On Monday as the first full month of the 2024 season nears closing, MLB.com released another rendition of its weekly power rankings. Naturally, the rankings are opinionated and will change throughout the year based on the source, but it’s always fun to take a deep dive into these things.
5. New York Yankees
Over their last seven games, Yankees captain Aaron Judge has finally given the Bronx faithful a glimpse of what they hope will be a fruitful partnership with outfielder Juan Soto. J
Judge has begun to heat up at the plate, slashing .294/.424/.667 with three home runs, seven RBI and five walks for New York.
Marcus Stroman has continued to be strong for the Yankees, posting a 2-1 record with a 3.69 ERA and an impressive 58.4 percent ground ball rate.
4. Cleveland Guardians
Josh Naylor and the Guardians have been one of the best teams in the American League thus far, and young Josh Naylor has been a major contributor to their success on offense. A mainstay at the heart of their lineup, the lefty has provided power for the Guardians’ cleanup spot while also sporting an impressive K percentage of 11.4 percent.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers have never been a stranger to headlines, and despite causing a different type of hysteria the on-court product has been as advertised. The Dodgers have built the largest early lead of any division leader, and Mookie Betts has been so good at the plate it sometimes slips your mind that he is playing a new position full-time.
Betts currently has an OPS+ of 162 and looks like an early front-runner for National League MVP.
2. Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore came into this season with tremendous expectations, and while they’re still waiting for their star prospect to shine, Cedric Mullins and the big-league club have continued to show why they are one of the most exciting young teams in all of baseball.
Mullins is still looking to find his groove at the plate, but has already turned in an early contender for Catch of the Year. Perhaps this is the year Mullins can finally snag his first Gold Glove Award.
1. Atlanta Braves
Atlanta has come back from a disappointing divisional round loss last season to once again position themselves as frontrunners for the National League Pennant. The Braves’ offseason additions to the pitching staff have come in handy with the loss of their ace Spenser Strider for the season, but once again it’s their offense that is making the most noise.
Michael Harris II and the Braves offense once again lead all of MLB in run differential, and Harris himself is slashing .315/.351/.823 headed into Monday night, a complete 180 from the slow start he had last season.
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