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We've finally made it to the end of my countdown of the 30 best MLB teams (in my mind) for 2020. Along the way, we've discovered some good surprises (like the Mets ranking so high) and some bad surprises (like the Pirates plummeting). All told, I hope all of you had as much fun going through the list as I did writing about it!
#1: Cincinnati Reds (2019 rank: #1)
The Cincinnati Reds are my favorite team and I think everyone knows that. What you might not know though is that in 2017 and 2018, I probably watched more Houston Astros games than I did Reds games. The Reds were so bad those two years that they were actually painful to watch - and with very little in the way of star power there wasn't a lot to root for either. The Astros, on the other hand, had plenty of stars (and as we now know, plenty of cameras but that's a different story).
This year, everything should be flipped back to normal. The Reds have had a super busy winter break and they've signed an entire outfield's worth of hitters to complement the entire outfield's worth of hitters already on their roster. They also will hopefully have an improved Trevor Bauer as an excellent #3 starter for the entire season.
In short, the Reds might actually be worth watching (and Reds' country would be happy to have any disgruntled Astros fans join the bandwagon). Furthermore, in a division where the Pirates ought to be terrible this year and the Cardinals, Cubs, and Brewers basically stood pat and/or actually lost players, it seems like the NL Central crown might finally be within reach of the Reds. I know I can't wait to find out!
And with that, we've finished off the entire MLB ranking project. At some point in the near future I will put everyone's contest entries into random.org and determine a winner for the 30 cards that have been featured throughout the series of posts. I want to thank everyone for their feedback and comments, it's been a blast having so much interaction on the blogs lately!
Final 2020 Rankings:
#30: New York Yankees
#29: Boston Red Sox
#28: St. Louis Cardinals
#27: San Francisco Giants
#26: Washington Nationals
#25: Miami Marlins
#24: Chicago Cubs
#23: Milwaukee Brewers
#22: Houston Astros
#21: Pittsburgh Pirates
#20: Atlanta Braves
#19: Los Angeles Angels
#18: Los Angeles Dodgers
#17: Texas Rangers
#16: San Diego Padres
#15: Baltimore Orioles
#14: Colorado Rockies
#13: Kansas City Royals
#12: Toronto Blue Jays
#11: Oakland Athletics
#10: Chicago White Sox
#9: Minnesota Twins
#8: Philadelphia Phillies
#7: Arizona Diamondbacks
#6: Tampa Bay Rays
#5: Detroit Tigers
#4: New York Mets
#3: Seattle Mariners
#2: Cleveland Indians
#1: Cincinnati Reds
Contest entries (FINAL TALLIES) (see here for details):
33 John Sharp
32 P-Town Tom
30 bbcardz
24 hockey kazi
39 Brett Alan
30 Fuji
1 acrackedbat
1 Wilson
35 Matt
4 Trevor P.
2 friend11
3 Adam Kaningher
1 CrazieJoe
1 Brian
9 OhioTim
1 Jon
#1: Cincinnati Reds (2019 rank: #1)
The Cincinnati Reds are my favorite team and I think everyone knows that. What you might not know though is that in 2017 and 2018, I probably watched more Houston Astros games than I did Reds games. The Reds were so bad those two years that they were actually painful to watch - and with very little in the way of star power there wasn't a lot to root for either. The Astros, on the other hand, had plenty of stars (and as we now know, plenty of cameras but that's a different story).
This year, everything should be flipped back to normal. The Reds have had a super busy winter break and they've signed an entire outfield's worth of hitters to complement the entire outfield's worth of hitters already on their roster. They also will hopefully have an improved Trevor Bauer as an excellent #3 starter for the entire season.
In short, the Reds might actually be worth watching (and Reds' country would be happy to have any disgruntled Astros fans join the bandwagon). Furthermore, in a division where the Pirates ought to be terrible this year and the Cardinals, Cubs, and Brewers basically stood pat and/or actually lost players, it seems like the NL Central crown might finally be within reach of the Reds. I know I can't wait to find out!
And with that, we've finished off the entire MLB ranking project. At some point in the near future I will put everyone's contest entries into random.org and determine a winner for the 30 cards that have been featured throughout the series of posts. I want to thank everyone for their feedback and comments, it's been a blast having so much interaction on the blogs lately!
Final 2020 Rankings:
#30: New York Yankees
#29: Boston Red Sox
#28: St. Louis Cardinals
#27: San Francisco Giants
#26: Washington Nationals
#25: Miami Marlins
#24: Chicago Cubs
#23: Milwaukee Brewers
#22: Houston Astros
#21: Pittsburgh Pirates
#20: Atlanta Braves
#19: Los Angeles Angels
#18: Los Angeles Dodgers
#17: Texas Rangers
#16: San Diego Padres
#15: Baltimore Orioles
#14: Colorado Rockies
#13: Kansas City Royals
#12: Toronto Blue Jays
#11: Oakland Athletics
#10: Chicago White Sox
#9: Minnesota Twins
#8: Philadelphia Phillies
#7: Arizona Diamondbacks
#6: Tampa Bay Rays
#5: Detroit Tigers
#4: New York Mets
#3: Seattle Mariners
#2: Cleveland Indians
#1: Cincinnati Reds
Contest entries (FINAL TALLIES) (see here for details):
33 John Sharp
32 P-Town Tom
30 bbcardz
24 hockey kazi
39 Brett Alan
30 Fuji
1 acrackedbat
1 Wilson
35 Matt
4 Trevor P.
2 friend11
3 Adam Kaningher
1 CrazieJoe
1 Brian
9 OhioTim
1 Jon
As I said yesterday, I really enjoyed your rankings this year, and that we will have to stay tuned for your rankings #2-30 in 2021 because after all, it will before we know it.
ReplyDeleteI liked the Big Red Machine back in the 70s...always liked Rose and Morgan and Bench. When I was a kid I read a book "by" Rose called Charlie Hustle which was basically a ghost-written diary of his 1974 season. Made me a fan even though Mets fans weren't supposed to like him because of the fight with Bud Harrelson in the '73 playoffs. I suppose I haven't paid much attention to the Reds in recent years but I've never had negative feelings toward them either. And I suppose I'm more apt to wish them well for your sake, just as I'm more apt to root for their old rivals the Dodgers for Night Owl's sake.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the series and all the comments.
This was so much fun, and I agree, in that I believe the Reds are a pretty good choice to win the N.L. Central.
ReplyDeleteBarry Larkin, a Cincinnati native, played baseball at Michigan, and that fact made him a no brainier to collect in the 1980s/90s...along with his UM buddies, Chris Sabo, and Hal Morris, also teammates of Larkin's on the 1990 Reds World Series Championship team.
Good Job, and GO BLUE!
Nice blog theme/contest! So who do you think will represent the Reds at the 2020 All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium?
ReplyDeleteIf the Reds are going to do well this year then I think there will need to be at least two starting pitchers plus a couple of position guys. Suarez is the easiest choice, maybe Moose? If Votto is an All-Star then the Reds will probably be a first place team at the break.
DeleteI think your last card posted, Joey Votto, will help determine the fate of the Reds this year.
ReplyDeleteA fun series to read! I've enjoyed your insights, even if my Red Sox will forever be bottom-dwellers!
ReplyDeleteEveryone in central IL is talking about the Reds, both Cardinal and Cub fans alike, as the team to watch out for in the NL Central. Thanks for the fun series to read!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this series. It made me think about who would be near the top and bottom of my lists. The middle is just a giant blob that everyone else gets thrown into.
ReplyDeleteThe middle is the toughest to sort out, for sure.
Delete