Organizational Rankings

You may have recently come across this at fangraphs.com.  Basically, the Fangraphs writers were asked to rank each major league organization according to four factors.  The resulting  organizational rankings are being posted at Fangraphs (they’re halfway through as I write this.

I saw this as an opportunity to rank the organizations myself and then see how my rankings compared to those of the Fangraphs team of experts.

The four factors used to determine the rankings are (with their weighted value in parentheses):

1.  Financial Resources (30%)

Pretty self-explanatory.

2.  Present Talent (30%)

Also pretty self-explanatory.

3.  Baseball Operations (25%)

Refers to the front office, major and minor league staff and all contained therein.

4.  Future Talent (15%)

Refers not to just to minor-league talent, but talent that will contribute for a significant period into the future.

And, in descending order*, here are my rankings:
* – In case of a tie, I used the team’s 2010 record as a tiebreaker.

30.  Houston Astros

Ranked 30th by Fangraphs

Financial Resources:  D
Present Talent:  F
Baseball Operations:  F
Future Talent:  F

In my NL Central recap, I referred to the Astros as the most pathetic franchise in baseball.  Others may be inclined to favor the Pirates, the Orioles, the Nationals, or some other team with a long history of losing.  The Astros may not have the history, but this ranking is about where they are right now:  dead last.

The only bright spot here is the “D” I gave the team in Financial Resources.  Normally, I would give the Astros a “C”; they’re a mid-market team with a mid-market payroll that’s not afraid to roll out the bucks under the right circumstances.  But given the pressing financial situation of owner Drayton McLane and his subsequent decision to put the team up for sale, I have to knock this rating down to a “D”.

I gave the Astros an F in Present Talent somewhat reluctantly.  The team does have some promising starting pitchers, among them the capable Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez, Bud Norris and J.A. Happ.  But none of those guys is a front-line talent, and really, the rest of the team is bad enough to drag the ranking down to the cellar.  I gave just four teams an “F” in present talent, so this really does represent the bottom.  Future talent goes along the same lines, as the team is starting to replenish its farm system, but any hope is very far away, which means that the major league team will be wretched for the next 3-5 years, at least.

The two-fisted villain that’s clubbing this franchise into a coma is owner McLane on the left and General Manager Ed Wade on the right.  The Astros have been penny-foolish and pound-foolish, doling out the crippling Carlos Lee contract while cutting back spending in the amateur draft.  This long-term problem made the club very top-heavy, and with the trades of Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt, the top is gone, and we’re left with dreck.

GM Wade, left to sign mid-level free agents to float the payroll up to $100 million, has made a dazzling series of blunders, picking up the desiccated remains of Pedro Feliz, a less-than-youthful Miguel Tejada and any number of overpaid part-time players such as Jason Michaels, Darin Erstad and (admittedly inherited) albatross Brad Ausmus.

When you’re looking up at the Pirates – in any situation – you’re screwed.

29.  Pittsburgh Pirates

Ranked 28th by Fangraphs

Financial Resources:  F
Present Talent:  F
Baseball Operations:  C
Future Talent:  C

It may be painful, but the Pirates are moving away from the bottom of this list.  The team has capable front-office talent, even if that hasn’t yet translated into any progress at the major league level (hence my split-the-difference “C” rating).  But if there’s anything to brighten the hopes of Pirate fans, it’s that “C” the team rates for future talent.  Not only is there a growing nucleus of talent in the majors (McCutchen, Alvarez, Tabata, Walker), there’s some high-end talent on the way.

I don’t really think of the Pirates as the 29th-best franchise in the majors, but it’s hard to do much better when you get an “F” in the two most important categories.  Even there, present talent is improving to the point that they could merit a “D” as soon as next year, and any growth in that regard will improve the team’s access to ready cash.

Ranking 29th may be a dubious victory, but any victory at all is a comfort to Pirate fans.

28.  Cleveland Indians

Ranked 26th by Fangraphs

Financial Resources:  D
Present Talent:  F
Baseball Operations:  C
Future Talent:  D

It was a tough decision to give the Indians an “F” for present talent.  After all, they do have Grady Sizemore, Carlos Santana and Shin-Soo Choo.  And if you asked me again tomorrow, I might change my mind and give them a D-minus.  But when I sat down to make my preseason picks, I had to think long and hard before I decided to rank the Indians ahead of the Royals.  And that tells you all you need to know.

The “D” in financial resources doesn’t just refer to the team’s small, recession-damaged media market, but also to the fact that they’re having a tough time drawing fans.  The Indians have under-performed expectations for half a decade now.  Many fans may have forgotten the mini-dynasty of Manny, Thome and Albert Belle, but they have NOT forgotten the superstars (Cliff Lee, C.C. Sabathia, Victor Martinez) sold off for a questionable return.  Until the Tribe starts winning again, they’re going to have to keep creatively mining new revenue streams.

The Indians experienced a minor shift in baseball operations recently, with longtime General Manager Mark Shapiro moving up to become president, with longtime assistant Chris Antonetti now in the GM’s chair.  Shapiro’s legacy includes few highlights – mainly the team’s near-pennant run in 2007 – and a lot of disappointments, such as the team’s endemic underperformance and tragic decision to sell early on so many stars.  With no new talent coming in from the minors (a fact that may come to define the Indian teams of the 00’s), Shapiro needed to get a brilliant return for Sabathia, Lee, et al.  He did not.  His best trade actually involved mid-level star Casey Blake, bringing back Carlos Santana from the Dodgers.  I’m struggling now to think of one* homegrown star that appeared in Cleveland during Shapiro’s tenure as GM.  Sabathia and Martinez came into the system under former GM John Hart.  Lee, Sizemore, Hafner, Santana, Choo, Ronnie Belliard, Jake Westbrook and even Asdrubal Cabrera were all trade acquisitions.  That leaves … who, exactly?  I guess Shapiro’s last hope is that Lonnie Chisenhall makes it in the bigs.

* – Notable players drafted by the Indians from 2001-2010:

2001:  Luke Scott (traded to Houston for Jeriome Robertson)

2002:  Jeremy Guthrie (pitched 16 games for Cleveland before being lost on waivers to the Orioles.  Became mid-level innings-eater for Baltimore, and thus would be #2 pitcher on the Indians’ staff); Ben Francisco (traded with Cliff Lee to Phillies)

2003:  Michael Aubrey (bust.  Now with Washington); Ryan Garko (fair 1B traded to Giants for Scott Barnes); Kevin Kouzmanoff (decent third baseman traded to Padres for mega-bust Josh Barfield); Aaron Laffey (5th starter)

2004:  Jeremy Sowers (mega-bust)

2005:  Trevor Crowe (4th outfielder); Jensen Lewis (spare arm); Desmond Jennings (too bad he didn’t sign); Tim Lincecum (umm … ditto)

2006:  David Huff (not to repeat myself, but:  spare arm)

2007:  Beau Mills (college 1B hit 241/312/377 as a 23-year-old in AA last year)

2008:  Lonnie Chisenhall (here’s hopin’)

2009 & 2010:  (It’s too early to judge the last few drafts)

It would be unfair to blame this poor showing entirely on Shapiro.  But as de facto head of baseball ops, this does reflect poorly on him as well as the entire organization.  Small market franchises don’t survive dry spells like this.  Here’s hoping Antonetti breaks free of the glass (low-)ceiling.

27.  Arizona Diamondbacks

Ranked 29th by Fangraphs

Financial Resources:  D
Present Talent:  D
Baseball Operations:  D
Future Talent:  D

These rankings reflect a franchise that is consistently mediocre, which is pretty much how the press has described the Diamondbacks’ spring training.  The “D” for baseball operations isn’t a reflection on the highly-qualified Kevin Towers; Towers hasn’t been on the job for long, so that rating is a reflection of the dismal state of the team before he got there.

If there’s one place I might have short-changed the team, it’s on future talent.  The D-Backs’ farm system was ranked middle-of-the-road by most pre-season projections, but I think it’s weighed down by a lack of impact talent at the big-league level, at least until Justin Upton turns it around.

26.  Kansas City Royals

Ranked 25th by Fangraphs

Financial Resources:  D
Present Talent:  F
Baseball Operations:  D
Future Talent:  A

“One of these things is not like the other …”

As bad as the Royals are, and as frighteningly inept as the baseball ops staff has proven itself, one simply cannot discount a farm system that many say is the best in recent memory.  This only slightly counters the raging incompetence displayed by GM Dayton Moore at the big-league level.

25.  Florida Marlins

Ranked 27th by Fangraphs

Financial Resources:  F
Present Talent:  C
Baseball Operations:  D
Future Talent:  C

Simply by giving a damn, the Marlins could propel themselves ten spots up this list.  If they were to spend a decent amount on a ballclub (enough to rate a “C”) and stop sabotaging the club from above (enough to rate at least a “C” in baseball ops), they would rank 17th on my list.  And when you consider that this act of giving a damn would result in a commensurate rise in present or future talent, the Marlins would easily be among the top half of baseball clubs.  But the arch-villainy of the Florida ownership is an old, old story …

I should say that my low rating for baseball ops is not a reflection on the talent of the team executives.  Larry Beinfest does a good job with the team, especially considering what he has to deal with from above.  But the owners are, unfortunately, also a big part of baseball ops, and so Beinfest and his staff get a rating that it doesn’t really deserve.

I have the Marlins listed higher than FG, I think, because I’m slightly more enthusiastic about their present and future talent.  Twist my arm, and I could say that the team’s prognosis isn’t too bright.  The farm system isn’t in great shape and, of course, the team isn’t in the habit of keeping the good players it has.  But with Hanley Ramirez, Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Mike Stanton and Logan Morrison in the fold for the near future (as well as Matt Dominguez), I think the Marlins can at least remain decent.

24.  Washington Nationals

Ranked 24th by Fangraphs

Financial Resources:  C
Present Talent:  D
Baseball Operations:  D
Future Talent:  C

It says a lot about this franchise that they only merit a “C” in future talent, despite the fact that they’ve got both Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg in the fold.  Other than those two, though, who else will be helping this team will in the years to come?  Ryan Zimmerman and Jordan Zimmermann (or as I call them, Thomson and Thompson).  Derek Norris and the handful of prospects on the farm?  None of these are really viable answers, and the GDP of Ecuador the team owes to Jayson Werth won’t help anything.

GM Mike Rizzo has brought the farm system along from the days when it was run into the ground by the MLB and then sprinkled with magic beans by Jim Bowden.  But there’s still a long way to go, and the moves made at the major league level aren’t encouraging.  I don’t know if it’s Rizzo or his bosses who want to throw away money turning a 70-win team into a 75-win team, and for the purposes of this rating, it doesn’t matter.

23.  Oakland Athletics

Ranked 18th by Fangraphs

Financial Resources:  F
Present Talent:  C
Baseball Operations:  B
Future Talent:  D

I’m no longer a believer in the Billy Beane magic.  That’s a relative statement, of course, as evidenced by the “B” rating, no kind of insult.  But while I have a great deal of respect for David Forst and the staff, I can’t be nearly as optimistic about this team as so many of my colleagues.

I think it started a couple of years ago, when the team decided to win now (Matt Holliday trade) and win later (Haren, Blanton, etc. deals) at the same time.  Maybe I’ve been listening too much to those rumors that Beane is more interested in soccer now.

I think I’ve just been swayed by the fallow nature of the Oakland farm system for nearly a decade.  Since the (in)famous Moneyball draft that saw the A’s pick up Nick Swisher, the team has done an abysmal job at drafting and developing position players.  They’ve done only marginally better with pitchers, although that’s been helped by some canny trades, the one thing you can still depend upon the A’s for.

I hate to put too fine a point on this, and I freely acknowledge the shadow cast by that solitary “F” upon every part of this franchise.  And sure, we’d all be better off if the MLB finally decided what the f*ck to do with this team.  But the A’s are getting better by very small degrees (I cannot get too excited by David Dejesus and Brian Fuentes), and no small-market franchise can win like that.

22.  New York Mets

Ranked 21st by Fangraphs

Financial Resources:  C
Present Talent:  D
Baseball Operations:  C
Future Talent:  D

The Mets are in serious financial trouble.  As with the A’s above, that status casts a serious shadow over every other aspect of the franchise.  Normally, the Mets would get an easy “A” for finances; they’re in the nation’s #1 market and regularly sport one of the league’s top payrolls.  But given the uncertainty of the current situation as well as a possible sale on the horizon, I think a “C” might actually be charitable.

That the owners (with an assist from the outgoing baseball operations staff) got the team into this mess carries over into my “C” rating for baseball ops as a whole.  I have a great deal of respect for Sandy Alderson and Paul DePodesta; it’s because of them that baseball ops doesn’t rate an “F.”

The Mets do have some promising talent in the minors, but it’s not enough to replace the talent that is hemorrhaging from the roster.  In the next three years, the only players the Mets will really be able to count on are David Wright, Jason Bay and whatever’s left of Johan Santana.  The Jennry Mejias of the world will offer some assistance, but this is a team whose best-case scenario for the near future is 3rd place.

21.  San Diego Padres

Ranked 20th by Fangraphs

Financial Resources:  D
Present Talent:  D
Baseball Operations:  B
Future Talent:  C

Despite their amazing showing in 2010, the Padres are still dealing with the financial disruption caused by Tom Werner’s fire sale.  The Adrian Gonzalez deal swapped out present talent for future talent, and it’s there (along with a clever front office) that the Padres’ hopes reside.

UP NEXT:  Part 2 (#11-20)