Any journey begins with the first steps. And make no mistake about it, a season of weekly power rankings is a journey.
In the grand scheme of things, a preseason mock isn’t all that important in terms of expecting me to pin the tail exactly on the donkey’s tailbone.
But it is a starting point and it allows me to convey my worldview. That worldview is a snapshot that is subject to change after change, as the reality of play bakes in during the first several weeks of the season.
I know in Baltimore, we watched in sheer disbelief how quickly last season worked its way out of the tube of toothpaste.
I seem to say this more and more as the years go on, but these rankings seem to be more difficult each season. I am comfortable in saying that the Rockies, Twins, Cardinals and Nationals have an excellent chance of filling out the last four spots. I feel comfortable in saying that the Dodgers, Yankees, Mariners, Cubs and Tigers are going to be very good.
But a couple teams that would seem by most experts to be in the top five to seven spots — the Phillies and Blue Jays — are more suspect for me. Two teams I feel better about are the Pirates and White Sox — especially the Pirates, who are on the verge of having a powerful club.
I have the Orioles in at No. 9, but when you have four teams in the AL East in the top 11 does my mock on March 2 really mean all that much? Clearly, the AL East is a very tough neighborhood — as if you needed me to remind you.
The NL Central isn’t quite the AL East, but I have four teams from the NL Central from Nos. 4-16. That is a much-improved division.
Let’s get on with the order and start the 15th season of my power rankings here at PressBox.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. New York Yankees
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Chicago Cubs
5. Detroit Tigers
6. Boston Red Sox
7. New York Mets
8. Kansas City Royals
9. Baltimore Orioles
10. Atlanta Braves
11. Toronto Blue Jays
12. Philadelphia Phillies
13. Texas Rangers
14. Milwaukee Brewers
15. Cincinnati Reds
16. Cleveland Guardians
17. Pittsburgh Pirates
18. Houston Astros
19. San Diego Padres
20. San Francisco Giants
21. Tampa Bay Rays
22. Arizona Diamondbacks
23. Athletics
24. Los Angeles Angels
25. Chicago White Sox
26. Miami Marlins
27. Washington Nationals
28. Colorado Rockies
29. Minnesota Twins
30. St. Louis Cardinals