Every week, MLB posts its power rankings: the exercise allows fans to get a better idea of who is hot and who is, well, not.
People love rankings, and they are always an excellent way to spark a debate.
In this week’s edition, the Atlanta Braves are ranked number one over the New York Yankees, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Cleveland Guardians.
It’s a bit shocking to see the Guardians, who boast MLB’s best record at 16-6, out of the top three.
The Braves do deserve a lot of credit, though.
They are tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for the best record in the National League at 14-6, and they have overcome a somewhat sluggish start by team MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. to occupy the top spot.
Acuna is hitting .299 and has nine stolen bases to this point, but he has just one home run.
Instead, it has been outfielder Marcell Ozuna as the one leading the charge with his nine dingers and 1.117 OPS.
Reynaldo Lopez (0.50 ERA) has been the best starter, and the bullpen has also been rock-solid.
Once Acuna and Austin Riley find their power stroke, these Braves will be much, much more dangerous.
They will have the perennial threat of the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East, though, as they are already one game behind in the standings and have continually beaten Atlanta in the postseason.
The Braves aren’t looking as explosive as they did last year, but that hasn’t mattered: they are still one of the league’s truly best teams.
