MLB rankings: All 30 teams on Opening Day ranked by watchability – For The Win
Happy 2021 opening day in Major League Baseball to you all!
Its time for a full season of MLB action after an abbreviated 2020, and to kick things off, were not doing a traditional power rankings.
Instead, as weve done with the NBA, were asking the question: if you have MLB.TV, which teams would you want to watch the most? Thats right, its another round of watchability rankings, which is a very unscientific combination of star power, the fun youll have watching the team, and maybe some oh boy, is this squad going to be a train wreck?
So away we go:
Im extremely intrigued by third base prospect KeBryan Hayes and for fantasy purposes in deep leagues, Ill take a flier on Colin Moran. But while they start a rebuild, this is the least watchable team in the Majors.
Why arent they in last? For starters, Miguel Cabrera is 134 hits away from 3,000 for his storied career, so well want to tune in for that chase when it heats up.
For another, there are some young arms Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize among them to keep an eye on. But the Tigers are NOT going to be good this year.
I will be very much interested in tuning in to see Trey Mancini mashing again after battling and beating colon cancer. And if you like offense, theres more of that here too with Ryan Mountcastle and Anthony Santander.
Ill call this: Do you like offense? Part II. Theres Joey Gallo either striking out or hitting big bombs. Theres some speed from Leody Taveras. Maybe theres a David Dahl breakout coming after his days in Colorado ended.
But pitching? Itll be a long season from that point of view.
The buzz over hyped prospect Jarred Kelenic has gotten LOUD, so this feels like a good spot for a team that will probably be among the bottom-dwellers, although they do have Ty France (who hit .309 last season), former first-round pick Taylor Trammell and, oh yeah, AL rookie of the year Kyle Lewis. Also: is THIS the year Justus Sheffield starts putting together a breakout?
Hmm. Maybe they should be higher?
Will they be worse than some of the teams lower on this list? Probably not.
But this is a team full of vets thats also trying to look toward the future. So while Ill tune in to see Mike Yastrzemski and Mauricio Dubon mash, Im not exactly getting excited about Evan Longoria, Brandon Crawford and past-his-prime Buster Posey.
A bad team with some fun youngsters > a mediocre older team. Fantasy baseball managers can turn their noses up at Adalberto Mondesi (note: please dont), but dude has stolen 91 bases in his past three seasons. Whit Merrifield continues to be one of the more well-rounded players in the game. Can Jorge Soler get back to his 2019 form when he nearly hit 50 dingers?
Oh and I CANT WAIT for Bobby Witt Jr. to come up.
Underrated, even here. Zac Gallen when hes healthy is one of the best young arms in baseball, Josh Rojas has been hot all spring, Ketel Marte is a season removed from .329-32-92 and 10 swipes, Tim Locastro is speedy Ill tune in!
The pitching stinks, blah blah blah, whatever.
Trevor Story is still there (for now), and hes a superstar. And you know youre going to get all kinds of offensive fireworks in Colorado, so I dont expect anything different given the lineup filled with names like Raimel Tapia, Ryan McMahon, Brendan Rodgers, C.J. Cron (can he hit 40 in the mountain air?) and vet Charlie Blackmon.
(Whispers) I dont think last year was a fluke.
Now, that doesnt mean theyre making the playoffs. All those jokes before the abbreviated 2020 season turned into a reality as the small-sample-size Marlins made the postseason.
What Im saying is: among the young, rebuilding teams, this ones the one I want to tune in for the most (and as a New York Mets fan, Ill see them plenty!). From the promise of Jazz Chisholm to a starting staff that we could be talking about as the best in the game in a few years, Im in.
I am aware Im going to get destroyed by North Siders for this one, but heres the thing: its sort of a known quantity. And while thats not the worst thing, it takes the level of excitement down.
Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo arent in their primes. The pitching staff is good (I love Kyle Hendricks and Zach Davies but theyre not known for their electric stuff. This is a team built for defense). Javier Baez is still so much fun to watch, but Im just not that excited beyond him.
I love Wrigley, though. Does that help?
Another team whose fanbase will no doubt write me angry letters/tweets.
But from a watchability standpoint, I think theres better out there right now. And this is zero offense to Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez (the latter of whom will hopefully get back to hitting .300 and sending baseballs into orbit). Im also hopeful that this is finally the year Franchy Corderos sweet swing makes an impact. The return of Chris Sale is intriguing.
That said, Im more into the teams below.
I want so badly to throw this team higher with a great mix of young pitchers (Luis Castillo in the rotation and Tejay Antone, Amir Garrett) and a group of hitters who play in a park made for dingers. And then theres Joey Votto, who may be older but is still entertaining.
While they might be not that great from a standings point of view, theyll be more entertaining than the teams above.
This is where it gets extremely tough for me. There are an endless amount of storylines here: Ageless Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright. Jack Flaherty and Jordan Hicks dazzling on the mound. Is Nolan Arenado going to prove playing outside of Denver will work? Are Dylan Carlson and Tyler ONeill the real deal?
Theres also some real flop potential here and the schadenfreude that comes with it for non-Cards fans. This might be rating them too low.
Three words: Bryce. Harper. Swing.
Thats a good reason to watch this team. So is Aaron Nola pitching but whatever. Star power counts for a lot in these rankings.
With the As, its always a fun, weird ride, a how did they do that?! kind of feeling when you see them contend. And they could do it again this year with Matt Olson, Matt Chapman and two of my favorite young hurlers in Frankie Montas and Jesus Luzardo.
Brandon Woodruff and Corbin Burnes are one of baseballs best young 1-2 punches. Devin Williams and Josh Hader out of the bullpen are a nightmare for opponents. And thats before we get to former MVP Christian Yelich.
Also, Keston Hiura might be a star.
Heres a team with fun but train-wreck potential now that Francisco Lindor is gone Jose Ramirez is still terrific and dont underestimate Eddie Rosario and Franmil Reyes. The bullpen has three amazing arms. Shane Bieber, Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale are all great. As a Mets fan, I can tell you Andres Gimenez is going to be awesome.
But they might be bad after so many years of contending.
That offense, oh my goodness, THAT OFFENSE! Cavan Biggio, Bo Bichette, Vlad Guerrero Jr. (maybe THIS is the year he hits a million homers), Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Teoscar Hernandez, Rowdy Tellez and new addition George Springer. WHEWWWWWWWWWWW.
The pitching is very iffy. So very watchable up to that point.
I hate myself for putting them this low. Were talking about Mike Trout, who is still the games biggest superstar. Were also talking about the chance to watch Shohei Ohtani become a two-way stud on the mound and at the plate.
But the Angels arent going to be very good. That holds them back.
Juan Soto. Trea Turner. Even if theyre not what they once were, lets add Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg into the mix. A real fun team to follow.
Just a top-to-bottom fun team to watch, as Nelson Cruz continues to crush baseballs at the age of 40, Byron Buxton continues his breakout, Miguel Sano does the same and a staff that now has Kenta Maeda as its ace.
The team you love to hate gets this high ranking for that very reason, although they also happen to be a very, very talented team you love to hate.
Goodness, this team is just so fun. Between Randy Arozarenas breakout last year to Brandon Lowes huge 2020, the possibility of Wander Franco coming up this year and the how the heck do they keep doing this?! feeling I love it all.
Fine. Im biased. Whatever.
But Francisco Lindor is a superstar. Pete Alonso hits baseballs very, very far. Jacob deGrom is the best pitcher in the game. Steve Cohens tweets are amazing. And of course, with this team, theres always the chance it falls apart. Welp.
One of the best young groups of players in the league may be about to explode. Even with Eloy Jimenez out with injury, Andrew Vaughn might be a terrific replacement. Luis Robert, Yoan Moncada, Nick Madrigal, Luis Giolito this team is STACKED.
And I live for Tim Anderson batflips.
The question: how will Tony La Russa manage this team? Ill be watching for that, too.
So much of this ranking is because of Ronald Acuna, but lets give some love to Marcell Ozuna, Freddie Freeman and the rest of this lineup. Their pitching staff is mega-deep and filled with young future stars Max Fried, Mike Soroka and Ian Anderson. Whats not to love?
As usual, the powerhouse to watch with a lineup that can mash 1-through-9. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton hitting balls is a thrill. The pitching is superior. A well-oiled machine. Why arent they higher? Some thoughts below.
Of course. Its like watching an All-Star game every night. Thats it.
Read more from the original source:
MLB rankings: All 30 teams on Opening Day ranked by watchability - For The Win
- Anthony Flaherty Obituary - Boston., MA. - Boston Herald - May 22nd, 2024 [May 22nd, 2024]
- Newsworthy people and performances for Nov. 27, 2023 - Mainebiz - November 28th, 2023 [November 28th, 2023]
- Which MLB Organization is the Best at Developing Pitching Talent? - Bleacher Report - May 22nd, 2023 [May 22nd, 2023]
- MADAM LUCY, DECEASED A New Musical To Be Presented On ... - Broadway World - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP: Monday's Cape Cod scores and ... - Cape Cod Times - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- 5 Jeremy Strong movies and TV shows to watch as Succession set to end in May 2023 - Sportskeeda - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Nola pitches Phillies past Astros in World Series rematch - The Associated Press - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- College football recruiting: Michigan's hot streak highlights this week's Power Five commitments - 247Sports - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Election 2023: Here is every council candidate standing in Northern ... - Belfast News Letter - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Edman hits game-ending single as Cardinals beat Pirates 5-4 - The Daily Times - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP: South Shore scores and highlights from ... - The Patriot Ledger - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Over 118000 from 'Trucking for Creeslough' is presented - Donegal Live - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Top Starting Pitcher Prospects - Impact Fantasy Baseball Rookies for 2023 (NL Central) - RotoBaller - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP: Tuesday's scores and highlights - The Patriot Ledger - April 9th, 2023 [April 9th, 2023]
- .@FusionLax Wednesday boys' summaries - UPDATED ... - Philly Lacrosse - April 9th, 2023 [April 9th, 2023]
- Lacrosse vs Detroit Mercy on 3/25/2023 - Box Score - University of ... - Utah Athletics - March 28th, 2023 [March 28th, 2023]
- Area briefs: SU's Bell gets second weekly ODAC honor - The Winchester Star - March 28th, 2023 [March 28th, 2023]
- Real estate transactions - Arkansas Online - March 28th, 2023 [March 28th, 2023]
- Capital City baseball looking forward to full season at home field - Jefferson City News Tribune - March 23rd, 2023 [March 23rd, 2023]
- Hay River highrise stars in new book and exhibition - Cabin Radio - March 23rd, 2023 [March 23rd, 2023]
- Deaths in Longford - Thursday, March 23, 2023 - Longford Live - Longford Live - March 23rd, 2023 [March 23rd, 2023]
- Skyland Conference Boys Basketball Coaches All-Star Selections, 2022-23 - NJ.com - March 20th, 2023 [March 20th, 2023]
- Honoring Our Own Celebrates Those Who Make a Difference - San Diego County Office of Education - March 20th, 2023 [March 20th, 2023]
- Colin Flaherty gets sent off with a song | San Diego Reader - March 12th, 2023 [March 12th, 2023]
- In Memoriam: Colin Flaherty Cheerful Chronicler of Black ... - February 10th, 2023 [February 10th, 2023]
- Colin Flaherty: Cops Are Really Concerned That White People ... - February 10th, 2023 [February 10th, 2023]
- Norwalk Board of Education selects new leader - thehour.com - December 19th, 2022 [December 19th, 2022]
- God Has My Back - American Renaissance - October 5th, 2022 [October 5th, 2022]
- 30th Anniversary Edition of the Hamptons International Film Festival Announces Full 2022 Slate - Awards Daily - September 17th, 2022 [September 17th, 2022]
- The Limerick maestro at the furnace of Offaly's road towards hurling salvation - Limerick Live - July 4th, 2022 [July 4th, 2022]
- Participation is key for CIAW - Irish Echo - June 19th, 2022 [June 19th, 2022]
- Review: 'Ragtime' at TheatreWorks fires on all cylinders - Palo Alto Online - June 17th, 2022 [June 17th, 2022]
- Celebrity birthdays for the week of June 19-25 - Star Tribune - June 13th, 2022 [June 13th, 2022]
- Hanover High School Class of 2022 told hard work beats good luck - The Patriot Ledger - June 5th, 2022 [June 5th, 2022]
- Weymouth High School Class of 2022 called resilient and perseverant - The Patriot Ledger - June 5th, 2022 [June 5th, 2022]
- Who is the Taunton Daily Gazette Player of the Week for May 23-28 - Taunton Daily Gazette - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- South Shore high school sports scores and highlights from May 27 - The Patriot Ledger - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- West Genesee, Westhill lead sweep of baseball sectional openers - Eagle News Online - May 29th, 2022 [May 29th, 2022]
- Celebrating the Class of 2022 | | herald-review.com - Herald & Review - May 29th, 2022 [May 29th, 2022]
- Westfield wins first-ever Unified track sectional Hamilton County Reporter - ReadTheReporter.com - May 23rd, 2022 [May 23rd, 2022]
- NHL Rumors: Winnipeg Jets, and the Ottawa Senators - MyNHLTradeRumors.com - May 20th, 2022 [May 20th, 2022]
- Corkbeg are now in pole position after big win over Waterloo in AUL Premier A league - EchoLive.ie - May 20th, 2022 [May 20th, 2022]
- How did the Rays run out of starting pitching after four games? - Tampa Bay Times - April 17th, 2022 [April 17th, 2022]
- MLB predictions 2022: Final standings, playoff projections, World Series odds for every team - Sporting News - April 14th, 2022 [April 14th, 2022]
- Osky golfers looking to replace top two from state team - Yahoo News - April 2nd, 2022 [April 2nd, 2022]
- 'She saved thousands of lives': Documentary pays tribute to HPV vaccine campaigner Laura Brennan - TheJournal.ie - April 2nd, 2022 [April 2nd, 2022]
- Local roundup: Lock Haven softball tops Holy Family in both games of a doubleheader - Williamsport Sun-Gazette - March 22nd, 2022 [March 22nd, 2022]
- The Stake Out (Seinfeld) - Wikipedia - February 3rd, 2022 [February 3rd, 2022]
- Colin Flaherty, Rest in Peace - American Renaissance - January 20th, 2022 [January 20th, 2022]
- Obituary for Colin Timothy Gallagher - January 20th, 2022 [January 20th, 2022]
- AN AWESOME AUTUMN: Find all of our Fall 2021 All-Scholastics here - The Patriot Ledger - January 20th, 2022 [January 20th, 2022]
- Hocking County real estate transfers | News | logandaily.com - Logan Daily News - December 28th, 2021 [December 28th, 2021]
- RedsXtra: Where do the Cincinnati Reds project in the NL Central next year? - The Cincinnati Enquirer - December 28th, 2021 [December 28th, 2021]
- Jared Taylor - American Renaissance - December 8th, 2021 [December 8th, 2021]
- San Diego roads that have disappeared, vanished movie palaces - San Diego Reader - December 8th, 2021 [December 8th, 2021]
- Norwalk Democrats appoint retired teacher to fill Board of Education seat - Thehour.com - December 8th, 2021 [December 8th, 2021]
- Jack Flaherty And Other Athletes Voice Displeasure With The Kyle Rittenhouse Verdict - Awesemo.com - November 26th, 2021 [November 26th, 2021]
- Hiring spree on the Hill - POLITICO - Politico - November 16th, 2021 [November 16th, 2021]
- Oscar International Race Packed With Powerhouse Contenders From Over 90 Countries - Variety - November 16th, 2021 [November 16th, 2021]
- BC High boys' soccer notches key shutout to move to brink of Catholic Conference title - The Boston Globe - October 16th, 2021 [October 16th, 2021]
- LeBlanc hurt, bullpen carries load as Cards edge Pirates 7 ... - October 2nd, 2021 [October 2nd, 2021]
- Wainwright extends mastery of Pirates in Cardinals' 3-0 win - September 30th, 2021 [September 30th, 2021]
- 30 popular boy names and their meanings - Motherly Inc. - August 21st, 2021 [August 21st, 2021]
- DATA MINING the TWITTER MINEFIELD Contact tracing RAMPING UP again UNPACKING the BALLOT INITIATIVES - Politico - August 5th, 2021 [August 5th, 2021]
- This week's top listing? A nearly $3M Milton home with a tennis court and 2 acres! - The Patriot Ledger - August 5th, 2021 [August 5th, 2021]
- Tipperary deaths and funeral details, July 19 - TipperaryLive.ie - July 25th, 2021 [July 25th, 2021]
- One of the best events on the CYO calendar: Atlas Foundation Youth Golf Tournament a big success - SILive.com - July 17th, 2021 [July 17th, 2021]
- Senators Will Get Another Chance to Ask About China Donations to Penn Biden Center - National Legal and Policy Center - July 13th, 2021 [July 13th, 2021]
- Graduates told to 'Always carry a bit of Hanover with you' - The Patriot Ledger - June 6th, 2021 [June 6th, 2021]
- Happenings whats coming up in Northeast Ohio starting June 4 - News-Herald.com - June 2nd, 2021 [June 2nd, 2021]
- HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL: Shen defeats Saratoga 4-2 to win Battle of I-87 after a nearly two-year hiatus - The Saratogian - June 1st, 2021 [June 1st, 2021]
- Track and field: Hen Hud and Somers big winners of regionalized Westchester championships - The Journal News - June 1st, 2021 [June 1st, 2021]
- Vote for the Blue Water Area Athlete of the Week - The Times Herald - May 29th, 2021 [May 29th, 2021]
- HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP: Hammons and Proto help Barnstable baseball to win - Cape Cod Times - May 29th, 2021 [May 29th, 2021]
- Litchfield students named to third-quarter honor roll - Torrington Register Citizen - May 18th, 2021 [May 18th, 2021]
- Division 1-2 baseball preview: North Andover ready for another run - Boston Herald - May 15th, 2021 [May 15th, 2021]
- Unveiling the 2020-2021 Patriot Ledger Boys Hockey All-Scholastic Team - The Patriot Ledger - May 3rd, 2021 [May 3rd, 2021]
- Coventry eager to get its baseball season going - Journal Inquirer - April 10th, 2021 [April 10th, 2021]
- Bill Polian: Giants have to add to offensive line SB Nation Sports - Reverb MSN Music - April 2nd, 2021 [April 2nd, 2021]
- 2021 boys track and field team capsules - The Morning Journal - March 26th, 2021 [March 26th, 2021]