The Athletic published its power rankings
The Athletic published its power rankings on Saturday, looking at all 30 Major League Baseball teams as they prepare for the 2024 season.
The Atlanta Braves, with Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider, were rated higher than the Los Angeles Dodgers, who acquired Shohei Ohtani.
The Dodgers have been aggressive in the offseason, signing Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million deal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a four-time Nippon Professional Baseball ace, to a 12-year, $325 million deal. The Dodgers have strengthened their mound and batting lineup, including 10-win pitcher Tyler Glasnow and 159-homer slugger Teoscar Hernandez, 안전놀이터 but The Athletic ranked them second.
Atlanta, which won the National League East last year, is No. 1 in the power rankings.
“Atlanta has the best offense, led by last year’s National League MVP, Acuna Jr. and the major league’s strikeout leader, Strider,” the publication said.
“Atlanta has an elite defense, including a top corner infield duo in first baseman Matt Olson and third baseman Austin Lilly, and a power and speed combination in A.J. Albies, Mike Harris, and Sean Murphy,” the publication said.
The Atlanta lineup, as outlined by the media, is led by Acuna Jr. with 41 homers and 106 RBIs on a .333 average, along with Olson (54 homers) and Lilly (37 homers), both of whom are big hitters and good defenders. Then there’s Albies (33 homers, 13 doubles) and Harris (18 homers, 20 doubles), who can hit for power and run the bases. Atlanta’s lineup had seven hitters with 20 or more home runs last year.
On the mound, Strider (20-5), who struck out a franchise-high 281 batters last season, is joined by Max Freed and Bryce Elder. “It’s a solid rotation with Fried and the right-handed Elder behind Strider,” the outlet noted.
As for the Dodgers,
“They spent more than $1.2 billion in the offseason, the most of any team this season. They signed top player Ohtani and top free agent Yamamoto. They acquired Glasno via trade and signed Teoscar Hernandez, a corner outfielder with 26-homer power. They re-signed franchise star Clayton Kershaw and added rotation depth with James Paxton. As camp begins, the Dodgers are the favorites to win the World Series.”
The Baltimore Orioles are third, the Houston Astros are fourth, the Texas Rangers are fifth, the Philadelphia Phillies are sixth, the Arizona Diamondbacks are seventh, the New York Yankees are eighth, the Toronto Blue Jays are ninth, and the Seattle Mariners are 10th.
The Minnesota Twins are 11th, the Cincinnati Reds are 12th, the Tampa Bay Rays are 13th, the Chicago Cubs are 14th, the San Diego Padres with Kim Ha-seong and Ko Woo-seok are 15th, the Miami Marlins are 16th, 온라인카지노사이트 the New York Mets are 17th, the Milwaukee Brewers are 18th, the Boston Red Sox are 19th, and the St. Louis Cardinals are 20th.
The San Francisco Giants, who signed Jung-Hoo Lee, are ranked 21st, and the Los Angeles Angels, without Ohtani, are 25th.