Texas Rangers (49-32) Preseason Rank: 17Ĭhallenging the Rays for both the AL’s best record and its best lineup are the Rangers, who have nine players with at least 200 plate appearances this season, eight of whom have a wRC+ of 120 or better.Ĭorey Seager leads the way with an absurd. In 2021, the Rays finished second in the majors in runs as they clinched the AL’s best record-and the offense is even better this season. And that tally doesn’t even include standouts like Wander Franco, Josh Lowe, or Harold Ramírez, all of whom are at least 25 percent better than average at the plate. (That stat is measured on a scale with 100 as the average, so a 126 means 26 percent better than average.) Individually, Yandy Díaz ranks second in the AL, Randy Arozarena third, and Isaac Paredes fourth, meaning the Rays boast the three best non–Shohei Ohtani batters in the league this season. Luckily, the offense has picked up the slack, posting a teamwide 126 wRC+ the AL/NL record for highest team wRC+ in a season is the Murderers’ Row Yankees with 125. Injuries have ravaged the Rays’ vaunted pitching depth: Tampa Bay’s bullpen ranks 27th in fWAR, and the starting rotation has been shaky beyond Shane McClanahan and Zach Eflin. The Rays have a long-held reputation for winning with pitching and defense, but that formula isn’t the reason for their success this season. (Shane Bieber recorded a 41 percent strikeout rate in the shortened 2020 campaign.) 2. And Cy Young candidate Spencer Strider has struck out 38.9 percent of opposing hitters the record for a qualified starter over a full season is also 38.9 percent, by Gerrit Cole in 2019. is the NL MVP favorite, on pace for 38 homers and 73 stolen bases the record for home runs in a 70-steal season is 28, by Rickey Henderson in 1986. Instead of competing against other teams in 2023, then, Atlanta’s stars are competing against history. Atlanta is projected for 101 wins, according to FanGraphs’ playoff odds, with no other NL team’s total above 91. The key question for Atlanta in the second half of the season isn’t whether the team will win its sixth consecutive NL East title, or even whether the team will finish with the National League’s best record. Let’s make like George Springer and dive in. A whole lot has changed since we last judged them before Opening Day. We’ve reached the halfway point of the regular season, which means it’s time to uphold Ringer tradition and power-rank all 30 teams. The Mets are disappointing their fans in the spring and early summer, instead of waiting until September as usual. New rules that encourage running have boosted stolen bases by nearly 50 percent. The pitch clock has shaved about half an hour off the average game time. Major League Baseball looks different in 2023.
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