CBS’ power rankings like the Twins

Matt Snyder at CBS Sports recently released a pre-Spring Training set of MLB Power Ratings, and he seems bullish on the Twins. He ranks them just outside the top five, at number six overall, but four of the top five are National League teams, making the Twins the second highest-rated American League team, on paper.

The New York Yankees, of course, sit at number three overall, and first in the AL. That ranking is mainly based on the potential of their rotation, loaded with injury history, but also upside. As for the Twins, Snyder’s reasoning was:

There’s been turnover at the back of the bullpen, but it’ll be for the better. Having Andrelton Simmons at short now only helps the pitching staff, too.

Rounding out the top five teams are the Dodgers, Padres, Braves, and Mets. Snyder’s power rankings seem to suggest that the NL will have a few dominant clubs, and quite a few in the bottom half of the big leagues. The AL, on the other hand, despite a scarcity of top-5 teams, fills out the bulk of the top fifteen.

The White Sox immediately follow the Twins in the seven-spot. Cleveland sits at 16, the Royals at 23, and the lowly Tigers at 27. Personally, I’d bet the over on Detroit there.

Its nice to see that the Twins are drawing national notice, and yet another site pegs them as the favorite to win the AL Central this season.