The Future of Struggling MLB Teams

With a little over a month left of regular season baseball, there are still many teams that are in the hunt for a spot in the postseason. On the other hand, there are also many teams that are out of contention for a postseason spot and will just be trying to spoil the hopes of other teams. It has been a long year for some of these teams and their fan bases and at this point, they are just looking forward to next season when they might have a better chance. Most of these teams have strong farm systems and some of those players might make huge impacts for them next season. I’ll be looking at some of the worst teams in baseball this season and what they have for the future of their organization in hopes of cheering up their fan bases. Hopefully, you will all enjoy this article and without further delay, let’s get started.

Baltimore Orioles (38–85)

It has been another rough season for the Baltimore Orioles and their fans as they once again have the fewest wins in baseball up to this point in the season. The Orioles rank near the bottom of the league in both hitting and pitching but have been exceptionally bad on the mound. Cedric Mullins and Trey Mancini have been two bright spots as they have both had solid seasons at the plate and will be back with the team in 2022 more than likely. The Orioles also have two of the top prospects in baseball in Adley Rutschman, №1, and Grayson Rodriguez, №8. Both should be able to make the Opening Day roster for Baltimore next season and could be battery mates for a long time with Rutschman behind the plate and Rodriguez on the bump. The biggest question regarding the Orioles in 2022 will be: Who will be pitching? Baltimore’s pitching staff ranks last in the league this season with a 5.79 ERA. The only lock for a rotation spot seems to be John Means who has been really good for the Orioles this season. Other than that, the Orioles don’t have much as Matt Harvey, Jorge Lopez, Dean Kremer, and Keegan Akin have all struggled. Baltimore has quite a few pitchers among their Top 30 prospects list and some of them are bound to end up making the Opening Day roster. Looking ahead to next year, Baltimore’s batting lineup shouldn’t be too bad. Mancini, Mullins, Anthony Santander, and Ryan Mountcastle are all solid hitters and if you throw Rutschman in there the lineup should be near the middle of the league which would be an improvement from this season. The Orioles are likely to still finish near the bottom of the league next season and last place in the American League East with the uncertainty surrounding their pitching staff.

Projected Lineup:

Catcher: Adley Rutschman

First Base: Ryan Mountcastle

Second Base: Jahmai Jones

Shortstop: Ramon Urias

Third Base: Tyler Nevin

Right Field: Anthony Santander

Center Field: Cedric Mullins

Left Field: Austin Hays

Designated Hitter: Trey Mancini

Starting Pitcher: John Means

Minnesota Twins (54–70)

The Minnesota Twins have been one of the most disappointing teams this season. Projected to win upwards of 90 games, the Twins are currently at 54 wins and traded star pitcher Jose Berrios at the trade deadline. Minnesota has a team ERA of 4.95 on the year which ranks 27th best in the league. At the beginning of the season, the Twins relied more heavily on a veterans in their rotation but most of those veterans are no longer on the roster as they have let some of their younger pitchers get work in as the season has progressed. Offensively the Twins rank in the top half of the league so the problems have undoubtedly been on the mound. The bullpen has also had some issues as they have blown 18 saves and have a collective ERA of 4.76. Minnesota has a pair of infielders that are projected to join the team next year in Royce Lewis and Austin Martin. Both are listed as shortstops but Martin can also play in the outfield which makes him very versatile as a position player. Martin was acquired by the Twins from the Toronto Blue Jays in the Berrios trade. There is also right-handed pitcher Jordan Balazovic, who is the Twins’ top pitching prospect and is also set to join the team next season. Balazovic has a record of 4–2 and has struck out 78 batters in 71.0 innings pitched. Most of the lineup should remain the same but one big name in Byron Buxton might be departing. Veteran third baseman Josh Donaldson might also be dealt during the off-season if the Twins decide to continue selling. Minnesota has a lot of young arms that are currently in the big leagues or that could join the team next season and if they can continue to develop, the Twins might find themselves near the top of the American League Central once again.

Projected Lineup:

Catcher: Mitch Garver

First Base: Miguel Sano

Second Base: Jorge Polanco

Shortstop: Royce Lewis

Third Base: Jose Miranda

Right Field: Luis Arraez

Center Field: Byron Buxton

Left Field: Austin Martin

Designated Hitter: Max Kepler

Starting Pitcher: Kenta Maeda

Texas Rangers (43–80)

The Texas Rangers finally departed with outfielder Joey Gallo at the trade deadline but also traded pitchers Kyle Gibson and Ian Kennedy. Nobody figured that the Rangers would be fighting for a playoff spot this season but they did have a good draft in which they selected star Vanderbilt pitcher Jack Leiter. Leiter already checks in as the 12th ranked prospect in baseball and could make his debut next year but he will more than likely have to wait until 2023. The Rangers have five prospects that rank in the Top 100 list and all are projected to be on the MLB roster by 2023. Texas ranks 29th in the league in batting average which is where Josh Jung and Sam Huff look to make a difference. Both have dealt with injuries this season but when healthy each has been really good at the plate. Jung had a slash line of .308/.366/.544 in Double-A this season before being promoted to Triple-A just the other day. The Rangers also have Adolis Garcia on their MLB roster as he has had a surprise breakout season. He’s hit 27 home runs on the year to go along with 71 RBIs. The pitching rotation has also been fairly bad as they have an ERA of 4.69 and a WHIP of 1.35. Texas traded its best pitcher at the deadline with everybody else being subpar. The Rangers don’t have a starting pitcher with an ERA below 4.00 which is problematic and could lead to concerns next season as well. Luckily, some of these pitchers such as Dane Dunning and Kolby Allard are still young and developing and could look much improved next season.

Projected Lineup:

Catcher: Sam Huff

First Base: Nate Lowe

Second Base: Andy Ibanez

Shortstop: Isiah Kiner-Falefa

Third Base: Josh Jung

Right Field: Nick Solak

Center Field: Adolis Garcia

Left Field: Bubba Thompson

Designated Hitter: Willie Calhoun

Starting Pitcher: Dane Dunning

Miami Marlins (51–74)

Out of all of the last-place teams, the Miami Marlins probably have one of the best and brightest futures. Out of the Marlins Top 5 prospects, four of them are supposed to be on the team in 2022 while most of them could end up making the team by the end of this season. Edward Cabrera, Max Meyer, and Sixto Sanchez are all three hard throwers with great off-speed pitches to go along with that. Miami also has Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez, Trevor Rogers, and newly acquired Jesus Luzardo all on their big league roster so the starting rotation seems to be pretty stacked. The offense isn’t shaping up to be as solid as the starting staff but they shouldn’t be too bad either. Jesus Aguilar has been one of MLB’s best RBI men this season as he currently has 87 on the year. Jazz Chisholm Jr. has also been pretty good this season but has also dealt with injuries that have kept him out for a little while. JJ Bleday, the Marlins 5th ranked prospect, is also expected to be on the Major League roster next season as he looks to claim a spot in the outfield for Miami. The Marlins are certainly headed in the right direction and apart from most of the other teams, have plenty of young pitchers that they will be able to use at their disposal next season. Some of them might even have to be traded if the Marlins look to upgrade their lineup in hopes of competing in the National League East next season.

Projected Lineup:

Catcher: Austin Jackson

First Base: Jesus Aguilar

Second Base: Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Shortstop: Miguel Rojas

Third Base: Brian Anderson

Right Field: Jorge Alfaro

Center Field: Lewis Brinson

Left Field: JJ Bleday

Starting Pitcher: Sandy Alcantara

Pittsburgh Pirates (44–80)

The Pittsburgh Pirates are going to have to settle for another last place finish in the National League Central which I’m sure their fans are well used to by now. The Pirates traded their best hitter in Adam Frazier at the deadline as well as starting pitcher Tyler Anderson and closing pitcher Richard Rodriguez. Pittsburgh has a handful of young pitching prospects that they have tried out on their big league roster this season but most have struggled during the early days of their career. Mitch Keller, who was once the Pirates' top prospect, has struggled to a 6.35 ERA and was recalled from the minor leagues at the beginning of August after spending almost two months in Triple-A. They have a team ERA of 5.02 which goes to show how tough this season has been for the pitching staff. The lineup hasn’t been much better as the Pirates offense ranks 27th in the league in batting average with one at .233. Other than Bryan Reynolds, who has a batting average over .300, Ke’Bryan Hayes, and Colin Moran, pretty much everybody else has struggled at the plate which has resulted in a lot of guys getting opportunities to prove themselves over the course of the season. Pittsburgh has a pair of middle infield prospects that are set to join the team in 2022 in Oneil Cruz and Nick Gonzales. Quinn Priester, the top pitching prospect, might also make the Opening Day roster although that might be a stretch. Most of the top prospects are still a few years away from making the big league roster which might mean another couple of tough years for the Pittsburgh Pirates and their fan base.

Projected Lineup:

Catcher: Jacob Stallings

First Base: Colin Moran

Second Base: Nick Gonzales

Shortstop: Oneil Cruz

Third Base: Ke’Bryan Hayes

Right Field: Gregory Polanco

Center Field: Bryan Reynolds

Left Field: Travis Swaggerty

Starting Pitcher: Mitch Keller

Arizona Diamondbacks (41–83)

It has been a tough year for the Arizona Diamondbacks but especially on the mound. The Diamondbacks rank dead last in team ERA as theirs sets at 5.79 on the year. That is absolutely terrible and once you see how bad their pitching has been it’s easy to see why they have struggled so much this season. The offense hasn’t been good by any means but it has been a lot better than the pitching. The Diamondbacks have a team batting average of .238 and an on-base percentage of .313. Ketel Marte has been exceptional at the plate this season as he’s batting .350 with six home runs and 29 RBIs in 55 games played. The rest of the lineup falls off considerably after him as Eduardo Escobar was dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers at the trade deadline after he was having a solid season for Arizona. The only consistent pitcher for the D-Backs as of late has been veteran Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner has turned in five straight starts of 6.2 innings or more with each of those resulting in him allowing two earned runs or less. Zac Gallen was set to be the ace of the rotation but has dealt with injuries and hasn’t fully lived up to what we saw from him last year. Star outfield prospect Alek Thomas could join the team next year to help with the offense but what Arizona really needs is pitching. Right-handed pitcher Ryne Nelson might be the only Top 30 pitching prospect that joins the Diamondbacks next season so it might be another rough one in the desert.

Projected Lineup:

Catcher: Carson Kelly

First Base: Christian Walker

Second Base: Ketel Marte

Shortstop: Josh Rojas

Third Base: Drew Ellis

Right Field: Pavin Smith

Center Field: Alek Thomas

Left Field: David Peralta

Starting Pitcher: Zac Gallen