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MLB Power Rankings: Opening Week Edition

By Corey Adams

Mar 25, 2016; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard (34) delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during a spring training game at Tradition Field. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 25, 2016; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard (34) delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during a spring training game at Tradition Field. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Life without Reyes will be just fine

Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports /

6. . (0-0). Previous: . Philadelphia Phillies. 30. team

Atlanta Braves. 29. team. 17. . (0-0). Previous:

61. . (0-0). Previous: . Cincinnati Reds. 28. team

team. 76. . (0-0). Previous: . Milwaukee Brewers. 27

(0-0). Previous: . Colorado Rockies. 26. team. 108.

Rule number one of Spring Training: don’t pay attention to statistics. While I typically abide by this law, I can’t resist staring at Nolan Arenado’s numbers.

.566/.579/1.094, six homers, eight doubles, 16 RBI.

Coming off a monster 2015 season highlighted by a league-leading 130 RBI, Arenado is a legit MVP candidate, if the guy in Washington hits a roadblock. The 24-year-old also hit 42 homers, displaying the best pull-power in MLB. Forty of his 42 deep flies went to the left side of center field, and Fangraphs wrote a great analysis of his success on inside pitches, a whopping .436 ISO.

If not for Arenado’s silly spring stats, the lead story in Rockies camp would be Trevor Story. A 2011 first-round pick (45th overall), Story will be the starting shortstop on Opening Day after posting a .354/.426/.854 slash line with six dingers. Jose Reyes will presumably return to the team – unless he is suspended by the league – after his domestic abuse charge was dropped, but it’s Story’s job to lose after showcasing his pop and stellar defense.

Charlie Blackmon (17 HR, 43 stolen bases) and Carlos Gonzalez (27 HR, 62 RBI in second half) will complete the top-half of the lineup, and that’s pretty much where you draw the line.

Colorado is going to be bad for the sixth-straight season. Let’s not kid ourselves here. However, help isn’t too far away. Baseball America lists the Rockies as the sixth-best farm system, with nearly all of their Top 10 prospects expected to start at Double-A this year.

But until then, marvel at this guy:

Next: 25-21: Speed, power and Byron Buxton

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