ESPN offers its first Power Rankings today and the Blue Jays merit ninth place. In Buster Olney's opinion, the "Jays will cause problems for the Red Sox and Yankees, but a couple of pitching injuries would be devastating."
The Jays' AL East foes New York and Boston top the list, followed by the Phillies and Cubs, with Detroit logically anchored at the bottom.
A few other thoughts:
Ninth for the Blue Jays sounds about right to me. As for the comment about the devastation of a couple of pitching injuries, that could apply to any team. What happens to New York if Brown and Mussina are injured?
The Jays' new logo is cool. The Ranger logo is a lame imitation of Montreal's, and Texas should revert to the "cowboy hat on ball" logo of the 1970s.
The biggest surprise is the ranking of the Orioles at 23rd, just one spot above the D-Rays. I would have expected a placement of 14-17 given the signing of Tejada, Lopez, Palmeiro and Ponson. Olney is right about the rotation, though; it's awfully thin.
The Athletics at 6th feels a little high, but I don't know who I'd rank above them.
No NL West team ranks higher than 11th or lower than 21st.
The last two teams, the Tigers and Brewers, have a plan. You may disagree with their plans, but at least these franchises appear to have a framework for improvement in place. Do the Pirates (ranked 28th) have a plan beyond ruining Craig Wilson's career?
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