The 2020 Shortened Season MLB.tv Watchability Rankings: Part 3
Every year, I rank the MLB teams by MLB.tv watchability. It’s not a ranking of the best teams, it’s a ranking of the most interesting ones: some great teams are boring and some terrible teams are train wrecks you can’t take your eyes off of.
Typically, I do this exercise in March before the season starts, so you, our devoted readers, have an idea of how to manage your time over the course of something like 2400 MLB games per year. This year, of course, things are different. There’s only going to be 60 games per team and we have a lot of baseball-less months to catch up on – so you should watch them all.
If for some stupid reason you can’t, though, I’m here to help you out. If anything, these rankings are more important than ever, given that we literally can’t attend games and our only choice is to watch on TV.
Below is Part 3 of this year’s rankings, teams 21-30 that you should watch in the abbreviated 2020 season. Part one of this year’s rankings is here, and part two is here. You can check out the 2015 MLB.TV rankings here, and part 1 and part 2 of the 2016 version here. 2018’s version is here. 2019 is here. (Yes, there is no 2017.)
You can check out the 2015 MLB.TV rankings here, and part 1, and part 2 of the 2016 version here. The 2018 version is here, and 2019 is here. (Yes, there is no 2017.)
2020 MLB.tv Watchability Rankings
21) Toronto Blue Jays
You could make a very compelling argument that the Blue Jays should be 10 spots higher on this list. They’ve got two of baseball’s most exciting young second-generation offensive players in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (who put on a show in the Home Run Derby last year), Bo Bichette, and Cavan Biggio. And now Hyun-Jin Ryu at the top of their veteran pitching staff. Not bad for slot 21.
22) Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays are really good, they’re just not all that fun to watch. Maybe I’m biased by how gross it is to watch a game in their ugly (empty) stadium. Really, the Rays should appeal to me more, given manager Kevin Cash‘s penchant for doing creative things like deploying an Opener and messing with fielding alignments. Plus, the Rays have Blake Snell and Charlie Morton in their rotation, who will be challenged frequently this year thanks to a schedule that matches Tampa up against some really good competition on the AL and NL East.
23) Oakland A’s
Another solid team that will make a run at the playoffs, the A’s just aren’t as exciting as some lesser clubs. They do have awesome uniforms though, and Matt Chapman, Matt Olsen, and Marcus Semien are really fun guys in a lineup. Frankie Montas and Jesus Luzardo are legit fun pitchers to watch. Plus, this solid team will be put to the test with a ton of games against Houston and both LA teams. 22 not looking so bad either.
24) Colorado Rockies
It’s a shame that team with Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, and Charlie Blackmon is be listed this low – and a testament to how entertaining the league is right now. No Ian Desmond is a bummer, though, and sadly the Rockies haven’t put enough talent around their stars to run with the likes of the Dodgers.
25) Detroit Tigers
The Tigers are on the upswing – it’s just a long swing. Miguel Cabrera is still a future Hall of Famer, the lineup has a ton of pop, and Jordan Zimmerman is still a baffling tire fire you just can’t take your eyes off of (remember when he was capital ‘G’ Great?) but the real exciting story here is the pitching on its way – there’s only so long that the Tigers will be able to keep top prospect starting pitchers Matt Manning and Casey Mize out of the majors and those guys will be appointment viewing.
26) Kansas City Royals
The Royals acquisition last week of Franchy Cordero isn’t going to catapult them up this list, sorry. They do still have Salvador Perez, who looks good in Summer Camp so far, Adelberto Mondesi, an aging Whit Merrifield, and basically no interesting pitching.
27) Pittsburgh Pirates
No Chris Archer is a bummer, but the Pirates actually have some talent. Joe Musgrove is real good, and so is Gregory Polanco, Jameson Taillon, and Josh Bell. Thing is, the Pirates have too many guys like Adam Frazier, who are definitely Major Leaguers, but not all that fun to watch.
28) Miami Marlins
The Marlins are better than you think they are, and they’ve finally moved out of the bottom two on this list. Jonathan Villar is a real player, as is Garrett Cooper, and Jordan Yamamoto, Caleb Smith, and Sandy Alcantara are the makings of an at least passable rotation. They have a brutal schedule this year though, with the only real reprieve being the….
29) Seattle Mariners
Daniel Vogelbach hits it real far. Oh, and if you watch Mariner’s games, you might catch a glimpse of Team OTBB in the stands as carboard cutouts. True story!
30) Baltimore Orioles
What are the Orioles doing? Doesn’t a rebuild have to involve some sort of, you know, building? Bleh. Beautiful ballpark though.
