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We are now situated in the most wonderful week of sports anyone could ask for. The NCAA Tournament ended Monday, the NHL and NBA are in their final weeks, and the Masters begins on Thursday. But best of all, baseball starts today. So before you sit in front of your television to take in the opening night of baseball, take a look at where each team stands in our initial power rankings.

In a League of Their Own…

30. Houston Astros

The situation is not bright in Houston. Were it not for Carlos Lee, Wandy Rodriguez, and Brett Myers, the Astros would be a AA team playing in a major league park. Consider this team lucky if they can muster more than 60 wins during their final year in the National League. (Upcoming Series: Colorado Rockies 3)

It’s gonna be a long summer…

29. Baltimore Orioles

If Baltimore suddenly switched into the AL or NL Central, they might actually have had a shot at having a competitive ball club. Unfortunately, the Orioles are stuck in a loaded division which now contains four playoff-caliber teams now that the Blue Jays have gotten their act together. Baltimore fans should just wait till football starts. (Upcoming Games: Minnesota Twins 3)

28. Seattle Mariners

If there is a team with less bats in their lineup (excluding our AA friends in Houston), I’d love to see it. The addition of Jesus Montero and a full season of Dustin Ackley will do wonders for this team’s offense, but that won’t be enough. When the M’s are floudering in mid-July, don’t be surprised if Felix Hernandez is shipped off so they can inject some serious talent into the organization. (Upcoming Series: at Oakland Athletics 2)

27. San Diego Padres

I guess I found a team with fewer bats. While they are victims of circumstance in Petco Park, the Padres, like Seattle, lack offense. That being said, new GM Josh Byrnes made some nice moves in the offseason that should prop the Padres up to being a contender in two or three years. The pitching will surprise some people and keep them in games, but that lack of hitting going to hold this team to last place in the underrated NL West. (Upcoming Series: Los Angeles Dodgers 3)

26. Oakland Athletics

Usually, their biggest free agent acquisition is a washed up slugger who is hanging on a few years too long (see Hideki Matsui, Frank Thomas). But this year, the purse strings were loosened and the A’s brought in Cuban sensation Yoenis Cespedes. This, along with their trades of Andrew Bailey, Gio Gonzalez, and Trevor Cahill showed a commitment to have a good team when a new stadium comes along in three or four years. (Upcoming Series: Seattle Mariners 2)

25. New York Mets

If I told you five years ago that a team with David Wright, Johan Santana, and Jason Bay would be a guaranteed last place team in the NL East, you’d probably think I had a concussion. While the rest of the division was out acquiring boatloads of talent, the owners were trying to compensate those who lost money from them as a result of the Bernie Madoff scandal. The Metropolitans are heading nowhere fast. (Upcoming Series: Atlanta Braves 3)

Hit the jump for the rest of Christian’s power rankings…

Meh…

24. Chicago Cubs

They effectively stole one of the elite GMs (Theo Epstein) in baseball from the Red Sox this offseason and lived to tell the tale. This team is mediocre right now, but give Theo a few years and the more than century old curse will finally come to an end. (Upcoming Series: Washington Nationals 3)

23. Pittsburgh Pirates

As we enter the 21st season since there was a winning baseball team in Pittsburgh, hope is on the horizon. They locked up their superstar (Andrew McCutchen) and built a respectable major league rotation. If Pedro Alvarez would just live up to his talent and potential, the Pirates might climb above .500 in 2012. (Upcoming Series: Philadelphia Phillies 3)

22. Minnesota Twins

I would rank them higher if I knew that Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer could stay healthy and play up to form for an entire season. I do not have that guarantee however, so this is where they stand. It also doesn’t help that the rotation is an assimilation of has-beens and never-weres. The hitting will keep them competitive, but the pitching will keep them from winning big. (Upcoming Series: at Baltimore 3)

21. Chicago White Sox

This is another team who just doesn’t have the pitching to contend in the American League. I think GM Kenny Williams was a buffoon to throw in the towel on this franchise and set them into rebuilding mode while there is still a good deal of talent at the major league level. It’s a shame that a winner like Paul Konerko will likely end his career in this mediocrity. (Upcoming Series: at Texas Rangers 3)

20. Los Angeles Dodgers

There’s Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, and Dee Gordon. Then it gets a little hairy. The Dodgers embody the title of this section as the hitting, fielding, starting pitching, and bullpen don’t really jump out at you as a strength or weakness. They are just meh. (Upcoming Series: at San Diego Padres 4)

So you’re saying there’s a chance…

19. Atlanta Braves

One of this team’s major weaknesses down the stretch was their lack of hitting. How did they address this in the offseason? (Crickets). They have many talented pitchers and a killer back-end of the bullpen with Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel, but how long will they be able to prop this team up until their lack bats kills them? But this team was in the playoffs until the final day last season, so even though they didn’t change a thing, they’re a solid squad. (Upcoming Series: at New York Mets 3)

18. Kansas City Royals

I like this team a lot. Eric Hosmer will be an MVP candidate by the end of the season and once Mike Moustakas comes around, this will be one of the best set of corner infielders in the majors. If pitching prospect Mike Montgomery is all he’s cooked up to be and makes it too the team by May, they could be a darkhorse selection for one of the two wild card spots. (Upcoming Series: at Los Angeles Angels)

17. Colorado Rockies

I may be repeating myself with this concept, but the Colorado Rockies will be heavily dependent on their bats this season. Troy Tulowitski and Carlos Gonzalez are as good as it gets in terms of a duo of position players and the Rockies will need to ride them if they want a chance at the postseason. But who are we kidding, the biggest storyline on this team is 93 year old (in baseball years) starting pitcher Jamie Moyer. (Upcoming Series: at Houston Astros 3)

16. Cleveland Indians

The Indians are all about potential. If Jason Kipnis, Ubaldo Jimenez, Lonnie Chisenhall, Justin Masterson, and Carlos Santana all lived up to their potential, we could be talking AL pennant with this team. But games aren’t won with potential. They’re won with what you can do on the field. The Indians will put out a good squad with a sneaky good rotation, but two or three of those players not playing up to their talent level will keep the Indians from the playoffs. (Upcoming Series: Toronto Blue Jays 3)

The top half of the NL Central…

15. Milwaukee Brewers

Something just doesn’t feel right with this team, in my opinion. The loss of Prince Fielder along with the whole Ryan Braun steroid fiasco will lead to an strange season in Wisconsin. Zack Grienke will lead an underrated starting rotation in his contract year, but something tells me that the Brew Crew don’t have the magical aura they had a season ago. (Upcoming Series: St. Louis Cardinals 3)

14. St. Louis Cardinals

They are the World Series Champs, but I feel like they will miss Albert Pujols more than many media outlets are letting on. Lance Berkman is aging, Chris Carpenter is perpetually injured, and the middle infield is less than inspiring. They’ll miss Albert in more ways than just his stats. His pure presence in a lineup put the fear of God into opposing pitchers. Without him, they’re just an above average team. (Upcoming Series: at Miami Marlins 1, at Milwaukee Brewers 3)

13. Cincinnati Reds

The signing of Joey Votto to a 10 year contract, while sounding a little absurd, was a great move by the Reds to keep their franchise player around for the rest of his career. He will lead a strong Reds offense that will, for once, be complemented by a decent pitching staff led by Mat Latos. They have the most talent and should win this division. All they need to do is execute. (Upcoming Series: Miami Marlins 3)

Knocking on the door…

12. Washington Nationals

The only reason I don’t have this team higher is because the team lacks players who have been on winning teams. The additions of Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson to an already decent pitching staff will aid an offense that has the potential to explode if Jayson Werth can play to his contract and Mike Morse comes back with a season similar to last year. I’m not even factoring in the idea that Bryce Harper could come up at any point and make a huge impact. (Upcoming Series: at Chicago Cubs 3)

11. Miami Marlins

Talk about a change in strategy. The team famous for their offseason fire sales decided to reverse that idea and unload free agent money like it was no one’s business. The acquisitions of Jose Reyes, Heath Bell, and Mark Buehrle mean that Miami is ready to win now. And with a healthy Josh Johnson in the rotation, they will win. (Upcoming Series: St. Louis Cardinals 1, at Cincinnati Reds 3)

10. San Francisco Giants

The three-headed monster of Lincecum, Cain, and Bumgarner will keep this team in contention for a playoff birth. No team outside of Philadelphia has three starting pitchers as good the trio in San Fran. If Brandon Belt and Melky Cabrera can inject some much needed offense into the Giants, they will be a lock to play in October. (Upcoming Series: at Arizona D-Backs 3)

9. Toronto Blue Jays

If their spring is any indication of how the rest of their season will play out, Toronto will be a monster this season. The lineup is loaded with power and the rotation is the most underrated in the American League. Brett Lawrie and Colby Rasmus will have monster seasons if they stay healthy. But as I said with the Nationals, I worry about the lack of guys with experience on a winning team. That being said, I fully expect this team to be in the playoffs. (Upcoming Series: at Cleveland Indians 3)

8. Boston Red Sox

If I was basing these ranking purely off talent, the Red Sox would be number one or very close to it. Unfortunately for them, its based on much more than that. While Adrian Gonzalez will manage to out do his impressive campaign last season, I see regression for Jacoby Ellsbury and the somehow ageless David Ortiz. And I also can’t envision Kevin Youkilis and closer Andrew Bailey staying healthy for the whole season. This team is good, but the division around them is getting better and the Sox are being left in the dust. (Upcoming Series: at Detroit Tigers 3)

The Best Two in the National League

7. Arizona D-Backs

They shocked the whole baseball community by winning the NL West from the defending world champion Giants. The division around them improved, but they did too. Bringing in Trevor Cahill to stabilize that rotation was a great move and the lineup will continue to rip the cover off of the ball with Justin Upton putting up MVP-like numbers in the desert. (Upcoming Series: San Francisco Giants 3)

6. Philadelphia Phillies

They have arguably the best rotation in baseball and a great core of players in the field. If this team can play half of the season healthy, they should conduct business as usual and take the NL East. As good as their division foes are, the Phillies are better and will prove as much as the season continues. (Upcoming Series: at Pittsburgh Pirates 3)

The Best of the Best of the Best, Sir…

5. Tampa Bay Rays

There are question marks at shortstop and first base, but that’s really the only weakness of this team. The pitching is stupendous and they have the best group of five starting pitchers of any staff in baseball. Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton, and Desmond Jennings are fantastic on the field and at the plate, and should put this team in contention to win an AL East crown. (Upcoming Series: New York Yankees 3)

4. Los Angeles Angels

Teams will watch in horror as Albert Pujols makes mince meet of American League pitching, much like he did to the National League. The man really is a machine and will continue to produce wherever he goes. My questions with this team are the age of the outfielders. At what point will the declining talents of Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells cost this team valuable wins? (Upcoming Series: Kansas City Royals 3)

3. New York Yankees

The line-up is getting up there in years, but still among the best in baseball. Now that Michael Pineda is hurt and trending towards being the next Phil Hughes, C.C. Sabathia will once again have to put the rotation on his burly back and haul them back to the postseason. He’s done it before and is more than capable of doing it again. (Upcoming Series: at Tampa Bay Rays 3)

2. Detroit Tigers

In terms of hitting, this team is the best in baseball. In terms of fielding, they are the worst. Finding a way to work through that will be the most interesting story this baseball season. And if Justin Verlander has anything close to the simply incredible season he had last year, the Tigers should walk away from a very average AL Central. (Upcoming Series: Boston Red Sox 3)

1. Texas Rangers

Top to bottom, this looks like the best baseball team in my humble opinion. The hitting and fielding are among the best in the league and the pitching simply gets the job done. If this team stays healthy and Yu Darvish can be an above average pitcher, this team will win the World Series. (Upcoming Series: Chicago White Sox 3)

The Cut-Off Man Chris Berry Interactive Chris Berry Interactive