2012 MLB Organizational Rankings

posted 3/1/12  11:10 PM PST
by Joe Giglio

Last night, for no good reason, a formula for ranking the Major League Baseball organizations formed in an area of my brain that probably should be used for better things. Nevertheless, here is how this highly scientific formula works:

*Each team will be ranked 1-10 in five categories: 2012 40-man roster, management (front office/dugout), farm system, ownership, and stadium.

*The 40-man roster, management and ownership rankings were based on my judgment. Yelp.com provided the "fan" rankings of the 30 MLB stadiums (with the exception of Miami's new park), and Keith Law's 2012 farm system rankings doubled as mine.

*How did I determine what the difference was between a "7" and "5" in a particular category? Easy. Everything was ranked 1-30, then broke down into ten groups of three. For example, being ranked from 1-3 in a particular area garnered a "10," 4-6 a "9," etc.

*If there were ties -- which there quite a few of -- the team with the more recent regular or postseason success got the nod.

Alright, enough of being a Johnny Rulebook. Here are the 2012 MLB Organizational Rankings:

1. Texas Rangers: 44
40-man roster: 10
Management: 10
Farm system: 8
Ownership: 10
Stadium: 6

The gold standard of the sport in 2012. Back-to-back World Series appearances, an owner committed to winning, smart front office, great roster, and a farm system ready to replenish as the core ages. Expect to see them around this spot for a while.

2. St. Louis Cardinals: 40
40-man roster: 8
Management: 7
Farm system: 9
Ownership: 8
Stadium: 8

It was a total coincidence that the two World Series competitors from 2011 grabbed the top two spots. Across the board, St. Louis comes in as an above average-to-great organization. If we included fan support, they would probably easily be #1.

3. New York Yankees: 40
40-man roster: 10
Management: 10
Farm system: 7
Ownership: 10
Stadium: 3

The most surprising thing here? Just how much fans don't like the new Yankee Stadium. Brian Cashman gets heat from people if he doesn't win it all every year, but the Yankees system is in the best shape it's ever been since he wielded more power in '05.

4. Tampa Bay Rays: 39
40-man roster: 9
Management: 10
Farm system: 10
Ownership: 9
Stadium: 1

Think about what kind of power they could be if they had a decent stadium. The ownership ranking might surprise some, but it shouldn't. Sternberg is a great owner who totally changed a culture down there. It's not his fault that the last guy did all the damage and signed a million-year lease in St. Pete. Don't believe me? Read this.

5. Philadelphia Phillies: 36
40-man roster: 10
Management: 7
Farm system: 2
Ownership: 8
Stadium: 9

They have become a superpower since fans started filling Citizens Bank Park. The farm system ranking via Keith Law is troublesome, though. At some point, they are going to need to replenish this aging roster.

6. San Francisco Giants: 36
40-man roster: 7
Management: 9
Farm system: 2
Ownership: 8
Stadium: 10

Brian Sabean teams never seem to do it the conventional way, but he wins a ton. The farm system rankings usually frown upon them, but then Posey's and Cain's and Lincecum's find their way to the bigs.

7. Detroit Tigers: 35
40-man roster: 9
Management: 8
Farm system: 3
Ownership: 9
Stadium: 6

Considering where this franchise was 15 years ago, this is a tremendous accomplishment for the city of Detroit.

8. Boston Red Sox: 35
40-man roster: 8
Management: 3
Farm system: 5
Ownership: 9
Stadium: 10

Great franchise. It was greater when their front office, dugout, and ownership priorities were more of a sure thing, though.

9. Los Angeles Angels: 31
40-man roster: 9
Management: 2
Farm system: 6
Ownership: 10
Stadium: 4

This could be low, because Jerry Dipoto could turn out to be a great GM. There were pieces written last week about "Which team owns L.A.?" Silly question. As of today, it's the Halos by a wide margin.

10. Cincinnati Reds: 31
40-man roster: 8
Management: 9
Farm system: 4
Ownership: 6
Stadium: 4

The torch has been passed from Rose to Larkin to Griffey to Votto. Will the new guy be able to do something that Griffey couldn't?

11. Toronto Blue Jays: 30
40-man roster: 5
Management: 8
Farm system: 10
Ownership: 6
Stadium: 1

This Alex Anthopolous is on the verge of making the Toronto Blue Jays a team that people talk about.

12. Milwaukee Brewers: 29
40-man roster: 6
Management: 6
Farm system: 3
Ownership: 7
Stadium: 7

Bud Selig's dream has come true. The Brew Crew are more than a legitimate franchise, they are in the top half of the sport. John Jaha and Ricky Bones would be so proud.

13. Colorado Rockies: 28
40-man roster: 4
Management: 5
Farm system: 6
Ownership: 5
Stadium: 8

Probably the biggest surprise of the Top 15. Despite still never winning a division title, Colorado has settled into a nice spot heading into their 20th season as a major league team.

14. Arizona Diamondbacks: 27
40-man roster: 7
Management: 6
Farm system: 9
Ownership: 3
Stadium: 2

What an roller coaster of a franchise. Since coming into the league as an expansion team in '98 it feels like they have been down-up-way up-way down-up-down-and now up again. I have no idea where they will fall on a list like this in five years.

15. Atlanta Braves: 27
40-man roster: 6
Management: 7
Farm system: 5
Ownership: 6
Stadium: 3

This is exactly where I thought the Braves would be before I crunched the numbers.

16. Minnesota Twins: 27
40-man roster: 2
Management: 5
Farm system: 6
Ownership: 5
Stadium: 9

It's amazing how much the roster has deteriorated in the last two seasons. If Mauer and Morenau don't bounce back from their ailments, this thing could stay bad for a while.

17. Seattle Mariners: 27
40-man roster: 3
Management: 4
Farm system: 7
Ownership: 5
Stadium: 8

It's going to take time behind Los Angeles and Texas, but Seattle seems to have a plan in place.

18. Chicago Cubs: 26
40-man roster: 3
Management: 9
Farm system: 4
Ownership: 3
Stadium: 7

Considering that they haven't won a damn thing in 104 years, this ranking isn't all that bad.

19. Kansas City Royals: 26
40-man roster: 4
Management: 3
Farm system: 9
Ownership: 3
Stadium: 7

Considering the fan base is begging for winning, a young group of players that looks extremely promising, and a stadium that is more than nice, owner David Glass is going to have to step to the plate soon. If he's for real about winning, Kansas City is going to win soon.

20. Pittsburgh Pirates: 25
40-man roster: 4
Management: 1
Farm system: 8
Ownership: 2
Stadium: 10

Every time that you think they are coming out of the endless funk, they suck you right back in. This is the best the farm system has looked in a long time, though.

21. Miami Marlins: 24
40-man roster: 7
Management: 6
Farm system: 1
Ownership: 4
Stadium: 6

Weird team. The new stadium, revenues, and willingness to spend could catapult them to the Top 10 in a few years. Or they can sell off all their pieces and go bankrupt by 2015.

22. Washington Nationals: 23
40-man roster: 6
Management: 5
Farm system: 4
Ownership: 7
Stadium: 2

The sleeping giant in the room. The farm system ranking is a bit flawed considering that Strasburg is on the MLB team and they used high ceiling prospects to get Gio Gonzalez. If Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon can add to what they have brought to the big leagues in the last three years (Ramos, Storen, Clippard, Espinosa, Desmond, Zimmerman, Strasburg), they are going to be tremendous.

23. San Diego Padres: 23
40-man roster: 1
Management: 3
Farm system: 10
Ownership: 4
Stadium: 5

For some strange reason, I am excited about their future.

24. Oakland Athletics: 23
40-man roster: 2
Management: 8
Farm system: 8
Ownership: 4
Stadium: 1

Like him or not, Billy Beane is never going anywhere. Maybe we'll finally find out how great he is if they ever get a new stadium deal in San Jose.

25. Baltimore Orioles: 18
40-man roster: 1
Management: 2
Farm system: 5
Ownership: 1
Stadium: 9

Take a second and think about what this ranking would look like without Camden Yards.

26. Los Angeles Dodgers: 17
40-man roster: 5
Management: 2
Farm system: 7
Ownership: 1
Stadium: 2

One of the premier franchises in sports history has been reduced to this. The future ownership group has a ton of work to do.

27. Chicago White Sox: 17
40-man roster: 2
Management: 4
Farm system: 1
Ownership: 7
Stadium: 3

Full disclosure: Part of me thinks Kenny Williams is a terrible GM and the 2005 World Series was more of an accident than anyone is willing to admit.

28. New York Mets: 16
40-man roster: 3
Management: 4
Farm system: 3
Ownership: 1
Stadium: 5

Meet the Mets, meet the Mets,
Head for the park and greet the Mets.
Hot dogs, green grass all out at Shea,
Guaranteed to have a heck of a day.
Because those Mets are really rockin' that ball,
Hittin' those home runs over the wall.

29. Cleveland Indians: 14
40-man roster: 5
Management: 1
Farm system: 1
Ownership: 2
Stadium: 5

Those 455 consecutive sellouts from 1995-2001 sure seem like a long time ago.

30. Houston Astros: 12
40-man roster: 1
Management: 1
Farm system: 2
Ownership: 2
Stadium: 4

Thanks for all the memories, Ed Wade!


Joe Giglio is a sports talk host at WNST in Baltimore, co-host of the Just a Bit Outside podcast on iTUNES, former intramural coordinator at DeSales University, husband, and baseball fanatic willing to argue Jeff Bagwell's Hall of Fame candidacy at a moment's notice. Follow him on Twitter @Giglio_Joe and check out his blog at joegiglio.blogspot.com.