MLB Power Rankings: Atlanta and Los Angeles Reign Supreme as Season Opens
The MLB season begins on Thursday, March 28, and to prepare we've got our first set of power rankings for 2024. Here's what you need to know about all 30 teams as the games begin.
Tier 1: The super two
- Atlanta Braves (Projected record: 105-57)
After trying to acquire Aaron Nola from the Phillies, the Braves landed Reynaldo Lopez and then traded for Chris Sale. The Braves are primed for another division title, but will their October fortunes change?
Most likely 2024 award winner: Spencer Strider is the leading candidate among NL Cy Young hopefuls, and by a healthy margin.
How they can rule the sport: The last time we really saw the dominant version of Chris Sale was in fall 2018. If he can tap back into that, the Braves could be the sport's best team.
One (realistic) bold prediction: Ronald Acuna Jr. won't steal 73 bases again, but he will go 45/45, win the batting title and top a 1.000 OPS for the second straight season.
- Los Angeles Dodgers (Projected record: 104-58)
The Dodgers landed Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Teoscar Hernandez to join Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and many others. If the Dodgers can win it all, it will be the greatest era in franchise history.
Most likely 2024 award winner: Yamamoto may well be the most likely candidate of any player in baseball to win a major postseason award.
How they can rule the sport: By doing the thing that has famously eluded them (outside of the COVID-shortened season): win the whole freakin' thing.
One (realistic) bold prediction: By the end of the season, the Dodgers have changed three-quarters of their Opening Day infield.
Tier 2: The biggest threats
- Houston Astros (Projected record: 97-65)
Added Josh Hader to an already strong bullpen and that should shorten games for an Astros team that is unsure about its rotation.
Most likely 2024 award winner: Framber Valdez is the AL pitcher most likely to win the Cy Young Award.
How they can join the top two: If Verlander and Urquidy are healthy enough to join Valdez, Javier and Brown relatively soon, the Astros will once again be an absolute force.
One (realistic) bold prediction: Only five position players have had at least 5.0 bWAR each of the past three seasons, and Kyle Tucker is one of them. This year, Tucker adds to that with his best season yet by posting a career-high 6.8 WAR, going 30/30 for the first time and improving upon last year's fifth-place finish in AL MVP voting.
- Baltimore Orioles (Projected record: 87-75)
Added Corbin Burnes to an already strong rotation and that should bolster the Orioles' chances of contention.
Most likely 2024 award winner: Top prospect Kyle Holliday is among the favorites to win AL Rookie of the Year.
How they can join the top two: The Orioles' young nucleus of position players makes them enthralling, but it's starting pitching that can ultimately make them dominant.
One (realistic) bold prediction: Gunnar Henderson raises his average 30 points to .285, hits 35 home runs, adds value on the bases and in the field -- and becomes the first Orioles MVP winner since Cal Ripken in 1991 while also following Ripken's path in winning Rookie of the Year and then MVP as a sophomore.
- Philadelphia Phillies (Projected record: 88-74)
Didn't make any notable additions this offseason. Philadelphia's two most expensive offseason moves kept its co-aces around for the long term.
Most likely 2024 award winner: Rob Thomson is given around an 11% shot at the NL Manager of the Year Award, making him -- and not one of the team's superstar players -- the most likely award contender on the Phils. If nothing else, it shows just how much credibility the baseball lifer has built up since moving to Philadelphia. How they can rule the sport: If the Phillies' big guns perform up to their capabilities, they could be very dangerous as the season wears on. But is that too much to ask for in the postseason?
One (realistic) bold prediction: The Phillies will win the NL East by five games and beat the Braves in the Division Series.