For the first time since debuting this series here 17 years ago, I considered not running it this year.
Ranking MLB's teams in order of how I like them seems like something who's time has past. There are people on social media -- baseball fans -- who don't root for any team (and I assume that means they don't root against any team). They just root for good games. That's a pretty foreign concept to me. Part of sports for me is rooting for and against, having a favorite, and because of that, having certain non-favorites.
It may be silly -- players have been jumping ship for money for as long as I have been a fans, they have no allegiance -- but I need an attachment to the game that goes beyond "hey, baseball is fun, you guys."
There are still a lot of fans who think like me though. The Dodgers have won one World Series title in a row and so many are outraged. What would current fans be doing if social media was around during the Yankees' run of titles in the late '90s, or in the '50s for that matter? Storming the commissioners office, I assume.
So here is the post in which I officially state where I stand. Per usual, it's the proper way to root and I encourage people to use this as your guide. Don't know who to root for when the Rays are playing the Twins? Refer to this handy post!
I'm using cards from 2025 Topps because this is based on very modern opinions -- and also I need practice on photographing these foil cards. The secret, I found out halfway through is positioning the foil parts away from the camera eye -- another modern development I probably don't need.
OK, here we go:
1. LOS ANGELES DODGERS (highest ranking: 1st, lowest ranking: 1st)
He's on the roster?: Even if I didn't follow the Dodgers' transactions religiously there would be plenty of online people there to remind me in the most indignant way possible. So I know all the guys. Also this year I will be hate-watching people hate-watching the Dodgers.
2. KANSAS CITY ROYALS (highest ranking: 2nd; lowest ranking: 5th)
2015 was a cool year in baseball. I'd like to see something like that happen again. Maybe that can't happen in the current climate of like eight teams actively trying to win and everyone else crying poor and doing nothing, but that's what wild-card wackiness is for.
He's on the roster?: Joey Wiemer.
3. BALTIMORE ORIOLES (highest ranking: 2nd; lowest ranking: 18th)
Orioles slip a notch because they are doing really well and ownership doesn't seem to want to keep that going for more than a year in a row.
He's on the roster?: Tyler O'Neill
4. TORONTO BLUE JAYS (highest ranking: 2nd; lowest ranking: 8th)
I couldn't find a roster tab on the Blue Jays web site, like every other team site seems to have. That's not a good sign is it?
He's on the roster?: Joey Loperfido
5. PITTSBURGH PIRATES (highest ranking: 3rd; lowest ranking: 7th)
I may be serious about my rooting but I like my hopeless causes, too. Mostly the Pirates have been a favorite since I was a kid, because their baseball cards were always cool. Then Stargell started handing out stars and I was hooked.
He's on the roster?: Caleb Ferguson.
6. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (highest ranking: 2nd; lowest ranking: 10th)
Second straight year I used a Zack Wheeler card. That was unintentional. Must be his card has been easy to pull.
He's on the roster?: Max Kepler
7. BOSTON RED SOX (highest ranking: 2nd; lowest ranking: 7th)
The Red Sox appear to be fixing to challenge the defending-champ Yankees for supremacy in the AL East, which is enough of an excuse for ESPN to show Red Sox-Yankees matchups 18 times this year. Thank goodness MLB is ditching that network after this year.
He's on the roster?: Blake Sabol
8. CINCINNATI REDS (highest ranking: 8th; lowest ranking: 16th)
Reds jump three spots for absolutely no reason other than me reminding myself that I'm a National League guy and why are three AL teams that I really don't care about above the Reds?
He's on the roster?: Brady Singer.
9. CLEVELAND GUARDIANS (highest ranking: 6th; lowest ranking: 17th)
It's the AL Central portion of the ranking meaning I'm just rooting for a good game, boys, contrary to what I wrote above.
He's on the roster?: Slade Cecconi.
10. MINNESOTA TWINS (highest ranking: 9th; lowest ranking: 14th)
When I was uploading the card pictures I completely missed the Twins and had to go back and add the card separately. This was totally due to the City Connect uniform and please stop making everything complex, MLB!
He's on the roster?: Ty France.
11. TEXAS RANGERS (highest ranking: 5th; lowest ranking: 12th)
After vaulting four spots last year thanks to beating the Diamondbacks in the World Series, the Rangers drop three spots. Sorry, Texas. You're going to have to do something just as heroic this year to get back in the top 10.
He's on the roster?: Jake Burger
12. DETROIT TIGERS (highest ranking: 7th; lowest ranking: 13th)
A few of the City Connects look alike. I think the solution is to drop all of them.
He's on the roster?: Strangely, no one is a surprise.
13. WE'RE NOT THE SACRAMENTO ATHLETICS (highest ranking: 4th; lowest ranking: 13th)
I wanted to drop the A's farther just because of the dumb "nickname-only" policy, but I couldn't. And I like their yellow spring training hats.
He's on the roster?: Gio Urshela.
14. SEATTLE MARINERS (highest ranking: 13th, lowest ranking: 20th)
Spinning their wheels.
He's on the roster?: Mitch Garver (seems like he was with Seattle all of 2024, which makes sense -- I don't see this team much).
15. NEW YORK METS (highest ranking: 15th; lowest ranking: 21st)
They shouldn't be this high. I like the idea of the Mets more than I like the Mets, so every year at this time they seem fine and then late in the year they'll do something dastardly like try to keep the Dodgers from the World Series.
He's on the roster?: Griffin Canning
16. MILWAUKEE BREWERS (highest ranking: 10th; lowest ranking: 23rd)
Nestor Cortes' brain-dead alternate-reality quote about the Yankees being "the better team" than the Dodgers in the World Series, should make me drop this team farther, but I know he was speaking as a Yankee and not a Brewer.
He's on the roster?: Aaron Civale
17. MIAMI MARLINS (highest ranking: 13th; lowest ranking: 20th)
There are teams I actively avoid watching -- the Yankees, the Rays if they're home. The Marlins are that odd team that even if I'm seeking out the most off-beat matchup to watch, I never pick them.
He's on the roster?: I don't think I recognize anyone.
18. CHICAGO CUBS (highest ranking: 18th; lowest ranking: 25th)
Cubs move up two spots. This is totally due to their broadcast crew.
He's on the roster?: Vidal Brujan
19. TAMPA BAY RAYS (highest ranking: 14th; lowest ranking: 23rd)
Rays drop four spots after actively using the MLB package and being forced to watch too many games in that stadium because it was the only game on at the time.
He's on the roster?: Danny Jansen
20. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (highest ranking: 6th; lowest ranking: 25th)
Getting long removed from the bad-old days of the Cardinals (what Cardinals fans would call the good-old days). Team moves up a careful two spots.
He's on the roster?: No surprises.
21. CHICAGO WHITE SOX (highest ranking: 6th; lowest ranking: 21st)
There are lovable losers and then there are dumpster-fire losers. White Sox drop four.
He's on the roster?: Bryse Wilson
22. WASHINGTON NATIONALS (highest ranking: 19th; lowest ranking: 24th)
He's on the roster?: Michael Soroka
23. LOS ANGELES ANGELS (highest ranking: 23rd; lowest ranking: 26th)
The hilarity of the Angels' foibles through recent years is starting to wear off due to an unfortunate happening last month. The only Angels fan I knew in person was also the most irritating person I knew for the past 30 years. He was famously called "an irritant" by a past co-worker. He passed away a couple weeks ago at too young of an age. There will be no constant barbs about the Dodgers from him anymore. The least I can do is let go of my Angels resentment. They stay put this year but maybe next year they'll start moving.
He's on the roster?: Travis d'Arnaud
24. COLORADO ROCKIES (highest ranking: 22nd; lowest ranking: 26th)
Not a lot of movement from the bottom part of the ranking this year.
He's on the roster?: Kyle Farmer
25. ATLANTA BRAVES (highest ranking: 19th, lowest ranking: 25th)
Freddie Freeman's performance on the Dodgers has taken away some of the bitterness from 2021 (and 1982 for that matter). But there still has got to be one odious team in the World Series for me to root for the Braves. Also, speaking of irritants, they signed Jurickson Profar.
He's on the roster?: No surprises.
26. HOUSTON ASTROS (highest ranking: 5th; lowest ranking: 28th)
No nudge upward this year though the unpleasant reminders on this squad are slowly departing.
He's on the roster?: Taylor Trammell? But I barely knew what team he was on before.
27. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (highest ranking: 26th; lowest ranking: 29th)
Have I mentioned that if I had the power to contract teams, this would be the first one I'd contract? I probably have. I'm uncomfortable placing this team this high. But the alternatives are even worse.
He's on the roster?: Nothing I didn't know.
28. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (highest ranking: 28th; lowest ranking: 30th)
Definitely not the 2010s is it?
He's on the roster: No surprises here either.
29. NEW YORK YANKEES (highest ranking: 28th; lowest ranking: 30th)
With the exception of two fans in right field foul territory, I came away from the World Series with a better feeling about the Yankees (gee, I wonder why?). But there is way too much history here, going back to my first years as dedicated fan.
He's on the roster?: I know too much.
30. SAN DIEGO PADRES (highest ranking: 26th; lowest ranking: 30th)
Third year in a row at the bottom and it's an easy pick. The amount of trash Padres fans talk online in relation to the number of titles the team has won is mind-boggling. Throw in a couple of unlikable players and the ratcheting up of every Padres-Dodgers regular season game as if it's a WWE Championship, and I wouldn't mind going back to 1977.
OK, that's the end. As you can see, I probably can never be one of those "yay for both teams" fans.
We'll see if I resume this for an 18th year. That took too long and MLB can never expand again!
Still, the best thing about this post is that the new season is near!
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