Imagine you’re sitting at home on a Saturday evening, and you know you need to put the phone down, but your favorite team played an afternoon game. Which MLB teams do you most want to watch? We’re back for our second annual MLB Watchability Index to identify this season’s must-see squads.

The original formula was years in the making, but after conducting further research this offseason, we’ve tweaked it just a bit. We’ll grade each team in five categories, plus the potential for up to five bonus points. The maximum total score is 40 points.

Here are the categories, all fitting into a general idea of “What makes baseball exciting?”

Star power (10-point scale): We’ll use our MLB rank top 100 list as a guideline.

Young talent (10-point scale): We love young players! This focuses on players in their first or second seasons in the majors plus potential call-ups from the minors.

Baserunning (5-point scale): Speed is exciting. This includes not just stealing bases but overall team speed.

Defense (5-point scale): Does the team play good defense or have extraordinary defenders capable of highlight-reel plays?

Minutiae (5-point scale): Ballpark, uniforms, mascots, unintentional comedy, broadcasters, colorful characters, etc. — fun factors that might make you want to tune in to watch this team.

Bonus (5-point scale): Anything else I want to reward.

In general, good teams are more fun to watch than bad teams, so while this isn’t a power ranking, we should expect the best teams to rank high. Let’s get to it.

Jump to team:

American League
ATH | BAL | BOS | CHW | CLE
DET | HOU | KC | LAA | MIN
NYY | SEA | TB | TEX | TOR

National League
ARI | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL
LAD | MIA | MIL | NYM | PHI
PIT | SD | SF | STL | WSH

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Star power: 1 | Young talent: 2 | Baserunning: 2 | Defense: 2 | Minutiae: 1

Bonus (2): +2 for the possibility they could chase their own single-season loss record

The White Sox won 8-1 on Opening Day, which put them over .500 for the first time since Opening Day of 2023. Look, they probably won’t be as bad as last year’s 121-loss season, but the early returns don’t exactly look promising.

They do have a couple of rookies in the rotation who are worth watching in Sean Burke and Shane Smith, but the real pitchers to watch are top prospects Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith, who both started the season in Double-A. Maybe they get called up, but there’s also little need to rush them to the majors.

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Star power: 1 | Young talent: 3 | Baserunning: 1.5 | Defense: 4 | Minutiae: 1

Bonus (2): +1 for Brenton Doyle‘s arm (repeat bonus from 2024), +1 for mountain views

Outside of the defensive ability of Doyle in center field and Ezequiel Tovar at shortstop, there isn’t much to go with here as the Rockies remain stuck in a rut of irrelevance. They even keep sticking with the same managers, with Bud Black headed for a seventh straight losing season in Colorado.

Rookie starter Chase Dollander, arguably the Rockies’ best pitching prospect ever, just made his major league debut, so that’s exciting. Good luck in Coors Field, Chase.

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Star power: 2 | Young talent: 3 | Baserunning: 2 | Defense: 2 | Minutiae: 1

Bonus (3): +3 for the possibility of more weird, inexplicable managerial decisions

If weird, inexplicable managerial decisions are your thing, a game against the Mets last week showed why you might want to check out Miami this season. The Mets were leading 6-5 in the sixth inning and had runners on first and third with one out when first-year Miami skipper Clayton McCullough intentionally walked Juan Soto to load the bases for Pete Alonso. OK, that was weird enough. There were 15 intentional walks last season with runners on first and third. But seven of those came with two outs, five others came in the bottom of the ninth or later in a tie game, and one came with the count already 3-0 against Aaron Judge. That leaves just two that sort of replicate this decision — and both were issued by Blue Jays manager John Schneider (to Jesse Winker and Yordan Alvarez).

Here’s the kicker: Alonso is a prime candidate to hit into a double play, but McCullough then brought the infield in. Mets play-by-play man Gary Cohen, one of the best in the business, was beside himself. “What is going on? Why? Why would you set up the double play and then not play for the double play?” Alonso then doubled over the head of center fielder Derek Hill, who, as Cohen pointed out, was playing extremely shallow. It’s going to be a long season for the Marlins.

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Star power: 3 | Young talent: 2 | Baserunning: 1 | Defense: 2 | Minutiae: 3

Bonus (3): +1 for Prince Day on June 10, +1 for Joe Ryan‘s four-seamer, +1 for having a Harrison, a Bailey and a Griffin on the roster — as first names

The Twins ranked low last year, and I’ll repeat what I said then: The team itself is probably better than this ranking, but there isn’t a lot of glitz and glamour here. No big star (Carlos Correa‘s shine has dulled and Byron Buxton really never got there in the first place), no big masher, no speedster on the bases or must-see ace on the mound. The youth score will go up if Emmanuel Rodriguez and Luke Keaschall get called up — which might be the case given the early struggles of the offense.

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Star power: 4 | Young talent: 2 | Baserunning: 3 | Defense: 1 | Minutiae: 3

Bonus (2): +1 for Paul Skenes pitch highlights, +1 for Andrew McCutchen still getting the job done

Well, we got suckered last year, when the Pirates got off to a 9-2 start — and that was before Skenes was even called up. Quote from the 2024 edition of this story: “This is not an overreaction to Pittsburgh’s hot start. Nope. THIS IS A SCIENTIFIC SURVEY.” We ranked the Pirates No. 10 overall. Turned out, it was most definitely an overreaction to Pittsburgh’s start.

Look, the Pirates are watchable every fifth or sixth day when Skenes starts, but otherwise? I’ll pass, at least until Oneil Cruz learns to play center field. It doesn’t help that the Pirates started the season with two PR disasters in the Roberto Clemente sign situation and missing “Bucco Bricks” being discovered at a recycling park. At least it’s a great ballpark.

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Star power: 5 | Young talent: 2 | Baserunning: 1.5 | Defense: 1 | Minutiae: 3

Bonus (3): +1 for Ron Washington, +1 for NOT having to watch Anthony Rendon struggle again, +1 for Kenley Jansen‘s cutter

The Angels are off to a nice start. Maybe they’ll even be surprise contenders in a potentially weak AL West. But the team’s star power is pretty much limited to Mike Trout, as young veterans such as Nolan Schanuel, Logan O’Hoppe and Zach Neto have graduated out of the “youth” category without becoming established stars, although Neto could develop into one after a promising sophomore campaign.

The youth score could go up if 23-year-old Kyren Paris proves to be the real deal after a strong start at the plate. I’m skeptical given the fact that he hit .167 in the minors last season, but he has been crushing it early on.

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Star power: 4 | Young talent: 4 | Baserunning: 2 | Defense: 2.5 | Minutiae: 1

Bonus (2): +1 for the spicy stadium mustard, +1 for longest World Series title drought

I’m not trying to insult a team that reached the American League Championship Series last season, but the primary highlights are the great Jose Ramirez and a bullpen that was one of the best of all time. But … bullpens. We love you, we love you not, but we don’t really tune in to watch relievers.

Steven Kwan is an entertaining, scrappy player who puts the ball in play and covers everything in left field. Kyle Manzardo, Brayan Rocchio and Jhonkensy “Big Christmas” Noel fit into the young category, but the more intriguing young players are prospects Travis Bazzana and outfielder Chase DeLauter, two guys we could see in the second half. (DeLauter will have to bounce back quickly from core muscle surgery in March.)

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Star power: 5 | Young talent: 1 | Baserunning: 3 | Defense: 2 | Minutiae: 2

Bonus (3): +1 for the Sunday cream-colored jerseys, +1 for summer days in Seattle, +1 for Bryan Woo‘s fastball/sinker combo

As a Mariners fan, I was ready to give up on watching them on a regular basis after they hit .162 in their first eight home games — aside from the marine layer making it a difficult place to hit, the park seems to be in their heads at this point (the Mariners do hit OK on the road). Then, the next game, they rallied from a 5-0 deficit in the final two innings to beat the Astros on Randy Arozarena‘s grand slam and three runs in the bottom of the ninth. Baseball, man, it has a way of sucking you back in.

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Star power: 2 | Young talent: 7 | Baserunning: 2 | Defense: 2.5 | Minutiae: 2

Bonus (1): +1 for pitcher Brad Lord making the Opening Day roster after working at Home Depot in the offseason

This team is a lot more interesting than it was in 2024, when Washington ranked last on the Watchability Index after starting the season with Jesse Winker in left field and Eddie Rosario in center. The Nationals were somehow 19-18 in early May before reality set in and they eventually turned to a younger, more dynamic outfield: James Wood, Jacob Young and, in September, top prospect Dylan Crews.

That trio, along with shortstop CJ Abrams and starter MacKenzie Gore, forms the core of the 2025 team. Wood looks like he’s going to be a star, but Crews continues to appear overmatched at the plate, and as brilliant as Young is defensively in center field, he offers no power.

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Star power: 1 | Young talent: 7 | Baserunning: 4 | Defense: 2.5 | Minutiae: 1.5

Bonus (1.5): +1 for those glorious Devil Rays throwback jerseys, +0.5 for Yandy Diaz‘s biceps

The selling point for the Rays is the group of players just entering the majors, not just Junior Caminero‘s ceiling as a power hitter but a wave that includes Curtis Mead along with Shane Baz and Kameron Misner. The last two fit on our scale of players entering their first or second full seasons, even though those guys aren’t all that young.

Now, if and when Carson Williams and Chandler Simpson (104 steals in the minors) get called up, the Rays will instantly become a lot more intriguing. Williams could be one of the game’s next star shortstops, and Simpson has the potential to be baseball’s premier burner on the basepaths. But, for now this team lacks star power and some of the defensive dynamism we’ve seen from it in the past.

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Star power: 6 | Young talent: 2 | Baserunning: 1 | Defense: 4.5 | Minutiae: 2

Bonus (2): +1 for Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s extension, +1 for cotton candy fries (it took until 2025 for somebody to invent this?!)

One of the best things about Guerrero’s extension is that Jays fans can enjoy the season without worrying about what will happen to the face of their franchise in free agency. But we’re all winners here: We don’t have to spend all season speculating about potential Guerrero trades.

The Jays can improve on this ranking if Anthony Santander hits 44 home runs again or Bo Bichette returns to form or Max Scherzer finds his way back into the rotation. Amazingly, Toronto got off to a nice start even though Guerrero and Santander both failed to go deep until Santander finally homered over the weekend.

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Star power: 2.5 | Young talent: 5 | Baserunning: 2 | Defense: 3.5 | Minutiae: 3

Bonus (2): +1 for not trading Nolan Arenado, +1 for Masyn Winn‘s arm

The Cardinals are at least interesting as they transition to a younger roster. We’ll see what Winn can do in his sophomore season, how speedster Victor Scott II will fare and whether Jordan Walker will finally hit enough to match his prospect hype. Eventually, starter Quinn Mathews will be up and JJ Wetherholt, the team’s first-round pick in 2024, is in Double-A, putting him in line for a possible promotion as well.

The starting pitching probably ultimately limits the team’s upside, and Ivan Herrera‘s injury after a hot start is a bummer, so Cardinals fans will have to be patient — which isn’t really in their playbook.

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Star power: 4 | Young talent: 7 | Baserunning: 1.5 | Defense: 2 | Minutiae: 3

Bonus: +1.5 for Colt Keith, Spencer Torkelson and Dillon Dingler, all character names in Taylor Sheridan’s next TV project

The Tigers have Tarik Skubal, and he’s awesome to watch whenever he is on the mound. They also have an intriguing young group in Jackson Jobe, Trey Sweeney and Keith, but this doesn’t necessarily register as the most exciting team around. They’re certainly not flashy on defense or on the bases. Maybe Riley Greene graduates to star status this season, and the possible reemergence of former No. 1 overall picks Casey Mize and Torkelson certainly adds an intriguing subplot to the season.

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Star power: 7 | Young talent: 3.5 | Baserunning: 2 | Defense: 2 | Minutiae: 2

Bonus (3): +1 for Hunter Brown‘s changeup, +1 for Yordan Alvarez’s presence, +1 for Jose Altuve‘s left-field adventure

You can’t lose Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker and expect to rank highly in watchability. Houston does still have Alvarez and Altuve, however, and Brown is quickly becoming one of my favorite pitchers. Cam Smith is one of the more intriguing rookies to watch after the Astros surprisingly promoted him to start the season, but he has struggled early so we’ll see if he can avoid a demotion. Jake Meyers and Jeremy Pena are fun defenders, and when Framber Valdez has his sinker dancing in on right-handed batters he’s as good as any starter in baseball.

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Star power: 5 | Young talent: 1.5 | Baserunning: 3 | Defense: 3 | Minutiae: 4

Bonus (4): +1 for all the times we’ll hear Buster Posey‘s approach described as “old school,” +1 for Patrick Bailey‘s pitch framing, +1 for Jung Hoo Lee‘s swing, +1 for Mustache May

Maybe we’re swayed by the Giants’ hot start, but this might be the season they break out from the anonymous mediocrity of the recent past. Lee is healthy after injuring his shoulder early last season and looks terrific. Logan Webb is always a joy to watch as he moves the ball around the strike zone, and Justin Verlander is Justin Verlander, now an intriguing watch to see if he has anything left at age 42.

There isn’t much on the youth side (I’m not counting Lee there since he played in Korea’s highest league before coming to San Francisco), especially with top prospect Bryce Eldridge beginning the year on the IL in Double-A with a wrist injury.

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Star power: 6 | Young talent: 3 | Baserunning: 3 | Defense: 2.5 | Minutiae: 2

Bonus (4): +1 for Terry Francona’s return, +1 for Matt McLain‘s return, +1 for Elly De La Cruz‘s surprising range at shortstop, +1 for De La Cruz’s everything else

A year ago, I viewed the Reds as an exciting up-and-coming team. De La Cruz and Hunter Greene lived up to their hype and graduated into stars, with Greene looking even better so far in 2025, but several of the other young players failed to completely take off.

There are also mixed messages here: Last year, the Reds ranked third in the majors in stolen bases but near the bottom in overall baserunning value. Their defensive metrics were weak in 2024 but have been strong early on in 2025.

Pitchers Rhett Lowder, who started the season on the IL with a forearm strain, and 2024 top pick Chase Burns, could impact the rotation in the second half, raising that youth score.

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Star power: 5 | Young talent: 5 | Baserunning: 2 | Defense: 3 | Minutiae: 3.5

Bonus (3): +1 for those glorious orange jerseys (the all-orange uniform, however, is a sartorial disaster), +1 for the B&O warehouse, +1 for Zach Eflin’s control

What a difference a year makes. Last season, the Orioles were coming off a 101-win season, had traded for Corbin Burnes and had the hottest prospect in the game in Jackson Holliday. While they still made the playoffs, it seems fair to say the Orioles appear a lot less interesting entering 2025.

Ignore Gunnar Henderson‘s slow start coming off the injury in spring training; he’ll be fine. But the other young players haven’t really taken off in a big way, including Holliday, who has a poor strikeout-to-walk ratio, raising concern about the ultimate upside of his hit tool (he’s still very young though). Coby Mayo is struggling in Triple-A and Heston Kjerstad hasn’t hit in the big leagues. Maybe Samuel Basallo will make an impact later on.

The Grayson Rodriguez injury is a bummer, but the biggest bummer is the Orioles didn’t land an impact starter in the offseason.

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Star power: 2 | Young talent: 10 | Baserunning: 1 | Defense: 1 | Minutiae: 4

Bonus (4): +2 for my pal Eric Karabell dropping a Jim Thome comp on Nick Kurtz, +1 for Jacob Wilson‘s contact skills, +1 for Mason Miller‘s fastball

First of all, it’s surprisingly pleasant watching these games being played in Sacramento, at a quaint minor league park with an outfield berm for spectators. Frankly, it’s a better viewing experience than the old stadium in Oakland was, with those awful dark shadows in the outfield and empty seats.

Mostly, however, the A’s have a fun group of young players: Wilson and Lawrence Butler and Miller and Tyler Soderstrom, who is off to a huge start. Kurtz will be up soon enough to join them as well. The A’s probably don’t have the pitching to compete, but the kids are fascinating.

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Star power: 8 | Young talent: 1.5 | Baserunning: 3 | Defense: 3 | Minutiae: 4

Bonus (2.5): +1 for Bobby Witt Jr.’s mullet, +1 for Seth Lugo‘s nine-pitch repertoire, +0.5 for Jac Caglianone minor league home run highlights

How much of this score is simply just Witt? A lot of it. Put it this way: How many players in baseball history have hit for power, hit for average, stolen 30 bases a season while also being one of the fastest runners in the league and played Gold Glove defense at one of the two marquee defensive positions? It’s a very short list.

Witt isn’t a one-man grade, however, as Cole Ragans is one of the top starters in the game, plus games at Kauffman Stadium always remind me of George Brett, and when the Royals wear those baby blue jerseys it’s about as good as it gets.

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Star power: 5 | Young talent: 8 | Baserunning: 2.5 | Defense: 2 | Minutiae: 2

Bonus (3): +1 for dreaming on a full season from Jacob deGrom, +1 for Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker being in the same rotation, +1 for those 1970s throwbacks

The Rangers ranked fifth a year ago coming off a World Series title but tumbled a bit in this edition. Some of the star power is in question: Marcus Semien declined last year and is really struggling to begin the season; Adolis Garcia was incredible in 2023 but not in 2024; and deGrom still has to prove he can rise to his previous level.

Wyatt Langford and the rookie combo of Leiter/Rocker make for an intriguing youth trio, although Langford just landed on the IL with an oblique strain. The biggest knock against watching the Rangers: Watching a game played at Globe Life Field is like watching baseball played in an airplane hangar.

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Star power: 8 | Young talent: 2 | Baserunning: 4 | Defense: 3 | Minutiae: 3

Bonus (3): +1 for Zac Gallen‘s goggles, +1 for Corbin Carroll‘s exit velocities, +1 for Ketel Marte “underrated” references

Several of the Diamondbacks have graduated from youth to veteran, so they lose points in that category, dropping them in the overall rankings. Carroll remains one of the game’s most exciting players, although he’s not stealing bases this year and might never come close to that 54-steal season he had as a rookie. Marte is one of the game’s hidden gems, and Corbin Burnes helps give the rotation some star power. Josh Naylor is a fun player and even leads Carroll in stolen bases, 4 to 1. I love watching Gallen and his ability to change speeds and Justin Martinez throwing flameballs out of the bullpen.

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Star power: 3 | Young talent: 8 | Baserunning: 5 | Defense: 3.5 | Minutiae: 3

Bonus (1.5): +1 for Jackson Chourio‘s hot start (but take a walk, Jackson!), +0.5 for Jesus Made hype

As always, the Brewers punch up: They’re young and athletic, they scrap and claw, and they have a budding superstar in Chourio. Christian Yelich can still do some damage, and William Contreras, while off to a slow start, has emerged as the best catcher in baseball. Throw in Bernie Brewer, sausage races and a bullpen that always does the job, and this is a team that I expect will be closer to the top than everyone imagines in the NL Central. RIP, Bob Uecker.

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Star power: 9 | Young talent: 7 | Baserunning: 1 | Defense: 2.5 | Minutiae: 3

Bonus (3): +1 for Spencer Schwellenbach‘s deep repertoire, +1 for Spencer Strider’s return, +1 for Michael Harris II glow-in-the-dark swag

We have to try to separate the Braves’ awful start here as they should turn into a playoff contender, but other than Marcell Ozuna, nobody is hitting, which is what happened last season.

For now, they still rank high in star power. Strider returns this week after dominating in his Triple-A rehab and immediately becomes one of the must-watch starting pitchers. Not far behind is Schwellenbach, my preseason sleeper Cy Young candidate, who crushed it his first three starts and does indeed look like a Cy Young candidate.

The big question: When will they get Ronald Acuna Jr. back — and how good will he be?

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Star power: 8 | Young talent: 5 | Baserunning: 2 | Defense: 3 | Minutiae: 4

Bonus (4): +1 for torpedo bats, +1 for Paul Goldschmidt hitting leadoff, +1 for Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s custom cleats, +1 for Aaron Judge’s Titanic blasts

Even without Juan Soto, the Yankees move up the rankings this season — thank you, Aaron Judge and your potential for a 60-homer season. They also have one of the most intriguing rookies of 2025 in Jasson Dominguez; after hearing about him for years, let’s see what he can do. Second-year catcher Austin Wells has All-Star potential, while Ben Rice is off to a big start filling in for Giancarlo Stanton at DH. The loss of Gerrit Cole means Max Fried needs to have a big year as the new staff ace.

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Star power: 10 | Young talent: 2 | Baserunning: 2.5 | Defense: 2.5 | Minutiae: 5

Bonus (4): +1 for Gary, Keith and Ron, +1 for the whole “how will Juan Soto do in New York with this big contract?” thing, +1 for winning the USA Today best stadium food award, +1 for the Jose Siri experience

What’s not to like here? A lineup featuring three of the biggest names in the sport in Soto, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso. The best broadcast crew in the business (the other day, Keith Hernandez was not only talking about the sponsor of his Little League team as a kid, but the sponsors of the other teams). Great uniforms. An owner who wants to win. Passionate and demanding fans. And the angst that comes with not having won a World Series since 1986.

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Star power: 7 | Young talent: 7 | Baserunning: 3.5 | Defense: 2 | Minutiae: 5

Bonus (4): +1.5 for Luis Arraez‘s ability to almost never strike out, +1 for Jackson Merrill‘s new contract, +1 for the Petco Park vibe, +0.5 for Leo De Vries hype

The Padres have a well-balanced score: Star power in Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Dylan Cease (although he’s off to a shaky start); Merrill single-handedly gives them a nice score in the youth category; they’ve been aggressive stealing bases early on (including Machado); and they clean up things like ballpark atmosphere, broadcast crew and one of the best uniform sets in the majors. Michael King has turned into a top starter, and Yu Darvish, once he returns, is a longtime favorite.

Of course, the big question is: Can they keep pace with the Dodgers? Let’s put it this way: Given last year’s postseason, Padres-Dodgers is the No. 1 series to watch in 2025.

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Star power: 4 | Young talent: 8 | Baserunning: 5 | Defense: 5 | Minutiae: 4.5

Bonus (2): +1 for day games at Wrigley, +1 for Shota Imanaga‘s 91 mph fastball/splitter combo

The Cubs ranked sixth a year ago but didn’t live up to that score, missing the playoffs once again while being a little less entertaining than we predicted. This year, we’re even higher on their watchability. They have one of the most intriguing groups of young players with Pete Crow-Armstrong, rookie Matt Shaw and starter Ben Brown, and their defense up the middle is electric with PCA, Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner.

What they have lacked is the marquee headliner. Now, Kyle Tucker is off to a great start and is on the way to earning himself a huge contract and might even play himself into MVP consideration, but as good as he is, he has never been a guy you switch the channel to watch. Maybe that changes this season.

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Star power: 10 | Young talent: 3.5 | Baserunning: 3 | Defense: 2.5 | Minutiae: 5

Bonus (5): +1.5 for Bryce Harper‘s Phanatic gear, +0.5 for Matt Strahm‘s baseball card collection, +1 for stories John Kruk can’t tell on air, +1 for Zack Wheeler‘s splitter, +1 for the best uniforms in the majors

Harper is one of the sport’s iconic figures, and his at-bats remain must-watch TV. Kyle Schwarber might not be one of baseball’s best all-around players, but he proves that a three-true-outcomes approach can be entertaining. The Phillies also have perhaps the best rotation in the majors, with Cristopher Sanchez now throwing 96 and Jesus Luzardo looking poised for a big year after coming over from the Marlins. Wheeler is a joy to watch, as is Aaron Nola, who outthinks batters more than he overpowers them.

That young talent score is dependent on Andrew Painter reaching the majors at some point — but also keep an eye on outfielder Justin Crawford (son of Carl), who begins the year in Triple-A.

The Phillies are good, they have fun players, they have the best mascot and they play in front of sellout crowds. Now they just need a World Series title.

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Star power: 7 | Young talent: 10 | Baserunning: 4 | Defense: 4 | Minutiae: 4

Bonus (2): +1 for Garrett Crochet‘s fastball, +1 for Wilyer Abreu‘s hot start

The Red Sox are oozing with talent on the position-player side: Abreu, Rookie of the Year candidate Kristian Campbell and Ceddanne Rafaela, plus Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer in Triple-A. Jarren Duran was last year’s breakout star, a guy who did everything — hitting, defense, running the bases. Alex Bregman and Rafael Devers have done it for years, and Crochet gives Boston a Cy Young candidate.

I don’t know how good the Red Sox will be — Walker Buehler looks shaky and the back of the bullpen has to prove itself — but this is going to be an entertaining team.

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Star power: 10 | Young talent: 7.5 | Baserunning: 2.5 | Defense: 2 | Minutiae: 5

Bonus (5): +2 for the Shohei Ohtani returning to the mound, +1 for Mookie Betts being Mookie, +1 for Teoscar Hernandez‘s joy, +1 for Decoy

Don’t be a hater. The Dodgers are clearly one of the most entertaining teams not just of 2025 but of all time. Ohtani is the sport’s biggest star, a global icon whose every at-bat is worth checking out. And now he’s slated to pitch again. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is a pleasure to watch, and Blake Snell — currently on the IL — is as nasty as any pitcher in the game when he gets on one of his dominant stretches.

Throw in Dodger Stadium, Chavez Ravine, the most anticipated rookie of the season in Roki Sasaki, Dodger Dogs (OK, overrated), great uniforms and Mary Hart watching from behind home plate, and the Dodgers earn the top ranking for the second year in a row.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Moments after Ohio State‘s annual student appreciation scrimmage, a mob of undergrads swarmed Jeremiah Smith as he stretched near the sidelines of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Smith stood and signed as many autographs as he could while police struggled to clear space for him.

The buzz around the star Buckeyes wide receiver has only intensified since he made the game-clinching catch against Notre Dame — a play that sealed Ohio State’s first national championship in a decade and made Smith a Buckeye legend in just one season.

Yet while Ohio State fans are still savoring that title, the NFL is already excited about Smith’s future — even though he won’t be draft-eligible for another two years.

Behind the scenes, NFL front office executives, scouts and coaches are calling Smith a “generational” prospect — the product of one of college football’s most dominant true freshman seasons in recent history. In interviews with a dozen of them, ESPN was told the 6-foot-3, 215-pound phenom wouldn’t fall outside the top five of this year’s draft — despite being just 19 years old.

“The fact you’re that big, move that fluidly, then have the body control to adjust your body to make these ridiculous catches — it’s just, check, check, check,” said an NFC personnel executive.

Two wide receiver coaches added that Smith would be their top-rated receiver — ahead of Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter.

“Just because of his upside — it’s through the roof,” said one of those assistants, who also views Smith as a superior pro prospect to any of the record seven receivers taken in last year’s first round, including Pro Bowl rookies Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. “He just changes the game for defenses. You can’t just leave him on an island. When you have a guy like that, it just changes everything. … I haven’t seen any flaws in his game.”

One general manager even claimed that, were he available for this draft, Smith would go No. 1. No wide receiver has been selected No. 1 since Keyshawn Johnson in 1996. The same GM said that former Oklahoma running back and 2012 league MVP Adrian Peterson was the only other true freshman he can recall being this ready for the NFL.

“In this particular draft, there’s a lot of good players, a lot of depth, but if you think about just the explosive, dominant playmakers, [Smith] would stand out,” said an AFC scout. “That’s what jumps off the film when you watch him. You place him in this draft and you’re like, ‘Well, I don’t really see anyone on that level.'”

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Ryan Day’s in-time reaction when he found out Jeremiah Smith was signing with Ohio State.

This is the visual definition of RELIEF.@nbc4i pic.twitter.com/0b5PFikxpT

— Jerod Smalley (@JerodNBC4) December 20, 2023

OHIO STATE COACH Ryan Day was addressing the media on December signing day in 2023 when he was informed that Smith had officially signed with the Buckeyes. Day breathed a sigh of relief, then feigned fainting from the podium.

A five-star prospect with offers from nearly every powerhouse program, Smith arrived in Columbus last spring with as much hype as any Buckeye recruit in recent memory.

Somehow, he exceeded it.

Even in a stacked Buckeyes offense with running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson as well as receiver Emeka Egbuka — all projected top 50 picks in this draft — Smith stood out.

In his Ohio State debut against Akron, Smith dropped his first target. But he bounced back to score a pair of touchdowns, providing a glimpse of what was to come.

Over the following weeks, Smith dazzled with an array of one-handed grabs and explosive scoring plays. By early November, he had broken Ohio State’s true freshman receiving records set by Pro Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter in 1984.

Smith wound up leading the Buckeyes with 1,315 receiving yards and 15 touchdown receptions. He exploded in the College Football Playoff against some of the nation’s top defenses. Despite being held to only one reception in the semifinal victory over Texas, Smith still finished with 381 receiving yards and five touchdowns over Ohio State’s four playoff victories.

“He clearly proved it down the stretch how good he is,” said an AFC personnel executive. “I was just so impressed with the combination of size, quickness for his size, route-running feel and how he wins the one-on-ones.”

That culminated with his biggest one-on-one grab of the year in the national title game.

Following a furious second-half rally, Notre Dame was on the verge of getting the ball back in the final two minutes with a chance to tie. Facing third-and-11, the Buckeyes put the game in Smith’s hands. Quarterback Will Howard heaved the ball down the sidelines to Smith, who beat Notre Dame cornerback Christian Gray to haul in the 56-yard reception. Four plays later, the Buckeyes kicked the 33-yard field goal to seal their 34-23 victory.

“That just showed how much they believe in him … and how freaking good he is to make that play when the game is on the line,” an NFL receivers coach said. “I’m just so impressed with how poised and mature he is at his age, with all the hype and expectations around him.”

Even after producing such an iconic catch, Smith said he remains hungry.

“Just because I made that one play … can’t get big-headed,” he said last week. “I always feel like there’s room for improvement. Never feel like you just got it. That’s one thing a lot of people mess up on, feel like, ‘Oh had one good year, OK, I’m relaxed.’ That’s not in me. I’m going to continue to do it for years and years to come.”

That’s a terrifying proposition for the rest of college football. It’s also the biggest reason why Ohio State could defend its title despite losing 14 starters from last season’s championship team.

Smith could have taken his talents elsewhere. Multiple agents speculated that Smith could have commanded at least $5 million in NIL money from other schools had he entered the transfer portal. Instead, he has been focused on becoming a more vocal leader for the retooling Buckeyes.

“A lot of it is learning how to become a good teammate, learning how to encourage other guys around them to play winning football, which he does,” said Day, who praised Smith’s humility under such a bright spotlight. “You’re starting to see him come out of his shell a bunch. … He’s still just a young man trying to find his way and he is. When you look at him, you don’t think it, but he is.”

This spring, the Buckeyes have experimented with utilizing Smith out of the slot to add ways to get him the ball. They’re also expanding his route tree, which figures to enhance his NFL readiness.

“You’re chasing that 1%. … That’s what he’s chasing,” said Ohio State offensive coordinator and receivers coach Brian Hartline, who has challenged Smith to improve his football IQ, anticipating how defenses guard him instead of reacting to it. “He has some of the highest goals and he’s not [there] right now. He’s doing a good job being hard on himself.”

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OHIO STATE’S PROWESS in producing NFL wide receivers in recent years is unmatched.

In Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Marvin Harrison Jr., the Buckeyes have produced four first-round picks at receiver in the past three drafts alone. Egbuka could keep that streak going if he goes in the first round.

One AFC personnel executive was quickly sold on Smith’s NFL future while watching him dominate in a preseason practice, before he had even played in a game.

“Nobody could touch him,” he said. “Couldn’t even get a hand on him.”

Now, he sees shades of A.J. Green and Julio Jones in Smith’s game.

Those two went in the top six of the 2011 draft. Green went on to make seven Pro Bowls with the Cincinnati Bengals. Jones was a five-time All-Pro for the Atlanta Falcons before retiring this month.

“He’s fluid like A.J., but explosive and a dog at the catch point like Julio,” the AFC executive said.

Others in the NFL compared Smith’s style and pro potential to Jones, who boasted a similar frame.

Jones, who also starred as a true freshman for Alabama, became a national champion. The Falcons famously traded up in the draft to get him.

One NFL receivers coach predicted Smith will become “the most sought-after receiver prospect since Jones.”

New Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has marveled at Smith’s “presence” on the field this spring.

The former Detroit Lions head coach, who won two Super Bowls as New England’s defensive coordinator, including Super Bowl LI over Jones and the Falcons (Tom Brady’s 28-3 comeback) said if he were game-planning against Smith, he would double him on every snap.

“No way you’d leave him one-on-one,” Patricia said.

Smith is sure to face even more attention from opposing defenses as a sophomore. With a new quarterback and several untested playmakers around him, Smith will shoulder a bigger load for the offense, especially early in the season.

Like Smith, Peterson was also a freshman wonder. He nearly rushed for 2,000 yards, finished second in the Heisman Trophy and propelled the Sooners to the national title game. But over the next two seasons, he battled injuries and loaded defensive boxes. While Peterson still went No. 7 to the Minnesota Vikings in 2007, some scouts caution that Smith’s path could follow a similar arc under the microscope. Scouts acknowledged that Smith’s game could get nitpicked the closer he gets to the 2027 draft. One specifically noted that he wants to see if Smith can run more precise routes instead of relying on his physical dominance.

“[Marvin Harrison Jr.’s] routes were precise, like he’d already been in the league,” the scout said. “He had that constant play speed in and out of his breaks and knew how to set guys up over and over again. [Smith], you see good routes for sure, but he still feels like what he is — a younger guy who is still growing into his game and hasn’t needed to always be precise because he just wins because he’s better than you.”

Another NFC personnel executive added, “Three touchdown games against teams that won’t be in the [playoff] aren’t going to get much of your attention [anymore].”

That’s the standard Smith has already set for himself. And the NFL can’t wait to see what comes next.

“We’ll see how Jeremiah’s story goes,” an AFC scout said. “But everyone [in the league] is talking about him. You hear all the buzz: ‘Who is this dude? How can we get this guy on our team?’

“That’s the track he’s on right now.”

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The 2024-25 NHL regular season will end Thursday, with exciting races for playoff seeding and the draft lottery order right until the final horn.

But not every team gets to participate in the postseason. This is the place where we look ahead to the offseason for all the teams eliminated from contention: Who will those teams try to add via free agency, trades and the draft? How much better will the team be in 2025-26?

Read on for a look at what went wrong for each eliminated team, along with a breakdown of the biggest keys this offseason and realistic expectations for next season. Note that more teams will be added to this story as they are eliminated.

Note: Profiles for the Atlantic and Metro teams were written by Kristen Shilton, and Ryan S. Clark analyzed the Central and Pacific teams. Stats are collected from sites such as Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Reference and Evolving Hockey. Projected cap space per PuckPedia. Dates listed with each team are when the entry was published. Teams are listed alphabetically by publication date.