Big League Division
Ranking the MLB
By Ryan Frisco
We're getting close to the midway point of the baseball season, and things around the league are beginning to take shape. Instead of a team by team ranking like you usually see, Sports Eye View is going to break down the strength of the 6 MLB Divisions to see where the strength of Baseball lies.
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| Photo Cred www.bostonherald.com |
1. American League East: All 5 teams in the AL East are above .500. I could end right there and no one would argue. Baseball is used to the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox dominating, but lumping the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays all right there in the running changes the game. Each team in this division has a legitimate shot at taking the Crown, and it seems likely that both Wild Cards will be coming out of the East.
2. National League Central: This division is close in the discussion for #1. the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds are killing it this year. Yes, I said the PIRATES in that sentence! Shout out to Eric. If not for the horrid performance of the Brewers and Cubs, they would easily be the best division in baseball. But hey, second ain't so bad.
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| Photo Cred www.yahoosports.com |
3. American League West: From the Top 2 divisions to the 3rd, there is a steep drop off. The only reason the AL West qualifies in the top half of the MLB is because they have two quality contenders for the World Series in the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics. Each of these teams made the playoffs last year, and each one is a step better this season. Oh, you want to know about the other three teams in the division? Seriously, you don't. The Angels, who I would rank in the Top 3 MLB on a list of potent offenses, can't win a game to save their lives. Seattle is stuck in the same rut they've been in for 10 years, and Houston still stinks, although a lot less than a month ago.
4. National League East: This division has it all. They have the up and coming team of the future in the Nationals. They have the bottom feeders of the MLB in a well below par Miami Marlins team. They've got one of the league's better lineups with the Atlanta Braves, who aren't playing their best baseball but still lead the division by 6. And then, there's the Philadelphia Phillies who can't figure out if they're winners or losers and the New York Mets who need to rebuild. Why are they #4? Potential. The Braves are good, the Nats can be great and the Phils could come out of nowhere. It could go either way.
5. American League Central: On paper, you would think the AL Central would be at least #4 in the MLB. They've got the defending AL Champions (Detroit Tigers) along with the Cleveland Indians who are over .500. That's one more team than the NL East with a winning record. So, why am I dropping them down so low? Because, if your honest with yourselves, you know that the only team who stands a chance at the postseason is the Detroit Tigers, and the only reason is because they win the division, which is poor. Playing so many games against the Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox will boost your record, but it's not extremely impressive. This division hasn't been great for a long time, and this year's not their year either.
6. National League West: What happened?! Last year, the San Francisco Giants won the World Series! The Dodgers were also acceptable, almost making the Wild Card. The division has flip flopped, with the bottom three last year on top this year and the two standouts from 2012 in the cellar. With 4 of the 5 teams below .500, and the Arizona Diamondbacks leading the division, things are looking bleak for the NL West halfway through the season.
I probably won't catch too much heat for this column because it's ranking divisions and not actual teams individually, but I'd still like to know what you think. Should someone else be #1? Am I missing any key points, or showing some sort of personal bias? Let me know, we'll have some friendly fire back and forth!
Ryan Frisco is a co-founder and MLB Analyst for Sports Eye View. He can be reached at ryanafrisco@gmail.com.
4. National League East: This division has it all. They have the up and coming team of the future in the Nationals. They have the bottom feeders of the MLB in a well below par Miami Marlins team. They've got one of the league's better lineups with the Atlanta Braves, who aren't playing their best baseball but still lead the division by 6. And then, there's the Philadelphia Phillies who can't figure out if they're winners or losers and the New York Mets who need to rebuild. Why are they #4? Potential. The Braves are good, the Nats can be great and the Phils could come out of nowhere. It could go either way.
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| Photo Cred www.foxnews.com |
5. American League Central: On paper, you would think the AL Central would be at least #4 in the MLB. They've got the defending AL Champions (Detroit Tigers) along with the Cleveland Indians who are over .500. That's one more team than the NL East with a winning record. So, why am I dropping them down so low? Because, if your honest with yourselves, you know that the only team who stands a chance at the postseason is the Detroit Tigers, and the only reason is because they win the division, which is poor. Playing so many games against the Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox will boost your record, but it's not extremely impressive. This division hasn't been great for a long time, and this year's not their year either.
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| Photo Cred www.bleacherreport.com |
I probably won't catch too much heat for this column because it's ranking divisions and not actual teams individually, but I'd still like to know what you think. Should someone else be #1? Am I missing any key points, or showing some sort of personal bias? Let me know, we'll have some friendly fire back and forth!
Ryan Frisco is a co-founder and MLB Analyst for Sports Eye View. He can be reached at ryanafrisco@gmail.com.
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