Best to Worst: Divisions in Baseball

1. American League East
NY Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Rays, Orioles

Realistically, any of these 5 teams has a legitimate chance at taking home this division title in 2013. Last year, no one expected the Baltimore Orioles to win 93 games and take the Yankees to the final week of the season to determine the division champ, but they did. Buck Showalter led his group on a remarkable campaign, which saw them in contention the entire season and clinch their first playoff berth 1997 as one of the American League's Wild Card squads.

Courtesy of NorthJersey.com

There's also the Rays, who have been a fantastic team since they dropped the Devil from their name in 2008, and are constantly loaded with young talent and the ever-important pitching. You also have a reloaded Jays team, the aging but dangerous Yankees, and the huge question mark that are the Red Sox.

In all likelihood, the Red Sox won't be contending for higher than 3rd in this division, but they're talented enough to win games and give teams trouble.

2013 Favorites on Paper: Toronto Blue Jays
Why: On paper is much different than actually getting the season underway and playing, but "on paper" is a favorite discussion of those who wish to scrutinize and analyze before the games are played. In this case, the Jays are the new, sexy team of the AL East. They made a blockbuster trade with Miami, landing a new shortstop (Jose Reyes) and two new starters (Mark Buerhle and Josh Johnson), then went out and traded for reigning NL Cy Young winner RA Dickey. In addition to those, they also signed the enigmatic Melky Cabrera. Add these fellas to a lineup that smashed 198 homers in 2012, and you have a recipe for a team that should find success relatively quickly.

2. National League East 
Nationals, NY Mets, Braves, Marlins, Phillies

The only two teams that, most likely, won't be in contention are the Mets and Marlins. What with the Marlins, once again, selling off their entire roster at the behest of the sideshow ownership led by Jeffrey Loria, and the Mets being the Mets. That being said, the other three teams in this division are solid.

The Nationals are coming off a stellar 2012, owning the best record in baseball and surprising the world with their dominance. The Braves are also young and extremely talented, ready to go with some new acquisitions, the most notable being the Upton brothers. The Phillies also surprised a lot of people in 2012, but not for the reasons they were striving for. Led by a stout rotation headed by Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels, many expected the Phillies to once again run away with the NL East. However, that was not the case. They struggled to score runs and stay healthy, and looked like a generally old and tired team throughout. If they can bounce back and provide their pitching depth with an offense capable of holding their own, they should be in good shape for a revamped run at the division.

2013 Favorites on Paper: Washington Nationals

Courtesy of Bleacher Report

Why: After a great season in 2012, the Nationals will be back to prove it was no fluke. Bryce Harper will be a year older and more comfortable in his new digs, and he'll have a new outfield counterpart in the form of Denard Span. Also, the likes of Ryan Zimmerman, Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa and Adam LaRoche form one of the better infields in baseball because of their defensive prowess coupled with their solid offensive abilities. The Nationals are also blessed with one of the most stout rotations in all the land, boasting Stephen Strasburg, who will be a free bird in 2013, along with last years Cy Young contender Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman and recently-acquired Dan Haren. The Nats should be able to score with just about anyone, and out-pitch just about everyone.

3. American League West 
Athletics, Angels, Rangers, Mariners, Astros

Two years ago, this ranking would've seemed unlikely, or a stretch at best. But now, after a 2012 season which had two teams win over 90 games and another win 89, we have ourselves a fine division. The Oakland A's shocked everyone by capping an incredible season and topping the Rangers for the division crown in the last series of the season, and should be in a decent position to have another good campaign for 2013. The Rangers have been a steady powerhouse of the American League for 3 years running now, and the Angels will be reloaded for what should be a more successful run in 2013.

The only teams in this batch that really don't stand a chance are the Astros and Mariners. The Mariners have been inept for about a decade now, and despite improvements they probably won't be in any sort of position to make a run next season either. Their problem is they can't hit or score runs despite having a decent pitching staff. They should be better with the additions of Michael Morse, Kendrys Morales, and Raul Ibanez, but it won't be enough to get them anywhere just yet.

Courtesy of Sports Illustrated

Then there's the Astros. The Astros are just the Astros. Anyone who can name more than 6 players on this roster deserves a bonus because they're full of inexperienced youngsters who are just sniffing the bigs for the first time. They can't hit, they can't pitch, and they can't field as they were in the bottom 5 of each of these categories in 2012. It'll be a long adjustment period to the AL for the Astros, and they won't be good anytime soon. Nothing to see here.

2013 Favorites on Paper: LA Angels
Why: After calling up Mike Trout on April 28th, the Angels were the best team in baseball. They didn't make the playoffs, however, because prior to that date the Angels were abysmal. They dug themselves such a huge hole, that despite doing everything, and I mean everything, even Trout couldn't lead them into the postseason. That should all change in 2013 as he'll be there for the whole season, and he'll be joined once again by Albert Pujols who settled into the American League nicely after a minor acclimation period at the onset. Also coming to Southern Cali in 2013 is Josh Hamilton. The 2010 MVP will be a huge asset to the Angels, as he's arguably still the best offensive player in baseball and will add a new level of danger to their lineup. It also helps that they stole him away from the Rangers, their division foe. Combine their great lineup with the likes of Jered Weaver, CJ Wilson and Tommy Hanson holding down the fort on the mound, and you should have the talent to secure a division title in sunny LA.

4. National League Central
Reds, Cardinals, Brewers, Pirates, Cubs

Fortunately for the NL Central, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, they rid themselves of the Houston Astros for 2013 who would've weighed down the collective mean of the group. Yet they still have the Pirates and the Cubs, who haven't been good for a while, so there's that. The last two seasons the Pirates have teased baseball fans everywhere by contending for the division title as late as the All-Star break, but in classic Pirate fashion they faltered horribly down the stretch and finished under .500 to carry that streak to 20 seasons. Imagine that: 20 straight seasons of having lost more games than you've won. Ineptitude at it's finest. But they are improving. Andrew McCutchen should be their face for the next decade, and he shows huge promise, finishing 3rd in the MVP vote last season after a spectacular season. The Cubs, on the other hand, won't be good for a while.

The Reds and Cardinals are clearly the top dogs in this division, and the Brewers are a distant third. Sure, they have Ryan Braun and Yovani Gallardo as their centerpieces, but that's about it. They've got some aging veterans, and some unknown youngsters but should be a decent team with all things considered.

Despite losing Albert Pujols to free agency and Adam Wainwright to injury in 2012, the Cards still won 88 games and nearly made it back to the World Series. There's just something about this team that seems to always get the job done, and they should once again in 2013 if all goes well. They've got a very good lineup, and an extremely deep rotation, even with the reported loss of Chris Carpenter for the season.

2013 Favorites on Paper: Cincinnati Reds

Courtesy of Zimbio

Why:  They'll have Joey Votto, hopefully, for a full season which will improve their struggling offense undoubtedly. Even without him for much of the latter half of the season, the Reds still won the Central by 9 games, good enough for the largest margin of any division winner in the MLB. Their pitching, led by Johnny Cueto, is among the best in baseball and should be quite solid once again. If they can hit even remotely better than they did in 2012, the Reds should have no problem snatching this division once again for 2013. Also, lest we forget that this team was only one win away from a berth in the NLCS as well.

Mr. do-it-all Brandon Phillips will be back, and the addition of Shin-Soo Choo should be a good boost for the top of the lineup. If all goes according to plan, the Reds should have little trouble winning this division.

5. National League West
Giants, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Padres, Rockies

Coming in with the second worst division in baseball, is the NL West. This is the division from which the defending World Champion Giants hail, but it doesn't mean this division is much of anything. Save for a couple seasons, the Padres and Rockies are perennial cellar-dwellers, and should be chalked up for 4th and 5th place finishes once again in 2013. The Diamondbacks defined mediocrity last season with their 81-81 record, and perhaps could be a tad better in 2013, but not by much. Best case scenario for them is likely 3rd once again.

The Giants and Dodgers, two arch-rivals of Southern California are the two teams to watch here. The Giants are obviously talented given their championship just a few months ago, and the Dodgers are loaded with their recent additions. The issue for the Giants is their inability to score runs. Just like they did in 2010, however, they defied all odds by winning a title with a subpar offense and phenomenal pitching. Yes, Buster Posey won the NL MVP and batting title, but he can't do it all himself. The pitching will need more support, and I just don't know that they can get it from this lineup. Another interesting question mark for them is Tim Lincecum. Will he resemble the two-time Cy Young winner of a few years ago, or will he continue his inexplicable downward spiral? He may be the difference between a division title, and a wild card berth.

Courtesy of Fan Duel

2013 Favorites on Paper: LA Dodgers
Why: On paper, the Dodgers have it all. If healthy, and that's a huge if, they have an outstanding outfield which includes Matt Kemp, Carl Crawford, and Andre Ethier. They also acquired Adrian Gonzalez last August, and Hanley Ramirez in late July to provide more pop to their somewhat bland lineup. Add them to a rotation lead by 2011 Cy Young winner, and last years runner up, Clayton Kershaw and the recently signed Zack Greinke, and you're looking at a very dangerous team. If the Dodgers can stay healthy and continue to pitch well, they should certainly be considered the favorites for this division. The Giants should be their true test, but if they're firing on all cylinders they'll definitely be the cream of the crop of the NL West.

6. American League Central 
Tigers, White Sox, Royals, Indians, Twins

No offense to the Tigers, who made the World Series in 2012, but this division is downright embarrassing. Granted, they should be better in 2013, as the Indians should be improved, but it's still a division thats tough to watch. Last season, it took a meager 88 wins to win this division crown, and that's a number that 4 non-division-winners eclipsed last year. Had the Rays been in this division, they likely would have won 95-100 games and been a dominant force. Instead they played in the stout East and had to face the Yankees, Jays and Orioles regularly, winning 90 games in the process.

This isn't to say things can't get better. They were competitive in their own right and the division came down to the White Sox and Tigers in the last two weeks of the season. The Sox are young and on the rise with a good pitching staff, just probably not enough to grab this division just yet. The Royals always seem like they might get better, but eventually go back to being the old reliable of the bunch, losing somewhere in the vicinity of 90 games every year. I'd like to think they'll be better with the acquisition of James Shields, Wade Davis, and Ervin Santana, but I'm not exactly counting on it.

The Indians should be better with Terry Francona now leading the way, but it's tough to envision their pitching being much better than it was last year, which wasn't exactly good. As for the Twins, they pretty much had a firesale in the offseason, and you'd be hard-pressed to name anyone on their roster without the initials JM.

2013 Favorites on Paper: Detroit Tigers
Why: After reaching the World Series in 2012, the Tigers showed they can still ball despite their mediocre regular season. A team which included Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, and Prince Fielder was expected to win more than 88 games and contend for the World Series, and at least they did the latter. They've got a great lineup, which will only improve with the addition of a healthy Victor Martinez and Torii Hunter, and a deep rotation.

Courtesy of Sporting News

They have the only pitcher to win an MVP in the last 20 years, Justin Verlander, and he's got a solid supporting rotation around him with the likes of Doug Fister, Anibal Sanchez, and Max Scherzer. They also have the only player to win the batting Triple Crown in the last 45 years in Cabrera. Needless to say, Detroit has a lot of stars.

If Austin Jackson continues his growth to superstardom at the top of their lineup, and things fall into place the way they should, the Tigers should have zero trouble winning this below-average division. Playing the Royals and Twins upwards of 18 times a piece is a gift that I'm sure they'll capitalize on, and they should march onwards towards October with another division title in hand.