Ranking each division and predicting the standings for the 2015 season

In what has been a busy offseason, many teams have improved themselves for 2015, and almost every team feels that they have a chance to make the playoffs.  Some teams have made minor improvements (i.e. the Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, and Toronto Blue Jays), and some have made major improvements (i.e. the San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox, and Miami Marlins).  All in all, very few teams have become “sellers”, and there seem to be only three teams that are truly making an effort to rebuild.  But how do the six divisions stack up against one another?  The answer to that comes as follows:

6. American League East: Out of the six divisions in baseball, there is not doubt that the weakest is the AL East.  This once-strong division has truly dwindled down, which can be clearly seen by the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays.  For years, these two teams were winning 90 games each, and giving each other heavy competition to see who would win the division.  However, the Yankees have just gotten older and the Rays have begun to rebuild, leaving the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays to be the only true competitors. Out of those three teams, the Red Sox have definitely won the award for most improved team in the division with the acquisitions of Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandaval, Wade Miley, Rick Porcello, and Justin Masterson.  The Blue Jays, the second most improved team, have made a splash as well, signing Canada native Russell Martin and trading for Josh Donaldson.  The Orioles have lost two major parts of their team, Andrew Miller and Nelson Cruz, to free agency.  However, with a manager like Buck Showalter, it is still the Orioles’ division to lose.

Projected Standings:

1. Baltimore Orioles
2. Boston Red Sox
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. New York Yankees
5. Tampa Bay Rays

 

5. American League West: Some people may see the AL West as a competitive division, but in reality, there is only one true contender…the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  Sure, the Seattle Mariners have improved with the signing of former home run champion Cruz, but there are still too many gaps within the team’s roster for them to compete in the division.  The Oakland Athletics used to be a competitive team, but with all the moves their General Manager, Billy Beane, made this off-season, the A’s will surely struggle to get any higher than third place in the division.  The Texas Rangers on the other hand have done very little to improve themselves this offseason.  Although their demise in 2014 was mostly due to player injuries, they are in too tough of a division to compete.  The Astros also have done few to improve, and although the future is bright for them, the present is far from.

Projected Standings:

1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2. Seattle Mariners
3. Oakland Athletics
4. Houston Astros
5. Texas Rangers

 

4. National League Central: The media may make it sound like the NL Central has done a lot to improve itself, but in reality…it has not.  The most improved team in the division is the Chicago Cubs, and they have only truly improved their starting rotation and catcher so far this off-season.  Until they trade their shortstop, Starlin Castro, the team will not be ready to be a true competitor in the division.  As for the rest of the division, the St. Louis Cardinals are still a strong team, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are a force to be reckoned with, especially with the possibility of them having Korean Superstar Jung-Ho Kang as their shortstop.  But with all these strong/improving teams, the Reds now find themselves in a rough position, because they have done nothing but begin to dismantle their roster.

Predicted Standings:

1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Pittsburgh Pirates
3. Chicago Cubs
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Cincinnati Reds

3. National League East: With two rebuilding teams within the division, the NL East still has the potential to be one of the most competitive divisions in all of baseball.  The Washington Nationals are still a strong team, and there is little reason to think that they will not succeed in 2015.  The New York Mets have improved themselves to compete in the division alongside the Nationals.  By signing Michael Cuddyer, and with Matt Harvey and Bobby Parnell coming back from Tommy John’s Surgery, they seem to be just a shortstop away from making the post season.  As for the Miami Marlins, they also have greatly improved with their acquisitions of Matt Latos, Dee Gordon, Michael Morse, and possibly Dan Harren (though he claims he will retire if not traded back to the West Coast).  But as seen in their 2012 season, if fans continue not showing up to the ballpark, the team will not succeed to the extent they wish.  The Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves, on the other hand, have both begun to dismantle their rosters and rebuild for the future, so there is little reason to believe that they will compete in 2015.

Projected Standings:

1. Washington Nationals
2. New York Mets
3. Miami Marlins
4. Atlanta Braves
5. Philadelphia Phillies

2. National League West: Three of the past five World Series titles have been won by a National League West team, so there is no wonder that they are the second best division in baseball.  Although the Dodgers have lost players such as Ramirez, Gordon, and Harren, they have also gained a premier shortstop/lead off hitter in Jimmy Rollins and still have Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke at the top of their starting rotation.  Also, the Dodgers have gotten rid of their outfield problem by trading Matt Kemp to the San Diego Padres.  But Kemp is not the only player the Padres have acquired this offseason.  The Padres may be the most improved team going into 2015, with the recent acquisitions of Kemp, Justin Upton, Wil Myers, Derrek Norris, and Will Middlebroooks.  They still play in the hitters’ nightmare that is Petco Park, so getting the ultimate production out of these players will be tough.  As for the Arizona Diamondbacks, they have slightly improved with the signing of Cuban sensation Yasmany Tomas, but they also have lost players such as Didi Gregorious, Wade Miley, and others.  The fifth and final team in the division is the Colorado Rockies, and they do not seem to be going anywhere, and may even trade some of their star players such as Troy Tulowitzki.

Predicted Standings:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. San Francisco Giants
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. San Diego Padres
5. Colorado Rockies

1. American League Central: Believe it or not, the AL Central will be the most competitive and strongest division in 2015.  Starting with the Detroit Tigers, they may not have Max Scherzer, though a return has not been 100% ruled out.  They do have Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, J.D. Martinez, Yoenis Cespedes, and the up and coming star in Jose Iglesias.  The Kansas City Royals also have a lot going from them, because not only are they the defending American League champions, but they also have made improvements with the signings of Kendrys Morales and Alex Rios.  The Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins may not be the most competitive teams in baseball, but both of them do have slight potential to do well, or at least play spoiler by season’s end.  But most importantly, what may be one of the most improved teams in the Major Leagues this off-season, the Chicago White Sox will give the other teams in the division a run for their money.  The White Sox now have players such as Jose Abreu, Adam LaRoche, Jeff Samardzija, David Robertson, and Melky Cabrera on their roster, all of whom will help the Sox compete within the division.

Predicted Standings:

1. Kansas City Royals
2. Chicago White Sox
3. Detroit Tigers
4. Cleveland Indians
5. Minnesota Twins

Each and every division will be competitive in 2015, but some will be stronger than others.  The AL East is no longer what it used to be, and the AL Central has truly transformed itself within the past couple of months.  Not every team is ready for the post season, and some have prepared themselves for disaster in 2015.  But in the end, there is no doubt that 2015 will be another great season.