Reaction: Future MLB Power Rankings, Red Sox #1

The defending champion Red Sox sit atop ESPN's 2014 Future Power Rankings.

I read an article on ESPN Insider (you can view it here) that gave a detailed breakdown on the future of every major league franchise. Written by experts Jim Bowden, Buster Olney and Keith Law, the article was quite the read. I decided to react to the rankings, which were decided by several categories.

These categories included the quality of the current big league roster, the quality/quantity of there minor league system, how much money they have to spend, the value and stability of ownership/front office/coaching staff and the mobility in terms of young, cheap players vs. old immovable guys.

These experts ranked all 30 teams, and I was very happy with the team in first.

Here are their top ten rankings (number on a scale to 100)
1. Boston Red Sox (89.1)
2. St. Louis Cardinals (82.3)
3. Los Angeles Dodgers (75.3)
4. Texas Rangers (69.4)
5. Pittsburgh Pirates (63.3)
6. Washington Nationals (61.1)
7. Chicago Cubs (58.8)
8. Detroit Tigers (55.4)
T-9. Atlanta Braves (54.9)
T-9. Kansas City Royals (54.9)

Boston soars above everyone, which is a great sight to see- especially after winning their third world series in since 2004. The Sox have financial flexibility and one of the best farm systems in baseball according to Olney, while Law says they have some strong pitchers, including Brian Johnson. The only dilemma Bowden sees is a lack of depth in the long-term outfield- after Jackie Bradley, Jr. they don't have a lot of depth and need some players in the corners.

Down on the farm system, outfield isn't a big strength. Bradley is outstanding defensively with a strong arm but the system is weak after him. They do have a big sleeper in the outfield with Manuel Margot, who's in at No. 12, but he's only in low Class A. Give him a few years to develop (he turns just 20 in September) and Margot could be up in the Bigs.

The defending National League champions are in second, followed by the Dodgers. After that, it's a big drop off to Texas, Pittsburgh and Washington. The Cubs, Detroit and a tie for ninth between Atlanta and Kansas City round out the top ten.

A couple of things I saw throughout the rest of the rankings- the Astros are in at 17th, and I though they'd be a lot higher. GM Jeff Luhnow tore down the squad to build it up and I thought they were closer to the top with arguably the best farm league system in the majors. However, the analysts made some solid points, including an Olney quote- "Much of their top talent is still a year or two away, so it is hard to forsee playoff contention before 2016, at the earliest."

Bostons rival, the Yankees, come in at No. 13. They have solid financials with deep pockets, so their week farm system isn't how they'll win games. Even though Jeter is retiring, the free agent market is filled with quality talent that they can pick up- even make a run at Hanley.