The Atlanta Braves deserve to be considered the best team in MLB before the games begin
During the 2023 regular season, the Atlanta Braves were the top team; they improved even more during the offseason.
In addition to bringing in former top prospect Jarred Kelenic to replace Eddie Rosario and Kevin Pillar in left field, Atlanta upgraded their rotation with MLB’s career K/9 leader Chris Sale. Kelenic has already reported to spring training in order to be ready for what the team has stated will be everyday playtime in left field.
This explains why Atlanta often ranks first in the majority of pre-Spring Training power rankings polls.
While ESPN was convinced by the Los Angeles Dodgers’ more than $1 billion in free agency this year and placed them at #1, with Atlanta at number two, The Athletic, USA Today, and FanGraphs all ranked Atlanta as their #1 team heading into spring training.
(The MLB.com Power Rankings were last updated on January 1st, and Atlanta was ranked #1 at that time.)
According to The Athletic, the Braves have one of the best rosters in the game, with young, cost-controlled players that can play almost every position on the diamond. According to USA Today, eight of Atlanta’s starting position players are between the ages of 23 and 29 (DH/1B Marcell Ozuna is 33, and Travis d’Arnaud is 35), therefore it’s likely that the team will rank highly this season.
The majority of doubts and/or queries regarding the power rankings are related to the recent acquisitions of Sale and Kelenic. When FanGraphs inquires about the “mercurial” Kelenic, ESPN notes that although he has never “lived up to the hype” in the major leagues, there are reasons to be optimistic about the 24-year-old because he is young and has improved since his injury last season in Seattle. The effectiveness and health of Sale and Charlie Morton will be crucial to the season, according to The Athletic. ESPN agrees that Sale’s talent is still “top-of-the-rotation” when he’s healthy.
Respect for Atlanta’s division opponents varies; for example, while most publications rank the Phillies among the top 10 teams, FanGraphs ranks them thirteenth—behind the Boston Red Sox! and making the argument that, albeit being a sound tactic for a team that has advanced to the World Series and NLCS the previous two postseasons, running it back isn’t particularly ambitious and indicates that Philadelphia is content to finish in the wild card position rather than even try to challenge Atlanta in the division.
The Marlins can be found as high as 15 (FanGraphs) and as low as 23 (ESPN), while the Mets are found in the intermediate tier, ranging from 17th to 23rd and typically finishing in the back part of the top 20.
While the Marlins still haven’t signed a major league free agent and saw their top home run hitter, Jorge Soler, opt out and sign with the San Francisco Giants, raising the question of how to replace his 36 home runs and 75 RBIs from the lineup, the Mets made a lot of acquisitions and signings, but only of veterans on short-term “prove-it” deals.
There are few hopes for the Nationals to contend this season as they routinely rank around the bottom of the power rankings. Many believe that 2024 will be another rebuilding year for the Nationals, and there are a number of elite prospects who might get MLB action around the end of the season.