[情報] The 10 best teams

[Westmoreland (Westy)]

http://t.co/PogBvAE2  ESPN's Buster Olney


1. Tampa Bay Rays

There's a lot that the Rays don't know about their 2012 lineup -- the
identity of the first baseman, for example, or the designated hitter. They
could use another catcher. But here's what the Rays do know: Barring
injury, they will throw out a starting pitcher capable of dominance on
most days. Dominance.

This is not a rotation of 4 2/3 innings and four-run performances; this is
a rotation that led the AL in starters' ERA last year despite inhabiting
the same division as three of the nine highest-scoring lineups in the
majors. Tampa Bay's starters led the American League in strikeouts,
innings and WHIP, and held opponents to a .235 batting average. This is a
rotation that has James Shields, David Price and AL Rookie of the Year
Jeremy Hellickson.

And into this mix the Rays will now add Matt Moore, who has the numbers
and the ability of Stephen Strasburg but hasn't had the advance hype. It's
worth reviewing all the numbers he put up in 2011, in the minors (155
innings) and majors (19.1, regular season and playoffs) combined:

Innings: 174.1
Hits: 113
Walks: 52
Strikeouts: 233
ERA: 1.91

The Rays won't have a dynamic offense, but they will (as usual) have one
of the best defenses, and they should benefit from having Evan Longoria
healthy in the first half of the year -- he was greatly hampered last
season -- as well as a full season of Desmond Jennings, who had an OPS-
plus of 128 in 63 games last summer.

Look, the limitations for the Rays are inherent within the confines of
their relatively miniscule payroll. A major injury to one of their core
position players -- Longoria or Ben Zobrist -- would be crushing. The New
York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will probably add more before the trade
deadline than the Rays, as they usually do. But the Rays' starting
pitching makes them extremely dangerous, and as we sit here on New Year's
Day 2012, they are the best team in the majors.

The coming weeks will get interesting for the Rays, writes Marc Topkin.


2. Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies won't have Ryan Howard until sometime in midseason, and given
the streaky nature of his production, they really don't know how much
they'll get out of him after he comes back.

They would love to find an alternative to the oft-injured Placido Polanco.

But as we saw in 2011, great pitching cures a lot of other ills, and the
Phillies have the three monsters -- Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole
Hamels -- and a new and established closer in Jonathan Papelbon.


3. Texas Rangers

The Rangers probably have more depth than any other organization, and they
will be needed this year as they sort through new rotation and bullpen
alignments.

Yu Darvish is not yet signed, but rival executives don't believe he has
much leverage and will eventually work out a deal.


4. New York Yankees

A year ago, the Yankees had major rotation questions, which prompted the
rash signing of Rafael Soriano -- and New York went on to win a league-
high 97 games. Ivan Nova is now established, and the Yankees feel good
about the chances of Phil Hughes rebounding.

The promotion of Jesus Montero into the big leagues should provide a boost
for an offense that finished second in run production last year.

And the Yankees continue to hoard the prospects of an improving farm
system and wait for a deal for a big-time starting pitcher to develop.


5. Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks' signature now is depth -- in its rotation, in its
lineup, in its bullpen, in its stash of young pitching prospects.

It's an organization on the rise.


6. Boston Red Sox

For all of its trouble, Boston should continue to be a strong regular-
season team because of its extraordinary run production.

How far the Red Sox advance, in the summer and perhaps into October, will
depend largely on how Bobby Valentine's pitching staff comes together.

Daniel Bard could be a major addition for the rotation, but an innings-
eater for the rotation is needed.


7. St. Louis Cardinals

They won the World Series after running down the Atlanta Braves for the
wild card, and as hard as it is to imagine now that Albert Pujols has
left, the Cardinals might actually be a better team in 2012.

Adam Wainwright is back, the bullpen is settled, and the emergence of
David Freese and the addition of Carlos Beltran should bolster the
offense.


8. Detroit Tigers

They are built around two superstars, Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera,
who have a solid supporting cast -- catcher Alex Avila, closer Jose
Valverde, designated hitter Victor Martinez and Brennan Boesch.

It doesn't hurt, either, that the Tigers play in one of the weakest
divisions in baseball.


9. Los Angeles Angels

The Angels' rotation is spectacular, with Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, C.J.
Wilson and Ervin Santana.

But there are questions at the back end of the bullpen, and some scouts
wonder if the right-handedness of the everyday lineup will eventually
become a serious problem.

Kendrys Morales could help balance the lineup, but it's unknown when or if
he'll be back in the lineup.


10. San Francisco Giants

The Giants continue to have an excellent rotation and bullpen, and Buster
Posey is back at catcher.


Best of the rest: The Nationals, who would jump into the top 10 if they
signed Fielder.


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→ Westmoreland:貼完了. rotation 部份請往前找
推 evic1224:NYY跌出前三了...
推 mess0706:結果到最後還是Rotation決勝 XD
→ KINGTIGERX:最後似乎在暗示啥…
推 Valter:NYY因為Rotation落榜所以名次大跌
推 Schnell:NYY差一點點前三制霸了
推 f750319s:NYY ...
推 OoyaoO:NYY去年的輪值是中大獎 一個菜鳥兩個老人都交出好成績
推 ARODisGod:I don't think so
推 mingchaio:各科分數都在前三名,最後總分竟然沒有前三=口=
→ Valter:樓上往前找一下The 10 best rotations就知道了
推 linmelissa:洋基第4@@
推 Yukirin:輪值差太多了
→ Westmoreland:其實以這份排名的基準, 最怪的是 Phillies 輸 Rays
推 abc12812:還真愛蛇蛇
→ waijr:便宜好用阿 Rays的預算人人出得起 但要有他的競爭力不容易
推 jacky77437:RAYS太便宜吧 CP值太高了
推 catsondbs:這是insider的內容 感謝推
推 charlie01:前幾哪有什麼差 打了才算數呀 XD
推 Sechslee:感謝推