For the start of the season my Rangers look to be the best team in baseball but there are some teams out there that I think over the course of the season are built very well that could give them some real competition.

I think the Rangers are the best in the AL
and I think that the Dodgers will end up the class of the NL though the Nationals have been a pleasant suprise and Im glad to see them doing well.

Who do you think at this point are the 2 best teams in baseball?

My playoff Predictions at this point may change but right now they look like this

AL
West Div Champ- Rangers
Central Div Champ- Tigers
East Div Champ- Yankees
Wild Card Teams- Blue Jays, White Sox

NL
West Div Champ- Dodgers
Central Div Champ- Cards
East Div Champ- Braves
Wild Card- Nats, Reds

how do you see it shaping up at the end of the year?

The Reds not performing well is annoying me, especially since Carpenter is out right now, and the Cards are just gonna get better. Hopefully Freese cools off and we get our #### together, otherwise I don't think we'll beat out the Brewers for the WC.

I think that the Reds have a better set up to get the WC than the Brewers at this point. But your right things still have to come together better if they are going to steal it from the Brew Crew.

Because my fanaticism clearly clouds my judgement when it comes to baseball, I have to say from what I have seen to start the season the Orioles are clearly the best team in the league. I have been surprised by their lack of performance in past seasons, but like I do at the beginning of every single season I am certain that this is the year they pull off a huge upset.

I say this kind of thing tongue in cheek all the time. But as of right now the Orioles
are legitimately leading in the East (albeit in a 4-way tie).

that is true lesnart and I wouldn't count them out either. I don't so much think that all the teams in the east are better this year so much as the Yanks and Rays are not as good this year making it a great year for a young team like the Orioles to make a run at he playoffs. I hope to see them there too cause I like Showalter and would love to see them give him some success this year that he didn't find in Texas.

I also totally understand fanatasim getting in the way of judgement. I often scoffed at the experts when they would say the Rangers will be last place or have no chance to make the playoffs and every year Id say its our year.

It just so happens that we have a GM and owner that are very very baseball smart and have developed good talent and spent smart money. Also we have a players manager who keeps our clubhouse loose and lets them do what they do best.
Also we have the best pitching coach in the league in Mike Maddux. I just think that the Rangers are set up to be good for many years to come and way better than what we had prior to JD and Nolan showing up.

Well the Rest of the east just got some good news in that Michele Pineda is out for the year and Phil Hughes can't pitch for some reason so that kind of hurts the Yankees in the east. Certainly looks good for the O's.

The O's have certainly been playing well at the start of this season but it is a long season. Not that I wouldn't love to see them up their game and start making more noise in the East as the more good teams the better the division. However, I think the Yanks and the Rays are the ones to beat in the long run. And I say that as a Sox fan who unfortunately has a feeling that third in the East is the best I will see this year.
Now, that being said, I am still rooting for the Sox to take the crown and get back to the World Series which isn't really a crazy take. They have a good offense that is bound to get better when everybody is healthy and I don't think the rotation and pen is nearly as bad as they have looked.
I'm just loving that baseball season is back. :knockedou

Best team that doesnt have to buy their players.. Toronto Blue Jays.

Actually Id say that the best team that doesnt have to buy its players is Tampa Bay. They have the lowest payroll this year among teams with a winning record.
Not only do that have a winning record but they are tied for the lead in the East which is the toughest division in the league year in and year out.

So the Rays are by far the team with the best Win per Dollars spent ratio.

Also Granite I want to echo that I love that baseball season is back. It is kind of the ultimate nerd sport to follow because of all the stats and physics and numbers. I love the game for the game but I also love being able to study strange stats and find out quirky things.

Ok I can agree with that. Tampa does have a solid team built from within. But the Jays are pretty darn close. I really like their team.

Rays and Jays both know how to build pitchers, its so depressing when I look at our home grown pitchers that had so much potential but instead give 9 runs up in the first inning.

At least we can grow position players, then overpay them to keep them for 14 years.

Ive always liked the Rays and Jays and love when we face them because they give a fight and do so without being the Yankees or Red Sox and outspending the rest of baseball combined.

And Fredwood Oakland used to do that as well. They were a pitching factory though some of them didn't have success after leaving them.
My team has always had the lineup to compete with anyone but when your team ERA is near 5 every year its hard to win. Thats been the difference the last 3 years is our pitching has been very competitive for the first time since the 97 season.

Well, now comes a big test for Baltimore with a tough stretch. To wit: 3 games at the Yanks, 3 games at the Sox, then back home for 4 against Texas, 3 against the Rays and 2 more against the Yanks. I think it's safe to say this will be an important measuring stick for them. Make it through this stretch even at a .500 clip and they have an argument for being real this year.
Luck of the draw for the first three against NY though in that they face Kuroda and Hughes for the first two games. That should help their offense anyway.

As for my Sox, very nice road trip even with the tough loss last night. Hopefully they can get things going again with Oakland coming into town. So far I'm loving this season in the East even though the Sox are in last. I can't imagine a more fun time then having all five teams fighting it out all season.