Rank the likelihood of these 7 teams...

[wdm1219inpenna]

Hello folks,

Rank these 7 MLB teams who have yet to make the playoffs in the 3 division/wild-card era from most likely to least likely to qualify for the playoffs.

The 7 teams that have not made the post-season since 1994 include:

Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Kansas City Royals, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers

1. Philadelphia Phillies - Seem to be the most likely to make the post-season next. The NL is sluggish at best, and the NL East has the Mets, and that's pretty much it. The Nationals are still trying to find their way, the Marlins can't keep a manager for more than a year, let alone a fanbase, the Braves are choppy ( no pun intended ) at best, and really the Mets even proved that they are beatable. The Phils beat them several times in the 2006 season. For these reasons, of the 7 MLB teams not to have made post-season play since the 3 division format took place, this is why I believe Philadelphia has the best chance.

2. Milwaukee Brewers - Again, in the subpar, weaker NL. Houston is iffy, St. Louis limped in, the Cubs are the Cubs, the Reds competed for a time but were so/so, and the Pirates are just dreadful as the day is long.

3. Toronto Blue Jays - They have the talent, but they have 2 ever present divisional foes (New York, Boston) who always seem to finish 1 & 2, and serve as the Jays 1-2 punch.

4. Washington Nationals - Also in a pretty weak division, again back to the weak NL. I feel they could maybe squeak in as a wildcard someday but feel they are the 4th most likely of these 7 teams to do so first.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates - While it's true they have more teams in their division than any other team, I feel they have a slightly better chance of making post season play than #6 and #7 simply by virtue of the league and division in which they play.

6. Kansas City Royals - With the AL being more competitive, and the central being more competitive of late, the Royals seem like the least likely team to make post-season next, except for....

7. Tampa Bay Devil Rays - Are they a team still? Do they exist still? With Boston, New York AND Toronto in taht division, Tampa's chances of post-season appearance with the status quo is zilch.

What are your rankings? Give analysis if you wish to!

Regards,

Bill

[Shumway]

I agree for the most part, but here's what I'm going with.

1. Blue Jays

2. Phillies

3. Brewers

4. Nationals

5. Buccos

6. D-Rays

7. Royals

I would put Philly in the #1 spot, but I just don't have any reason to believe any Philly team won't blow it. Toronto's an impressive team, I must say. I can only hope they overthrow NY and Boston within a few years.

[TFoA]

1. Phillies (They were a collapse from making it a year ago, and a slowdown this year from making it. They need to go ahead and get over the hump so the Phillie Phans can stop complaining.)

2. Blue Jays (The sooner they beat the Red Sox or Yankees, the better.)

3. Brewers (Helluva lot of young talent, in the worst division in baseball. Their chances are pretty nice, IMO.)

4. Nationals (Biggest underachievers I know.)

5. Pirates (Just because they were the last team of the last 3 to actually make the playoffs. This franchise has been stagnant since "SLIDE SID SLIDE!!!")

6. D-Rays (At least they're trying to win. The first step, IMO, is building a fanbase down there. It's bad when a division rival comes to town from as far north as possible and their fans outnumber yours by a wide margin.)

7. Royals (Best AAA team in baseball.)

[NJTank]

1. Blue Jays-Came close this year better record then Cardinals

2. Phillies-Came close last few years

3. Brewers-showed signs of improvement

4. Nationals-A owner now may give them direction

5. Pirates-Just has not developed anybody in the last decade

6. Royals-Developed Beltran but nobody else and could not keep him

7. Devil Rays-Just a poorly run team top to bottom

[Braden]

1. Blue Jays - Beating Boston for 2nd place in the AL East was a huge stepping stone. If they re-sign Vernon Wells, add some starting rotation depth, add a middle infielder, and bring back the graphite, they will be a serious playoff contender.

2. Phillies - They have the makings of a solid team for years to come. Pat Gillick is a great GM, he knows what he's doing, and the franchise has to trust his decisions. They have Howard now to build the team around.

3. Brewers - They already are a solid team. They've got a core mixed with veterans and up and coming youth. Their pitching core is very good, but fragile. Will this team take the next hump, or will the youth take too long to develop for the veterans?

4. Devil Rays - I'm going on a hunch with this pick, but the Devil Rays are deep in raw talent. They need some veteran leadership who can show them the passion to come up in the clutch, and an owner who can prove his words with actions.

5. Pirates - They have been doomed since the 1992 ALCS. Heading into Spring Training there was a lot of promise for them, but nothing went right, and the team flopped. How many years is too many when you associate the term "rebuilding" next to it?

6. Nationals - Why do I get the feeling that after the initial excitement of DC having the team wears off, that the Nationals are just as doomed of a franchise than when they were in Montreal? Losing Soriano's gonna hurt real bad.

7. Royals - These guys are bad, real bad, and I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel. They tried to focus on veteran players to make the team more well-rounded. But they needed someone to build the team around. Someone like... I don't know... Carlos Beltran?

[cappital92]

Losing Soriano's gonna hurt real bad.

Graphite Boy,MARK MY WORDS,The Nats are not going to lose Soriano.Period.

[PeytonManningRocks]

This might surprise some people but here goes...

1. Phillies....easy one there, they almost made the playoffs this year after nobody expected them to come close.

Then a MAJOR dropoff in odds.....

2. Brewers...a lot of young talent, and the Central isn't that good anymore....they could be in the hunt.

3. Nationals....IF new ownership does what it takes to win.

4. Pirates....again, they have young stars, but their owner is a cheapskate. However, if a new ownership group comes in, expect Pittsburgh to be on the upswing.

NOW FOR THE SURPRISES...

5. Blue Jays. Why do I have them so low on my list? Two reasons. 1) Yankees, and 2) Red Sox. The two biggest spending teams in baseball. Because they have all the money they are going to grab all the players away and make it extremely hard for the Jays to compete. In fact, Toronto, Baltimore, and Tampa Bay are almost better off not being there. Yes I do realize the Jays finished ahead of the Red Sox, but this was a down year for the Sox and they still have way more resources than the Jays.

6. Devil Rays. They suck. 'Nuff said.

7. Royals. See #6.

Though I would love to see Toronto in the playoffs, I don't see it happening anytime soon because of the Yanks and Sox.

And as far as the 7 teams listed are concerned, only the Phillies have even a remote shot of making it in the next decade or two.

BTW... I know I'm gonna get a lot of heat for my opinion, but it's just that, an opinion.

[st_eve]

Why are you all so down on my Brewers giving them no prise just stating that there in a weak divison,hmm a weak division last year Houston was at the world seris this year St Louis is there,even then we should be number one ahead of the Phillies cause were win the "weak" division next year,man this thread is supssed to be like here's a bunch of teams taht suck but the Brew Crew is the real deal mannn

[Ez Street]

Without being labeled a "Homer" I will give reasons why it's going to be better for the Royals.

Dump on them all you want, but they are starting to make strides to improve.

1. Their second half record was almost .500, for anyone else...that's not great. For a team that lost 100 games, it shows the young guys didn't give up. Oh and they swept the AL Champs the lat week of the season.

2. The GM, Allard Baird is GONE! In steps Dayton Moore. He has expeirienced the good times in Atlanta. He will bring in thier winning formula.

3. Young talent. Alex Gordon, Zack Grienke, Billy Butler, Chris Lubanski, Mitch Maier....

4. David Glass has indicated to some that he will steadily increase the payroll. Can be good or bad. They spent money on rather non-nessacery guys last off season. Hopefully now they can spend wisely.

I'm not guaranteeing anything. I am just stating that the doormat status may be lost in the near future.

If Detroit can go from losing 119 3 years ago to the World Series....anything is possible. you've just go to be wise with your money and be able to scout talent.

[ZapRowsdower8]

I am going to be a total homer here and I don't care. The Bucs have a decent chance of being very competative in the very near future. The had the best second half record in the NL Central this past season. We have lots of good young talent.

Things the Pirates need:

1) Have our young pitching develop into their potential

2) A left handed power hitter/first baseman

3) Consistent hitting from the lead off position

Now for my rankings:

1) Phillies - Clear choice

2) Brewers - I expected alot from this team at the start of the season. Let's see if they can get back on track.

3) Pirates - Yeah, I'm a homer, but putting them third doesn't seem like a crazy idea after looking at what these other teams have to overcome.

4) Nationals - Let's see what the ownership does.

5) Blue Jays - This is the best team out of the seven, too bad they are in the AL East

6) Royals

7) Devil Rays - They are better than the Royals, but once again they get bumped down becasue of the division.

[Braden]

Losing Soriano's gonna hurt real bad.

Graphite Boy,MARK MY WORDS,The Nats are not going to lose Soriano.Period.

You know that there's going to be a team out there that will give him the money and let him play 2B.

[sacker12]

The Royals need to get some good pitching, keep building their farm system, and, last but definitely not least, increase their payroll so that they can bring in some quality talent. If they do those things, they will contend. Hey, look at how it helped Detroit.

[tp49]

1. Blue Jays: The mighty have to fall eventually, considering their second palce finish this season in the New York/Boston division these guys probably have the best shot of making the playoffs first.

2. Brewers: We'll see what ownership does here to improve the team but in this division they have a chance.

3. Phillies: This is an organization that for every step forward they go they take 2 or 3 back. Considering the history of the regime in place now I really don't expect things to change anytime soon. (Watch them be in next year now.)

4. Nationals: We'll see what the new ownership group will do. They made a step in the right direction by bringing in Stan Kasten who helped to build the Braves in the 90's. Hopefully he can work his magic there. I see them being aggressive in trying to field a playoff caliber team quickly to show up Angelos in Baltimore (and forcing him to spend some money.) The better bet is who will make it to the playoffs from tis area first the Nationals or the Orioles.

The next three spots are interchangeable:

5. Royals: We'll see if Glass spends money for the sake of spending money (ala Steinbrenner in the 80's) or if they do it wisely. Otherwise the only thing going on in Kansas City during the spring/summer will be the countdown to football season.

6. D-Rays: Plenty of young talent here but they need those role players to help mold them into a contender. The main problem with that is this is a team with a stigma (the you're being banished to Tampa Bay thing) so attracting those types of free agents is difficult. Until they can get rid of the stigma they're pretty much going to stay in the same position.

7. Pirates: What a once proud franchise but oh to see them now. I'll bet Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente are spinning in their graves right now. I have serious issues with this management group as it seems McClatchy is only concerned about the profit he will turn and not the quality of the product he puts on the field. It's not that they've had bad players over the years (Schmidt, Casey, Kendall, Giles, etc.) they just make no effort to keep them around. It really appears as though ownership figures they will draw based on PNC Park alone. I hate to tell them this but it only works for a couple of years until the newness wears off (and it has). Hopefully, McClatchy will sell the team to an individual or group with an interest in turning the team around and bring them back to the stature they once held.

[sharplcd]

1. Brewers

2. Phillies

3. Jays

4. Nationals

5. Pirates

6. D-Rays

7. Royals

out of all the teams on this list though i only think the phillies and or the brewers are the only 2 teams with chances of actully going anywhere. doesnt look like the american league is getting any easier, and i still put the blue jays after.. tigers, twins, both soxs, a's, and yankees

[cappital92]

The better bet is who will make it to the playoffs from tis area first the Nationals or the Orioles.

The O's will never go to the playoffs with Angelos as the owner.I'd be an O's fan (I was born in Charm City)if it wasn't for that :censored:head.He is the most hated person in Baltimore since Irsay The Idiot.Until then,Go Nattie Bohs!(P.S. When the Nats resign Soriano,You'll be eatin' Blue Jay,Braden.)

[buildingmaint]

C Ogden Nutting's family is the principle owner of the Pirates .McClatchy is a part owner and the front man for the Nuttings.In order for the Pirates to get to the playoffs they have to up their payroll. If the Pirates raise their payroll they lose money.The Nutting's did not become rich by losing money.So unless Cuban can buy them the Pirates won't be within 20 games of the playoffs.