[ad_1] Second-year major-leaguer Elly De La Cruz has emerged as one of the top players in all of baseball during the start of the 2024 MLB season, and the Cincinnati Reds shortstop has a chance to eclipse the impressive 73 stolen bases that Ronald Acuna Jr. racked up last season. In fact, De La Cruz…
[ad_1] Several preseason favorites are sliding down these rankings as we barrel toward the third month of the season, while other clubs — most notably the Guardians — are continuing their surprisingly strong starts. This season, we’ve revamped our power rankings. The old model wasn’t very reactive to the ups and downs of any given…
[ad_1] (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) The minor leagues have been working with the automated strike zone, also known as “ABS” or simply “robo” umpires, for a while now. They have used different versions of it depending on the park and league, but the concept is the same: helping eliminate the human factor (umpire mistakes)…
[ad_1] (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) In July 2021, Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. suffered a torn ACL in his right knee. He missed his team’s World Series run and was limited in the 2022 campaign. He then recovered and won the NL MVP award in 2023. Unfortunately, his 2024 season will now be…
[ad_1] (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) Attempting to pick-off a runner at first base is always a risky move for a pitcher, as so many things could go wrong, from not stepping off the mound properly resulting in a balk to throwing the ball away. The worst-case scenario might be if the first baseman doesn’t…
[ad_1] (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) Aaron Judge didn’t have a great start to the season, as he hit just .220 with six home runs in April, but he has been the hottest hitter in baseball since the calendar turned to May. After homering in his fourth consecutive game in last night’s 4-1 win at…
[ad_1] (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) Superstar major league baseball players often played every position on the diamond throughout their amateur careers before settling into one spot at the major league level, and that’s no different for one big young star. Despite setting the world on fire en route to becoming the No. 1…
[ad_1] (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) During the offseason, the Milwaukee Brewers extended center fielder Jackson Chourio, a top-five prospect in baseball, and gave him the keys to the middle of their outfield. Chourio is blessed with natural athleticism, power, and speed, but his hit tool might not be ready to succeed against MLB pitching…
[ad_1] (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) In the last few days, MLB and Statcast unveiled their newest stat: average bat speed. It’s obviously self-explanatory, but comes in handy in the analysis of certain things. For example, bat speed depends on many factors, but the average hitter feels inclined to alter speed depending on the count….
[ad_1] Complete Power Rankings Rank Team Record Elo Opponent Elo Playoff Odds Power Score Δ 1 Braves 24-13 1606 1503 99.0% 1607 1 Tier 1 – The Best of the Best Braves: 24-13, 1606 Elo, 1503 Opponent Elo, 99.0% Playoff Odds, 1607 Power Score Dodgers: 27-15, 1596 Elo, 1498 Opponent Elo, 99.1% Playoff Odds, 1599…
