Base Knock GM Power Rankings - AL

[D'backs GM (Kyle)]

Early this past month I asked each GM to send me a power ranking of each team in their League. I then inputted each ranking and averaged them out. I will post a few team breakdowns each day over the next week until we reach the number 1 ranked team.

3 out of the 14 AL GMs participated in this poll.  I added my own personally ranking of the AL to the list since there was so few GMs that participated.  Surprisingly there was still a good amount of parity in the AL list despite only having 4 lists contributing.  There was 1 consensus pick and it happened to be the number 1 ranked team.

[D'backs GM (Kyle)]

14. WHITE SOX




Average Rank: 12.75

Highest Rank: 10

Lowest Rank: 14

DBacks Kyle Rank: 13


Best Offseason Additions:

Melky Cabrera, Howie Kendrick, Edward Mujica


The new phase is upon us! That’s what you can hear the White Sox screaming. The Youth movement that this team has been building towards is on our doorsteps. Kris Bryant, Michael Taylor, and Daniel Norris are all starting the season on a Major league roster or should be (Bryant). This team has major holes at 1B, 3B, SS, and SP. However, they have some Major league talent that can be moved for younger pieces or to fill those holes. This team isn’t as bad as the Giants or Mets but they are one of the worst teams in the AL this season. A lot depends on what players get called up this season but I don’t personally see this team making too much noise. Watch out for next season AL Central because Kris Bryant and Crew will be coming for you!


KRIS BRYANT GUYS!

[D'backs GM (Kyle)]

13. INDIANS




Average Rank: 12.5

Highest Rank: 9

Lowest Rank: 14

DBacks Kyle Rank: 14


Best Offseason Additions:

Zach McAllister


The Indians have an interesting setup. They have two of the best players in the game, Giancarlo Stanton and Corey Kluber. They have a really good 2B and a couple of good closers. Outside of that they have holes. Their rotation and bullpen aren’t deep, they have an incomplete lineup, and no depth. This team has a good amount of talent in the farm however most of the talent is in the lower levels. This team has trade pieces they can move to make either their 25 man stronger or build the farm up even more. I don’t see them doing a whole lot of winning this year unless they make some trades to fill their holes.


100% of the League would love to build a team around Stanton and Kluber.

[D'backs GM (Kyle)]

12. YANKEES




Average Rank: 12.25

Highest Rank: 12

Lowest Rank: 13

DBacks Kyle Rank: 12


Best Offseason Additions:

Johnny Cueto, Steve Cishek, Dee Gordon


Last year’s worst team in the league is slowing making strides forward. They’ve been very aggressive in putting a full lineup on the field. They’ve got starters at most spots but still have some holes that need to be filled. The Yankees were working behind the eight ball this offseason as their team was not very good to begin with. However the additions of Cueto, Cishek, and Gordon give the team a good foundation to build off of. The Yankees aren’t ready to compete for a playoff spot this season but they are starting to move in the right direction.


Another offseason and we’ll see where this team is at.

[D'backs GM (Kyle)]

11. ATHLETICS




Average Rank: 9.5

Highest Rank: 4

Lowest Rank: 13

DBacks Kyle Rank: 10


Best Offseason Additions:

David Price, Alex Wood, Jonathan Niese, CJ Wilson, Kyle Lohse, Huston Street


Are the A’s the best they’ve ever been? Probably. Are they better than the Angels or the Rangers? Probably not. The toughest part for the A’s is the division they play in. It’s a who’s who of AL contenders. However, undaunted by this the A’s have done a masterful job of trading their way to improvement. The A’s will be running out a starting lineup with Wil Myers as their best hitter and David Price as their Ace. While the batting order is weak the pitching staff is pretty solid as they go 5 deep with legit starting pitchers. The bullpen is also pretty solid with Street leading the way. The down fall of this team is a weak batting order and no depth. The A’s will pose a problem for contending teams this year but they aren’t ready to start that playoff charge yet.


Can this team continue to trade off the future to contend now?

[D'backs GM (Kyle)]

10. RED SOX




Average Rank: 9

Highest Rank: 5

Lowest Rank: 11

DBacks Kyle Rank: 11


Best Offseason Additions:

Peter Bourjos, David DeJesus


All signs are pointing to the Red Sox finally being in rebuild mode. They posted a trade block that indicated the intent to rebuild and have made no moves to aggressively contend this season. The Red Sox have been contenders for years and the core of the last couple of year’s runs are getting older and at the end of their contracts. Cliff Lee’s injury and Ervin Santana’s suspension have sped up the end of this run even quicker. I expect the Red Sox to start making aggressive moves towards the future even though they’ve been radio silent since their last Trading Block. This team will directly affect the AL and NL playoff picture with the moves it does or in some cases doesn’t make.


Will they be as aggressive in rebuilding as they were in contending?

[D'backs GM (Kyle)]

9. TWINS




Average Rank: 8.75

Highest Rank: 7

Lowest Rank: 10

DBacks Kyle Rank: 9


Best Offseason Additions:

None


The Twins spent their big amount of cap space this offseason on making sure they locked up Scott Kazmir and Daniel Murphy. Outside of that the Twins did not sign anyone and have not made any trades. Despite the lack of moves the Twins are in a position of potentially contending this season for a playoff spot. They have an average batting order with starters at almost every position but no depth. They have 5 SP in their rotation but nothing outside of that. They have a solid bullpen but no depth outside of their starters. They don’t have anyone in the farm that’s on the cusp of being called up. The question with the Twins is are they intent at being middle of the road or are they willing to make moves to either try to contend or build to next season. There’s talent there, both vet and youth, but not enough as a whole to seriously compete with the big boys of the AL.


So are they half good or half bad?

[D'backs GM (Kyle)]

8. BLUE JAYS




Average Rank: 7.75

Highest Rank: 3

Lowest Rank: 12

DBacks Kyle Rank: 8


Best Offseason Additions:

Chris Tillman, Yan Gomes, Todd Frazier, Jason Kipnis, Mat Latos


The Blue Jays have been extremely active on the trade market this offseason to help fill out this team. In doing so they’ve managed to put together a pretty solid team. They’ve got a solid 5 man rotation, a good bullpen anchored by Papelbon, and some impact bats in the batting order. Their main problem is one that plaques a lot of teams, which is Depth. They only have 5 SPs, they are missing an everyday number 3 OF until Hamilton returns, and they practically have no farm to speak of. However, the team itself can matchup against most teams in the league. It’ll be interesting to see how the season goes for the Blue Jays but I personally think they are a contender for the AL East crown.


Another team that needs to make sure their players stay off of the training table.

[D'backs GM (Kyle)]

7. ROYALS




Average Rank: 6.5

Highest Rank: 4

Lowest Rank: 8

DBacks Kyle Rank: 7


Best Offseason Additions:

Hisashi Iwakuma, Michael Saunders


The always contending Royals looks set to be contending once again. This team seems to manage to constantly evolve year in and year out so that they are making a playoff run late in the season. They’ve got a good batting lineup with a couple of impact bats (Jose Reyes, Andrew McCutchen). Their bullpen is very good with Greg Holland as its anchor. They’ve got depth both on the major league squad and in the farm. Their one main weakness is in the starting rotation as they are currently throwing out a 3 man rotation while 3 of their other guys are on the DL. However, with a deep farm and depth that can move, one would think that the Royals would be aggressive buyers for SP.


Will they get over the AL hump that is the Angels?

[D'backs GM (Kyle)]

6. TIGERS




Average Rank: 6.25

Highest Rank: 4

Lowest Rank: 11

DBacks Kyle Rank: 4


Best Offseason Additions:

Erick Aybar, Miguel Gonzalez, Michael Morse


Say hello to my dark horse team in the AL. The Tigers put out a team with starters across the board and depth behind those starters at some positions. Their weakest position is either the OF or the SP. Neither of which is in horrible shape but both currently have injury problems. They will be in better shape if they can get Pence, Gavin Floyd, and Jaime Garcia healthy. They also have a handful of good specs with a couple of them in the high minors that could help the big league squad this season. They aren’t currently the favorite to win the AL but with some trades, some call ups, and a little bit of help they could possibly make their way thru.


This team would be even better if Wheeler hadn’t got hurt.

[D'backs GM (Kyle)]

5. MARINERS




Average Rank: 6

Highest Rank: 3

Lowest Rank: 10

DBacks Kyle Rank: 6


Best Offseason Additions:

Seth Smith, Aaron Hill, Zach Duke


Big names and roll players is the name of the game in Seattle. Some people call it the stars and scrubs method but either way you get the point. ENCARNACION, PUIG, KING FELIX, RYAN ZIMMERMAN, and then everyone else. They’ve got those big names and key role players that help fill out the team. However, they don’t have any depth and their pitching rotation that only goes 4 deep at this point. You factor in the fact that they’re in the same division as the Angels, Rangers, and improved A’s and there’s not much room for error.


Their 4 highest paid players (Encarnacion, Puig, Zimmerman, Felix) make up 76.86% of their cap.

[D'backs GM (Kyle)]

4. ORIOLES




Average Rank: 4.8

Highest Rank: 2

Lowest Rank: 8

DBacks Kyle Rank: 3


Best Offseason Additions:

Bryce Harper, Marcell Ozuna, Colby Rasmus, Robinson Cano


Talk about building an OF as quickly as possible. The Orioles did have a weak OF when free agency started. After a few trades they were sitting with a very good group. Obviously adding a talent like Cano will help their team as well as all the little bullpen moves they made. This team is very talented and could be a real challenger for the Angels AL Crown. The only things holding them back would be a shallow starting rotation and a bullpen lacking closer. I think the Orioles have a real shot this season if they can get another starter or two and/or an impact relief pitcher.


I’m excited to see what kind of trade magic Mike can pull off.

[D'backs GM (Kyle)]

3. RANGERS




Average Rank: 4.3

Highest Rank: 2

Lowest Rank: 7

DBacks Kyle Rank: 2


Best Offseason Additions:

Kurt Suzuki, Shin-Soo Choo, Pablo Sandoval, Ubaldo Jimenez


Is this team snake bitten? They have the unfortunate luck of being in the same division as the Angels, Rendon has a serious? injury, and key guys that were suppose to make starting rotations didn’t. However, despite all of that, the Rangers are still setup as one of the better teams in the AL. They’ve got some big bats in Martinez, Bautista, Rendon (when healthy), and Sandoval. They’ve got a good bullpen with Rodney as their anchor. Their obvious weakness however is their starting rotation. They’ve got no rotation depth and the guys they do have are not exactly aces. Basically they desperately need starting pitching.


Ubaldo could be the steal of free agency … or a waste of money. That is the Ubaldo way.

[D'backs GM (Kyle)]

2. RAYS




Average Rank: 3.75

Highest Rank: 2

Lowest Rank: 5

DBacks Kyle Rank: 5


Best Offseason Additions:

None


The above post of “None” is a little misleading as the Rays did sign some depth type players and did manage to resign Adrubal Cabrera, so it’s not like they weren’t active. It’s not like this team needed to make a lot of moves to begin with. They have a really good starting rotation that’s boosted by a few young starters. They have a couple of impact bats in Ortiz and Freeman. Generally there’s not much to complain about here. They need a 2B/SS to fill out their starting group and maybe an impact player in the bullpen. My main concern about this team is looking towards the future. This team should compete for a AL East division title this year and potentially an AL title, however a lot of their young talent go into arbitration next year. With that comes increased salaries and potentially losing players.


Will they make moves to improve this season or address their future cap problem?

[D'backs GM (Kyle)]

1. ANGELS




Average Rank: 1

Highest Rank: 1

Lowest Rank: 1

DBacks Kyle Rank: 1


Best Offseason Additions:

None


Defending AL Champ, defending World Series Champ, and owner of Mike Trout. That’s a pretty impressive sentence right there. What is there to say about this team? They’re good, really good, very good. So I’ll try to find some negatives about this team. Marcus Stroman’s injury hurt their pitching staff, there’s a lack of depth behind the starters, and they’re in a tough division. All that being said, I believe the real issue with this team is what it’s going to be after this season. The problem with building a World Series Champion is that it’s near impossible to keep it intact. They have a few impact players coming off the books after this season and they inch one year closer to the end of Trout’s arb contract. There’s my attempt at putting this team down. They are the AL favorite and the World Series favorite at this point until someone dethrones them.


Another Stroman type injury to a starter could open up a path for another team to win the AL.

[Braves GM (Jared)]

Killed it Kyle. You are the man