Tigers  - Cabrera, Martinez, Cespedes, and Kinsler should make for one tough middle of the lineup, and the Tigers will score a lot of runs this year.  For their sake, they need to hope Verlander regains form and David Price pitches well, which is likely, since he is in a contract year.

8. Baltimore Orioles - The O's have the makeup to win the AL East.  I'm expecting big things from Machado and Adam Jones this year, I'm little suspect of the pitching though.

9. San Francisco Giants - The loss of Pablo Sandoval will be tough to overcome, but the recipe remains the same for them.  The Giants have good pitching and that isn't going anywhere, but it will have to carry them a long way this season.

10. Toronto Blue Jays - A lot of Toronto's success will depend on the veteran pitching staff and if they can pull through with a good year, and they can drop in the rankings fast if the pitching is not there.  The addition of Russell Martin will help on offense and the pitchers, he can be a real difference maker.

11. Cleveland Indians - The Tribe locked up Corey Kluber just before the season and the reigning Cy Young winner is a good start to lead this team heading into 2015.  The Indians may have just enough offense with Francona calling the shots to give Detroit a run for their money.

12. Oakland A's - Oakland always seems to have a makeshift lineup and a rotation of castoffs and somehow find themselves in contention.  I expect 2015 to be about the same for Oakland.

13. Miami Marlins - The Marlins have such a dynamic outfield fronted by one of the league's best players in Gincarlo Stanton. I also really think they have the pitching to stick around foe the duration of the season.  I am a firm believer that the Nationals have a complete lock on that division, but if a few things bounce their way, watch out for the Fish.

14. Boston Red Sox - The Sox have some pieces, but I'm still iffy on their pitching staff.  I think the offense can be good, but there are just a few teams better than them in the AL East right now.

15. Kansas City Royals - Let us not forget, the Royals were not a division winner that made it to the World Series, they slid into the postseason and made a run. So for them to open the year at 16 considering some of their departures, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise.  They proved last year that they can play, so it won't take long for them to vault up the rankings

16. New York Yankees - Just not enough new blood in the organization for me to be too excited and think things will be much different this year. They have enough to contend if everyone is healthy, but that seems like a rarity anymore.

17. San Diego Padres  - Are all the off-season additions enough to push them over the top?  Well, they certainly give them hope.  They now have one of the most talented outfields in baseball, they just need to get it to perform like one.  It may take a month or two for everything to mesh, but the Padres could be a threat at some point.

18. Chicago White Sox - The Sox have some potential to make a run. The have an MVP (Jose Abreu) and a CY Young (Chris Sale) candidate, and not many teams in the league can say that, I just worry about the supporting cast. Still, there's no reason why Chicago can't contend for the Central, especially with the Samardzija addition.

19. Chicago Cubs - Look I get it, I get the enthusiasm around this team. New manager, Wrigley got a fix, Lester in town.  A lot to be excited about, but I'm still skeptical.  I think they can finish last in the Central, but they may contend for a Wild Card at the same time.

20. New York Mets - I'm not totally buying into the Mets hype train like some are. Sure, they have good pitching but that lineup is still suspect.  I don't think there is enough there to contend for the NL East, but a Wild Card is possible.

21. Milwaukee Brewers - The Brewers are strong enough to make a run at the NL Central crown. and that speaks volumes of how good baseball is right now.  So many quality teams are in the league, and the 21st ranked team has the tools to make a run at their division title.

22. Tampa Bay Rays - Tampa can always get hot enough to make things interesting, it's just a matter of when that happens during this season. The Rays are tough, Longoria is a good player to lead the charge.  It's just hard to picture a lot happening without David Price at the top of the rotation.

23. Cincinnati Reds - The Reds have the potential of a scary offense, but it seems they can't stay healthy anymore for a whole season.  Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto seemed to get pretty old real quickly, and that could be a problem for them moving forward.  Still, the Reds have a legitimate ace and an offense catered to their stadium, they can make the Central interesting.

24. Texas Rangers - The Rangers have a good enough offense to make a run, and they may be the bottom line of teams capable of making a playoff run.  An offense powered by Adrian Beltre, Prince Fielder, and Shin Soo-Choo should make things exciting with their ballpark.

25. Atlanta Braves  - Not that typical tough Atlanta pitching we have come accustomed to seeing, and they gave away their best offensive player Jason Heyward.  Not a lot of reasons to have faith in the Braves this season.

26. Colorado Rockies - Same problems every year - an offense that can rack up runs, and a rotation not able to hold leads.  Troy Tulowitzki is easily one of the best players in baseball, and perhaps he can carry them to a better mark.

27. Houston Astros -  I actually like the Astros' offense, and they should be better, but I don't really buy into their pitching at all.  They have the potential to do a little better than this, but not much.

28. Minnesota Twins - The Twins have Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton to look forward to.....at some point.  Right now, the major league Twins are pretty average. The rotation has some names, but they need to resurrect their careers a bit for it to matter.

29. Arizona Diamondbacks - The lineup is very weak aside from Goldschidt and Trumbo, and the rotation is horrendous.  Arizona is a really bad team right now, and it's hard to see them doing much better than finishing in the bottom two of the league.

30 Philadelphia Phillies - Cole Hamels is trade waiting to happen, and truth be told, this organization needs him to bring back a solid return to replenish the talent pool a bit when the trade happens. The lineup is incredibly bad, and it's held together by a number of players past their prime.  Nothing at all exciting about the Phils right now.