MLB Power Rankings: Did New York Yankees Finish Top-10?
Oct 4, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Jeff Francoeur (3), center fielder Odubel Herrera (37) and left fielder Aaron Altherr (40) celebrate win in final game of the season at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies defeated the Marlins, 7-2. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
MLB Power Rankings: End Of Regular Season
With the regular season now in the books, we know who is made the postseason and who will be playing where. It was a long 27 weeks, but it was enjoyable for a baseball fan as some of the races came down to the very last day of the season.
Now that we know who will be in the dance, it is time to debate who we think will appear in the World Series and take home the championship. Will it be a team that saw success from the deadline like the Toronto Blue Jays or New York Mets? Or a team that has been there all season long such as the Kansas City Royals or St. Louis Cardinals. Or will we see Wild Card teams make the improbable run once again like we did in 2014?
We will have to tune in and find out starting Tuesday, when the AL Wild Card game kicks off the 2015 postseason. But before we get to that, let’s take a look at our final power rankings for the 2015 season. We add a little something extra this time around, as we picked an MVP, Cy Young and biggest disappointment for every team from the season.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the final MLB Power Rankings from the regular season from Empire Writes Back.
30. Philadelphia Phillies (63-99)
MVP: Odubel Herrera
Cy Young: Ken Giles
Biggest Disappointment: Not Moving Veterans Sooner
The Phillies were going nowhere this season, but you wouldn’t know that from the roster that was assembled. Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jonathan Papelbon, Cole Hamels and Ben Revere were still on the roster. That caused some of the players to be traded off at less than value, but the Phillies got what they could to restock their farm system. Herrera was one of the bright spots offensively, while Giles took over the closer role from Papelbon and dominated. They look like to solid building blocks along with other call ups such as Maikel Franco, Jerad Eickhoff and Aaron Nola.
29. Cincinnati Reds (64-98)
MVP: Joey Votto
Cy Young: Aroldis Chapman
Biggest Disappointment: Youth Movement
Votto was as consistent as they come this season despite the teardown going on around him. He got on base at will it seemed, working counts and waiting for his pitch. It is a thing of beauty watching him at the plate. On the mound, Chapman is basically the last man standing. The Reds had only one pitcher, Anthony DeSclafani that qualified for any of the stats as they made a massive youth movement. Things weren’t encouraging at the start though, as it resulted in a lot of losing and some tough to watch baseball.
28. Milwaukee Brewers (68-94)
MVP: Ryan Braun
Cy Young: Taylor Jungmann
Biggest Disappointment: Veteran Pitchers
It was a nice comeback season for Braun, who hit 25 home runs with 84 RBI, 24 stolen bases and a .284 batting average. Following an injury plagued 2014, those are solid contributions. On the mound, Jungmann was a nice surprise, but started to fade in September in his first taste of the major leagues. A reason he had to pitch though was because veterans like Kyle Lohse and Matt Garza performed so poorly. It forced the Brewers to go with younger players, and the results weren’t any worse than what they were giving them.
Next: West Coast Struggles