2019 Off The Bench MLB.TV Watchability Rankings
The current suite of really cool MLB Advanced Media products – like Statcast, MLB.TV, and the awesome little clips and GIFs of smooth swings, great catches, and nasty pitches – is one of the best things about watching baseball in 2019.
MLB.TV in particular is one of my favorite things on earth: The ability to watch any (out of market) game at any time, from my laptop, phone, or the second screen of my work computer, is truly incredible. But with all this accessibility comes a tragedy of excess. There are 30 MLB teams, and not all are created equal. When everyone’s on, how do you decide who to watch?
Don’t fret, OTBB is back to help with our proprietary MLB.TV Watchability Rankings. You can check out the 2015 MLB.TV rankings here, and part 1 part 2of the 2016 version here. 2018’s version is here. (Yes, there is no 2017.)
To refresh, MLB.TV Watchability doesn’t necessarily correspond with projected competitiveness; good teams can be very boring (thinkBilly Beane‘s Oakland A’s of the early 2000’s), and bad teams can be a blast. Rather, MLB.TV Watchability is a function of roster composition, viewed in a vacuum – chick’s dig the longball, after all, and when it comes to tuning in for a quick glimpse of an out-of-market contest, a dynamic player exhibiting next-level zeal and passion trumps a workmanlike efficiency any day.
2019 MLB.TV Watchability Rankings
1) New York Yankees
Last year we expected the Yankees to set all sorts of home run records and they did. This year, we expect them to re-break all those records. Tune in to Yankee games for home runs, 102 mph fastballs, Troy Tulowitski nostalgia, Adam Ottovino sliders, and more homers. Plus, since the Yankees play in the hyper-competitive AL East, they’ll likely be playing someone pretty good, too.
2) Houston Astros
The Astros are without one former Cy Young award winner (probably) this year, but they still have one left in Justin Verlander – and a top-5 vote getter in Gerrit Cole – along with one of the most fun and dynamic top to bottom rosters in baseball. Alex Bregman is now a star and he anchors a lineup that features one of the most fun players in the whole league, Jose Altuve, plus generational shortstop talent Carlos Correa. Now throw in a resurgent Michael Brantley, a fan favorite for a reason and an underratedly-awesome baseball player. Plus, if you hang on a few more months, Kyle Tucker, a top prospect and a very exciting outfielder, will make his way to Houston.
3) Philadelphia Phillies
A new inclusion in this year’s top 5, the Phillies are undoubtedly one of baseball’s most exciting teams and real novelty at the start of the year.
Their pitching is good and Aaron Nola is tune in TV, but the lineup is why you’ll watch. 1-8 the Phillies have potential All Stars at every position and none of them are your dull, boring grinders either. Rhys Hoskins is one of the best hitters in baseball and now he’s joined by $330 million man Bryce Harper and baseball’s best catcher JT Realmuto in what looks to be the game’s best divisional race. I’m in.
4) Los Angeles Dodgers
Walker Buehler is a stud, Clayton Kershaw is a Clayton Kershaw, and with Corey Seager back and healthy, AJ Pollock in the fold, and Cody Bellinger, Justin Turner, and Joc Pederson raking, the Dodgers continue to rank highly.
5) Los Angeles Angels
Last year’s top team falls a bit but still ranks very highly in 2019. The main reason, of course, is baseball’s best player, Mike Trout, who you must watch every time he comes to bat. If you wait a little, you’ll also get Shohei Ohtani, though sadly only on offense this year, and you still get Justin Upton‘s sweet swing. The pitching is garbage, still, somehow, but Matt Harvey will be fun to watch every 5 days no matter what.
6) Boston Red Sox
Like the Dodgers and Astros, its understandable if you feel a little fatigue about watching the defending champion Red Sox. We got force fed a ton of them in October, but Mookie Betts is awesome and Andrew Benintendi is very underrated. Plus Chris Sale and likely frequent bullpen implosions!
7) Atlanta Braves
At least for the start of the season, I can’t say that I’m all that into the Braves pitching staff, but I’m here for their lineup. Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna are two of the most exciting players in the whole league, Freddie Freeman is a fantastic hitter, and you forget how good Josh Donaldson is when healthy. Plus the divisional race that’s likely all summer.
8) Cleveland Indians
Many could credibly fault me for putting a team with Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco, Fransisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, and, apparently, Hanley Ramirez this low. They’re probably right.
9) Cincinatti Reds
Hear me out here, I’m really excited to watch the Reds. They might be good! They might be garbage! Who knows!? This year’s Reds have Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, and Sonny Gray in addition to a surprisingly solid rest of the team. Plus, Micheal Lorenzen, a reliever, is legitimately one of their outfielders and you get major MLB.TV Watchability points for 2 way players.
10) New York Mets
That the Mets are this low speaks to how much fun the league is this year. With the Mets you get possibly baseball’s best pitcher in Jacob deGrom, plus Noah Syndergaard. Not to mention Robinson Cano and a bunch of exciting young guys like Peter Alonso and Dominic Smith. Don’t forget Yoenis Cespedes is there too. And points for the likely divisional race.
11) Chicago Cubs
People got sick of the Cubs fast, huh? They’re still super fun though with Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant, even if the starting rotation has lost some luster. That rotation, though, has some big names and that’s always fun. Mostly though, you could argue the Cubs should be 10 spots higher on this list just because of Javier Baez.
12) Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers get major points for their lineup of monster sized first basemen that they pretend play different positions in the field. Come for the longballs stay for Mike Moustakas trying to turn a double play at second base. Oh, and Josh Hader striking out everyone.
13) St. Louis Cardinals
Baseball’s best uniforms are not the only reason to watch the Cards this year, you also get Paul Goldschmidt and many former top pitching prospects who are not quite as good as you’d hoped.
14) Washington Nationals
No Bryce Harper but yes Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Juan Soto, Victor Robles, and inevitable Nationals screwups and the uncanny ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
15) Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays lack the star power of a lot of other teams, but Blake Snell and Charlie Morton make for very fun pitchers to watch at the top of the rotation, and The Opener in the other three games is worth tuning in for. Tommy Pham is really good too, and Kevin Kiermaier makes crazy catches sometimes.
16) Colorado Rockies
Rockies’ games will feature Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, Daniel Murphy, and a 1 in 5 chance of Kyle Freeland. Plus awesome uniforms and Coors Field offense.
17) Minnesota Twins
The Twins are in the middle for good reason. Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton are really exciting players, unless they’re not. And the awesomeness of Jose Berrios is balanced by the boringness of most of the rest of the lineup.
18) San Diego Padres
Manny Machado is there! And they wear brown sometimes now! And Fernando Tatis Jr. and a bunch of pitchers you’ve never, ever heard of!
19) Pittsburgh Pirates
Jameson Taillon, Chris Archer, and Joe Musgroves are really good. Even Trevor Williams is fun to watch. If Gregory Polanco and Josh Bell become good, this could be a really fun group.
20) Seattle Mariners
No Robinson Cano, no Edwin Diaz, no James Paxton, no Mike Zunino, no Nelson Cruz but you still get Mitch Haniger. Actually, tune in a lot because it’ll probably be a different team every time.
21) Chicago White Sox
Eloy Jimenez is in the major leagues and you should watch him play baseball.
22) Oakland A’s
The A’s are really good! If you want to watch a team in the playoff hunt, you should watch them! I’ll be tuning in to see if Khris Davis can hit .247 for a 5th year in a row. Also there’s 2013 Name to Know Jurickson Profar.
23) San Fransisco Giants
The Giants forgot to field an outfield this year. They still have Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, Joe Panik, and Brandon Crawford though.
24) Arizona Diamondbacks
The Dbacks got rid of a lot of really good and exciting players this winter and that’s disappointing. The rotation is fun and there are a couple interesting guys like Adam Jones and Jake Lamb.
25) Toronto Blue Jays
Talk to me when you’ve brought up Vlad Guerrero Jr., thanks.
26) Detroit Tigers
Niko Goodrum is better than you think he is. Miguel Cabrera is still just as good as you think he is. A friend of OTBB met Christin Stewart in a bar and said he’s a really cool guy. We recently wrote a post about the Tigers that Tigers fans really didn’t like.
27) Texas Rangers
Joey Gallo is the big reason to tune in here. He’s hits balls very far but also very infrequently. Rougned Odor uses that same approach. They have Hunter Pence now and Nomar Mazara is really good.
28) Kansas City Royals
The Royals have a very fast team. If you like stolen bases, watch them play.
29) Miami Marlins
This team is unacceptably bad. And you can’t even read the uniforms:
but at least that novelty keeps them out of the bottom spot.
30) Baltimore Orioles
Team OTBB went to an Orioles Spring Training game this year and had a great time. The weather was outstanding, the ballpark was very nice and the staff was lovely. Those are all the nice things I can say about the O’s this year.
-Max Frankel
