MLB power rankings: Where each team starts the 2022 season
As we count down to Opening Day for the 2022 Major League Baseball season, it’s time to unveil our first MLB power rankings of the year.
Let’s take a look at where each team fits into the first MLB power rankings of 2022
30. Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates were one of four MLB teams to finish last season with more than 100 losses. With Bryan Reynolds highlighting the roster, Pittsburgh will be watched throughout the season for any sign they’re ready to deal the All-Star outfielder.
29. Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore was one of the most frugal teams this offseason, spending just $7.9 million. The Orioles made a run on former Texas Rangers this offseason, inking Robinson Chirinos, Jordan Lyles, and Rougned Odor. Baltimore’s biggest bit of excitement this season will likely come from the debut of top prospect Adley Rutschman. Unfortunately for the Orioles, the American League East will be stacked this season.
28. Arizona Diamondbacks
With a contract extension handed out to Ketel Marte, the Diamondbacks now have their face of the near future in place. Can a veteran rotation and closer (new addition Mark Melancon) learn some new tricks under the eye of pitching whisperer Brent Strom, who worked magic during his time in Houston before heading to Arizona this offseason?
27. Cincinnati Reds
What a brutal offseason it has been for Cincinnati fans. There is hope with Jonathan India and Joey Votto on the roster, but a team that was so close to the postseason in 2021 has been dismantled. And the Reds aren’t spending in the offseason either, with $5.5 million coming in below the Orioles and ahead of Cleveland and Oakland.
26. Oakland A’s
Oakland and Cincinnati met in the 1972 and 1990 World Series. Neither will be back in the Fall Classic this season, but the two are certainly linked as teams that traded off critical pieces of their roster as a cost-cutting measure. Not only will it be interesting to see what the A’s do on the field, but also what happens with their stadium proposal and where they will call home next season.
25. Washington Nationals
Juan Soto is currently the favorite to win the National League MVP at WynnBet. His team, however, is one of the longest of the long shots to win the World Series. Enjoy the season the 23-year-old Soto puts together, and watch what 41-year-old Nelson Cruz does as the team’s designated hitter.
24. Cleveland Guardians
What comes next for Jose Ramirez? Will Cleveland choose to sign him to a long-term deal or will they see what kind of trade value he can bring? And how long will Bryan Shaw be able to keep up his incredible run of appearances at the back end of the Cleveland bullpen? So many questions for a team that has watched the rest of the American League Central get stronger this offseason.
23. Colorado Rockies
Colorado’s rebuilt outfield now includes Kris Bryant and Randal Grichuk, boosting the potential for power in a group of outfielders who didn’t provide much pop last season. Sam Hilliard led the group in homers last season with 14, even outpacing Charlie Blackmon’s 13 in what was a down season for the veteran bearded wonder.
22. Miami Marlins
There is plenty of potential in Miami, if the Marlins can put it all together. Playing in the National League East, however, won’t help a team that lost 95 games last season. The additions of Jorge Soler, Avisail Garcia, and Jacob Stallings, however, give reasons for thinking better days are ahead in south Florida in 2022.
21. Kansas City Royals
The 48 home runs off the bat of Salvador Perez were some big highlights for the Royals last season. This year, the attention turns to the next generation of Royals, including catcher MJ Melendez, who could make things very interesting behind the plate with Perez coming off his impressive season. What happens at catcher in Kansas City will be very interesting to watch this season.
20. Chicago Cubs
Marcus Stroman on the mound and Seiya Suzuki patrolling the outfield will be fun to watch at Wrigley Field. Picking up Wade Miley on waivers from the Cincinnati Reds and adding former Reds reliever Mychal Givens in the back end of the bullpen as well could be sneaky moves that help the Cubs compete in the National League Central. But is there enough firepower to keep up with their two biggest rivals in the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals?
19. Texas Rangers
Texas showed it wasn’t afraid to spend this offseason, and spend it did with the biggest contract handed out all season (10 years and $325 million) to Corey Seager. He and Marcus Semien will provide a power-hitting, defensive-minded combination up the middle all season that will put some excitement back into the mix after finishing in last in the American League West last season with 102 losses.
18. San Diego Padres
San Diego has the talent to compete in the National League West, but completely came undone last season as they finished closer to fourth place in the division than second. The Padres will start the season without Fernando Tatis Jr. after an offseason injury and the health and depth of the rotation is still a concern. Of the five starters to begin last season in San Diego’s rotation, only Joe Musgrove didn’t spend time on the injured list.
17. Los Angeles Angels
Mike Trout and the Angels haven’t been to the postseason since 2014. Will this finally be the year the Halos break through? Can Noah Syndergaard and Michael Lorenzen provide a boost to the rotation? The Angels rebuilt the back end of their bullpen, which should be a strength for the team, which has plenty of star power in a healthy Trout and Shohei Ohtani.
16. Minnesota Twins
Carlos Correa and Gio Urshela will be featured in a retooled left side of the infield in Minnesota, and Sonny Gray, acquired in a trade with the Reds, and Gary Sanchez, brought over in a deal with the New York Yankees, brings new faces to the battery. The Twins are part of a tougher American League Central on paper. Will the offseason deals help them keep pace and in the postseason hunt?
15. Seattle Mariners
Jerry Dipoto made some moves this offseason. There’s the least shocking news of anything that happened since last season ended, but will they be enough to move Seattle into the postseason for the first time since 2001? Signing the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner (Robbie Ray) and trading for Adam Frazier, Eugenio Suarez, and Jesse Winker certainly remakes a lineup that could contend for that elusive postseason spot and more in 2022.
14. Detroit Tigers
New shortstop Javier Baez and catcher Tucker Barnhart give the Tigers a new look in the field and Michael Pineda and Eduardo Rodriguez changes the view for Detroit on the mound. With Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson injecting some new blood into the lineup as well, Detroit could be a team to watch in what should be a fascinating American League Central.
13. Philadelphia Phillies
Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber join Bryce Harper in the lineup and a Philadelphia bullpen that has been such a problem for the last two seasons has been retooled with Jeurys Familia, Brad Hand, and Corey Knebel. The Phillies addressed their biggest needs in the offseason. Is it enough to compete with the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves in the division?
12. St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis is starting the season with some injuries on the pitching front that are going to be something for Cardinals fans to watch. The Cardinals made it into the Wild Card Game last season, but made a quick exit in Los Angeles. The roster from last season remains largely intact, with the biggest offseason signing coming in pitcher Steven Matz. The battle between St. Louis and Milwaukee in the National League Central should be one of the best races within any division.
11. San Francisco Giants
Last season’s surprise team won a franchise-record 107 games and captured the National League West. A new-look rotation that includes Alex Cobb and Carlos Rodon and a new backstop in Joey Bart (following the retirement of Buster Posey) will provide some intrigue in the battery. Joc Pederson will bring an extra bit of fascination to the Dodgers-Giants rivalry this season as he brings his World Series ring with the Atlanta Braves last season to the San Francisco outfield.
10. Houston Astros
The post-Carlos Correa begins, but there is still plenty of firepower left in the Houston lineup that represented the American League in the World Series last season. Justin Verlander returns to the mound for a team that is the favorite to win the AL West again this season. Houston won 95 games last season, but still has something to prove this year.
9. Milwaukee Brewers
Much like Houston, Milwaukee’s lineup will have a somewhat familiar feel to it this season. Andrew McCutchen as a free agent signing and a trade for Hunter Renfroe will transform the batting order and the outfield. In what will be a tough National League, do the Brewers have what it takes to compete with the Dodgers, Mets, and Braves? Much of that answer could come from how well Christian Yelich bounces back from a tough 2021.
8. New York Yankees
Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa will give New York a new look, but there are plenty of outsiders wondering why the Yankees didn’t do more this offseason to keep up with moves made by the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. Will New York have enough firepower and pitching to keep up with their American League East rivals?
7. Chicago White Sox
The White Sox ran away with the American League Central last season, winning 93 games before bowing out to Houston in the American League Division Series. The additions of Kendall Graveman, Joe Kelly, and Vince Velasquez will boost an already strong White Sox bullpen and could eventually lead to the trading of Craig Kimbrel. It should be another strong season on the south side of Chicago.
6. Tampa Bay Rays
Wander Franco is the face of the future for a franchise that has figured out how to maximize its roster to become an American League force. The Rays won 100 games last season and look to once again be one of the powers in the AL when the postseason rolls around.
5. New York Mets
No team remade itself more in the offseason than the New York Mets. Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt will team with Jacob deGrom to form arguably the top three of any rotation in Major League Baseball, and Starling Marte, Mark Canha, and Eduardo Escobar are offseason additions that should boost the lineup. The Mets look good on paper. Will it translate over to the field?
4. Atlanta Braves
New York, of course, will be chasing the defending World Champion Atlanta Braves in the division and for the right to represent the National League in the Fall Classic. Matt Olson takes over as the new first baseman and Kenley Jansen takes his place among one of the best back ends of a bullpen in MLB today. Atlanta comes into 2022 looking every bit like a team that could repeat as World Series champions, but will it all come together for the Braves like it did in the postseason in 2021?
3. Boston Red Sox
Signing All-Star shortstop Trevor Story to play second base was one of the biggest and most interesting moves for the Red Sox all offseason. He and Xander Bogaerts should be one of the most exciting double play combinations in all of baseball. If James Paxton, Rich Hill, and Michael Wacha can fulfill their promise in the rotation, Boston could be one of the teams to beat when October comes around.
2. Toronto Blue Jays
Kevin Gausman and Yusei Kikuchi are now part of the Toronto rotation and Matt Chapman is set to handle third base. A late spring trade with the Colorado Rockies brought a left-handed bat to the outfield in Raimel Tapia, one of the few hitters in the Toronto lineup who may not mash 20 or more home runs this season. The Blue Jays enter the regular season as the highest-ranked American League team in our power rankings and have the talent to flex their collective muscles against any competition this season.
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1. Los Angeles Dodgers
Freddie Freeman joins the Dodgers this season, making the World Series favorites even stronger. Keeping Chris Taylor and Clayton Kershaw, while adding Freeman gave Los Angeles plenty of chances to flex its muscles. The Dodgers, however, will have to see how quickly Max Muncy is back to 100 percent and if Cody Bellinger can recapture his form in the regular season. Yes, the Dodgers have questions, but they seem to be fewer than any other team, which lands them at the top of our MLB power rankings.