10. MILWAUKEE BREWERS:
I originally thought that the loss of Craig Counsell and Corbin Burnes would greatly affect the 2024 Milwaukee Brewers. I expected it to knock around 20 games off their win total. However, the Brewers have quickly proven me wrong. Key players, such as Christian Yelich and Willy Adames have stepped up. Meanwhile, the additions of free agent Rhys Hoskins and rookie Jackson Chourio have paid great dividends so far. Nevertheless, I am still concerned about their pitching, especially after Jakob Junis was placed on the 15-day IL.
9. CINCINNATI REDS:
In my preseason power rankings, last month, I had the Cincinnati Reds at 8. The Reds have gotten off to a decent start, winning 5 of their first 8 games. So far, this team has been pretty much what I expected it to be, aside from one concern. Their plate discipline and consistency concern me. The Reds have struck out 87 times, in only 8 games, 6th most in the MLB. Considering the fact that 18 teams have played 9 or more games while the Reds have only played 8, being in the top 10 is alarming. The strikeout charge is led by Elly De La Cruz. The man who is supposed to be the face of the franchise, is 3rd in the MLB with 15 strikeouts, despite having the 82nd most plate appearances. If the Reds keep this up, they’ll be carved up by elite pitchers in the playoffs.
8. DETROIT TIGERS:
The Detroit Tigers have been my “sleeper team” all offseason. I mentioned in three different articles that I believed they’re primed to break out and are being overlooked. So far, the Tigers are making me look pretty smart. Detroit got off to a 5W-0L start and was the last remaining undefeated team in the MLB. Even though they’ve slowed down a bit over the past couple of days, I’m very excited about their young core. Over the past couple of years, the Tigers have built a deep young core, and I believe their youngsters will pan out. My favorite young hitter on the Tigers is Kerry Carpenter. Carpenter hasn’t quite found his rhythm at the plate this season, yet his OPS is over .800, just imagine how dangerous he’ll be when he starts to click.
7. HOUSTON ASTROS:
Entering the season, I had two concerns regarding the Houston Astros. Their 2W-7L start has validated both of them. The first was the manager. All of the Astros’ recent success has come under either AJ Hinch or Dusty Baker, two all-time greats. Now that they have an inexperienced manager in Joe Espada, their late-game play and strategy might regress. Sure enough, the Astros blew 4 late-game leads in their first 6 games. In addition, their rotation is weaker than it’s been throughout their dynasty, especially with Justin Verlander on the IL. Sure enough, they’ve allowed 39 earned runs in their first 9 games. Houston’s 4.22 team ERA is 18th in the MLB, a huge step back after finishing with the 8th-best last year. Despite both concerns, Houston still has an incredible lineup, and it wouldn’t be wise to count them out.
6. TEXAS RANGERS:
I was very excited about the Texas Rangers this offseason and ranked them at 3 in my previous power rankings. I even went as far as saying that they’ll have a better dynasty than the Dodgers. However, they failed to bring back Jordan Montgomery, making them very reliant on Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom. Both Scherzer and deGrom are aging and incredibly injury-prone. Banking on them will not work out. I love the Rangers’ lineup, they’ve been mashing against the Astros, but I can’t view them as a contender with their current rotation. Nathan Eovaldi, Cody Bradford, and Jon Gray won’t be able to compete with the top rotations in the playoffs.
5. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS:
The Arizona Diamondbacks were my number 6 team in my first power rankings. The D-backs recently signed Jordan Montgomery to a short-term deal. Montgomery was incredible in the latter half of the 2023 season and went on an unmatchable run in the playoffs. The addition of Jordan Montgomery is a perfectly good reason to move Arizona up a spot. Arizona’s season has started exactly as we expected and I’m excited to see them go on another playoff run this year. I believe there’s a chance that they’ll seal the deal this time around.
4. NEW YORK YANKEES:
In my previous power rankings, I described how over the offseason the New York Yankees did exactly what they needed to do to fix their roster. I was afraid of ranking them in the top 5 because of how mediocre their 2023 season was. However, they quickly showed me everything I needed to see. Going 6W-1L against two top-10 teams, on the road, to start the season is a statement! Between adding Juan Soto and revamping Anthony Volpe’s swing, their team OBP is up 27 points from last season. Their rotation has looked very solid, allowing 29 earned runs over 9 games. Despite Gerrit Cole being on the shelf, the Yankees have the 8th-best ERA in the MLB. When the reigning AL Cy Young winner is added to their rotation in June, this team will be unstoppable.
Nevertheless, the fact that they’ve already had two close calls on blowing multiple-run leads in the 9th inning or later, shows me that Aaron Boone hasn’t changed. Despite all the optimism surrounding the Yankees, I still don’t believe in Aaron Bonne’s ability to win in the playoffs and wouldn’t be surprised if they’re bounced in the ALDS or ALCS.
3. BALTIMORE ORIOLES:
Even though the Baltimore Orioles are currently in 3rd place in the AL East, I’m not worried yet. Baltimore was incredible in 2023, but it all went to waste because they lacked an ace. This offseason, the Orioles went out and got their guy in Corbin Burnes. While Burnes has looked pretty solid through his first two starts, Grayson Rodriguez has stolen the show. After a mildly disappointing debut season in 2023, Grayson Rodriguez has looked sharp in his first two starts in 2024, allowing only 3 runs in over 12 innings pitched. If both Burnes and Rodriguez are top-tier pitchers in October, taking down the O’s in a playoff series will be nearly impossible. In addition, if somehow things do go wrong, the Orioles have 4 of the top 30 prospects in the MLB. 3 out of the 4 are expected to be ready for the majors sometime this year. Even without the reinforcements, the Baltimore Orioles are legit World Series contenders.
2. LOS ANGELES DODGERS:
The Los Angeles Dodgers were already one of the top teams in the MLB last season. Then they went ahead and signed multiple top-tier players. While Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have been a bit disappointing so far, I’m not concerned. It takes some time to adjust, especially when coming over from the NPB. Yamamoto has already looked better in his recent starts and will soon be the CY Young-level pitcher we expected to see. Meanwhile, despite only being a shortstop for two months, Mookie Betts is already one of, if not the best shortstop in the MLB. Betts is top-5 in the MLB in almost every hitting category and is number 1 in home runs. Even with all the talent, I don’t think money wins championships in baseball. While they’re most definitely a legit World Series contender, don’t be shocked if the Los Angeles Dodgers don’t win it all.
ATLANTA BRAVES:
Nothing new here. The Atlanta Braves were my number 1 team last month and nothing’s changed. With their 5W-2L start, the Braves have jumped out to an early lead in the NL East. I expect them to run away with the division and not look back. Spencer Strider’s injury is concerning, but as long as he’s back in time for the postseason, I expect the Atlanta Braves to win the World Series.
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