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The Rangers have done it! They’ve won their first World Series in franchise history, beating the Diamondbacks in five games in what was one of the most surprising Series matchups ever.

Now that the Fall Classic is over, it’s time to turn our attention to 2024 — and we’re kicking that off with some way-WAY-too-early power rankings.

Where do Texas and Arizona rank after their exhilarating World Series runs? Were the Braves and Dodgers hurt by their division-round knockouts? And where did the Orioles and Astros land? Let’s get right into it!

Final 2023 regular-season Power Rankings | Grades for every team


2023 record: 104-58

2023 final ranking: 1

After losing to the Phillies in the division series for a second straight season, there was a lot made in Atlanta about the Braves lacking the necessary intestinal fortitude required to win in October. It can’t be a coincidence. Changes need to be made. The one player Braves fans seemed to defend the most was Spencer Strider, even though he’s 0-3 against the Phillies in those two series.

Let’s not forget that many of these same players were part of a World Series roster just two years ago. What, you want to trade Ronald Acuna Jr.? Dump Ozzie Albies and his $7 million-per-year contract? Look, no doubt the rotation was a bit of a mess by the end of the season, with Charlie Morton injured, Max Fried pitching through a blister issue and Bryce Elder struggling. Alex Anthopoulos will no doubt address the bullpen and perhaps add a veteran starter, but the lineup that became the first ever to slug .500 remains intact, and that will make the Braves the team to beat.


2023 record: 90-72

2023 final ranking: 5

Well, that was quite the ride … and there are reasons to expect the Rangers will be even better in 2024. An offense that led the AL in runs will now be adding Evan Carter for a full season, and 2023 first-round pick Wyatt Langford looks like a potential superstar after hitting .360/.480/.677 and reaching Triple-A in his pro debut. All the starting pitching options will be back except for free agent Jordan Montgomery, and given his postseason success you wonder if the Rangers will make a hard pitch to bring him back. You can never have too much starting pitching, especially given the various health concerns with Max Scherzer, Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray and Jacob deGrom. You can also never have too much relief pitching either, and that will be the offseason priority. How about signing free agent Josh Hader as the new closer?


2023 record: 101-61

2023 final ranking: 2

When the Rangers swept Baltimore in the ALDS the general reaction seemed to be, “Oh, the Orioles weren’t really that good anyway,” which felt like an in-the-moment dismissal of a team that won 101 games. Perhaps that win-loss record did overrate the Orioles’ true talent level — their Pythagorean record was 94-68 — but the good news is there is more young talent on the way to join Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Grayson Rodriguez, including Jackson Holliday who emerged as the game’s top prospect — plus Heston Kjerstad, Coby Mayo and catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo, who hit .313/.402/.551 while reaching Double-A at 19.

The question: How will Mike Elias reinforce the pitching staff? Starting pitching is the strength of an otherwise weak free agent class: Nola, Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Sonny Gray and Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is expected to be posted after a sensational season (1.16 ERA, just two home runs allowed in 171 innings), top the list. Whether the Orioles fork over a nine-figure contract remains to be seen, maybe they’ll trade from their prospect depth instead. Either way, it’s time for the organization to make a big move for the rotation.


2023 record: 90-72

2023 final ranking: 6

There are two ways to view the Phillies: (1) They’ve defeated the Braves two years in a row in the postseason; (2) They’ve finished 14 games behind the Braves in the NL East each of the past two seasons. That’s aside from the shocking loss to the Diamondbacks in the NLCS, which did expose a few weaknesses: The lineup, even with Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, doesn’t draw a lot of walks; they also strike out a lot. In other words, some of these guys can be pitched to, and Arizona exploited those holes. The other problem, of course, was Craig Kimbrel. He’s a free agent, and the team will need a new closer — either from within or perhaps Philadelphia will be among the teams chasing Hader.

Still, few can match the Phillies’ frontline talent, and they return all their key players except longtime starter Aaron Nola, who heads into free agency. Re-signing him — or replacing him — will be an offseason priority (with an eye towards Zack Wheeler’s free agency after 2024 as well). Maybe they’ll count on top prospect Mick Abel (fellow prospect Andrew Painter underwent Tommy John surgery in July), but Nola’s durability is a big plus, and you have to think Dave Dombrowski will make a run at bringing him back.


2023 record: 90-72

2023 final ranking: 9

Losing all four home games in the ALCS was the exclamation point on a weird season for the Astros, one in which they battled injuries and had a losing record at home and then ended with Dusty Baker announcing his retirement.

Was winning 16 fewer games than they did in 2022 a sign that the Astros are finally getting old? Not really. Alex Bregman is entering his age-30 season, Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker will be 27 and Jeremy Pena 26. Yainer Diaz should take over as the regular catcher after hitting 23 home runs as a rookie, and that will improve the offense. Jose Altuve is 34 but coming off a .311/.393/.522 season. Depth remains an issue for Houston offensively, but not star power. In the rotation, the Astros will have Justin Verlander for a full season but need Cristian Javier to show up more often in the regular season and Framber Valdez to rediscover his sinker.

Overall, the Astros will be loaded with hopes of another championship run. Indeed, the biggest issue may simply be mentally gearing up for another 162-game regular season. At some point they’ll have to rebuild — Bregman and Altuve are entering the final years of their deals — but that time has yet to arrive.


2023 record: 99-63

2023 final ranking: 4

The Rays are a tough team to evaluate. They’re coming off an impressive 99-win season with the third-highest run differential in the majors, but the injuries to the starting rotation had piled up by the end of the season, and they’ll be without Shane McClanahan in 2024 after Tommy John surgery. Tyler Glasnow’s salary also jumps from $5.35 million to $25 million, which might put him on the trade block. Plus, there’s the uncertainty of the Wander Franco investigation.

Still, the offense was terrific. Top prospects Junior Caminero and Curtis Mead should be ready to play major roles, and Shane Baz should be back from Tommy John surgery. And they’ll probably find three relievers off the waiver wire and turn them into dominant arms.


2023 record: 100-62

2023 final ranking: 3

Deep breaths here. The Dodgers aren’t facing an impending organizational collapse. Yes, that playoff loss to the Diamondbacks was embarrassing and all kinds of awful, and the rotation at season’s end was messier than a 4-year-old eating a chocolate ice cream cone. Clayton Kershaw is a free agent with an unknown future, and Julio Urias will not be back. Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May will miss 2024 after Tommy John surgeries. That leaves Bobby Miller, a returning Walker Buehler, Emmet Sheehan and Ryan Pepiot as the rotation heading into the offseason — plus a group of interesting starting pitching prospects in the upper minors, including Gavin Stone, Nick Frasso, River Ryan and Landon Knack. The cupboard isn’t exactly barren here.

Plus, you know … there’s Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. And Will Smith. And Max Muncy. And James Outman had a nice rookie season. They’ll have Gavin Lux back. Oh … and they have plenty of payroll room to spend over the winter. Rumor is they may be looking at getting a certain superstar to make a 31.4-mile trip up I-5. Look, there are real concerns here: An unproven rotation, a lineup that was mostly a bunch of 30-somethings in 2023. But bet against the Dodgers at your own peril.


2023 record: 88-74

2023 final ranking: 11

In an all-time foot-in-his-mouth moment, Mariners baseball operations head Jerry Dipoto told reporters during his end-of-season news conference that “We’re actually doing the fan base a favor in asking their patience to win the World Series.” He then explained his theory that winning 54% of games over a decade is the team’s aspiration. The Mariners won 54% of their games in 2023 — and missed the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Mariners have seen the Rangers leapfrog right over them in the AL West.

The rotation gives Seattle a high floor — although I think that group is a little overrated. The Mariners were just 12th in the majors in rotation ERA on the road. Still, it’s a strong foundation with Bryce Miller lining up behind Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert. They’ll hope to get Marco Gonzales back and Robbie Ray could return from Tommy John surgery later in the season. The offense finished eighth in the majors in runs on the road, but strikeouts were a problem — second most in the majors. That’s just too many whiffs to make a deep playoff run — if they get in. What do they need to win, oh, 56% of their games? A left-handed, power-hitting DH would be nice. Know anybody who fits the bill?


2023 record: 83-79

2023 final ranking: 13

The Cubs ended up missing the postseason by one win after losing five of their final six games, which head of baseball operations Jed Hoyer described as “Painfully, we did not finish the race. And you can’t call something that falls short of your goals a success.” Still, after posting a plus-96 run differential that ranked 10th in the majors, the Cubs are headed in the right direction, including having a slew of young players such as September call-ups Jordan Wicks and Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cade Horton, Ben Brown, Kevin Alcantara and even 2023 first-round pick Matt Shaw who could impact the major league roster in 2024.

They’ll have to decide whether to pursue re-signing Cody Bellinger, and Marcus Stroman has an opt-out, so that could mean there are two big holes to fill. With Crow-Armstrong ready to take over in center field, maybe they let Bellinger walk, although that opens up a hole at first base where Matt Mervis may or not be the answer. Still, with so much promising young talent on the way, the Cubs have the flexibility to pursue free agents to plug some gaps.


2023 record: 89-73

2023 final ranking: 8

Is there more in the tank here? After seasons of 92 and 89 wins that both ended in two-game sweeps in the AL Wild Card Series, the Jays are kind of stuck between contender and pretender with no clear path to improvement. On the positive side, Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt and Yusei Kikuchi all return after making 30-plus starts with ERAs under 4.00. If Alek Manoah can figure out what went wrong, the rotation should again be one of the best in the majors. On offense, Matt Chapman, Brandon Belt and Kevin Kiermaier are all free agents so this lineup could look different in 2024. After ranking eighth in the AL in runs, they’ll need to fill those holes. John Schneider is back as manager after his dubious decision to pull Berrios in the playoff game that was questioned by his own players and front office. I’m not sure he’s a strength here — given the health of the rotation in 2023, it’s hard to say he got the most out of this club.


2023 record: 84-78

2023 final ranking: 12

The Diamondbacks squeaked into the postseason for the first time since 2017 and then had a memorable playoff run in beating the Brewers, Dodgers and Phillies to reach the World Series. It will be interesting to see what kind of offseason the front office pursues. After all, this was a team that was outscored during the regular season and relied on a red-hot bullpen in the postseason. There is an exciting young core here that should keep the D-backs in contention in upcoming years: Corbin Carroll will be 23, Gabriel Moreno 24, Alek Thomas 24, Geraldo Perdomo 24, with top prospect Jordan Lawlar ready to break into the lineup as well.

They’ll have to improve the back of the rotation — beginning with improvement from playoff hero Brandon Pfaadt, who had a 5.72 ERA in the regular season but showed in October that he has potential to be much improved in 2024. Ryne Nelson (5.31 ERA) will be given another opportunity in the rotation, and it makes sense to go after a veteran starter — even an innings-eater like Kyle Gibson would help — but the Diamondbacks should sense some weakness in the Dodgers and Padres and aim higher.


2023 record: 82-80

2023 final ranking: 17

I hate to use the term luck since you make your own luck, but the Padres were one of the unluckiest teams in MLB history, finishing 10 wins worse than their Pythagorean record. That came courtesy of a 9-23 record in one-run games, including 2-12 in extra innings. By FanGraphs’ “clutch” factor, they were also the least clutch offensive team in the majors (they hit .210 in high-leverage situations).

They do have two premier free agents to replace in likely Cy Young winner Blake Snell and closer Josh Hader and will need yet another new manager with Bob Melvin leaving for the Giants. The frontline talent is here to compete for a division title, and given how much the Padres have invested in this roster it seems unlikely they’ll back off now. That’s not to dismiss the possibility they trade Juan Soto as he enters his walk year and A.J. Preller hasn’t exactly proven he can build the depth around his stars. Still, I think the Padres will be more competitive in 2024.


2023 record: 87-75

2023 final ranking: 10

Ahh, the benefits of playing in a division where two teams are a mess, one is rebuilding and one is too cheap to improve its roster. OK, maybe saying that much of their success is simply the AL Central is a bit unfair to the Twins, who were six games over .500 outside the division (frankly, they should have done better within the division). Most importantly, the Twins ended that horrific 18-game postseason losing streak with a wild-card series win over the Blue Jays.

The strength of the team in 2023 was a starting rotation that led the majors in strikeout rate, but Cy Young contender Sonny Gray is a free agent, as are Kenta Maeda and (the often injured) Tyler Mahle, so that’s 57 starts to fill. The offense was fifth in the AL in runs scored as Edouard Julien looks like he’ll be an on-base machine, and Royce Lewis showed signs of potential stardom if he can stay healthy. If Lewis, Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton can all post and produce, the offense could be really good, but they are three big ifs given their health history. The offseason focus will likely center on adding a starting pitcher to replace Gray and perhaps a corner outfield bat (Joey Gallo was not a solution).


2023 record: 82-80

2023 final ranking: 16

No team has more on the line this offseason than the Yankees, who are coming off their worst winning percentage since 1992 (although they avoided a losing season) and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Is Brian Cashman getting an unfair rap? After all, the Yankees won 99 games in 2022 and 100 and 103 in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Maybe, but the World Series drought is now at 14 years and the lack of left-handed power in recent years has been a strange approach to lineup construction given their home park.

The Yankees’ best solutions have always been to just spend money (although not enough in recent years, according to Yankees fans), but the free agent market won’t be too helpful here unless they can lure Shohei Ohtani to the Bronx (and they’re kind of stuck with Giancarlo Stanton at DH already). This feels like a spot where they could overpay Cody Bellinger for his big 2023. Still, the pitching might be very good-to-dominant if Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes bounce back from injuries and with Michael King looking like a nice starter based on his late-season performance in the rotation. For now, we’ll put them in the middle of the pack and note that there is upside here with the right tweaks and better health.


2023 record: 78-84

2023 final ranking: 19

Chaim Bloom is out after four years as chief baseball officer, and former Red Sox reliever Craig Breslow, who has been in the Cubs’ front office since 2019, takes over. No doubt owner John Henry has given him the mantra to win now, replacing Bloom’s more cautious approach.

Luckily for Breslow, the Red Sox have a nice offensive foundation and Bloom did a nice job rebuilding what had been a weak farm system. On top of breakout seasons from Triston Casas and Jarren Duran, prospects like Ceddanne Rafaela, Marcelo Mayer and Nick Yorke might be ready to contribute in 2024, with Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel perhaps a year away.

The problem is the rotation ranked 22nd in the majors in ERA. If ownership wants to win now that will mean purchasing some arms in free agency or trading away some of that young position player talent.


2023 record: 92-70

2023 final ranking: 7

Of the six division winners, the Brewers feel like the team most likely to fall. First off, manager Craig Counsell — arguably the best in the game — is unsigned. Maybe he ends up going back to Milwaukee, or maybe David Stearns, his former boss, lures him to manage the Mets. We already know they’ll be without Brandon Woodruff for all of 2024. The bullpen, which led the majors in win probability added, is likely to regress at least a little. Then there’s the status of Corbin Burnes, with one season left until he’s a free agent. Trading him might be an opportunity to add a young bat or two to a lineup that ranked 14th in the NL in slugging and OPS, with only Willy Adames cracking the 20-homer barrier.


2023 record: 75-87

2023 final ranking: 22

Hey, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer did end up reaching the LCS — just not with the Mets, after the club gave up on 2023 at the trade deadline. What we know: Buck Showalter and Billy Eppler are out, and former Brewers GM Stearns takes over the baseball operations department. What we don’t know: Are the Mets all-in for 2024? At his introductory news conference, Stearns played it down the middle: “We are going to do our best to put together a team in 2024 that is competitive. And we’re going to do it in a way that does not detract from our competitiveness in the future years.”

Stearns did more with less in Milwaukee, but now he’ll have to prove he can do more with more. That didn’t work for the Mets in 2023 and we’re left to wonder if perhaps 2022, when the Mets won 101 games, was just a fluke season spliced between what remains a mediocre base of talent. Perhaps the best way to “thread the needle” — as Stearns put it — is to simply use owner Steve Cohen’s money to go after Ohtani and Yamamoto, two players who will help in 2024 … and beyond.


2023 record: 78-84

2023 final ranking: 21

The Tigers appear to finally be moving in the right direction. They had a winning record in the second half, when the rotation had the seventh-best ERA in the majors. Tarik Skubal was a beast when he returned in July, with a 2.80 ERA in 15 starts and terrific peripherals. Reese Olson had a promising rookie season. If they can keep Matt Manning healthy (he had two separate IL stints after getting hit twice in the right foot), get Casey Mize back from Tommy John surgery and have Eduardo Rodriguez stick around (he has an opt-out clause), this could be a really good rotation.

That leaves the offense, which was better — Spencer Torkelson finally broke out in the second half and finished with 31 home runs — but still needs a lot of help. Colt Keith should plug the hole at third base after hitting .306 with 27 home runs in the minors. Getting Miguel Cabrera’s $32 million off the books will be nice and, frankly, the Tigers have a lot of payroll room here. I’m not sure this is the year president of baseball ops Scott Harris decides to ramp up the payroll, especially given the weak market for free agents, but even some second-tier free agents would help the lineup depth.


2023 record: 82-80

2023 final ranking: 15

Look, there’s no doubt the Reds were one of the fun stories of 2023, hanging in the wild-card race until the final few days of the season. Maybe I’m underrating them here; after all, there is the exciting class of rookie position players in Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Noelvi Marte to build upon (plus starters Andrew Abbott and Brandon Williamson). De La Cruz became an instant highlight sensation, but he’s more hype than production right now (144 strikeouts and a .300 OBP in 98 games). I can’t get past the rotation questions: a 5.43 ERA, 28th in the majors, and it didn’t really improve over the course of the season. Cincinnati will have to upgrade the pitching — perhaps dealing from that excess of young infielders — to look like anything more than a .500 team.


2023 record: 76-86

2023 final ranking: 20

There are reasons to be optimistic about what Cleveland might do in 2024: The AL Central remains soft, and rookie starters Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen and Gavin Williams all impressed, combining for a 3.35 ERA across 65 starts. Hopefully, Triston McKenzie will be at full strength after injuries limited him to four starts, and Shane Bieber is still here — although he’s in his final year of arbitration, which means a trade is possible. The Guardians have to replace Terry Francona, however, and while it’s impossible to give an exact number on wins a manager can add, we may just find out how valuable Francona has been. More problematic: fixing the offense, which ranked last in the majors in home runs, including at pathetic 18 from its outfielders.


2023 record: 76-86

2023 final ranking: 23

Are the Pirates making progress? Manager Derek Shelton thought so by the end of the season, saying he was encouraged by the team’s final two months. “We’re playing better baseball but we’re also — and this may sound a little different — we’re getting things out of the way,” he said. I’m not sure exactly what Shelton meant, but it sounds like a nice way of saying this is no longer the atrocious 100-loss teams of 2021 and 2022. GM Ben Cherington even said the team would “have the resources we need to get better and to compete and contend” in 2024.

Of course, given owner Bob Nutting’s history, what does that mean? Increasing payroll from $71 million to $100 million? Bottom line: The Pirates still have a long way to go. They were 24th in the majors in rotation ERA and 13th in the NL in runs. Top prospects Endy Rodriguez and Henry David hardly looked like impact players, and Davis had to play out of position in right field. It will help if No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes is ready to jump into the rotation, but they need to upgrade the infield.


2023 record: 84-78

2023 final ranking: 14

It was an exciting season for the Marlins: Their first winning season in a full schedule since 2009, their first playoff appearance in a full season since 2003, Luis Arraez winning the batting title, young starters Jesus Luzardo and Braxton Garrett making 30 starts for the first time and Eury Perez flashing signs of future stardom. So why the low ranking? The season ended with the controversial departure of GM Kim Ng and the stability of the organization once again teeters on the ledge.

I just don’t think Miami enters the offseason in a strong position. The Marlins were minus-57 in run differential, with their record propped up by a 33-14 record in one-run games (and it’s not like the bullpen was especially effective). They were last in the NL in runs scored. Ace Sandy Alcantara will miss the season with Tommy John surgery and the farm system is weak. The owner may be a problem. Good luck to the GM.


2023 record: 71-91

2023 final ranking: 25

The Cardinals suffered their first losing season since 2007 and their first 90-loss season since 1990, so the front office will be tested more than it has been in decades in reshaping the club for 2024. There’s certainly more talent here than your typical 91-loss team, but it’s also important to remember that Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado produced an estimated 67 fewer runs than in 2022 — and they’re not getting any younger. Of course, the biggest challenge is fixing a rotation that ranked 26th in the majors with a 5.08 ERA — and that could put president of baseball ops John Mozeliak in the uncomfortable position of spending some money on free agents.


2023 record: 79-83

2023 final ranking: 18

The Giants lost 83 games and fired manager Gabe Kapler — and they may have overachieved just to do that well (at least in the first half, when they were eight games over .500). Bob Melvin takes over at manager, and perhaps some of the thinking there is hiring the understated Melvin will help bring free agents to San Francisco. The second half exposed the team’s lack of star talent, which is why Vegas oddsmakers have made the Giants one of the favorites to land Ohtani and why baseball operations president Farhan Zaidi made a recent trip to Japan to scout Yamamoto. GM Pete Putila was also in South Korea scouting center fielder Jung-hoo Lee. They’ll also need to replace Brandon Crawford, the team’s long-time shortstop. Marco Luciano was once the heir apparent, but his prospect hype has faded, and he may not be the answer.


2023 record: 73-89

2023 final ranking: 24

Take away Ohtani’s 10.0 WAR and what are you left with? Let’s do some quick math. With Ohtani, the Angels ranked 21st in the majors in WAR. Subtract 10 and they fall to 26th. Which is about where I’m putting them here. There’s a non-zero chance they trade Mike Trout — but given Trout played just 82 games and had the worst OPS of his career while turning 32 in August and is owed a ton of money through 2030, that feels unlikely. Obviously, their offseason hinges on re-signing Ohtani, but you do wonder what their Plan B might look like.


2023 record: 71-91

2023 final ranking: 26

The Nationals were last in this space a season ago and finished with a more respectable record than anticipated, avoiding the 100 losses many believed were coming. They worked in some young guys, with mixed results. The underlying talent here is still thin: They were last in the NL in home runs while allowing the most home runs, and that’s not going to work. The rotation was also healthy with the top five starters combining for 143 starts — that probably won’t happen again. If Josiah Gray and MacKenzie Gore make a leap forward and James Wood and Dylan Crews can impact the offense in the second half, Washington will at least be interesting, but it wouldn’t shock me to see regression back to 100 losses (unless additions are made in the offseason).


2023 record: 50-112

2023 final ranking: 30

Wait, not last? The franchise more interested in promoting architectural renderings of a new ballpark in Las Vegas than winning games in Oakland? The franchise with an owner in John Fisher who is so disliked that pitcher Trevor May retired and deplored him to sell the team to “someone who actually takes pride in things they own”? The franchise that just lost 112 games? Well, the A’s will certainly be bad in 2024, but they did improve in the second half, dropping their run differential from minus-248 to minus-91. After a nightmare first half, the rotation lowered its ERA from 6.32 to 4.97 — which isn’t anything to brag about but is a small indicator that the team won’t be quite so awful again.


2023 record: 56-106

2023 final ranking: 29

The Royals have two starters rostered who made more than 12 starts in 2023 — and both had ERAs over five and a half. They don’t have a single reliever returning who pitched at least 20 innings and had an ERA under 4.00. They do have Bobby Witt Jr. and Cole Ragans, who had a breakout performance the final two months and looks like a potential top-of-the-rotation starter. A healthy Vinnie Pasquantino will help, and maybe Nelson Velazquez will show up, but the pitching staff basically needs to be completely re-constructed — with a farm system that has little to offer.


2023 record: 59-103

2023 final ranking: 28

The worst offensive team in the majors via wRC+ (weighted runs created), Colorado has to find some hitters. Just once, wouldn’t it be fun for the Rockies to bring in some superstar sluggers? They have some hitting prospects of interest down on the farm, although I’m lukewarm about most of them. Guys like Jordan Beck, Yanquiel Fernandez and Zac Veen all scuffled when they reached Double-A, so I don’t see any impact in 2024 from that group. The Rockies are coming off 103 losses. Hopefully that will be rock bottom, but this is an organization wandering in the baseball desert without any grand plan.


2023 record: 61-101

2023 final ranking: 27

That was a disaster. The White Sox lost 101 games, their most since 1970 (a team so bad it averaged fewer than 6,000 fans per game). Longtime executives Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn were fired in August with farm director Chris Getz taking over as general manager, even though the farm system hasn’t exactly been pumping out quality prospects. Pedro Grifol will get another chance as manager even though the team fell apart in the second half (23-47, minus-133 run differential). Maybe they’ll spend some money in the offseason, and maybe some of the better players will rebound, but the White Sox enter the offseason as the most dysfunctional organization of 2023.

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2025 MLB All-Star predictions: Full AL, NL rosters and biggest debates

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2025 MLB All-Star predictions: Full AL, NL rosters and biggest debates

Welcome to the original … the amazing … the astonishing … ESPN still-too-early All-Star selections — full of wonderful surprises and fun debates for all ages.

A lot can change in the month before the 2025 All-Star announcements, but we’re deep enough into the season that we can make some educated guesses on what the rosters will look like — or should look like — for this year’s Midsummer Classic in Atlanta on July 15.

The usual rules apply: 32 players per team, broken down into 20 position players and 12 pitchers (at least three relievers), with one representative from each MLB club. Players will be considered for the position they’re listed at on the official All-Star ballot.

Let’s dive into baseball’s most power-packed league.

National League

Top starter debates

First base: Freddie Freeman vs. Pete Alonso

It looks as if Freeman — whom I’ve referred to as the new David Ortiz — will keep hitting until he retires or until his legs eventually give out. Freeman’s numbers were down a bit last season as he dealt with injuries and the health scare to his son, but he’s raking once again and leads the NL in batting average (.354), is tied for first in doubles (20, with Alonso and Brendan Donovan), ranks second in OPS (1.024) and third in OPS+ (189). At 35 years old, he’s as good as ever — maybe better.

Alonso had a couple of soft All-Star selections the past two years, making it last season despite a sub-.800 OPS in the first half and in 2023, despite hitting just .211 (albeit with 26 home runs). This season is shaping up as his best all-around campaign at the plate, even if he’ll fall short of the 53 home runs he hit as a rookie in 2019. He has cut down his strikeout rate, is hitting around .300 and leads the NL with 61 RBIs thanks to a .356 average with runners in scoring position.

This is a coin flip, especially because Freeman spent time on the injured list early this season. Both have also been incredible in high-leverage situations, with Freeman hitting .211/.448/.368 and Alonso even better at .346/.486/.615. That does it for me. Alonso gets the nod.

Third outfielder: James Wood vs. Kyle Tucker vs. Fernando Tatis Jr.

The first outfield selection is easy: Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is making a strong case for NL MVP thanks to his spectacular defense, baserunning and surprising power at the plate (he leads the NL in Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs WAR) and could have an incredible 10-WAR season. The last NL player to do that: Barry Bonds in 2004. I don’t know whether Crow-Armstrong can keep hitting this well, considering his chase rate (third worst in the majors), but pitchers haven’t exploited that aggressiveness yet.

Corbin Carroll gets the second nod. No arguments there. The next three are right there with Carroll — all worthy starters. Tucker is having another superb all-around season, hitting for power, getting on base and stealing bases to earn a fourth straight All-Star selection. Tatis has slowed down after a hot April (1.011 OPS) but adds Gold Glove defense in right field.

My nod, however, goes to Wood. The sophomore sensation is hitting .270/.366/.533 with 16 home runs, getting the ball in the air more often than last season (although with much more growth potential in that area) and displaying elite numbers all over his Baseball Savant page. Physically, the 22-year-old resembles Aaron Judge — and it’s perhaps a little premature to point this out, but Judge hit .308/.419/.486 at age 22 … in High-A.

Second base: Ketel Marte vs. Brendan Donovan vs. Brice Turang vs. Nico Hoerner

Can we shift a couple of these players to the AL? These four are bunched closely in WAR, although they got there in different ways. Marte, last year’s starter, is having another monster offensive season, but he missed a month because of a hamstring strain. Donovan is hitting over .300 with a bunch of doubles and adds flexibility by filling in at left field and shortstop. Turang and Hoerner are defensive wizards without much power but add enough offensive value by getting on base and stealing bases.

My vote goes to Marte. He’s the best player of the group, and only the injury holds him back in the debate. He’s hitting .294/.418/.603 with 12 home runs in 39 games and has more walks than strikeouts, ranking in the 90th-plus percentile in walk rate and lowest strikeout rate. What a fantastic player — often overlooked. Donovan makes it as the backup, while Turang and Hoerner draw the short straw and are left off my hypothetical team.


Starters

Here’s my NL starting lineup:

C: Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers

1B: Pete Alonso, New York Mets

2B: Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks

3B: Manny Machado, San Diego Padres

SS: Francisco Lindor, New York Mets

OF: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs

OF: Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks

OF: James Wood, Washington Nationals

DH: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers

SP: Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates

Smith is an easy call at catcher. He’s one of 11 Dodgers catchers to make an All-Star team in franchise history. Can any team match that many All-Stars at one position?

Machado and Lindor are the clear leaders at their positions, and Ohtani is matching his offensive prowess from 2024, minus a few stolen bases. Skenes is only 4-6 and his strikeout rate has dipped more than 6 percentage points from last season, but he has a 1.88 ERA and is in line to start for the second time in his two seasons in the majors.


Reserves

C: Hunter Goodman, Colorado Rockies

1B: Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers

2B: Brendan Donovan, St. Louis Cardinals

3B: Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants

SS: Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers

SS: Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds

OF: Kyle Tucker, Chicago Cubs

OF: Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres

OF Juan Soto, New York Mets

OF: Kyle Stowers, Miami Marlins

DH: Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies

Believe it or not, the lowly Rockies have two reasonable All-Star candidates in Goodman and reliever Jake Bird. Bird has been good for 35 innings, but let’s go with Goodman as the backup catcher, given the lack of a strong candidate because players such as William Contreras and J.T. Realmuto are having down seasons and others such as Carson Kelly and Drake Baldwin are excelling but in part-time roles.

Betts and De La Cruz get the nod at shortstop over Trea Turner, Geraldo Perdomo, Masyn Winn and CJ Abrams in a deep group of candidates. Betts isn’t having his best season, but he’s one of the game’s marquee players and the others haven’t outplayed him enough to kick him off this roster. The backup DH slot is down to Schwarber, Marcell Ozuna and Seiya Suzuki — with all three putting up nice numbers, but Schwarber’s are a little nicer.

And, yes, we managed to squeeze Soto onto the team, especially as he heats up with another three-hit game Sunday (and three walks), raising his OPS to .820. Stowers represents the Marlins, pushing out a third second baseman or Jackson Merrill, who might have made it if he hadn’t missed a month on the IL.


Pitchers

SP: Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies

SP: MacKenzie Gore, Washington Nationals

SP: Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants

SP: Robbie Ray, San Francisco Giants

SP: Kodai Senga, New York Mets

SP: Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves

SP: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers

SP: Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers

RP: Robert Suarez, San Diego Padres

RP: Edwin Diaz, New York Mets

RP: Randy Rodriguez, San Francisco Giants

Peralta makes it as our Brewers rep but is a worthy selection with a 2.69 ERA. He makes it over Reds teammates Hunter Greene and Andrew Abbott.

The game is at Truist Park in Atlanta, so it would be nice to get more Braves on the team — but Sale is the only one I squeezed onto the roster. Ozuna, Austin Riley and Spencer Schwellenbach still have time to play their way onto the team, but the last time the Braves had just one All-Star rep was 2017, when Ender Inciarte was the only selection. It would be a far cry from two seasons ago, when the Braves had eight All-Stars.

American League

Top starter debates

Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr. vs. Jeremy Peña vs. Jacob Wilson

Here are their current stats:

Witt: .291/.349/.492, 8 HR, 135 OPS+, 3.4 bWAR, 3.5 fWAR
Peña: .316/.373/.480, 9 HR, 139 OPS+, 3.9 bWAR, 3.2 fWAR
Wilson: .372/.408/.528, 8 HR, 163 OPS+, 2.8 bWAR, 3.3 fWAR

Peña has been terrific in helping keep afloat Houston’s offense, which lost Tucker and Alex Bregman in the offseason and has been without a productive Yordan Alvarez. Peña has dropped his strikeout rate for a third straight season, and Baseball-Reference, which gives him the highest WAR among the three, loves his defense.

Wilson debuted last season with the A’s but still has rookie status, which puts him on a potential track for some historic rookie numbers. The last rookie to hit .350? Ichiro Suzuki in 2001. The only rookie since 1900 to hit .370? George Watkins in the juiced ball season of 1930 when he hit .373 (and even then, he had just 424 plate appearances, so wouldn’t qualify under current standards). Highest average for a rookie shortstop? Johnny Pesky at .331 in 1942. With eight home runs, Wilson is even hitting for more power than expected. His defense, however, isn’t on par with Witt or Peña.

Witt’s home run numbers are down from last season, but he leads the majors with 22 doubles. With the weather heating up, some of those doubles should turn into home runs. His defense remains spectacular, and he leads the AL in stolen bases. He’s a true star, and though there’s time for Peña or Wilson to pass him, Witt should be starting his first All-Star Game in 2025 — the first of many.

Starting pitcher: Tarik Skubal vs. Kris Bubic

Skubal is making a strong push to defend his 2024 AL Cy Young Award, while Bubic has put up a surprisingly dominant first half for the Royals. The numbers:

Skubal: 6-2, 2.16 ERA, 83.1 IP, 61 H, 7 BB, 105 SO, 3.1 bWAR, 3.4 fWAR
Bubic: 5.3, 1.43 ERA, 75.1 IP, 53 H, 22 BB, 79 SO, 3.5 bWAR, 2.5 fWAR

Bubic — who pitched in 27 games for the Royals last season, all in relief — is a 27-year-old lefty, a former first-round pick out of Stanford who had Tommy John surgery in 2023. His fastball isn’t overpowering at 92-93 mph, but he has added more spin than before his surgery to improve its whiff rate and his changeup is one of the best in the game (batters are hitting .100 against it). Though maintaining a 1.43 ERA isn’t likely, he has been really good and not just lucky.

Sticking with my “He’s done it before” analysis, however, Skubal is the pick — and it’s hard to argue that he’s not the best starter in the majors. That strikeout-to-walk ratio is incredible, plus he seems to be heating up, allowing just one run over his past three starts.

First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. vs. Paul Goldschmidt vs. Jonathan Aranda vs. Spencer Torkelson

Meh. Guerrero has made four straight All-Star appearances, including three starts, but he has benefited from subpar competition. First base in the AL has been consistently lacking in stars for a long time.

Anyway, the numbers … and, no, I didn’t have Goldschmidt on my Bingo card either:

Guerrero: .273/.380/.417, 8 HR, 29 RBIs, 1.7 bWAR, 1.4 fWAR
Goldschmidt: .312/.369/.464, 7 HR, 29 RBIs, 1.7 bWAR, 1.6 fWAR
Aranda: .320/.406/.490, 7 HR, 34 RBIs, 2.3 bWAR, 1.7 fWAR
Torkelson: .237/.342/.500 15 HR, 45 RBIs, 1.4 bWAR, 1.5 fWAR

Aranda has the best slash line, although he started only 50 of the Rays’ first 64 games because he wasn’t playing against lefties earlier in the season. He has no track record of hitting like this, but his Statcast metrics are impressive, including a 94th percentile hard-hit rate. Goldschmidt was hitting over .340 just a week ago, so he has been in a slump, but coming off the worst season of his career, he has been a pleasant surprise for the Yankees. Torkelson has the best power numbers of the group but is the worst defender and has slowed down after a hot start.

I’ll stick with Guerrero as the starter. Nobody else has done quite enough, although any of the four could separate from the pack with a hot June. I’ll make Aranda the backup, a nod to his nice start.


Starters

My AL starting lineup:

C: Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners

1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays

2B: Gleyber Torres, Detroit Tigers

3B: Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians

SS: Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals

OF: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

OF: Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians

OF: Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins

DH: Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox

SP: Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers

Raleigh is the landslide choice at catcher, and let’s hope the fans vote him in as the starter. He leads the majors in home runs and is on pace for one of the greatest offensive seasons for a catcher. Torres gets the nod in a very weak group at second base, probably the weakest position in either league. Alex Bregman was battling Ramirez for starting honors at third base until Bregman’s injury.

The AL outfield is also pretty weak, with Judge the one easy choice and Kwan a distant second choice. The third starter is up for grabs. Julio Rodriguez is the selection going by WAR, but his offensive numbers are still way down from his first two seasons in the majors. Devers gets the nod at DH because, despite the slow start and controversy over playing first base, he’s putting up the best OPS of his career.


Reserves

C: Logan O’Hoppe, Los Angeles Angels

1B: Jonathan Aranda, Tampa Bay Rays

2B: Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays

3B: Isaac Paredes, Houston Astros

3B: Maikel Garcia, Kansas City Royals

SS: Jeremy Peña, Houston Astros

SS: Jacob Wilson, Athletics

OF: Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners

OF: Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers

OF: Cody Bellinger, New York Yankees

DH: Ryan O’Hearn, Baltimore Orioles

O’Hoppe is our Angels rep, and Lowe joins teammate Aranda on the All-Star roster. Paredes has quietly had a nice season for the Astros, although Junior Caminero is coming on strong for the Rays, and Bregman will merit consideration if he can make it back soon from his hamstring injury. Greene has had a weird season for the Tigers with a ton of strikeouts, but he has been a mainstay in a better-than-expected Detroit lineup.

Bellinger is one of many other outfield candidates. Any of the three Red Sox outfielders — Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela — could make it (Rafaela on the strength of his defense), and the Athletics’ Lawrence Butler is heating up after a slow start. O’Hearn makes it as the only Orioles rep, and Alvarez’s injury opens a DH slot. Garcia was my final choice, quietly having a nice season for the Royals, hitting over .300 while also starting games at second base and in the outfield.


Pitchers

SP: Kris Bubic, Kansas City Royals

SP: Garrett Crochet, Boston Red Sox

SP: Max Fried, New York Yankees

SP: Hunter Brown, Houston Astros

SP: Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers

SP: Carlos Rodon, New York Yankees

SP: Framber Valdez, Houston Astros

SP: Shane Smith, Chicago White Sox

RP: Josh Hader, Houston Astros

RP: Andres Munoz, Seattle Mariners

RP: Jhoan Duran, Minnesota Twins

Look at all those lefties! Besides Skubal, five of the eight other AL starters are left-handed. Brown and Fried have sub-2.00 ERAs and could merit consideration for starting as well — this is a very deep group of AL starters. Nathan Eovaldi is left off only because he’s on the injured list, but he’s not expected to be out long and was as good as anyone with a 1.56 ERA. It’s great to see deGrom back, and even though he’s not as dominant as in his peak Mets days, he still has a 2.12 ERA. Valdez gets the nod over Tyler Mahle and Joe Ryan, and Smith makes it as the White Sox rep.

For the relievers, Hader didn’t make the All-Star Game last year, but he’s dominating again, going 17-for-17 in save chances. Munoz had a 0.00 ERA until May 30. Duran is 4-1 with 10 saves and a 1.19 ERA, part of a Twins bullpen that has been the best in the majors. Though they didn’t make the cut, Tigers relievers Tommy Kahnle and Will Vest have been great in late-game duties for Detroit.

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Touted O-line prospect Smith opts to join UCLA

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Touted O-line prospect Smith opts to join UCLA

Four-star offensive tackle Micah “Champ” Smith, No. 46 in the 2026 ESPN 300, has committed to UCLA, he told ESPN on Saturday, landing as the Bruins’ highest-ranked pledge under coach DeShaun Foster.

Smith, a 6-foot-3, 320-pound lineman from Vero Beach, Florida, is the nation’s seventh-ranked offensive tackle prospect in the current cycle. He chose UCLA over finalists Alabama, Illinois, Ohio State, South Carolina and Tennessee following spring visits with each program.

Smith told ESPN that his relationship with Bruins offensive line coach Andy Kwon, who joined the program this offseason, and the development track he was presented on his May official visit helped drive his pledge to UCLA. Upon his commitment, Smith has formally closed his recruitment and will no longer take visits to other schools this summer.

“My relationship with [Kwon] was a huge factor,” he told ESPN. “That’s the person that’s going to develop you. The culture of the program, that connection with the O-line coach and the opportunity to play when I get there were all big for me.”

The Bruins’ first ESPN 300 pledge in 2026, Smith represents a monumental addition to the program’s second recruiting class under Foster, the 45-year-old coach who took charge of UCLA in February 2024.

If Smith signs with the Bruins later this year, he’ll join UCLA as its highest-ranked signee since quarterback Dante Moore (No. 2 overall) in 2023 and the program’s highest-rated offensive line addition since former second-team All-American Xavier Su’a-Filo arrived as the nation’s No. 34 overall prospect in the 2009 class.

Smith cemented himself as the starting right tackle at Florida’s Vero Beach High School in 2023. He played both ways as a junior last fall, operating primarily at right tackle and recording 22 tackles (6.5 for loss) and 2.5 sacks on the defensive line. In January, Smith was among the first class of high school juniors invited to the 2025 Under Armour All-America Game.

Smith lands as the Bruins’ ninth overall pledge and first offensive line addition in the 2026 class.

“I just felt it when I went there — it felt like home to me,” Smith said of his official visit to UCLA. “I was never certain of when I was going to commit. But when I felt right about it, I knew I was going to be ready to make that the time to do it. It felt right.”

Following Smith’s decision, six of the nation’s top 10 offensive tackles recruits are now off the board, led by Miami pledge Jackson Cantwell (No. 3 overall) and fellow five-star Keenyi Pepe (No. 17), who committed to USC on May 1. Five-star offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho (No. 12) narrowed his finalists to Auburn, LSU, Oregon and Penn State on Friday and will visit each program this month ahead of his Aug. 5 commitment date.

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Stalions on hand as NCAA vs. U-M hearing closes

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Stalions on hand as NCAA vs. U-M hearing closes

Michigan wrapped up a two-day hearing Saturday before the NCAA’s committee on infractions, which is examining potential punishments for impermissible scouting and sign-stealing, orchestrated by former football staff member Connor Stalions.

A Michigan spokesman told ESPN that the school would not be commenting until there is a final resolution to the case, which likely wouldn’t come until later this summer or fall. Infractions decisions usually take three months, although that could vary depending on the complexity of the case, according to the spokesman.

The school faces 11 violations, six of them Level I, the most serious tier from the NCAA. Most of the violations concern the scouting and sign-stealing operation overseen by Stalions, who was seen entering NCAA headquarters for the infraction committee hearings, according to Sports Illustrated. Stalions resigned from his position as football analyst in November 2023, several days after news of the investigation went public. Michigan administrators and attorneys also attended the hearings.

The NCAA already has punished former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh with a four-year show-cause penalty and a one-year suspension for violations in a separate investigation into illegal recruiting during the COVID-19 period. The Big Ten took the unusual step of suspending Harbaugh for Michigan’s final three regular-season games in 2023 for violating its sportsmanship policy because of the sign-stealing scandal. Michigan went on to win the national championship that season.

Harbaugh, now coaching the Los Angeles Chargers, did not attend this week’s hearing but could face additional penalties. Other former Michigan assistant coaches could face penalties, but the focus will be on punishment for the current program and its coaches, including head coach Sherrone Moore.

Michigan is expected to suspend Moore in Weeks 3 and 4 of the 2025 season, part of self-imposed penalties, after he deleted a thread of 52 text messages with Stalions. The NCAA has since obtained those messages, which Moore later said he looked forward to being released. Still, he could face additional penalties from the infractions committee and be considered a repeat offender; he served a one-game suspension in 2023 for his role in the COVID-19 recruiting violations probe.

Michigan also could be labeled a repeat offender and receive additional penalties, including recruiting restrictions or a postseason ban.

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