2018 National League Power Rankings
Despite the fact that we got a foot of snow yesterday, baseball is in fact right around the corner. With the season starting at the end of the month, it’s time to come out with my predictions for the 2018 MLB season. Today we are focusing on the National League. Here is the order of how I think the teams will finish this year with a quick summary and their projected record. Let’s begin.
15 Miami Marlins- Derek Jeter came in and Derek Jeter cleaned house. With Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, and Christian Yelich all out the door; the long rebuild begins for the Marlins. 59—103
14 Pittsburgh Pirates- Similar to the Marlins, the Pirates have entered into tank mode. The two stables of the franchise (Garret Cole and Andrew McCutchen) were both dealt off and they are also on the lookout for young talent. 60—102
13 San Diego Padres- Despite signing Eric Hosmer, the Padres are still a long way away from contending. They have absolutely no pitching to along with a semi decent offense. 64—98
12 Cincinnati Reds- While the Reds have a few nice pieces, they are still not close to contending. With Joey Votto one of the few veterans left on the team and could be a major player on the trade block later in the year. 71—91
11 Atlanta Braves- The Braves have a lot of great young talent to build around, mainly Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson. But they are a bit too young and don’t have enough pitching to make a dent in the playoffs. 73—89
10 Philadelphia Phillies- After signing veterans Jake Arrieta and Carlos Santana, the Phillies are looking to excel the rebuilding process. While they aren’t making the playoffs this year, they are headed in the right direction. 76—86
9 New York Mets- The Mets have had more injury problems in the last few years than any other team in baseball. When healthy, Noah Syndergaard and Jacob DeGrom form one of the best pitching duos in the game. If their offense can be half decent this year, they could sneak in as a Wild Card. 83—79
8 Arizona Diamondbacks- Arizona surprised a lot of people last year with their 93 wins. I believe they overachieved a little bit and losing J.D. Martinez hurts their offense. Paul Goldschmidt alone will keep the D’Backs in playoff contention because he is just that damn good. 84—78
7 Colorado Rockies- Nolan Arenado is one of the 5 best players in all of baseball and he will be a serious MVP candidate this year. While the Rockies have a fantastic offense, they do not have enough pitching to be a World Series contender. Wade Davis does help the bullpen but Colorado still needs help with the starting pitching. 86—76
6 St. Louis Cardinals- Acquiring Marcell Ozuna was one of the more underrated moves of the entire offseason. He brings much needed offense and star power to the Cardinals’ line up. But for the Cardinals to get back to the postseason, Carlos Martinez and Michael Wacha will have to have great years to lead their starters. 87—75
5 Milwaukee Brewers- After not making no moves the entire offseason, the Brewers made two big splashes on the same day. By acquiring Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich, the Brewers got a major upgrade in their lineup and should be a dangerous team in the NL Central. 88—74
4 San Francisco Giants- After having a terrible season last year, the Giants are revamped and ready to go. By acquiring Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen, they improve their offense greatly. If Madison Bumgarner can have a bounce back season, then the Giants could be back to being World Series contenders. 88–74
3 Chicago Cubs- With Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo continuing to be one of the best 3-4 duos in baseball, the Cubs lineup will continue to strike fear in opposing pictures. However, their pitching staff took a bit of a hit by losing Wade Davis and replacing Jake Arietta with Yu Darvish is a bit of a downgrade. 96—66
2 Washington Nationals- With the Nationals arguably being the most talented team in baseball; that isn’t their issue. There issue is their lack of postseason success. Bringing in 1st time manager Dave Martinez hopefully breaks that curse for the Nationals. But having Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, and Max Scherzer helps a lot. 98—64
1 Los Angeles Dodgers- Not only are the Dodgers absolutely loaded in every single asset of the game; they are young. Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager aren’t even in their prime and they’re already stars. Plus it also helps that they have the greatest pitcher of this generation in Clayton Kershaw. They have to be the favorite to get back to the World Series. 100—62
Steven Santoro (SVS_1993)
