Several clubs that had a good 2014 are expected to challenge for the top spot in the power rankings and the latest from Bleacher Reports Joel Reuter has the Angels and Cardinals as the top two teams entering the year, but a closer look at the off season moves and one could argue that nearly every franchise has a legitimate chance of making the post season when October rolls around.
St. Louis has made four straight trips to the playoffs and after acquiring Jason Heyward from Atlanta during the winter, the Cards could be the favorites for a World Series title in 2015. This squad has a strong pitching staff and enough offense that a fifth straight appearance in the post season is a strong possibility.
The Los Angeles Angels’ won a Major League high 98 games in 2014 and made some dramatic moves over the off season, including trading star second baseman Howie Kendrick across town to the Dodgers. This team will also have Josh Hamilton out of action for at least a few weeks, but the addition of Matt Joyce and the return of Garrett Richards has this team and its fans excited for the start of the 2015 season.
There are a couple dark horses entering the start of the year, including the Toronto Blue Jays’ and San Diego Padres’. Both of these mid-market teams went all out this winter in acquiring added talent and with a little luck and a strong start to the season, either of these franchises could return to the post season for the first time in several years.
This time of the year brings hope eternal to fans of this great game and this year could be historic with a number of clubs having the talent to knock the big boys off their perch. The ratings for the game is slowly climbing back and with a strong start to the season, this could become one of the best years in the history of the game to be a fan of the MLB.
