Ranking all 30 MLB lineups heading into 2018

The Fish are a much different ball club than they were last September. Gone from the Marlins' lineup of a year ago are 120 home runs, 80 stolen bases and one very hard-to-miss National League MVP. There is little to get excited about aside from the returning J.T. Realmuto's 31 doubles and Justin Bour’s 25 home runs and .289 average from 2017, if that counts as excitement.

Amid a period of transition, it is hard to get too excited about what’s left for the Tigers. Miguel Cabrera should always be considered dangerous, but age could be taking its inevitable toll on the future Hall of Famer. Nicholas Castellanos, who poured in 72 extra-base hits last year, is one intriguing part of the picture in Detroit.

With Evan Longoria, Steven Souza, Corey Dickerson and Logan Morrison all moving on this winter, the Rays are looking to craft a new identity in 2018. Those four player accounted for 115 of the Rays' 228 homers in 2017, which is an impossible task for this year’s team to replicate. One bright spot could be seeing Kevin Kiermaier put his athleticism on display around the bases, where he has been good for nearly six offensive win shares despite playing just over 200 games the past two seasons combined.

Although Mike Moustakas found his way back to K.C. after a failed stint on the open market, this is a Royals team that is very much in transition. Whit Merrifield and Cheslor Cuthbert will be called upon to carry an increased part of the load alongside Salvador Perez, but to expect them to come close to what Eric Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain departed town with is an impossible dream.

While Freddie Freeman checks in on the short list of best hitters in the game, much of the Atlanta lineup consists of promising former prospects getting some experience under their belts. Dansby Swanson, Ozzie Albies and (eventually) Ronald Acuna will all account for a big part of the Braves' everyday scene this year. However, the underrated Ender Inciarte and Tyler Flowers continue to play big roles in providing quality veteran presences.

The past couple years, the Oakland offense has seemingly been the 40-plus home runs of Khris Davis and not too much else. But for the first time in a while, there should be some hope of upside for the A’s, as a handful of offseason additions and youngsters with potential could provide a solid base around Davis, Marcus Semien and Jed Lowrie. Stephen Piscotty and Jonathan Lucroy will look to rebound their stock this summer, while Matt Olson and Matt Chapman made big contributions in abbreviated rookie seasons.

Eric Hosmer brings a name brand quantity to the heart of the Padres' lineup, where he will pair with Wil Myers to give the Padres a talented core to build around. Manuel Margot is also worth keeping an eye on, developing into one of the most multi-talented leadoff hitters in the game. However, there is a notable drop-off late in the San Diego lineup, which will make it tough for the Pads to hang with the deep dugouts of the rest of the NL West.

Any lineup that boasts Joey Votto has the opportunity to put runs on the board with regularity. However, the one-man offensive warpath will be far from alone in 2018, as Eugenio Suarez and Scooter Gennett (26 and 27 homers respectively in 2017) and Billy Hamilton (59 stolen bases, 11 triples in ’17) will keep it interesting as well. Keep an eye on both Nick Senzel and Jesse Winkler as they look to make their first major marks in Cincy this year as well.

The Pirates open a new era this year, with longtime cornerstone Andrew McCutchen moving on during the offseason. His former outfield mates in Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco will be expected to make up for the void, along with Josh Bell, who finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting last year.

The Phils are laying the foundation for their turnaround, with much of the talent they have built up over the past few years standing in as regulars now. Rhys Hoskins, Odubel Herrera, Nick Williams, J.P. Crawford and Cesar Hernandez make up an enviable collection of talent, and top prospect Scott Kingery could join the mix soon too. The final touch was surprising offseason acquisition Carlos Santana, who brings a perfect blend of an experienced, veteran presence who can still contribute at the heart of the order.

There are a lot of things to be excited about with the White Sox. Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia offer a pair of All-Star bats at the heart of the order, while Yoan Moncada has the potential to be a middle-of-the-lineup bat with leadoff athleticism. Tim Anderson is one of the underrated shortstops in the AL, while Matt Davidson slugged a quiet 26 homers last summer. While much of their potential is tied to upside, the Sox could create some excitement.

After finishing in the NL’s bottom two in runs scored, OPS, home runs and total bases, offensive upgrades were by far the top priority in the Bay this winter. The Giants addressed that need by leveraging trades for Andrew McCutchen and Evan Longoria to surround Buster Posey with legitimate peers again. While the name value improvements are clear, the Giants still boast one of the NL’s oldest everyday lineups, with only Joe Panik younger than 30.

Injuries, the loss of Edwin Encarnacion and a massive regression from Jose Bautista caused a previously dominant Toronto lineup to take some noticeable steps backward last year. A full-strength (and contract year motivated) Josh Donaldson, along with another big year from Justin Smoak and Kendrys Morales, paired with returns to form from former All-Stars Troy Tulowitzki, Russell Martin and newly acquired Aledmys Diaz could do wonders for T-Dot.

If the Mets can finally shake the injury cloud that has hung over them the past two seasons, their veteran lineup could pull them back toward postseason contention. The additions of Todd Frazier and Adrian Gonzalez, coupled with the return of Jay Bruce, bring a combined 763 career home runs to Flushing. If both Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto can stay in the lineup together, the Mets could mix it up some.

The Orioles have long been a homer-dependent group, and this year’s offering could once again live and die by the long ball. The O’s have five everyday players with 30 home run seasons on their respective résumés, but a year ago none had an on-base percentage that reached .340. A bit more balance could go a long way toward helping this club move out of the ranks of the AL’s average offenses.

With a core built around Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager and Jean Segura and amplified over the offseason with Dee Gordon aboard, the spine of the Seattle lineup is strong. The issue for GM Jerry Dipoto has been coloring in the lines and building depth. Ben Gamel, Mitch Haniger and Ryon Healy have some potential, but it remains a top-heavy offering.

Yes, of course there’s Mike Trout, and if you can count on anything it's death, taxes and Trout accounting for around eight victories singlehandedly. Yet, finally, there appears to be more than just Trout’s turns at the plate to wait for, as the reinforced Angels' lineup has some real potential. The additions of Zack Cozart and Ian Kinsler provide a pair of versatile table setters, while Justin Upton and Kole Calhoun are solid wingmen for Trout as well. Oh yeah, on occasion, Shohei Ohtani could factor in to the party too.

The Rangers are operating in a weird atmosphere regarding the direction of their offense. They are stuck between a changing of the guard with still-productive vets in Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus and still waiting to see exactly what they have in Joey Gallo, Nomar Mazara and Rougned Odor. Their current incarnation is a very feast-or-famine collection that hit the third most home runs (237) but produced the third lowest team batting average (.244) in 2017.

While replacing the power of J.D. Martinez will be a tough task, the D-backs still boast an impressive lineup around perennial MVP contender Paul Goldschmidt. Jake Lamb has hit 59 home runs over the past two years, while A.J. Pollock, David Peralta and Steven Souza could be capable of remarkable things together. Both Pollock and Peralta own career OPS over .800, while Souza is coming off his first 30 home run season.

The Cardinals are prepared to boast an outfield with as much collective potential as any in the National League. Tommy Pham finished second in WAR (6.2) among all NL outfielders last year, while Dexter Fowler hit a career-best 18 home runs and 64 RBI in 118 games. However, the crown jewel of the group comes in Marcell Ozuna, who won both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger last summer after hitting .312 with 37 home runs and driving in 124 runs.

The Boston offense took a step backward a year ago as it adjusted to life without David Ortiz. Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Hanley Ramirez all had lesser years than in 2016, while Mookie Betts battled inconsistency at times. When it was all said and done, the Red Sox hit the fewest home runs in the American League and were unable to keep pace with their heavier-hitting peers. It was an issue addressed in a resounding fashion via the $110 million Martinez received to help put those issues to bed.

One of the most exciting offenses in the league makes its home in the Twin Cities, as the Twins have put together an impressive collective of athletes up and down their lineup. Brian Dozier is one of the most versatile players in the game, while Byron Buxton may be baseball’s premier athlete. What could really take the club to the next level in 2018, however, is its pair of sluggers, Miguel Sano and Logan Morrison, who combined for 66 homers a year ago despite Sano missing over 40 games.

Although Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager stand as two of the most exciting young stars in the game, they are far from the only attraction in town for the National League champs. The Dodgers' attack is driven by the still-underrated presence of Justin Turner — though he'll start the season on the DL with a broken wrist — as well as a plethora of above-average role players. Chris Taylor, Yasiel Puig, Kike Hernandez, Logan Forsythe and Matt Kemp are all capable of making a difference on any given night, while Yasmani Grandal and Austin Barnes are the NL’s top tandem of backstops.

The Crew tied for the NL lead in home runs a year ago but took a noticeable dip in production early in the second half. In an attempt to avoid another stumbling point, GM David Stearns went out and landed two of the best all-around outfielders in the game this winter in Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich. They join a lineup that already features three 30 home run hitters in Domingo Santana, Travis Shaw and Eric Thames, in addition to Ryan Braun and Jonathan Villar, who has stolen 85 bases over the past two seasons.

While the Rockies annually check in among the National League’s top run-producing clubs (they led in each of the last four years), they have rarely had as much pure talent up and down their lineup card as they currently boast. Nolan Arenado has driven in 130 runs in each of the past three seasons, while Charlie Blackmon is the NL’s defending batting champ, in addition to leading in five other categories. With Trevor Story and Carlos Gonzalez in line for bounce-back seasons and DJ LeMahieu standing in as another former batting champ, the Rockies remain as formidable as ever.

With all due respect to the potency of the Yankees and the relentlessness of the Astros, the Indians still possess the most diverse lineup in the AL. This is due to the blend of power and speed they release on a regular basis. Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez were the only teammates to finish in the top 10 of power/speed ratio in the AL last year, while the top-shelf power of Edwin Encarnacion adds yet another pitfall for opposing pitchers.

A t top form, there may not be a more relentless lineup top to bottom than Joe Maddon’s. Aided by some creative lineup deployment from their skipper, the Cubbies can alternate left- and right-handed bats from the leadoff position to the ninth spot. Four Cubs topped 20 home runs, with three (Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Willson Contreras) topping an .850 OPS last year.

With a date with what should be the most lucrative free agent stint in history ahead of him, it should be no surprise if Bryce Harper posts another MVP-worthy season this summer. Beside Harper's excellence, both Daniel Murphy and Anthony Rendon have finished in the NL MVP top 10 in the past two years. The Nats finished third in the NL in runs scored last year with Harper, Trea Turner and Adam Eaton missing over 250 games, so they could be even more potent in the summer to come.

The Astros swarm the competition behind the speed and contact of AL MVP Jose Altuve, the raw power of George Springer and Carlos Correa, and with talents like Marwin Gonzalez, Alex Bregman, Yuli Gurriel and Brian McCann filling in the space between. As they displayed en route to capturing the World Series title last fall, their greatest virtue is the relentlessness in their approach, as four parts of their starting lineup topped 20 home runs, while five sported an on-base percentage above of .350.

The type of production the Yankees could be on the brink of producing may be unlike anything the game has seen before. As if a lineup centered around Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez wasn’t enough, they added NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton to the mix as well. The 1997 Mariners currently hold the single-season home run record with 264, a number this year’s Yanks would pass by adding only 24 of Stanton’s 59 homers from a year ago should the rest of the lineup produce the same results as last year.