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Part 5 of this week's series examines the top 10 lineups in the big leagues for 2012 -- and it's all about run production:
(Here are the previous rankings: best starting rotations, best bullpens, best infields and best outfield.)
1. Boston Red Sox
The 2011 Red Sox will be remembered for their September collapse, for beer and fried chicken. But they also led the majors in runs, and there's no reason to think they won't continue to generate a whole lot of offense, with so many elite hitters -- Jacoby Ellsbury, Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, Carl Crawford. Run production won't be a problem.
2. Texas Rangers
During the course of the 2011 season, Texas suffered significant injuries to Josh Hamilton, Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz -- and the Rangers still managed to finish third in the majors in runs scored, through the excellence of Michael Young, and the emergence of Mike Napoli. The band will be back together again in 2012.
Can you imagine what the Rangers would be like with the addition of Prince Fielder, dropped right into the middle?
3. New York Yankees
This may well be the year that Robinson Cano hits third, where he belongs, right behind MVP candidate Curtis Granderson and right ahead of Mark Teixeira. The depth around this group is staggering -- from Alex Rodriguez to Nick Swisher to Derek Jeter to Brett Gardner to the polished Jesus Montero. It's a relentless lineup that generated 50 more walks last season than any other team.
4. St. Louis Cardinals
Albert Pujols will be missed, because of his presence and his defense, but the Cardinals will still score lots of runs. Carlos Beltran was among the best hitters in the National League next year, and David Freese and Allen Craig seemed to have established themselves in September and October. The big question will be Lance Berkman: Can he be close to what he was for the Cardinals this summer?
5. Colorado Rockies
You start with Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez, and you throw in a Michael Cuddyer and a Ramon Hernandez, and you consider the improvement of Dexter Fowler, who hit .288 and had a .380 on-base percentage in the second half of the season … The Rockies are going to pile up a whole lot of runs.
6. Detroit Tigers
By the time the Tigers were into the American League Championship Series, injuries had frayed away a lot of the depth that had propelled Detroit during the season. Brennan Boesch seemed to blossom before a thumb injury ended his season, and Alex Avila had a .389 on-base percentage before struggling in October. Miguel Cabrera may be the majors' best right-handed hitter, and Victor Martinez thrived in the DH role. The Tigers need more consistency from Austin Jackson at the top of their lineup, but this is a powerful lineup.
7. Toronto Blue Jays
Jose Bautista is the centerpiece of the batting order, a slugger who compiled 43 homers, 132 walks and an OPS of 1.056. But it may not be long before Brett Lawrie becomes the Robin to Bautista's Batman -- in his first 43 games in the big leagues, he made an immediate impact, posting a .580 slugging percentage, with nine homers in just 150 at-bats. Yunel Escobar had a .369 on-base percentage, Adam Lind wound up with 26 homers and 87 RBIs despite a terrible second half, and J.P. Arencibia hits for power. This is a good lineup that has a chance to get a lot better as its young players develop.
8. Kansas City Royals
There's not much this group doesn't have, other than experience -- there are strong middle-of-the-order hitters, with Eric Hosmer and Billy Butler; extra-base power, from Jeff Francoeur and Mike Moustakas; hitters who are adept at getting on base, like Alex Gordon; and speed, with Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain.
9. Arizona Diamondbacks
The D-backs have power, speed, lefty-righty balance, depth -- the only real issue is that they don't have true top-of-the-order hitters. But what they lack at the top, they more than make up for with impact bats in the middle of their lineup, with Justin Upton, Miguel Montero, newcomer Jason Kubel and others. Paul Goldschmidt is prone to strikeouts, but he showed at the end of last season that he is capable of big-time game-changing power; he had eight homers in 156 at-bats last season.
10. Cincinnati Reds
They have worked to upgrade their pitching staff this winter, and if successful, the Reds could get back to the top of the NL Central, because they have the offense to win -- with Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs and Scott Rolen. It's hard to imagine that the Reds won't get better production from their left fielders, whoever they may be, than in 2011, when Cincinnati left fielders ranked 22nd among 30 teams in OPS.
Honorable mentions: Tampa Bay Rays -- They are still sorting through their options at first base and designated hitters, but it figures they will find solutions that will complement Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria.
Los Angeles Angels -- Albert Pujols helps, for sure, but whether the Angels develop into an elite lineup will depend on the progression of the other parts: Chris Iannetta, their new catcher; Peter Bourjos and Mike Trout, their emerging young outfielders; and Kendrys Morales, who hasn't played in a major league game in 19 months and may or may not ever be the same.
(Here are the previous rankings: best starting rotations, best bullpens, best infields and best outfield.)
1. Boston Red Sox
The 2011 Red Sox will be remembered for their September collapse, for beer and fried chicken. But they also led the majors in runs, and there's no reason to think they won't continue to generate a whole lot of offense, with so many elite hitters -- Jacoby Ellsbury, Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, Carl Crawford. Run production won't be a problem.
2. Texas Rangers
During the course of the 2011 season, Texas suffered significant injuries to Josh Hamilton, Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz -- and the Rangers still managed to finish third in the majors in runs scored, through the excellence of Michael Young, and the emergence of Mike Napoli. The band will be back together again in 2012.
Can you imagine what the Rangers would be like with the addition of Prince Fielder, dropped right into the middle?
3. New York Yankees
This may well be the year that Robinson Cano hits third, where he belongs, right behind MVP candidate Curtis Granderson and right ahead of Mark Teixeira. The depth around this group is staggering -- from Alex Rodriguez to Nick Swisher to Derek Jeter to Brett Gardner to the polished Jesus Montero. It's a relentless lineup that generated 50 more walks last season than any other team.
4. St. Louis Cardinals
Albert Pujols will be missed, because of his presence and his defense, but the Cardinals will still score lots of runs. Carlos Beltran was among the best hitters in the National League next year, and David Freese and Allen Craig seemed to have established themselves in September and October. The big question will be Lance Berkman: Can he be close to what he was for the Cardinals this summer?
5. Colorado Rockies
You start with Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez, and you throw in a Michael Cuddyer and a Ramon Hernandez, and you consider the improvement of Dexter Fowler, who hit .288 and had a .380 on-base percentage in the second half of the season … The Rockies are going to pile up a whole lot of runs.
6. Detroit Tigers
By the time the Tigers were into the American League Championship Series, injuries had frayed away a lot of the depth that had propelled Detroit during the season. Brennan Boesch seemed to blossom before a thumb injury ended his season, and Alex Avila had a .389 on-base percentage before struggling in October. Miguel Cabrera may be the majors' best right-handed hitter, and Victor Martinez thrived in the DH role. The Tigers need more consistency from Austin Jackson at the top of their lineup, but this is a powerful lineup.
7. Toronto Blue Jays
Jose Bautista is the centerpiece of the batting order, a slugger who compiled 43 homers, 132 walks and an OPS of 1.056. But it may not be long before Brett Lawrie becomes the Robin to Bautista's Batman -- in his first 43 games in the big leagues, he made an immediate impact, posting a .580 slugging percentage, with nine homers in just 150 at-bats. Yunel Escobar had a .369 on-base percentage, Adam Lind wound up with 26 homers and 87 RBIs despite a terrible second half, and J.P. Arencibia hits for power. This is a good lineup that has a chance to get a lot better as its young players develop.
8. Kansas City Royals
There's not much this group doesn't have, other than experience -- there are strong middle-of-the-order hitters, with Eric Hosmer and Billy Butler; extra-base power, from Jeff Francoeur and Mike Moustakas; hitters who are adept at getting on base, like Alex Gordon; and speed, with Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain.
9. Arizona Diamondbacks
The D-backs have power, speed, lefty-righty balance, depth -- the only real issue is that they don't have true top-of-the-order hitters. But what they lack at the top, they more than make up for with impact bats in the middle of their lineup, with Justin Upton, Miguel Montero, newcomer Jason Kubel and others. Paul Goldschmidt is prone to strikeouts, but he showed at the end of last season that he is capable of big-time game-changing power; he had eight homers in 156 at-bats last season.
10. Cincinnati Reds
They have worked to upgrade their pitching staff this winter, and if successful, the Reds could get back to the top of the NL Central, because they have the offense to win -- with Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs and Scott Rolen. It's hard to imagine that the Reds won't get better production from their left fielders, whoever they may be, than in 2011, when Cincinnati left fielders ranked 22nd among 30 teams in OPS.
Honorable mentions: Tampa Bay Rays -- They are still sorting through their options at first base and designated hitters, but it figures they will find solutions that will complement Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria.
Los Angeles Angels -- Albert Pujols helps, for sure, but whether the Angels develop into an elite lineup will depend on the progression of the other parts: Chris Iannetta, their new catcher; Peter Bourjos and Mike Trout, their emerging young outfielders; and Kendrys Morales, who hasn't played in a major league game in 19 months and may or may not ever be the same.
