One thing to keep in mind as you look at these initial rankings is that I am the one projecting the lineups and staffs. The actual lineups an individual manager may use in all likelihood will be much different that what I have projected. So while this is a fun way to take a look at how the teams stack up, it's really a lot of my interpretation of who a team should play and pitch based on player WAR ratings. Also, many teams will be using platoons in their lineups and different pitching staff configurations. These rankings really have no way of factoring these things into them. The WAR ratings for the individual players are their whole WAR rating, not broken down platoon style. I guess if somebody wanted to really go into depth to figure out each teams best lineup against RHP and LHP, or how often a fifth starter would be used, then these rankings would be a little more realistic. I didn't want to go into that much detail and analysis, so what you see here is what you get.
I will break this down into the four hitting categories of catching (team top two), infield, outfield and bench (three players). The pitching is simply broken down into starters (five) and bullpen (six). Let's get it started with the catchers.
CATCHER
| RANK | TEAM | C1 | C2 | WAR | ||
| 1 | BAL | I.Rodriguez | 5.0 | W.Gonzalez | 1.0 | 6.0 |
| 2 | MIN | P.LoDuca | 4.6 | T.Prince | 0.7 | 5.3 |
| 3 | NYR | M.Piazza | 4.4 | E.Guzman | (0.4) | 4.0 |
| 4 | SD | C.Johnson | 2.4 | M.Johnson | 1.1 | 3.5 |
| 5 | HOU | AJ.Pierzknski | 1.8 | S.Wooten | 1.2 | 3.0 |
| 6 | SF | D.Wilson | 2.1 | T.Lampkin | 0.9 | 3.0 |
| 7 | CIN | E.Diaz | 2.8 | T.Eusebio | 0.1 | 2.9 |
| 8 | OAK | J.Posada | 3.0 | S.Fasano | (0.1) | 2.9 |
| 9 | STL | D.Mirabelli | 1.4 | G.Zaun | 1.1 | 2.5 |
| 10 | TRI | R.Hernandez | 2.2 | J.Cardona | 0.3 | 2.5 |
| 11 | SEN | J.Veritek | 1.4 | V.Wilson | 0.4 | 1.8 |
| 12 | DET | B.Molina | 0.6 | J.LaRue | 1.0 | 1.6 |
| 13 | LAD | H.Blanco | 0.0 | M.Redmond | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| 14 | SEA | J.Lopez | 1.5 | R.Machado | (0.2) | 1.3 |
| 15 | ATL | J.Girardi | 0.9 | H.Ortiz | 0.1 | 1.0 |
| 16 | NYB | M.Matheny | (0.4) | B.Davis | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| 17 | BOS | B.Ausmus | 0.0 | E.Marrero | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| 18 | CLE | G.Myers | 0.8 | G.Bennett | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| 19 | MIL | C.Krueter | 1.2 | M.Difelice | (0.4) | 0.8 |
| 20 | MIA | D.Miller | 1.5 | J.Flaherty | (0.9) | 0.6 |
| 21 | BRK | M.LeCroy | 0.6 | J.Paul | (0.1) | 0.5 |
| 22 | PIT | D.Fletcher | 0.0 | B.Petrick | (0.1) | (0.1) |
| 23 | COL | J.Kendall | 0.1 | J.Estrada | (0.8) | (0.7) |
| 24 | ARZ | M.Barrett | (1.2) | B.Mayne | (0.3) | (1.5) |
The top two CATCHING teams both reside in the Expansion League's Continental Division. Of course, as of this writing, the top catchers on both teams are both on the Disabled List. Paul LoDuca to miss 14 days for the Minnesota Millers, while Ivan Rodriguez will miss 59 days for the Baltimore Stouts. I-Rod is actually the highest WAR rated catcher for 2001, but doesn't help much when he's sidelined by injury. The bottom three teams, Pittsburgh, Colorado and Arizona, all grade out with negative WAR ratings, putting them in a hole to start the ranking process. Let's see if they can make it up as we head to the infield rankings.
INFIELD
| RANK | TEAM | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | WAR | ||||
| 1 | MIA | E.Martinez | 4.8 | R.Alomar | 7.3 | R.Aurilia | 6.7 | S.Halter | 3.3 | 22.1 |
| 2 | BAL | T.Helton | 7.8 | F.Vina | 2.5 | A.Rodriguez | 8.3 | D.Young | 0.9 | 19.5 |
| 3 | NYR | M.Sweeney | 4.6 | B.Boone | 8.8 | O.Vizquel | (0.2) | S.Rolen | 5.5 | 18.7 |
| 4 | BOS | R.Klesko | 4.6 | T.Walker | 1.4 | R.Gutierrez | 2.3 | E.Chavez | 6.0 | 14.3 |
| 5 | LAD | J.Giambi | 9.1 | M.Loretta | 0.4 | R.Sanchez | 3.4 | J.McEwing | 1.4 | 14.3 |
| 6 | MIL | C.Delgado | 4.5 | M.Anderson | 2.9 | J.Rollins | 2.4 | J.Cirillo | 4.4 | 14.2 |
| 7 | SEA | J.Olerud | 5.2 | A.Kennedy | 1.5 | J.Lugo | 1.3 | C.Jones | 5.9 | 13.9 |
| 8 | OAK | T.Martinez | 2.2 | D.Jackson | 0.7 | D.Eckstein | 4.2 | C.Koskie | 6.3 | 13.4 |
| 9 | MIN | F.McGriff | 3.7 | A.Soriano | 0.0 | D.Jeter | 5.2 | A.Ramirez | 4.1 | 13.0 |
| 10 | COL | J.Thome | 5.6 | D.Easley | 2.7 | A.Gonzalez | 1.9 | M.Lowell | 2.7 | 12.9 |
| 11 | DET | D.Lee | 2.1 | L.Castillo | 1.5 | C.Guzman | 4.8 | P.Polanco | 4.4 | 12.8 |
| 12 | ARZ | R.Palmiero | 4.7 | J.Kent | 5.2 | N.Garciaparra | 0.4 | T.Bautista | 2.1 | 12.4 |
| 13 | TRI | J.Bagwell | 5.8 | Q.Veras | 0.9 | O.Cabrera | 3.5 | A.Beltre | 0.8 | 11.0 |
| 14 | PIT | D.Segui | 2.1 | J.Vidro | 2.2 | B.Larkin | 0.5 | P.Nevin | 5.8 | 10.6 |
| 15 | SF | J.Vander Wal | 0.6 | F.Menchino | 3.3 | R.Furcal | 0.2 | T.Glaus | 5.2 | 9.3 |
| 16 | HOU | P.Konerko | 2.3 | M.Gurdzlanek | 1.5 | C.Guillen | 3.3 | A.Boone | 1.7 | 8.8 |
| 17 | SD | R.Sexson | 2.8 | R.Durham | 4.3 | R.Ordonez | (0.1) | M.Williams | 1.0 | 8.0 |
| 18 | SEN | B.Daubach | 2.1 | R.Belliard | 3.5 | A.Cora | (0.5) | K.Millar | 2.8 | 7.9 |
| 19 | NYB | S.Casey | 1.0 | M.Giles | 0.6 | M.Tejada | 4.2 | B.Mueller | 1.8 | 7.6 |
| 20 | STL | E.Karros | (1.1) | C.Biggio | 3.2 | B.Gil | 1.4 | J.Valentin | 3.0 | 6.5 |
| 21 | ATL | D.Mientkewicz | 2.8 | E.Young | 1.2 | A.Nunez | 0.9 | V.Castilla | 1.3 | 6.2 |
| 22 | BRK | JT.Snow | 0.9 | P.Reese | (0.2) | N.Perez | 1.2 | R.Ventura | 2.5 | 4.4 |
| 23 | CIN | R.Simon | 0.9 | L.Alicea | 0.3 | D.Jimenez | 0.8 | J.Randa | 1.2 | 3.2 |
| 24 | CLE | H.Perry | 0.4 | E.Alfonso | 1.5 | J.Wilson | 0.1 | S.Hillebrand | 0.4 | 2.4 |
The Miami Panthers find their way to the top of the INFIELD rankings. Rich Aurilia had his career year in 2001, while Roberto Alomar was, well, Roberto Alomar. It would be the final All-Star season of his Hall-of-Fame career. Baltimore follows up their top ranking at catcher with the second place spot in the infield behind the years of reigning Expansion MVP Todd Helton and newly acquired SS Alex Rodriguez. The New York Rippers rank third in both catching and infield WAR. The big bat for them is the career year of 2B Brett Boone. The Continental Division of the Expansion League boasts three of the top six infield lineups and four of the top nine. The bottom two teams in the rankings, Cincinnati and Cleveland, both reside the the Classic Rust Belt Division.
OUTFIELD
OUTFIELD
| RANK | TEAM | CF | OF | OF | WAR | |||
| 1 | TRI | C.Everett | 1.0 | B.Bonds | 11.9 | M.Ordonez | 3.4 | 16.3 |
| 2 | SF | M.Cameron | 5.9 | T.Nixon | 3.7 | B.Giles | 5.3 | 14.9 |
| 3 | MIA | T.Long | 2.0 | C.Richard | 2.1 | S.Sosa | 10.3 | 14.4 |
| 4 | HOU | P.Wilson | 2.8 | B.Higginson | 3.4 | L.Gonzalez | 7.9 | 14.1 |
| 5 | SEA | K.GriffeyJr | 1.9 | I.Suzuki | 7.7 | J.Gonzalez | 4.4 | 14.0 |
| 6 | SEN | J.Edmonds | 5.8 | JD.Drew | 5.5 | T.Shinjo | 1.8 | 13.1 |
| 7 | MIN | J.Pierre | 3.1 | A.Pujols | 6.6 | J.Burnitz | 2.7 | 12.4 |
| 8 | LAD | C.Beltran | 6.4 | J.Damon | 2.4 | M.Kotsay | 3.5 | 12.3 |
| 9 | ATL | G.Kapler | 1.3 | L. Berkman | 6.5 | G.Sheffield | 4.4 | 12.2 |
| 10 | BAL | J.Cruz | 2.2 | L.Walker | 7.8 | R.White | 2.1 | 12.1 |
| 11 | NYR | D.Bautista | 0.7 | B.Abreu | 5.2 | V.Guerrero | 4.9 | 10.8 |
| 12 | COL | D.Erstad | 2.9 | M.Ramirez | 5.2 | C.Lee | 1.5 | 9.6 |
| 13 | BRK | T.Hunter | 4.7 | F.Catalanato | 4.2 | A.Ochoa | 0.4 | 9.3 |
| 14 | PIT | B.Williams | 5.2 | E.Burks | 3.0 | W.Magee | 1.0 | 9.2 |
| 15 | OAK | R.Winn | 0.7 | C.Floyd | 6.6 | M.Stairs | 1.5 | 8.8 |
| 16 | DET | A.Jones | 4.9 | J.Jones | 1.3 | A.Dunn | 2.1 | 8.3 |
| 17 | SD | J.Dye | 2.6 | J.Conine | 2.9 | M.Cordova | 2.6 | 8.1 |
| 18 | CIN | D.Rolls | 0.2 | S.Green | 6.9 | J.Cabrera | 0.8 | 7.9 |
| 19 | ARZ | G.Anderson | 2.7 | S.Stewart | 3.9 | M.Quinn | 0.9 | 7.5 |
| 20 | BOS | C.Singleton | 2.2 | M.Alou | 2.9 | G.Jenkins | 1.3 | 6.4 |
| 21 | MIL | D.Glanville | 2.1 | D.White | 0.8 | M.Lawton | 2.6 | 5.5 |
| 22 | STL | R.Cedeno | 0.8 | G.Matthews | 0.6 | G.Vaughn | 2.1 | 3.5 |
| 23 | CLE | R.Hidalgo | 1.9 | J.Guillen | 0.7 | V.Wells | 0.7 | 3.3 |
| 24 | NYB | M.Bradley | (0.5) | J.Liefer | 0.1 | L.Matos | 0.5 | 0.1 |
Two of the top three OUTFIELDS are basically one man shows. The Washington Tribe sit atop the OF rankings based on Barry Bond's 11.9 WAR. Miami, who was first in the IF category, rank third here almost solely due to Sammy Sosa and his 10.3 WAR. Slotted in between the two is the San Fran Quakers who boast an all-around trio of Mike Cameron, Trot Nixon and Brian Giles. Cameron actually ranks second among CF with a 5.9 WAR rating. The 4th placed Houston Buffaloes are led by Luis Gonzalez's career year in 2001. The 5th and 6th place teams are paced by rookies, Seattle by Ichiro Suzuki and Minnesota by Albert Pujols. Should be interesting to see them battle for ROY this year. Bringing up the rear in the OF standings is the New York Bombers, while Cleveland comes home in 23rd after their last place ranking in the IF.
BENCH
BENCH
| RANK | TEAM | CF | OF | OF | WAR | |||
| 1 | COL | D.Bell | 3.3 | B.Jordan | 4.3 | J.Giambi | 0.9 | 8.5 |
| 2 | HOU | D.Relaford | 2.2 | R.Sanders | 3.2 | A.Rios | 1.3 | 6.7 |
| 3 | SEA | T.Perez | 1.1 | S.Javier | 2.8 | S.Spencer | 2.1 | 6.0 |
| 4 | DET | C.Counsell | 1.7 | M.Darr | 1.2 | J.Macias | 3.0 | 5.9 |
| 5 | LAD | M.Mora | 2.5 | B.Grieve | 1.4 | J.Uribe | 1.5 | 5.4 |
| 6 | OAK | M.McLemore | 3.5 | R.Gant | 0.4 | E.Renteria | 1.5 | 5.4 |
| 7 | BAL | T.Graffanino | 1.3 | T.HWorth | 1.4 | R.Fick | 2.4 | 5.1 |
| 8 | MIN | H.Bush | 1.2 | T.Salmon | 1.2 | R.Mondesi | 2.3 | 4.7 |
| 9 | NYR | S.Dunston | 1.5 | M.Grace | 2.4 | B.Hunter | 0.6 | 4.5 |
| 10 | TRI | R.Clayton | 1.6 | C.Wilson | 1.1 | R.Johnson | 1.6 | 4.3 |
| 11 | ATL | K.Robinson | 1.3 | T.Womack | 1.4 | J.Offerman | 1.5 | 4.2 |
| 12 | MIL | R.Velarde | 1.9 | M.Tucker | 1.1 | B.Abernathy | 1.2 | 4.2 |
| 13 | BOS | J.Hernandez | 1.8 | R.Lankford | 1.1 | J.Hairston | 0.8 | 3.7 |
| 14 | SD | S.Brosius | 2.1 | R.Sierra | 1.0 | M.Young | 0.5 | 3.6 |
| 15 | ARZ | E.Durazo | 1.2 | C.Paquette | 0.7 | BJ Surhoff | 0.6 | 2.5 |
| 16 | PIT | C.Stynes | 1.1 | R.Henderson | 0.5 | J.Hammonds | 0.7 | 2.3 |
| 17 | BRK | P.O'Neill | 0.5 | K.Lofton | 1.9 | J.Encarnacion | (0.4) | 2.0 |
| 18 | SF | M.Bordick | 0.6 | S.Cox | 0.4 | P.Burrell | 1.0 | 2.0 |
| 19 | MIA | T.Lee | 1.1 | C.Curtis | 0.3 | D.Bichette | 0.5 | 1.9 |
| 20 | SEN | C.Izturis | 0.3 | D.Justice | 0.5 | B.Fullmer | 1.1 | 1.9 |
| 21 | STL | F.Lopez | 0.6 | T.Raines | 0.6 | J.Reboulet | 0.4 | 1.6 |
| 22 | CLE | M.DeRosa | 0.9 | O.Saenz | 0.0 | B.Roberts | (0.3) | 0.6 |
| 23 | CIN | D.Hocking | 0.2 | F.Thomas | 0.0 | G.Colbrunn | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| 24 | NYB | A.Huff | (0.8) | L.Collier | 0.4 | R.Martinez | 0.1 | (0.3) |
In the BENCH category, I tried to pick one IF player, one OF player and then the best remaining player with the highest WAR on the team. Some teams, like Colorado and Houston at the top of the rankings, and Minnesota in the 8th spot, have starter quality players in reserve roles. Other teams have more platoon type players who will definitely fill a role on the roster. Problem with these rankings here is a guy like Tim Raines, who is an unlimited "B" durable player who has an .890 OPS, only grades out at 0.6 WAR because he only had 89 ABs on the year in 2001. Kenny Lofton is technically three times better with his 1.9 WAR rating, but that is more of the fact he had 517 ABs while only carrying a .721 OPS. This system isn't perfect. We're just trying to have some fun here!
OVERALL BATTING
| RANK | TEAM | C | IF | OF | BN | oWAR |
| 1 | BAL | 6.0 | 19.5 | 12.1 | 5.1 | 42.7 |
| 2 | MIA | 0.6 | 22.1 | 14.4 | 1.9 | 39.0 |
| 3 | NYR | 4.0 | 18.7 | 10.8 | 4.5 | 38.0 |
| 4 | MIN | 5.3 | 13.0 | 12.4 | 4.7 | 35.4 |
| 5 | SEA | 1.3 | 13.9 | 14.0 | 6.0 | 35.2 |
| 6 | TRI | 2.5 | 11.0 | 16.3 | 4.3 | 34.1 |
| 7 | LAD | 1.3 | 14.3 | 12.3 | 5.4 | 33.3 |
| 8 | HOU | 3.0 | 8.8 | 14.1 | 6.7 | 32.6 |
| 9 | OAK | 2.9 | 13.4 | 8.8 | 5.4 | 30.5 |
| 10 | COL | (0.7) | 12.9 | 9.6 | 8.5 | 30.3 |
| 11 | SF | 3.0 | 9.3 | 14.9 | 2.0 | 29.2 |
| 12 | DET | 1.6 | 12.8 | 8.3 | 5.9 | 28.6 |
| 13 | BOS | 0.8 | 14.3 | 6.4 | 3.7 | 25.2 |
| 14 | MIL | 0.8 | 14.2 | 5.5 | 4.2 | 24.7 |
| 15 | SEN | 1.8 | 7.9 | 13.1 | 1.9 | 24.7 |
| 16 | ATL | 1.0 | 6.2 | 12.2 | 4.2 | 23.6 |
| 17 | SD | 3.5 | 8.0 | 8.1 | 3.6 | 23.2 |
| 18 | PIT | (0.1) | 10.6 | 9.2 | 2.3 | 22.0 |
| 19 | ARZ | (1.5) | 12.4 | 7.5 | 2.5 | 20.9 |
| 20 | BRK | 0.5 | 4.4 | 9.3 | 2.0 | 16.2 |
| 21 | CIN | 2.9 | 3.2 | 7.9 | 0.5 | 14.5 |
| 22 | STL | 2.5 | 6.5 | 3.5 | 1.6 | 14.1 |
| 23 | NYB | 0.9 | 7.6 | 0.1 | (0.3) | 8.3 |
| 24 | CLE | 0.8 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 7.1 |
So Baltimore grades out as the top offensive team in our rankings, the only team to crack the 40 point WAR barrier. A lineup that features I-Rod (when healthy), Helton, A-Rod and Larry Walker figures to be pretty explosive. Miami overcomes their poor showing in both the catching and bench categories to finish up in 2nd place. Surprisingly, the Cleveland Rock 'N Rollers grade out at the worst offensive unit, scoring only 7.1 WAR points across all four categories.
STARTING PITCHING
| RANK | TEAM | SP1 | SP2 | SP3 | |||
| 1 | MIN | J.Burkett | 4.8 | R.Ortiz | 4.2 | W.Miller | 5.3 |
| 2 | NYR | R.Johnson | 10.0 | J.Lieber | 3.9 | F.Garcia | 4.2 |
| 3 | SF | M.Mussina | 7.1 | C.Maduro | 1.6 | E.Milton | 3.6 |
| 4 | OAK | K.Millwood | 0.6 | B.Radke | 4.5 | J.Vazquez | 5.7 |
| 5 | COL | G.Maddux | 5.1 | D.Kile | 4.8 | K.Appier | 3.5 |
| 6 | DET | R.Clemens | 5.6 | H.Nomo | 3.2 | B.Penny | 2.7 |
| 7 | HOU | J.Mays | 6.7 | CC.Sabathia | 2.9 | J.Thomson | 2.2 |
| 8 | BOS | J.Washburn | 3.8 | T.Glavine | 3.6 | T.Hudson | 4.5 |
| 9 | SEA | M.Buerhle | 5.9 | K.Wood | 3.3 | C.Carpenter | 3.2 |
| 10 | BAL | C. Park | 4.1 | K.Brown | 3.1 | R.Oswalt | 4.7 |
| 11 | ATL | C.Schilling | 8.8 | S.Reynolds | 2.8 | E.Hiljus | 1.3 |
| 12 | SEN | B.Zito | 4.5 | J.Weaver | 3.3 | S.Schoenwies | 1.2 |
| 13 | SD | J.Bere | 1.7 | AJ.Burnett | 1.7 | E.Dessens | 4.2 |
| 14 | LAD | P.Martinez | 5.1 | C.Finley | (0.1) | S.Parris | 0.8 |
| 15 | CIN | W.Williams | 2.8 | J.Marquis | 0.9 | C.Durbin | 1.3 |
| 16 | CLE | A.Pettitte | 3.4 | B.Colon | 4.5 | M.Hampton | 0.3 |
| 17 | NYB | B.Kim | 3.1 | J.Schmidt | 2.1 | K.Wells | 0.6 |
| 18 | MIA | O.Hernandez | 1.5 | D.Williams | 2.3 | T.Ritchie | 2.0 |
| 19 | PIT | R.Wolf | 1.8 | S.Estes | 1.7 | A.Lopez | 1.1 |
| 20 | TRI | R.Person | 1.8 | J.Haynes | 0.9 | S.Chacon | 1.8 |
| 21 | STL | A.Leiter | 3.0 | L.Hernandez | (0.8) | S.Trachsel | 1.1 |
| 22 | ARZ | D.Wells | 1.3 | K.Rogers | 0.2 | R.Ortiz | 2.3 |
| 23 | BRK | M.Redman | 0.5 | J.Halama | (0.9) | D.Davis | 3.3 |
| 24 | MIL | M.Clement | (0.1) | K.Jarvis | 1.5 | T.Lilly | 0.0 |
| RANK | TEAM | SP4 | SP5 | WAR | |||
| 1 | MIN | M.Morris | 4.1 | M.Mulder | 5.6 | 24.0 | |
| 2 | NYR | K.Rueter | 1.3 | D.Cone | 1.9 | 21.3 | |
| 3 | SF | F.Castillo | 2.3 | S.Sparks | 4.4 | 19.0 | |
| 4 | OAK | C.Lidle | 3.4 | M.Batista | 2.9 | 17.1 | |
| 5 | COL | T.Adams | 2.0 | P.Hentgen | 1.5 | 16.9 | |
| 6 | DET | T.Armas | 3.0 | I.Valdez | 2.2 | 16.7 | |
| 7 | HOU | J.Johnson | 1.4 | R.Halladay | 3.0 | 16.2 | |
| 8 | BOS | J.Moyer | 3.4 | B.Sheets | 0.7 | 16.0 | |
| 9 | SEA | B.Duckworth | 1.1 | A.Sele | 2.5 | 16.0 | |
| 10 | BAL | R.Reed | 2.9 | B.Lyon | 1.0 | 15.8 | |
| 11 | ATL | N.Figueroa | 0.8 | J.Piniero | 1.5 | 15.2 | |
| 12 | SEN | B.Lawrence | 1.8 | B.Stein | 1.4 | 12.2 | |
| 13 | SD | J.Kennedy | 1.7 | B.Tollberg | 1.8 | 11.1 | |
| 14 | LAD | J.Suppan | 2.5 | J.Garland | 1.6 | 9.9 | |
| 15 | CIN | P.Astacio | 1.9 | R.Helling | 2.0 | 8.9 | |
| 16 | CLE | C.Mickalak | 1.6 | A.Telemaco | (0.9) | 8.9 | |
| 17 | NYB | D.Neagle | 1.2 | E.Loaiza | 1.4 | 8.4 | |
| 18 | MIA | C.Smith | 0.4 | B.Smith | 0.7 | 6.9 | |
| 19 | PIT | D.Coggin | 0.9 | L.Davis | 1.4 | 6.9 | |
| 20 | TRI | S.Ponson | 0.6 | P.Rapp | 1.7 | 6.8 | |
| 21 | STL | A.Eaton | 1.1 | C.Reitsma | 0.5 | 4.9 | |
| 22 | ARZ | R.Dempster | 0.0 | O.Daal | 0.4 | 4.2 | |
| 23 | BRK | D.Burba | (0.9) | J.Lima | (0.2) | 1.8 | |
| 24 | MIL | R.Quevedo | 0.6 | O.Oliveres | (1.6) | 0.4 |
The STARTING PITCHING is where it got a little tough to project. Most teams have two or three pretty identifiable guys in their rotation. I just did my best to project the top-5 from each team. Again, this isn't super scientific. One thing for sure is that Walt's Minnesota staff is one for the ages. All five starters with a WAR rating above 4.1. All five starters JAM rated. It will be tough sledding each and every time out against the Millers in 2001. Several really good staffs at the top of the rankings. I was a little surprised that Boston's staff of Washburn, Glavine, Hudson, Moyer and Sheets only ranked out as 8th best. They actually rank 2nd in their division behind Bill's New York Rippers, who are led by Randy Johnson's 10.0 WAR rating. The Big Unit actually rates out higher by himself than the bottom 11 rotations on the list. Wow! Of course Trader Bill will probably move him before the All-Star break! The bottom few teams are either searching for quality pitching, or victimized by key starters having down years.
RELIEF PITCHING
| RANK | TEAM | REL1 | REL2 | REL3 | ||||
| 1 | MIN | M.DeJean | 1.5 | P.Quantrill | 2.4 | R.Rincon | 1.6 | |
| 2 | ARZ | P.Abbott | 1.4 | S.Macrae | 0.4 | T.Sturtze | 3.3 | |
| 3 | HOU | R.Arrojo | 2.4 | R.Mendoza | 2.0 | R.Saenz | 0.8 | |
| 4 | BRK | J.Powell | 1.1 | B.Prinz | 1.2 | D.Patterson | 1.7 | |
| 5 | TRI | O.Dotel | 3.0 | S.Sullivan | 2.2 | S.Stewart | 0.8 | |
| 6 | BAL | J.Brower | 1.8 | P.Wilson | 0.6 | F.Rodriguez | 3.3 | |
| 7 | SEA | V.Nunez | 1.7 | P.Byrd | 0.0 | G.Mota | (0.1) | |
| 8 | OAK | K.Escobar | 2.9 | J.Cressand | 0.8 | N.Cruz | 0.7 | |
| 9 | NYR | B.File | 1.7 | A.Levine | 2.3 | J.Rocker | 0.3 | |
| 10 | ATL | B.Witt | 0.5 | V.Santos | 1.4 | J.Jimenez | 1.0 | |
| 11 | SD | T.Wakefield | 2.7 | T.Gordon | 0.7 | J.Speier | 0.9 | |
| 12 | SF | B.Weber | 1.1 | W.Roberts | 0.6 | R.Choate | 0.8 | |
| 13 | DET | P.Shuet | 0.8 | M.Mathews | 1.8 | G.Swindell | 0.6 | |
| 14 | SEN | J.Eischen | 0.1 | J.Grimsley | 1.9 | D.Reyes | 0.0 | |
| 15 | PIT | G.Carrara | 1.7 | M.Morgan | 0.3 | J.Manzanillo | 1.5 | |
| 16 | BOS | D.Baez | 1.0 | K.Farnsworth | 2.1 | R.Garces | 1.1 | |
| 17 | NYB | E.Gagne | 0.3 | J.Towers | 1.5 | B.Looper | 0.9 | |
| 18 | MIA | B.Chen | (0.4) | K.Davis | 0.7 | D.Lee | 0.7 | |
| 19 | COL | C.Fossum | 0.4 | V.Zambrano | 1.0 | M.Herges | 1.8 | |
| 20 | MIL | D.Wright | 0.1 | M.Buddie | 0.3 | A.Fultz | (0.3) | |
| 21 | STL | JC.Romero | (0.6) | L.Pote | 1.0 | M.Wohlers | 0.2 | |
| 22 | CIN | D.Reichert | 0.1 | M.Wise | 0.7 | R.Franklin | 0.7 | |
| 23 | LAD | J.Santana | 0.2 | D.Marte | 0.1 | J.Tam | (0.1) | |
| 24 | CLE | SW.Kim | 0.1 | J.Paniagua | (0.4) | T.Redding | (0.1) | |
| RANK | TEAM | REL4 | REL5 | REL6 | WAR | |||
| 1 | MIN | D.Weathers | 2.6 | J.Shaw | 0.9 | K.Foulke | 3.7 | 12.7 |
| 2 | ARZ | M.Stanton | 2.7 | S.Strickland | 1.2 | M.Rivera | 3.3 | 12.3 |
| 3 | HOU | A.Rhodes | 2.5 | R.Beck | 0.9 | P.Borbon | 0.9 | 9.5 |
| 4 | BRK | J.Riedling | 1.3 | B.Groom | 1.1 | J.Isringhausen | 1.9 | 8.3 |
| 5 | TRI | C.Bailey | 1.4 | A.Almanza | (0.2) | D.Plesac | 1.1 | 8.3 |
| 6 | BAL | R.Rodriguez | 0.0 | J.Nelson | 1.4 | K.Sasaki | 1.1 | 8.2 |
| 7 | SEA | T.Percival | 1.9 | C.Fox | 2.3 | B.Wagner | 2.4 | 8.2 |
| 8 | OAK | U.Urbina | 1.2 | M.Magnante | 1.0 | J.Mesa | 1.0 | 7.6 |
| 9 | NYR | J.Franco | 0.3 | J.Acevedo | 0.1 | B.Wickman | 2.8 | 7.5 |
| 10 | ATL | T.Phelps | 0.8 | S.Kline | 2.7 | J.Fassero | 0.9 | 7.3 |
| 11 | SD | J.Riggan | 0.8 | J.Christiansen | 0.8 | T.Hoffman | 1.2 | 7.1 |
| 12 | SF | S.Karsay | 2.4 | J.Moreno | 0.6 | R.Nen | 1.6 | 7.1 |
| 13 | DET | M.Lincoln | 0.8 | E.Guardardo | 1.3 | C.Bradford | 1.0 | 6.3 |
| 14 | SEN | D.Lowe | 2.2 | A.Alfonseca | 0.9 | M.Williams | 1.1 | 6.2 |
| 15 | PIT | M.Myers | 1.3 | G.Lloyd | 0.5 | B.Howry | 0.6 | 5.9 |
| 16 | BOS | K.Ligtenberg | 0.7 | L.Hackman | 0.0 | C.Politte | 0.4 | 5.3 |
| 17 | NYB | R.King | 1.0 | S.Hasegawa | 0.5 | A.Benitez | 1.0 | 5.2 |
| 18 | MIA | J.Mecir | 1.2 | T.Van Poppel | 2.0 | C.Leskanic | 0.9 | 5.1 |
| 19 | COL | J.Colome | 0.8 | H.Carrasco | 0.3 | D.Creek | 0.3 | 4.6 |
| 20 | MIL | J.Zimmerman | 3.4 | BJ.Ryan | (0.2) | D.Graves | 0.9 | 4.2 |
| 21 | STL | J.Witasick | 0.6 | M.Remlinger | 1.7 | B.Koch | 0.1 | 3.0 |
| 22 | CIN | S.Saurbeck | (0.4) | M.Timlin | 0.3 | D.Miceli | (0.5) | 0.9 |
| 23 | LAD | J.Smoltz | 0.8 | M.Anderson | (0.1) | T.Jones | 0.0 | 0.9 |
| 24 | CLE | B.Tomko | (0.5) | J.Westbrook | 0.0 | R.Hernandez | 0.8 | (0.1) |
Minnesota follows up their top ranking in the starting pitching category with the top ranking in the RELIEF PITCHING category as well. Led by Keith Foulke, who's 3.7 WAR rating is the highest of any reliever. The reliever WAR ratings were a little hard to follow. Some guys graded out really high who didn't really seem like they should have, while others who on paper seemed to have very good years just didn't score very highly. I guess it has a lot to do with innings pitched. I dunno. Regardless, for our purposes in this exercise, two teams have superior bullpens - Minnesota and Arizona, the only two teams to grade in double-digits as a bullpen. Arizona, of course, is led by Mariano Rivera so they can't help to be good. Cleveland actually graded out with a negative number of their six guys combined.
OVERALL PITCHING
| RANK | TEAM | SP | REL | pWAR |
| 1 | MIN | 24.0 | 12.7 | 36.7 |
| 2 | NYR | 21.3 | 7.5 | 28.8 |
| 3 | SF | 19.0 | 7.1 | 26.1 |
| 4 | HOU | 16.2 | 9.5 | 25.7 |
| 5 | OAK | 17.1 | 7.6 | 24.7 |
| 6 | SEA | 16.0 | 8.2 | 24.2 |
| 7 | BAL | 15.8 | 8.2 | 24.0 |
| 8 | DET | 16.7 | 6.3 | 23.0 |
| 9 | ATL | 15.2 | 7.3 | 22.5 |
| 10 | COL | 16.9 | 4.6 | 21.5 |
| 11 | BOS | 16.0 | 5.3 | 21.3 |
| 12 | SEN | 12.2 | 6.2 | 18.4 |
| 13 | SD | 11.1 | 7.1 | 18.2 |
| 14 | ARZ | 4.2 | 12.3 | 16.5 |
| 15 | TRI | 6.8 | 8.3 | 15.1 |
| 16 | NYB | 8.4 | 5.2 | 13.6 |
| 17 | PIT | 6.9 | 5.9 | 12.8 |
| 18 | MIA | 6.9 | 5.1 | 12.0 |
| 19 | LAD | 9.9 | 0.9 | 10.8 |
| 20 | BRK | 1.8 | 8.3 | 10.1 |
| 21 | CIN | 8.9 | 0.9 | 9.8 |
| 22 | CLE | 8.9 | (0.1) | 8.8 |
| 23 | STL | 4.9 | 3.0 | 7.9 |
| 24 | MIL | 0.4 | 4.2 | 4.6 |
Obviously, Minnesota is going to top the overall pitching rankings with top finishes in both starting and relief pitching. Randy Johnson leads the Rippers into the 2nd spot. A couple of 2000 playoff teams in Cleveland and St. Louis come home in 22nd and 23rd respectively.
Ok, so if you've read down this far, you're probably wondering where your team graded out. So without further adieu, here are the initial overall MBL POWER RANKINGS for the 2001 season.
OVERALL RANKINGS
| RANK | TEAM | C | IF | OF | BN | oWAR | TEAM | SP | REL | pWAR | TOTAL |
| 1 | MIN | 5.3 | 13.0 | 12.4 | 4.7 | 35.4 | MIN | 24.0 | 12.7 | 36.7 | 72.1 |
| 2 | NYR | 4.0 | 18.7 | 10.8 | 4.5 | 38.0 | NYR | 21.3 | 7.5 | 28.8 | 66.8 |
| 3 | BAL | 6.0 | 19.5 | 12.1 | 5.1 | 42.7 | BAL | 15.8 | 8.2 | 24.0 | 66.7 |
| 4 | SEA | 1.3 | 13.9 | 14.0 | 6.0 | 35.2 | SEA | 16.0 | 8.2 | 24.2 | 59.4 |
| 5 | HOU | 3.0 | 8.8 | 14.1 | 6.7 | 32.6 | HOU | 16.2 | 9.5 | 25.7 | 58.3 |
| 6 | SF | 3.0 | 9.3 | 14.9 | 2.0 | 29.2 | SF | 19.0 | 7.1 | 26.1 | 55.3 |
| 7 | OAK | 2.9 | 13.4 | 8.8 | 5.4 | 30.5 | OAK | 17.1 | 7.6 | 24.7 | 55.2 |
| 8 | COL | (0.7) | 12.9 | 9.6 | 8.5 | 30.3 | COL | 16.9 | 4.6 | 21.5 | 51.8 |
| 9 | DET | 1.6 | 12.8 | 8.3 | 5.9 | 28.6 | DET | 16.7 | 6.3 | 23.0 | 51.6 |
| 10 | MIA | 0.6 | 22.1 | 14.4 | 1.9 | 39.0 | MIA | 6.9 | 5.1 | 12.0 | 51.0 |
| 11 | TRI | 2.5 | 11.0 | 16.3 | 4.3 | 34.1 | TRI | 6.8 | 8.3 | 15.1 | 49.2 |
| 12 | BOS | 0.8 | 14.3 | 6.4 | 3.7 | 25.2 | BOS | 16.0 | 5.3 | 21.3 | 46.5 |
| 13 | ATL | 1.0 | 6.2 | 12.2 | 4.2 | 23.6 | ATL | 15.2 | 7.3 | 22.5 | 46.1 |
| 14 | LAD | 1.3 | 14.3 | 12.3 | 5.4 | 33.3 | LAD | 9.9 | 0.9 | 10.8 | 44.1 |
| 15 | SEN | 1.8 | 7.9 | 13.1 | 1.9 | 24.7 | SEN | 12.2 | 6.2 | 18.4 | 43.1 |
| 16 | SD | 3.5 | 8.0 | 8.1 | 3.6 | 23.2 | SD | 11.1 | 7.1 | 18.2 | 41.4 |
| 17 | ARZ | (1.5) | 12.4 | 7.5 | 2.5 | 20.9 | ARZ | 4.2 | 12.3 | 16.5 | 37.4 |
| 18 | PIT | (0.1) | 10.6 | 9.2 | 2.3 | 22.0 | PIT | 6.9 | 5.9 | 12.8 | 34.8 |
| 19 | MIL | 0.8 | 14.2 | 5.5 | 4.2 | 24.7 | MIL | 0.4 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 29.3 |
| 20 | BRK | 0.5 | 4.4 | 9.3 | 2.0 | 16.2 | BRK | 1.8 | 8.3 | 10.1 | 26.3 |
| 21 | CIN | 2.9 | 3.2 | 7.9 | 0.5 | 14.5 | CIN | 8.9 | 0.9 | 9.8 | 24.3 |
| 22 | STL | 2.5 | 6.5 | 3.5 | 1.6 | 14.1 | STL | 4.9 | 3.0 | 7.9 | 22.0 |
| 23 | NYB | 0.9 | 7.6 | 0.1 | (0.3) | 8.3 | NYB | 8.4 | 5.2 | 13.6 | 21.9 |
| 24 | CLE | 0.8 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 7.1 | CLE | 8.9 | (0.1) | 8.8 | 15.9 |
| RANK | TEAM | oWAR | oRANK | pWAR | pRANK | TOTAL |
| 1 | MIN | 35.4 | 4 | 36.7 | 1 | 72.1 |
| 2 | NYR | 38.0 | 3 | 28.8 | 2 | 66.8 |
| 3 | BAL | 42.7 | 1 | 24.0 | 7 | 66.7 |
| 4 | SEA | 35.2 | 5 | 24.2 | 6 | 59.4 |
| 5 | HOU | 32.6 | 8 | 25.7 | 4 | 58.3 |
| 6 | SF | 29.2 | 11 | 26.1 | 3 | 55.3 |
| 7 | OAK | 30.5 | 9 | 24.7 | 5 | 55.2 |
| 8 | COL | 30.3 | 10 | 21.5 | 10 | 51.8 |
| 9 | DET | 28.6 | 12 | 23.0 | 8 | 51.6 |
| 10 | MIA | 39.0 | 2 | 12.0 | 18 | 51.0 |
| 11 | TRI | 34.1 | 6 | 15.1 | 15 | 49.2 |
| 12 | BOS | 25.2 | 13 | 21.3 | 11 | 46.5 |
| 13 | ATL | 23.6 | 16 | 22.5 | 9 | 46.1 |
| 14 | LAD | 33.3 | 7 | 10.8 | 19 | 44.1 |
| 15 | SEN | 24.7 | 15 | 18.4 | 12 | 43.1 |
| 16 | SD | 23.2 | 17 | 18.2 | 13 | 41.4 |
| 17 | ARZ | 20.9 | 19 | 16.5 | 14 | 37.4 |
| 18 | PIT | 22.0 | 18 | 12.8 | 17 | 34.8 |
| 19 | MIL | 24.7 | 14 | 4.6 | 24 | 29.3 |
| 20 | BRK | 16.2 | 20 | 10.1 | 20 | 26.3 |
| 21 | CIN | 14.5 | 21 | 9.8 | 21 | 24.3 |
| 22 | STL | 14.1 | 22 | 7.9 | 23 | 22.0 |
| 23 | NYB | 8.3 | 23 | 13.6 | 16 | 21.9 |
| 24 | CLE | 7.1 | 24 | 8.8 | 22 | 15.9 |
A lot of numbers. And what do they really mean? Who knows. The top five teams all grade out in the top-8 in both the offensive and pitching categories. Brooklyn, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Cleveland all graded out 20th or below in both the offensive and pitching categories. Do these rankings really mean anything? Probably not. Can't see Cleveland being the worst team in the whole league. Boston ranks out right in the middle of the pack at 12th, but they are sure to be better than that ranking. Colorado, the defending champs, finished 10th in both offense and pitching. Can they outperform those rankings? Probably. It's hard to believe that Miami's 2nd ranked offense can't carry them to a better standing than 10th. Will Minnesota be good. Absolutely. Are they the best team in the league? Only time will tell. Again, these rankings aren't overly scientific and are based largely on my projections for lineups and staffs. Hobb's Ripper squad ranks out as the 2nd best team, but he'll probably trade half of his roster by the All-Star break. Will those deals improve his standing? Who knows. Anything can happen. Let the games begin!!!
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