Getty Mookie Betts
Opening Day for the 2024 MLB season was less than two weeks ago, but some teams are already proving they’re taking World Series contention seriously this year.
A handful of teams (the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Guardians and Pittsburgh Pirates) are off to unexpectedly strong starts, while several other projected contenders (the Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins) have done little to impress in the early going.
So how do teams stack up as of April 8, through 12 days of play?
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers spent the offseason bolstering their roster with an endless list of top talent, but in his fifth season with the team, it’s seven-time All-Star Mookie Betts who’s stealing the spotlight. After just 13 games, Betts is leading the major leagues in home runs (5), runs (17) and even walks (12), so if he can keep up this output, a seventh Silver Slugger Award is almost certainly in his future.
Even aside from Betts, whose OPS is currently 1.056, the Dodgers’ batting lineup has been all in on proving they’re the team to beat this season. Shohei Ohtani is leading MLB in hits (19), and he, Will Smith, Teoscar Hernández and Freddie Freeman all boast an OPS over .900.
2. Atlanta Braves
After finishing 2023 with the best record in MLB, it’s hardly surprising the Atlanta Braves have started this season well. Still, the team was forced to place pitcher Spencer Strider on the IL with a sprained UCL after his start on April 5, and the following day, Max Fried gave up six runs in the first inning, so things certainly aren’t going perfectly to plan.
Despite taking a few blows in the past week, the Braves’ roster is undeniably stacked. Three batters have an OPS over 1.000 — Matt Olson, Michael Harris II and Marcell Ozuna — and between Charlie Morton’s perfect 0.00 ERA start and Chris Sale’s successful home debut on April 7, the team’s pitching rotation is still very fierce.
3. New York Yankees
The New York Yankees took an early hit when they lost ace Gerrit Cole due to discomfort in his right elbow, but when a team has Juan Soto on their lineup, they can’t be counted out too quickly. The Yankees started the 2024 season by sweeping the Houston Astros in a four-game away series, before winning back-to-back series against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Toronto Blue Jays, both of whom were playoff teams last year.
It’s been 14 years since New York won an AL pennant, and after 2023’s underwhelming 82-80 record — the team’s worst since 1992 — the Yankees have a lot to prove this year. They’ve started very strong, so now it’s just a matter of keeping it together.
MLB Power Rankings: The Full List
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Atlanta Braves
3. New York Yankees
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Texas Rangers
6. Philadelphia Phillies
7. Houston Astros
8. Chicago Cubs
9. Detroit Tigers
10. Cleveland Guardians
11. Pittsburgh Pirates
12. Milwaukee Brewers
13. Arizona Diamondbacks
14. Toronto Blue Jays
15. Cincinnati Reds
16. Tampa Bay Rays
17. Boston Red Sox
18. Kansas City Royals
19. San Diego Padres
20. Minnesota Twins
21. Seattle Mariners
22. St. Louis Cardinals
23. San Francisco Giants
24. Los Angeles Angels
25. New York Mets
26. Washington Nationals
27. Miami Marlins
28. Chicago White Sox
29. Colorado Rockies
30. Oakland Athletics
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