MLB Power Rankings: Preseason, Part 2

FanHouse breaks down the who's who and the what's what of the baseball world each week with our MLB Power Rankings.

Spring Training is always a time of year when false hopes or false assumptions are built based on performance. It might Jeff Francoeur lacing the ball, for instance. Or Yovani Gallardo stinking the joint up. But it is also a time of year when season-altering injuries are revealed. For instance, Alex Rodriguez will miss the first 10 weeks of the season because of surgery. Chipper Jones is dealing with an oblique injury. Oh, and this Manny Ramirez guy signed with the Dodgers. So even though it might seem premature to react in a knee-jerk fashion, it's not.

Hence, we have our second installment of preseason MLB Power Rankings, just to keep your jones going for America's pastime.

• 1. Rays | Previous Week: 1
  Let's see, the Red Sox are concerned about Mike Lowell, David Ortiz and Jason Varitek. The Yankees are going to be without A-Rod and aren't even sure Jorge Posada can catch. What major performance or health-related questions do the Rays have? Fernando Perez? Tampa Bay might not have the most star power, but it has the least downside in the loaded AL East. --Andrew Johnson
  
• 2. Phillies| Previous Week: 5
  Originally, I wanted to put the Phillies at first or second because, well, they are the defending world champs. Injuries ensured that, as the Phils watched a set of teams fall past them. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Chase Utley is poised to start the season opener, meaning Philadelphia's potent lineup will be at full strength early on. -- Will Brinson
  
• 3. Red Sox | Previous Week: 4
  It's remarkable how Boston has shifted from an offensive juggernaut to a team built on pitching even within their recent run of success this decade. The Red Sox offense has some question marks, though it still figures to be formidable, but the starting rotation runs eight deep. It might not be the best group from Nos. 1-5 in the division, but it is unquestionably the deepest. -- AJ
• 4. Cubs | Previous Week: 8
  Honestly, it's more what the other teams in the division haven't done than what the Cubs have done that puts them near the top. The NL Central was basically stagnant over the winter. The Cubs at least got Milton Bradley, who should fill in for Jim Edmonds' missing bat nicely. I don't think the Cubs are a 95-win team again this year, but they don't need to be to win the Central. --Pat Lackey
  
• 5. Mets| Previous Week: 3
  Johan Santana could quite easily come back and pitch superbly on Thursday. Alternately, he could limp around the mound, half the city of New York could hold its collective breath, the Mets could plummet further down the rankings and the NL East could suddenly become very interesting. That's the beauty of publishing something on a Wednesday. -- WB
  
• 6. Yankees | Previous Week: 2
  Sorry, the A-Rod injury knocks them down a peg. The Bronx Bombers are much improved, particularly in their rotation with CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett in the fold, but they are going to be without their most talented player for at least a month in a division that offers them virtually no room for error. -- AJ
  
• 7. Indians | Previous Week: 11
  One of the big concerns about the Tribe this season was Grady Sizemore and his ever shrinking batting average the last couple of seasons. Well, so far this spring Grady is putting those fears to rest. He's hitting .600 so far and Jhonny Peralta and Victor Martinez are swinging the bat well too. As for the pitching staff, Fausto Carmona seems to be returning to 2007 form, though Cliff Lee's 18.00 ERA is a concern. Thankfully it's only Spring Training and pitchers are just trying to get their arms ready for the season. -- Tom Fornelli
  
• 8. Diamondbacks | Previous Week: 9
  This is still a young, up-and-coming team. Nearly the entire lineup is younger than 27. The starting rotation is strong from top to bottom and the bullpen has depth. With quality growth from the young guys, these guys could compete for the best record in the National League. -- Matt Snyder
  
• 9. Braves | Previous Week: 6
  It's really Chipper that has everyone (but not me, apparently) scared. Jones' oblique strain might as well come with a t-shirt that says "lingering" on it. On the other hand, the pitching staff -- particularly Derek Lowe -- seems to be settling in, and by all accounts, Francoeur is poised for a breakout, having mimicked Jones' batting stance and approach at the plate. -- WB
  
• 10. Dodgers | Previous Week: 15
  That giant sigh of relief you heard this week was Dodgers fans when they finally re-signed Manny. Without him their offense would have had a huge void, but now it's well-rounded and looks above average. The starting rotation, though, has lots of questions -- outside Chad Billingsley, of course. -- MS
  
• 11. Angels | Previous Week: 7
  This may be too low for the Angels, really. However, when a team's star player accidentally admits that he's been lying about his age for 15-some years, and the team admits they know about it too, well, who's to say that Brian Fuentes isn't really right-handed? Oh, there's also the fact that Ervin Santana is starting the season on the disabled list. -- WB
  
• 12. Brewers | Previous Week: 10
  This club could really go either way here. If Manny Parra and Yovani Gallardo break out and Mat Gamel adapts to big league pitching quickly, they could battle the Cubs for the top of the division or at least fight for the wild card again. If they have any injuries in the rotation and they get off to a slow start like last year, they could find themselves in a world of trouble because of their lack of pitching depth. -- PL
  
• 13. Athletics | Previous Week: 12
  Let me make this plain and simple: If your team needs to sign Nomar Garciaparra to improve its offense, then you have a problem. And you will be falling in the rankings. The A's did add Orlando Cabrera as well, though, and as Alper put it, they're gosh darn intriguing right now. I still need to see how Matt Holliday can hit away from Coors though. -- WB
  
• 14. Cardinals | Previous Week: 13
  The Albert Pujols show. A lot here depends on how Ryan Ludwick follows up his breakout from last season and how Chris Carpenter comes back from all of his arm troubles. Even if everything clicks perfectly, I don't think they're deep enough to challenge the Cubs at the top of the division. -- PL
  
• 15. Twins | Previous Week: 14
  The Twins are always a threat but so far this spring they've had some bad breaks. Boof Bonser is already out for the year, which will not help the team fix a broken bullpen that cost them many a victory last season and, ultimately, the division. Oh, and then there's Joe Mauer who is battling back pain already. That's never a good thing for a catcher. If there's any good news, it's that Francisco Liriano is dealing and Nick Blackburn and Glen Perkins haven't allowed a run yet this spring. -- TF
  
• 16. Giants | Previous Week: 17
  How do you gain at least one spot in the prestigious FanHouse MLB Power Rankings? You have your blossoming young ace, one Tim Lincecum, do a video game commercial with a digitized version of himself that manages to morph itself into one of the funnier Dugouts I've read in a while, that's how. -- MS
  
• 17. White Sox | Previous Week: 24
  There were a lot of concerns about the White Sox pitching staff going into the spring, but the defending AL Central champions have been getting good news so far. Both Bartolo Colon and Jose Contreras are way ahead of schedule in their rehab, and Jeff Marquez has been very impressive in his starts. Clayton Richard has also been throwing the ball well as he fights for a spot in the rotation. As for the lineup, first-round draft pick Gordon Beckham is killing the ball and may force the team to put him on the roster right out of spring training, forget the minor leagues. -- TF
  
• 18. Tigers | Previous Week: 22
  It's hard to get a real read on the Tigers right now because just about everybody in the lineup who matters is playing in the WBC. For those who are still around, though, well, it's not that great. Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson, and Nate Robertson have only been average this spring, though all are healthy, so I guess it depends on how you want to look at it. The good news is that Rick Porcello is pitching well enough to earn a spot in the rotation. -- TF
  
• 19. Marlins | Previous Week: 19
  There are still two problems with the Florida Marlins, despite the young, talent-laden roster. One, there are pretty high expectations after an impressive 2008 season. And two, the NL East is very good. Combine those and you have to understand that as excited as you might want to get for this team, tempering early season expectations is probably the smarter play.
  
• 20. Reds| Previous Week: 18
  Add exciting prospects, mix crappy veterans, shake vigorously and hope for the best. That appears to be Walt Jocketty's plan this year. As exciting as Jay Bruce and Joey Votto are, Willy Taveras and Ramon Hernandez are not. If everything falls in to place perfectly with their pitching staff, they could surprise people, but there are too many question marks right now. -- PL
  
• 21. Orioles| Previous Week: 25
  Pitching is going to be tough for the O's to find all year, but an offense with Matt Wieters and a rapidly improving Adam Jones could be one of the better ones in the American League (seriously), and an outfield featuring Jones, Nick Markakis and recent acquisition Felix Pie could do wonders with the glove. -- AJ
  
• 22. Nationals | Previous Week: 23
  Jim Bowden recently resigned from the Nationals under heavy, heavy scrutiny. So, here's the question: Is that a good or bad thing? Frankly, I think Bowden is kind of "meh," myself, so I'll say good. Also, Adam Dunn hit a ridiculously awesome tater in the WBC, so they gain a spot! -- WB
  
• 23. Royals | Previous Week: 21
  Thankfully it's only Spring Training because Mike Jacobs' .222 average and Alex Gordon's .200 aren't very pleasing to Royals fans. The good news is that Coco Crisp is hitting .421, which would look very nice on top of the lineup when the real action starts. As for the pitching staff, Joakim Soria is still untouchable, Kyle Davies seems to have carried over the momentum from his strong finish and Luke Hochevar is putting up a good fight for a rotation spot. On the flip side, Brian Bannister is punching a ticket to Omaha. -- TF
  
• 24. Blue Jays | Previous Week: 16
  They did nothing to upgrade their offense this winter and the starting pitching, which has been such a strength over the last few years, could be very touch and go in 2009. Roy Halladay still heads the rotation, but Shaun Marcum is likely out for the entire season and Dustin McGowan's status is up in the air. If the pitching collapses, the Jays could be headed for last place. -- AJ
  
• 25. Rockies| Previous Week: 20
  That magical World Series run is a distant memory. The offense is decent, defense is good -- but not great -- and the starting rotation is just plain bad. Even if everyone plays to their absolute ceiling, the Rockies are going to realize this is the year to part with Todd Helton and Garrett Atkins -- looking to hand the keys over to Dexter Fowler, Ian Stewart, and the next wave of youth. -- MS
  
• 26. Rangers| Previous Week: 27
  Omar Vizquel, in case you missed the news, hunts anacondas. Anacondas, man! Do you realize how tough Elvis Andrus is going to be by the time Vizquel finishes mentoring the young fella? Also, Ian Kinsler, Chris Davis and Josh Hamilton continue to grow on me as a ridiculous offensive core. -- WB
  
• 27. Astros| Previous Week: 26
  This is where it starts to fall apart for Ed Wade in Houston. He Macguyvered this club into contention last year with chewing gum, Randy Wolf, LaTroy Hawkins, and some duct tape, but their farm system is barren and their major league roster is aging. It wouldn't be a shock to see them finish below the Pirates. -- PL
  
• 28. Pirates| Previous Week: 29
  And that's saying something about the Astros, because the Pirates could be really bad. They didn't significantly upgrade a team that finished 10-27 after the Jason Bay and Xavier Nady trades, and they're mostly counting on improvement of existing players to avoid their second 100-loss season of the decade while the front office rebuilds the farm system. I think they can probably do that, but I wouldn't hold my breath for much more. -- PL
  
• 29. Mariners| Previous Week: 28
  2008, as we recently discovered, could not have possibly gone worse for the Mariners. The team stunk and they lost $4.5 million. They harbored more ill will by refusing to let Adrian Beltre play in the WBC, and now word has leaked that pitching phenom Brandon Morrow may be injured. Just a great time to be a Seattle sports fan right now. -- WB
  
• 30. Padres | Previous Week: 30
  The Padres season preview made me rethink the prospect of just how horrible this team is ... kind of. It just doesn't seem possible that two years ago, they were the reigning NL West champions and now they're the worst team in baseball. But it turns out, they really are. -- WB