Congratulations, you’ve made it to 2024. Baseball is that uncommon skilled sport that takes place fully in a single calendar 12 months. So, when you have been sad with how 2023 went on your crew, that’s all up to now. And when you have been pleased … nicely, now you get to cheer on your crew to go do it once more.
What higher technique to flip the calendar web page than with our first Energy Rankings of 2024. There are many strikes nonetheless left to be made earlier than Spring Coaching, however the largest names, these two Japanese superstars, have signed with, after all, the identical crew. However simply because the Dodgers have added Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow doesn’t make them No. 1 atop these rankings.
Listed here are the inaugural 2024 MLB.com Energy Rankings. We now all get to start out once more.
1) Braves Nonetheless excited it’s possible you’ll or might not be in regards to the additions of Chris Sale from the Crimson Sox and Jarred Kelenic from the Mariners, our voters didn’t overcomplicate issues: The crew with the most effective document (by far) in 2023 tops the Energy Rankings to kick off 2024. And why not? They nonetheless have the MVP in Ronald Acuña Jr. They nonetheless have Matt Olson, Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies following him within the order. They nonetheless have a terrific rotation they usually nonetheless have, nicely, they nonetheless have nearly everyone again from a crew that received 104 video games in 2023. This can be a crew that’s constructed to win proper now. And win, with out query, is one thing they’ll do very a lot of in 2024.
2) DodgersThere is a way, each inside baseball and out, that the Dodgers are someway indestructible now that they’ve signed the most effective baseball participant on the planet and introduced in two top-shelf beginning pitchers. However that is nonetheless a crew, for all its success, that has received as many World Sequence within the final 35 years because the Reds, Royals, Nationals and D-backs. The Dodgers wouldn’t have titles as some kind of birthright. The crew’s urgency to win a Sequence that didn’t happen within the truncated 2020 season is likely one of the main causes they’ve been so aggressive this offseason. This crew needs to win a World Sequence as badly as its latest famous person Ohtani does. They’ve spent tons of of tens of millions of {dollars} to attempt to get one. However as dozens of different groups in baseball historical past can inform you, that ensures completely nothing.
3) RangersAnd right here we discover the defending champs, not solely nestling in at No. 3 within the rankings, however No. 1 within the American League. Does this imply the Rangers are favorites to return to the World Sequence? Studying that Max Scherzer received’t be again till midseason was a setback, but when the Rangers can keep afloat till then, they’ll not solely have him, they’ll have Jacob deGrom, too. And staying afloat shouldn’t be an excessive amount of of an issue: Corey Seager appears primed for an MVP-caliber season. With Ohtani within the different league, is Seager the early favourite for 2024 AL MVP? And so they’ll get a full season from postseason hero Evan Carter who, amazingly, continues to be solely 21 years previous (he received’t flip 22 till August). The Rangers will get to hoist their first World Sequence banner on Opening Day this 12 months. However there might be loads of 2024 highlights apart from that one to come back.
4) OriolesThe basic consensus was that the Orioles could be in on at the least among the high beginning pitchers available on the market this offseason, however then once more, that was the overall consensus on the Commerce Deadline, too, and it didn’t prove that approach. Craig Kimbrel stays the one main addition for the Orioles, and whereas there’s nonetheless time left for the range to stay sizzling, it actually doesn’t really feel just like the Orioles are about to make a giant transfer. That could be irritating to Orioles followers, however that is the place we remind you that this crew received 101 video games final 12 months and is about to usher in Jackson Holliday, the consensus favourite for AL Rookie of the Yr. The Orioles might nonetheless use some pitching, we expect. However even when they don’t add any, they may be even higher than they have been of their breakthrough 2023 season.
5) PhilliesThere continues to be just a little a part of us that may’t imagine the Phillies didn’t make the World Sequence final 12 months. It was all arrange for them: It felt like a fait accompli. Alas, two ugly losses to the D-backs ended all that, so now the Phillies are loading again up on veterans, getting the band again collectively and making one other run at it. They haven’t added anybody, however not dropping Aaron Nola counts as a giant win by itself. It looks like a bullpen arm or two are coming, and you understand they’re lurking on the perimeters of a number of free-agent signings. This crew received so shut final 12 months. It’s clear they’re as motivated as anybody on this listing to get again there once more in 2024.
The remainder of the sector of 30:
6. Astros7. Rays8. Yankees9. D-backs10. Blue Jays11. Mariners12. Mets13. Cubs14. Brewers15. Reds16. Padres17. Twins18. Cardinals19. Crimson Sox20. Tigers21. Marlins22. Giants23. Guardians24. Angels25. Royals26. Pirates27. White Sox28. Nationals29. Rockies30. A’s
Voters: Will Leitch, Alyson Footer, Anthony Castrovince, Paul Casella, Mark Feinsand, Nathalie Alonso, Arturo Pardavila, Andrew Simon, David Venn, Sweeny Murti, Travis Miller
