Hot Stove Special: Top Teams

Listed below are the Top 5 outfields, infields, offenses, rotations, bullpens, and teams.  In parentheses are the players in the order listed next to the category.

Outfields (LF, CF, RF)

1. Braves: Justin Upton, B.J. Upton, Jason Heyward

2. Angels: Peter Bourjos, Mike Trout, Josh Hamilton

3. Cardinals: Matt Holliday, Jon Jay, Carlos Beltran

4. Dodgers: Carl Crawford, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier

5. Yankees: Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson, Ichiro Suzuki

The Braves take the cake with an outfield comprised of three All Stars.  The Upton brothers fit perfectly, with Justin providing the pop and B.J. providing the speed.  Heyward is young and can only keep improving.  Not only is their starting three great, but they have Reed Johnson as a fourth outfielder.  Johnson has a knack for high averages that go highly unnoticed.  The outfield is the reason everyone thinks the Braves can give the Nationals a run for their money (but they won't).  Behind the Braves are the Angels, with a pair of MVP candidates sandwiching on of the best defenders in baseball.  Mike Trout is the best all-around player in baseball, Josh Hamilton can match his power up with anybody, and Peter Bourjos has Gold Gloves in his future (as does Trout).  Backing up the three is Vernon Wells, an icon in Toronto for over a decade.  TheCardinals bring a trio of stars.  Matt Holliday is the best hitter, Jon Jay is the fan favorite (everywhere but DC), and Carlos Beltran has the legacy.  They don't have any big names behind them, so Shane Robinson and Adron Chambers will be the backups.  The only things keeping the Dodgers from placing higher are injuries and inconsistency.  All three, Carl Crawford, Matt Kemp, and Andre Ethier, are superstars, but they have all had their fair share of injuries.  After making fools out of opposing catchers in Tampa Bay for nearly a decade, Crawford struggled in Boston.  Kemp was an MVP candidate in 2011 and again early in 2012, but a midseason injury dropped him out of the running.  Ethier has been the most consistent, providing a steady bat.  Jerry Hairston will be the fourth outfielder.  Lastly, the Yankees check in with three great outfielders.  Brett Gardner, when healthy, is one of the fastest players in the AL, Curtis Granderson is an excellent all around player, and Ichiro is an icon for Japanese baseball.  

Infields (1B, 2B, SS, 3B)

1. Yankees: Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter,Kevin Youkilis

2. Nationals: Adam LaRoche, Danny Espinosa, Ian Desmond, Ryan Zimmerman

3. Rangers: Mitch Moreland, Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus, Adrian Beltre

4. Tigers: Prince Fielder, Omar Infante, Jhonny Peralta, Miguel Cabrera

5. Angels: Albert Pujols, Howie Kendrick, Erik Aybar, Alberto Callaspo

The Yankees were the easy choice for number one.  Mark Teixeira, if healthy and consistent, is one of the best first baseman in the majors.  His fielding is unparalleled with five Gold Gloves.  Robinson Cano is the best second baseman in the league, with incredible offense and his own pair of Gold Gloves.  Derek Jeter is one of the best shortstops, he has five Gold Gloves, and no player in baseball today is more iconic.  Lastly, Kevin Youkilis is a great hot corner player.  Oh yeah, he has his own Gold Glove, running the infield's total to 13.  Throw in the injured A-Rod and they have 15.  The Nationals' infield is also great, with Adam LaRoche, Danny Espinosa, Ian Desmond, and Ryan Zimmerman.  LaRoche is one of the finest fielding first basemen in baseball, winning his first Gold Glove last year.  He also has light tower power.  Danny Espinosa is a great fielder and hitter, but he strikes out too much and has some ironing out to do.  Ian Desmond emerged as a great hitter last year, and his defense is still one of the best in baseball for a shortstop if he can stop getting too excited.  He has great range and a great arm.  Ryan Zimmerman is an icon in DC and provides great offense and defense.  Backing up LaRoche at first base is Tyler Moore, one of the best backups in baseball.  The Texas infield is highlighted by Ian Kinsler and Adrian Beltre, a pair of great hitters.  Moreland can handle the bat, and Elvis Andrus is an all-around player.  Beltre is also a Gold Glove defender.  Besides, what other team can boast having baseball's number one prospect, Jurickson Profar, as a backup?  The Tigers have the best corner infield in baseball with Prince Fielder at first and Miguel Cabrera at third.  Of course, Fielder can hit a ball as far as anybody, and Cabrera won the Triple Crown.  Omar Infante is a scrappy hitter, and Jhonny Peralta can wield the bat.  The Angels have an excellent right side with Albert Pujols, one of baseball's icons, and Howie Kendrick.  Pujols can hit with anyone or field with anyone.  Kendrick is an all-around player.  On the other side, Erik Aybar routinely hits for high averages, and Alberto Callaspo is a solid player.

Overall Offenses (Best 4 hitters after colon)

1. Angels: Josh Hamilton, Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Mark Trumbo

2. Blue Jays: Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera

3. Tigers: Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, Victor Martinez, Austin Jackson

4. Yankees: Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter

5. Dodgers: Matt Kemp, Adrian Gonzalez, Andre Ethier, Hanley Ramirez

The Angels have the best offense in baseball.  Lead by the big three of Hamilton, Trout, and Pujols, there is no stopping them.  All three are MVP caliber.  Hamilton can flat out hit, Trout is exceptional all around, and Pujols will just destroy a baseball.  Overlooked is Mark Trumbo, who last year hit 32 home runs and drove in 95.  Howie Kendrick can also provide offense with a .292 career average and an average of twelve home runs per season over the past three years.  Even Erik Aybar hit .290 last season.  The catching tandem includes Chris Iannetta and Hank Conger, neither of which stand out.  However, Iannetta provides big time pop when healthy and the 25 year old Conger seems poised for a breakout year.  The Blue Jays have a balanced offense that includes big names and solid contributors.  Of course, leading everybody is right fielder Jose Bautista, one of the best hitters in baseball when healthy.  He banged out 124 home runs over the past three seasons despite playing in just six games after the 2012 All Star Break.  Edwin Encarnacion quietly knocked 42 home runs last year while driving in 110, and 23 year old Brett Lawrie put up solid numbers in his first full season.  Newcomers Jose Reyes and Melky Cabrera provide speed and average.  Colby Rasmus won't get much attention with the big names around him, but he does have the potential to be a 25 homer/.270 average guy.  Catcher J.P. Arencibia also has some significant power.  The Tigers' offense will obviously be led by two guys: Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder.  Cabrera, the 2012 AL MVP, won the Triple Crown last year, so it's safe to say he can hit with anybody in the game.  The big man, Prince Fielder, has oddly put up good year, great year, good year, great year, his entire career, and by that pattern, 2013 is set to be a great year.  He has twice hit more than 45 home runs in a season and in 2007, the then-23 year old became the youngest player ever to hit 50 in one year.  Victor Martinez, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL, may be the most overlooked part of Detroit's 2013 offense.  He holds a .303 career batting average and can easily hit 20 home runs a year.  Austin Jackson had a breakout year last year, and looks to build even further on it in 2012, having just turned 26.  Torii Hunter was signed to a two year deal in the offseason and is a great all around hitter.  He brings 1,947 games of experience and was also credited by Mike Trout himself for turning Trout into one of the best players in baseball.  Arguably the most underrated hitter on the Tigers is Andy Dirks, a 27 year old outfielder who hit .322 in 88 games last season.  The Yanks may be getting older, but they still have a great offense that may have ranked higher had Nick Swisher, Russell Martin, Raul Ibañez, Eric Chavez, and Andruw Jones not all departed.  They are lead by Robinson Cano, who continues to put up ridiculous numbers at the plate, including four straight seasons with at least 25 home runs, 85 RBI, a .300 average, and 40 doubles.  Curtis Granderson has now posted back to back 40 HR/100 RBI seasons, and Mark Teixeira is looking to rebound from a rough 2012.  Derek Jeter obviously brings incredible consistency, as well as veteran leadership and an iconic presence.  Ichiro, like Jeter, also brings consistency.  One place where the Yankees may struggle, and the spot that keeps them from ranking higher, is catcher.  With Martin's departure, Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart are left to take over.  The pair combined for one home run, 13 RBI, and a .239 average last season.  Number Five is the Dodgers.  Rather than a solid-all around offense, they are lead by standouts.  Most noticeable is Matt Kemp, who narrowly missed the 2011 NL MVP and was in contention in 2012 before a midseason injury.  Adrian Gonzalez is one of the most feared hitters in the game, and Andre Ethier provides great, steady offense.  Hanley Ramirez is arguably the best offensive shortstop in baseball, and Carl Crawford may be one of the game's most dynamic players if he can stay healthy.  

Rotations (Starters, in order)

1. Nationals: Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Ross Detwiler, Dan Haren

2. Blue Jays: R.A. Dickey, Brandon Morrow, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson, Ricky Romero

3. Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Chad Billingsley, Josh Beckett

4. Tigers: Justin Verlander, Doug Fister, Anibal Sanchez, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello

5. Braves: Tim Hudson, Kris Medlen, Brandon Beachy, Mike Minor, Paul Maholm

The Nationals have the best rotation in baseball.  All five starters are star-quality, and it starts with Stephen Strasburg.  Strasburg won't be on an innings limit next year, so be ready to watch him toss 200+ innings and maybe even win 20 games.  Not including his final three starts of the season, he was 15-5 with a 2.85 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP at just 23-24 years old.  The Nats also boast the best number two starter in baseball: Gio Gonzalez.  On what other team can a player go 21-8 and still be a number two?  Gio did just that, just missing the NL Cy Young Award to R.A. Dickey.  Opponents batted just .206 against him in 32 starts.  The number three starter is Jordan Zimmermann, who was 20-19 with a 3.05 ERA over the past two seasons.  The average win-loss total is due to an odd lack of run support.  Even Ross Detwiler, who was a surprise addition to the rotation at the beginning of last season, is a star.  In his first full season as a starter, the 26 year old Detwiler went 10-8 with a 3.40 ERA, letting left handed opponents bat just .170.  This year, with more age and experience, Detwiler should be even better.  The number five starter, Dan Haren, is easily the best number five in baseball.  He has tallied at least 12 wins in each of the past eight seasons and never posted an ERA over 4.33.  From 2007-2009, he was 45-27 with a 3.18 ERA over exactly 100 starts.  He is hoping to regain that in 2013.  Following Haren as backups are Chris Young, Ross Ohlendorf, Tanner Roark, Ryan Perry, Yunesky Maya, and Fernando Abad, all of whom can start a major league game.  The Blue Jays rotation was completely overhauled.  Three of their five have not thrown a pitch for the team north of the border.  Of course, it all starts with R.A. Dickey, who won the NL Cy Young by going 20-6 with a 2.73 ERA last season.  You can't start a rotation better than that.  Though Brandon Morrow may not be a household name, he makes a much better number two than most people think.  Over his first five seasons in the majors, the former top prospect was 29-30 with a 4.37 ERA, but last year, he broke out.  In 21 starts, he was 10-7 with a 2.96 ERA and 1.11 WHIP.  The number three is Mark Buehrle, one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball. Over his 13 year career, his ERA has never been above 5.00 for a season.  Even last year, at 33 years old, he was 13-13 with a 3.74 ERA.  Their numbers four and five are both former aces.  Josh Johnson was 29-12 with a 2.64 ERA from 2009-2011 despite numerous injuries, and posted a 3.81 mark in 31 starts last year.  Ricky Romero, the Jays' number five, is actually the team's former ace.  In 2011, he was 15-11 with a 2.92 ERA in 32 starts.  Last year, however, he struggled immensely, going 9-14 with a 5.77 ERA.  Hopefully, at 28 years old for the 2013 season, he will be back at the top of his game.  The Dodgers have a star studded rotation beginning with Clayton Kershaw, one of the best pitchers in baseball.  He is 61-37 with a 2.79 ERA for his career, which is incredible considering the fact that he's thrown 944 innings before his 25th birthday.  In 2011, he won the NL Cy Young by going 21-5 with a 2.28 ERA in 33 starts.  Number two, Zack Greinke, is the second highest paid righty in baseball and is in the prime of his career.  He will always be remembered for his incredible 2009, where he was 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA in 33 starts for the Royals, winning the AL Cy Young.  Number three, Hyun-Jin Ryu, may be the greatest pitcher ever to come out of Korea.  Number four, Chad Billingsley, is a very consistent pitcher who holds a 3.66 ERA, having pitched his entire seven year career with the Dodgers.  Number five, Josh Beckett, is the former ace of the Red Sox and won 20 games in 2007.  Behind Beckett, the Dodgers also have Ted Lilly (130 career wins), Aaron Harang (105 career wins), Chris Capuano (69 career wins), and Matt Palmer, proving a very deep rotation.  Detroit's rotation is all about their top few.  Justin Verlander is arguably the best pitcher in baseball, having gone 41-13 with a 2.52 ERA over the past two seasons.  Not much more needs to be said about the 6'5" Virginian.  The middle of the rotation contains three great pitchers who are tough to rank in order.  Doug Fister leads the group, having posted sub-3.50 ERA's in each of the past two seasons, including a 2.83 mark in 2011.  Anibal Sanchez was just signed to a five year deal, and he brings 144 major league starts as well as a no-hitter to the team. Max Scherzer had a breakout year last year, going 16-7 with a 3.74 ERA and 231 K's in 187.2 innings.  After the All-Star Break, he was 8-2 with a 2.69 ERA and 110 K's in 90.1 innings.  Lastly, Rick Porcello, a former top prospect, is poised and waiting for a breakout season.  Number five is the Braves, who are led by 14 year veteran and ageless wonder Tim Hudson, who will turn 38 this season with no signs of slowing down.  Kris Medlen posted one of the best 138 inning seasons of all time last year, going 10-1 with a 1.57 ERA in 50 games (12 starts).  As a starter, he was 9-0 with a 0.97 ERA.  Incredible.  Brandon Beachy is after Medlen, and he may be a bit overlooked.  Of course, he won't return from Tommy John surgery until midseason, but he was incredible last year.  In 13 starts, he was 5-5 with a 2.00 ERA and led the majors in the latter at the time of his injury.  Paul Maholm is coming off one of the best years of his career, where he was 13-11 with a 3.67 ERA.  Lastly, Mike Minor looks to build on his 2012 breakout season where he was 11-10 with a 4.12 ERA in 30 starts. 

Bullpens (Closer, Set-up Man, Next-best).  Lefties are indicated by an (L).

1. Nationals: Rafael Soriano, Drew Storen, Tyler Clippard

2. Braves: Craig Kimbrel, Eric O'Flaherty (L), Johnny Venters (L)

3. Reds: Jonathan Broxton, Sean Marshall (L), Jose Arredondo

4. Cardinals: Jason Motte, Mitchell Boggs, Mark Rzepczynski (L)

5. Orioles: Jim Johnson, Pedro Strop, Darren O'Day

Again, the Nationals have the top bullpen in baseball.  Here is a possible scenario: starter goes down with an injury, and the first guy they throw in is Zach Duke to eat some innings.  Now Duke had a 1.32 ERA last season in eight appearances and is a former starter.   After Duke, maybe you see Christian Garcia.  This guy had a 2.13 ERA in 13 appearances and Davey Johnson loves him.  If Davey likes him, I like him.  After Garcia, maybe you see Ryan Mattheus.  This guy is awesome; over 101 appearances over the past two seasons (his only in the bigs), he owns a 2.84 ERA and opponents bat .236.  When he's on, he's un-hittable.  After Mattheus, say a big lefty comes up and he has to face Bill Bray, who let lefties go 21-147 (.143 AVG) over the past three seasons.  Maybe you face another long guy, like Craig Stammen.  He's 7-2 with a 2.19 ERA over the past two seasons, and is just devastating on his good days.  Ok, now it's the seventh inning.  Here come the big guns.  Tyler Clippard starts it out, bringing 273 career appearances, a 3.11 ERA, a .200 BAA, an un-hittable "bunny change up", and is trademark higher than high fastball.  He faltered a bit towards the end of 2012, but in 2011, he was 3-0 with a 1.83 ERA, a 0.84 WHIP, and a .162 BAA in 72 appearances.  Now it's the 8th inning, and a fresh arm comes in: Drew Storen.  The 25 year old owns a 2.96 career ERA and 52 saves, 43 of which came in 2011, where he acted as 23 year old superstar closer.  Of course, we will all remember the famous breakdown in Game 5 of the NLDS, but he's past that.  In the ninth inning, newly acquired Rafael Soriano steps to the rubber.  He boasts 132 saves and two incredible seasons in the past three.  After leading the majors with 45 saves in 2010 while posting a 1.73 ERA, he bounced back in 2012 with 42 saves and a 2.26 ERA.  The Nationals also have other options than the ones just mentioned.  Henry Rodriguez may impress and make the team, Will Ohman could beat out Bill Bray, Jeremy Accardo has closing experience, and Fernando Abad pitched in 88 games in the past three seasons.  The Braves have the second best bullpen in baseball.  Theirs starts with Craig Kimbrel, the best closer in the game.  He's untouchable.  Just look at the career numbers: 1.46 ERA, .151 BAA, 0.91 WHIP, 89 saves and he's not even 25.  Basically, unless it's the most important game of the season (*cough* Wild Card Wednesday, 2011), the game is over when he picks up the ball.  Behind him is Eric O'Flaherty, one of baseball's most underrated pitchers. He has a 1.31 ERA over the past two seasons.  Lefties hit .113 in 2012.  Johnny Venters is their other great lefty.  Despite an off-year last year (if you call a 3.22 ERA "off"), I would gladly put him up against the other team's best hitter.  In 2010 and 2011, his first two major league seasons, he posted sub-2.00 ERA's.  Oh yeah, in 2011, lefties hit .127 against him.  Following Venters is Jordan Walden.  Believe it or not, Walden, a seventh inning guy, was an All-Star closer in 2011 with the Angels.  Thus far in his young career (he's 25), he owns a 3.06 ERA.  What causes them to drop below the Nats is the fact that they don't have much depth behind the big four.  Christhian Martinez is good, not great, and Luis Avilan and Cody Gearrin are inexperienced.  The Reds bullpen is nowhere near matching the Braves or Nationals, but it is still solid, even without Aroldis Chapman, who is moving to the rotation.  Everything is big with them: big weights, big heights, and big names.  Their closer is Jonathan Broxton, the 310 pound righty who has regained his footing as one of the better closers in baseball.  Sean Marshall, a 6'7" lefty, has settled in as one of the more dominating lefties in the game.  Among all left handed relievers in baseball, Marshall would be one of my top choices as a closer.  Jose Arredondo has rebounded incredibly well from 2010 Tommy John surgery and become a very reliable reliever.  Sam LeCure is coming into his own, and Alfredo Simon (6'6", 265 pounds, another huge guy) had the best year of his career last year with a 2.66 ERA out of a long-relief position. J.J. Hoover, who was a rookie last year, posted a 2.05 ERA.  They also have arms such as Nick Masset (6'5"), Logan Ondrusek (6'8"), Tony Cingrani (a 22 year old top prospect), and Armando Galarraga (Mr. Imperfect Game).  Of the players I just mentioned, their average height in the bullpen is over 6'4".  The Cardinals are not top heavy; rather, they are solid top to bottom.  Former minor league catcher Jason Motte leads the pack, having saved 54 games in his career, 42 of which were last year.  He holds a 2.87 career ERA and is just getting better and better.  Mitchel Boggs, the set-up man, had a career year last year, posting a 2.21 ERA and making 78 appearances.  Mark "Scrabble" Rzepczynski is the team's top lefty and at 27 years old, he seems to be coming into his own.  Randy Choate, just signed to a three year deal, is the lefty specialist, letting lefties go just 26-170, good for a .153 average over the past two seasons.  Fernando Salas is also a young, up and coming reliever who saved 24 games in 2011 at just 26 years old.  Trevor Rosenthal, one of the team's top prospects, logged 19 games in the bigs last year at 22 years old and will only get better. Other pitchers, such as Edward Mujica, Sam Freeman, and Victor Marte look to contribute as well.   Lastly, the Orioles are a surprise on the list.  They have very little depth, which causes them to rank lower, but what they have is great.  Closer Jim Johnson saved a major league leading 51 games in 2012 while posting a 2.49 ERA.  Pedro Strop, one of my favorite players, had a breakout year last year, going 5-2 with a 2.44 ERA and looks to build off that.  Darren O'Day, the quirky sidearmer, has posted ERA's below 2.30 in three of the past four seasons.  Even Troy Patton, a relative no-name, broke out last year, posting a 2.54 ERA in 54 appearances.  Luis Ayala, one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball, has posted sub-2.70 ERA's in each of the past two seasons and has done extremely well as a long reliever, averaging about 1.1 innings per appearance.  He is 35, which means he is on the downside of his career.  The Orioles also have former starter Tommy Hunter.  After those six, backup spots are up for grabs, with Mark Hendrickson, Rob Delaney, Zach Braddock, and Daniel Schlereth, none of which are very good, battling for those spots.  

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Teams followed in this update: Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies

If your team is not included, please leave a comment.

HR: home runs.  RBI: runs batted in.  AVG: batting average.  SB: stolen bases.  ERA: earned run average. WHIP: walks/hits per innings pitched.  K's: strikeouts. WPCT: winning percentage

Zack Silverman