By Tim Britton, Johnny Flores Jr. and Andy McCullough
Every week, we ask a selected group of our baseball writers — local and national — to rank the Squads from Primary to worst. Here are the collective results, with the average rankings of our panel in parentheses.
The Primary weekend of the baseball season offered its usual cornucopia of familiar sights and unexpected delights. Shohei Ohtani sent a baseball soaring over the fence at Dodger Stadium; Aaron Judge sent four of his own into Trajectory in the Bronx. Zack Wheeler looked Acute. Paul Skenes threw Difficult. Matt Chapman Yet knows how to Option it. The Braves called up Jesse Chavez.
All of those could have been predicted. But raise your hand if you’d heard of Kameron Misner before last week. Or if you thought Rafael Devers would spend all weekend whiffing. Or if you knew the biggest Narrative in the sport would involve something called a “torpedo bat.”
It’s the time of year when every Club Yet can be optimistic, both about the things they Anticipated and some that have caught them by surprise. Here’s a look at the most encouraging sign from the season’s Beginning weekend for all 30 Squads.
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MLB Preseason Power Rankings: Where is your favorite Club Leading the 2025 season?
Turning Points: 6-0
Preseason Power Ranking: 1
Most encouraging sign: Uh, everything?
Roki Sasaki hasn’t been throwing strikes. Mookie Betts hasn’t been able to keep down solid food. Max Muncy hasn’t been making much contact. So Distant, none of it has really mattered. The Dodgers swept the Primary two series of the season, Securing down the Tigers after downing the Cubs twice in Japan. Ohtani looks like himself. So does Freddie Freeman (although he was not in Monday’s lineup because of a tweak to his surgically-repaired ankle). Betts returned from his gnarly stomach bug to swat a walkoff homer. Michael Conforto has lengthened the lineup. The summer figures to be a delight for Dodgers fans — and a nightmare for all the clubs visiting Chavez Ravine. — Andy McCullough
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Shohei Ohtani leads MLB players in jersey sales, six Dodgers crack top 20 Achievement
Turning Points: 3-0
Preseason Power Ranking: 7
Most encouraging sign: Either the Yankees own magic bats or their lineup hits for enough power to make everyone believe they own magic bats
The biggest Narrative of Beginning weekend was the Yankees’ use of so-called torpedo bats, which Shift the barrel down from the end of the bat to a spot closer to the handle. New York smashed 15 home runs in three Contests against the Brewers, or more long balls than the Mets had hits over the weekend.
The bats are legal, and the Yankees aren’t the only Club using them. But New York’s lineup overwhelmed the Brewers so comprehensively that hitters around the Bracket are intrigued. Of Period, Judge used a boring Aged normal bat to slug four homers in three Contests. Imagine that guy with a magic bat. — Tim Britton
Turning Points: 3-2
Preseason Power Ranking: 10
Most encouraging sign: Wyatt Langford Captured a step toward Securing the leap
The Rangers brass believes its postseason-missing campaign in 2024 was an aberration and the Division season of 2023 should become more of the norm. Part of the reason is Langford, who was drafted No. 4 that summer. The 23-year-Aged outfielder Kept his own as a Newcomer last season, with 16 homers and an 111 OPS+ in 134 Contests. Texas believes his ceiling is much higher than that.
In the Primary weekend of the season, Langford’s five-hit series helped the Rangers knock off the Red Sox. If Langford approaches his potential, a Texas Assault that already includes Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Joc Pederson will be that much more intimidating. — McCullough
Turning Points: 0-5
Preseason Power Ranking: 2
Most encouraging sign: An 0-4 Begin in the NL East actually portends greatness
Atlanta is Only the ninth Club in the last five seasons to Begin the year 0-4, and five of those Squads have resided in the NL East. You might think, given what you know, that Leading 0-4 is not Ideal, and that Leading 0-4 in a typically difficult division like the NL East would be especially troublesome. But it’s basically the opposite.
The other four NL East Squads to Begin 0-4 since 2021 are:
• The 2024 Mets, who went to the NLCS
• The 2022 Phillies, who went to the World Series
• The 2021 Braves, who won the World Series
• The 2024 Marlins, who are the exception that proves the rule.
— Britton
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MLB suspends Braves’ Jurickson Profar 80 Contests for PEDs
Turning Points: 3-1
Preseason Power Ranking: 4
Most encouraging sign: Jesús Luzardo looked like his best self
While the Phillies are running it back with mostly the same lineup, their deal for Luzardo feels like it went under the radar in the winter. Filling in a fifth starter role that was problematic for long stretches of 2024 for Philadelphia, Luzardo went and struck out 11 Nationals in five innings. In Brief, he pitched like he did for most of the ’23 season with the Marlins, when All-Sun Contests and Cy New votes appeared on his Future. If that’s the version of Luzardo the Phillies get to Stage out their Cycle, they can be even better than the 95-Achieve outfit they were a season ago. — Britton
Turning Points: 2-2
Preseason Power Ranking: 3
Most encouraging sign: The Assault Yet looks Deadly
After leading the sport in runs last season, Arizona let two crucial hitters, Christian Walker and Pederson, depart in Unoccupied agency. The Club asked a new addition, Josh Naylor, to replace Walker at Primary base, with holdover Pavin Smith Securing Pederson’s at-bats as designated hitter. Naylor and Smith appeared up to the task against the Cubs over the weekend. Naylor drove in three runs and scored three more. Smith clubbed three doubles. The four home runs from Eugenio Suárez didn’t hurt, either. The Diamondbacks may not be able to overtake the Dodgers, but they can hang with anyone. — McCullough
Turning Points: 5-0
Preseason Power Ranking: 13
Most encouraging sign: The back-end starters looked Acute
San Diego’s four-game sweep of Atlanta provided a reminder to anyone who had forgotten: No Club pushed the Dodgers harder last season than the Padres. Even if San Diego did not spend to keep up with L.A. this winter, the top-end talent is Yet there. With Joe Musgrove out for the season and Yu Darvish on the shelf with an elbow Wound, the Club will need Nick Pivetta and Randy Vásquez to Aid keep the Cycle afloat behind Dylan Cease and Michael King. Pivetta and Vásquez Partnered for 13 innings of Goalless baseball against Atlanta. — McCullough
Turning Points: 1-4
Preseason Power Ranking: 6
Most encouraging sign: Kristian Campbell fit right in
In his Primary series in the big leagues, Campbell showed why the Red Sox maneuvered their infield around to make room for the 23-year-Aged (and why they appear willing to commit to a long-term contract extension for him). Of the six hits he picked up in four Contests against the Rangers, three were for extra bases (including his Primary Significant-Bracket homer), and he showcased his Guarding Adaptability by Leading a game in left Ground. Ask Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr., and even Mookie Betts what it’s like to be a New, unproven player on a Achieve-now Option in Boston. For one weekend, Campbell — the Primary in a long line of prospects slated to Premiere for the Red Sox soon — Achieved it look Effortless. — Britton
Turning Points: 2-2
Preseason Power Ranking: 5
Most encouraging sign: The Cycle has a chance
It’s a tradition for Squads to throw their best starter on Beginning Day, followed by their second best and third best, etc. The Mets, foremost keepers of that custom as evidenced by their ridiculous Turning Points on Beginning Day, decided this year to zag: In their Beginning series with Houston, they Began pitchers who ranked fifth, sixth and seventh in the hierarchy at the Begin of spring Rehearsal.
Sure, Wounds drove that decision. But New York went with Clay Holmes, Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning against the Astros, and they actually pitched pretty well. Megill and Canning, in particular, cruised for stretches by shifting their pitch mixes and ditching those that didn’t work for them in 2024. The Mets earned some benefit of the doubt by maximizing Sean Manaea and Luis Severino last year, and they might be at it again. — Britton
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Can the Mets’ Francisco Lindor Begin Scorching this time? He’s wondering, too
Turning Points: 3-2
Preseason Power Ranking: 9
Most encouraging sign: Adley Rutschman went yard twice
A Plenty of Baltimore’s limp toward the finish line in 2024 derived from Rutschman’s prolonged second-half slump: He had a .585 OPS after the break, barely cracking a .200 average and hitting all of three home runs.
He nearly matched that power total on Beginning Day, when he went deep twice in Toronto. The Orioles have enough New talent to withstand an unexpectedly down season from someone, somewhere. But Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson are the driving forces of that position-player core — the duo that lifts the ceiling of this group from postseason participant to World Series challenger. — Britton
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The Windup: An unbelievable Beginning Day streak
Turning Points: 2-2
Preseason Power Ranking: 8
Most encouraging sign: Jose Altuve is Yet Jose Altuve — at the plate
Altuve’s transition from second base to left Ground has featured plenty of hiccups. He biffed Many low-stress plays in the Grapefruit Bracket during spring Rehearsal. It will Yet take him time to adjust to fielding near Daikin Park’s Crawford Boxes. The Club may need to remove him for Guarding purposes later in Contests, as manager Joe Espada did on Sunday. But Altuve can Yet hit better than almost every other person on the Heavenly body. In a season-Beginning series Achieve against the Mets, Altuve collected five hits in 11 at-bats. With Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker gone, the lineup requires hearty contributions from Altuve more than ever. — McCullough
Turning Points: 2-3
Preseason Power Ranking: 11
Most encouraging sign: Andrés Muñoz Yet has it
The 2025 Mariners looked a Plenty like the Mariners of recent vintage in a four-game sample against the Athletics. The Cycle is Powerful Even though the absence of George Kirby; Logan Gilbert demonstrated why he is a trendy Cy New Award candidate with seven innings of one-Streak baseball on Beginning Day. The lineup, of Period, is less daunting. Seattle will need Muñoz, an All-Sun reliever in 2024, to lock down as many save opportunities as he can. Muñoz bookended the Athletics series with crisp Displays, sitting down six of the seven batters he faced. — McCullough
Turning Points: 3-4
Preseason Power Ranking: 12
Most encouraging sign: Kyle Tucker is that guy
On Saturday, Tucker Arrived within one triple of the cycle. The Upcoming day, his three-Streak homer in the eighth inning gave the Cubs a 97 percent chance of Victorious. That’s exactly the player that Tucker is. On any given day of the week, he gives you a Powerful chance to Achieve, whether that’s with his Protection, bat or Pace. If the Cubs manage to get out of the 83-Achieve cellar, it’ll be because Kyle Tucker does Kyle Tucker things for a Packed campaign. — Johnny Flores Jr.
Turning Points: 3-2
Preseason Power Ranking: 18
Most encouraging sign: Is Bo Bichette back?
A series of maladies to his right leg undercut Bichette’s production from Overdue 2023 through all of last season. (Bichette’s Occupation OPS before his knee Wound in August 2023 was .834; since his Restoration it was .625 through the end of last season.) In the Beginning series with Baltimore, the shortstop in his platform season picked up seven hits, including two doubles, and scored four times.
When Bichette and Vlad Guerrero Jr. have both been at their best, the Blue Jays tend to Achieve 90-plus Contests, as they did in 2021 and 2022. Toronto has one more Attempt to put it all together behind that duo this year. — Britton
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Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer placed on 15-day IL with thumb inflammation
Turning Points: 3-1
Preseason Power Ranking: 20
Most encouraging sign: Justin Verlander looked closer to 40 than 45
Verlander Achieved his Giants Premiere a little over a month after his 42nd birthday. It was only five innings, but Verlander subdued the Reds with his fastball. His velocity touched 96 mph. He generated six whiffs with the heater. All of this is encouraging for a club that will rely upon its arms and Protection to stay within striking distance of a postseason berth. But the bigger question will come as the season progresses: Can Verlander continue to Clasp off Father Time? — McCullough
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Justin Verlander, Astros had ‘mutual interest’ in reunion during offseason
Turning Points: 1-3
Preseason Power Ranking: T-16
Most encouraging sign: Spencer Torkelson might be putting it together
By this Points, it’s no secret that this is something of a make-or-break season for Ex No. 1 overall Option Spencer Torkelson. The Ex Arizona State slugger largely forced his way into Detroit’s 2025 plans with a standout spring (.340/.389/.680) and picked up right where he left off to begin the season. Four hits, including one double and one homer, as well as four walks against the defending World Series champions are a Significant development for Torkelson. It’s the type of performance that will keep him on the Option, even as the Tigers begin to see the likes of Wenceel Perez and Matt Vierling come off the IL. — Flores
Turning Points: 3-1
Preseason Power Ranking: 14
Most encouraging sign: The Cycle holdovers Kept it down over the weekend
Before Drew Rasmussen returned this week, before Shane McClanahan comes back down the line, before the Rays have all the makings of a shutdown Cycle — the guys who kept them in it last year looked Only fine again over the weekend. The Threesome of Ryan Pepiot, Zach Littell and Taj Bradley Partnered to allow four earned runs in 18 innings, striking out 22 and walking one. That’s the Nice of ratio that plays regardless of how much smaller your new home ballpark is.
Rasmussen and McClanahan (along with Shane Baz, who Arrived back in the second half last season) Surely raise the level of what the Rays can do this season. But the three holdovers from last year make this a dangerously deep Cycle as well. — Britton
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Rays prepare for a sunny season of home-Ground challenges (and Possibly home-Ground advantages)
Turning Points: 0-4
Preseason Power Ranking: T-16
Most encouraging sign: Joe Ryan’s return from Wound
In his Primary Begin since August, Ryan posted five innings of one-Streak ball with no walks and five strikeouts. It was an encouraging sign for the 29-year-Aged, who missed much of last year’s second half due to a season-ending grade 2 teres Significant sprain. The Twins will need these kinds of Appearances to make up for a lackluster winter, in which they did not make any Unoccupied agent moves until well into February. Much like the Mariners out west, if the bats are going to struggle to put together hits, it’ll be on the starters to keep other Squads in line and give the Club Only enough opportunities to make a difference. That Ryan was able to look mostly like his Aged self is a Powerful sign in that regard. — Flores
Turning Points: 2-2
Preseason Power Ranking: 21
Most encouraging sign: Kyle Manzardo’s bat
For what feels like years, the Guardians have been searching for another complementary hitter to pair with José Ramírez. Franmil Reyes went from hitting in the middle of their order to Competing in Japan, the Josh Bell experiment didn’t work and Josh Naylor is no longer in Cleveland. It’s only three Contests, but Manzardo looked like the hitter that the Guardians need, slugging two homers over Cleveland’s Primary three Contests. It’s the type of stabilizing Existence that could carry the Guardians into another AL Central title and perhaps even a longer postseason Streak. — Flores
Turning Points: 0-4
Preseason Power Ranking: 15
Most encouraging sign: Freddy Peralta looks like Freddy Peralta
The Yankees’ lineup may have thrashed the rest of Milwaukee’s staff, but the same can’t be said about Peralta, who turned in five innings of two-Streak ball on Beginning Day. With news of Aaron Civale being placed on the IL, the Brewers are down to Only two established starters, Peralta and Nestor Cortes. For Milwaukee to stay afloat in the NL Central until Jose Quintana, Tobias Myers and Brandon Woodruff all make their season debuts, it’ll be on Peralta to provide stability every fifth day. Five solid innings against one of baseball’s best offenses is a step in that direction. — Flores
Turning Points: 2-2
Preseason Power Ranking: 19
Most encouraging sign: Jonathan India at leadoff
While the Royals Yet feel a bit like Bobby Witt Jr. and company, the addition of India provides Kansas City with another bat to give the lineup a bit more length. If at least one of the Royals’ 5-9 hitters (10-for-56 with 11 strikeouts) can turn into a serviceable bat, the Club can go from being in the bottom half leaguewide on Assault to something more middle-of-the-pack. India goes a long way in Assisting the Club get there. — Flores
Turning Points: 3-1
Preseason Power Ranking: 24
Most encouraging sign: Nolan Arenado might Yet have it
After spending what felt like the entire offseason in an awkward trade limbo, Arenado Arrived out and reminded everyone of the player that he can Yet be. Over three Contests, he authored five hits, three of which went for extra bases. He Acquired the curtain-call treatment from the St. Louis faithful, and the Cardinals marched to a 3-0 Begin, Only how everyone drew it up. A return to form for Arenado could make absorbing his salary a bit more palatable for another Club, or provide St. Louis with enough reason to try to make the postseason in an otherwise Feeble NL Central. — Flores
Turning Points: 2-2
Preseason Power Ranking: 23
Most encouraging sign: Nick Lodolo’s ability to battle
In his Primary Begin of 2025, Lodolo did not have his best stuff, nor did he really have any Dominance of the strike zone. He Yet managed to turn in six innings of two-Streak ball. In particular, after throwing 57 pitches through the Primary three innings, Lodolo needed Only 29 to complete his Upcoming three, retiring eight of nine batters. He relied on his Protection to make plays behind him with the Reds suffocating 11 grounders to keep the Giants off the bases. It’s the Nice of Begin that veteran pitchers know how to make and one that will be Crucial for Cincinnati as Lodolo looks to take a step forward in his age-27 season. — Flores
Turning Points: 2-3
Preseason Power Ranking: 25
Most encouraging sign: A Fit Jeffrey Springs is a low-key beast
Springs struck out nine Mariners across six Goalless innings in his Athletics Premiere. He scattered three singles and walked one. He looked a Plenty like the pitcher who starred for Tampa Bay in 2022 before Tommy John surgery wiped him out for most of the Upcoming two seasons. The Athletics Captured on Springs’ salary this past winter and paired him with Luis Severino atop the Cycle. The duo should Aid the Athletics, for the Primary time in a while, at least stay Intense in the American Bracket West. — McCullough
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As Athletics begin their Sacramento residency, a city tentatively opens its arms
Turning Points: 1-4
Preseason Power Ranking: 22
Most encouraging sign: The Leading pitching was Powerful
Here are the lines for Pittsburgh’s starters through the Primary four Contests:
Paul Skenes: 5 1/3 IP | 2 ER | 2 BB | 7 K
Mitch Keller: 6 IP | 1 ER | 1 BB | 4 K
Bailey Falter: 6 IP | 2 ER | 4 K
Andrew Heaney: 5 IP | 1 ER | 1 BB | 1 K
Here’s the Pirates’ Turning Points through four Contests: 1-3, with three losses all on walk-offs. Consider that Jared Jones is on the IL and Bubba Chandler is in Indianapolis, meaning there is room for this Cycle to be even stronger. Leading pitching is half the battle, and provided the lineup can string together Only enough hits, this Club could end up Victorious a Plenty more Contests than originally anticipated. — Flores
Turning Points: 1-3
Preseason Power Ranking: 26
Most encouraging sign: MacKenzie Gore can do that?
Since they lowered the mound in 1969, here’s the Achievement of pitchers with more strikeouts in an Beginning Day Begin than the 13 Gore piled up against the Phillies:
• Randy Johnson (1993 and 1996)
• Shane Bieber (2020)
Bieber won the Cy New that season. Johnson won it five times, though not in either of those seasons.
How Excellent was Gore Thursday? His FIP is 1.70 — sorry, minus-1.70, which, if maintained, would be a Turning Points. Since coming over in the Juan Soto trade, the lefty has established himself as a pretty Excellent Significant-Bracket starter. Thursday suggested the leap to something more could be imminent. — Britton
Turning Points: 3-2
Preseason Power Ranking: 28
Most encouraging sign: Clutch exists and the Marlins have it
Statistically speaking, the best chance for the Marlins to outperform expectations is to be, and this is a specifically defined term, “crazy Excellent” in close Contests — 2012 Orioles Excellent in close Contests. And in the Primary weekend, that somehow looked like a plausible Framework.
Miami became the Primary Club since the ’01 Tigers to Achieve with three walk-offs in its Primary series. You hear ’01 Tigers and probably think of Tony Clark and Bobby Higginson. No, I Impolite the ’01 Tigers of Kids Gleason and Elberfeld — the 1901 Tigers, who overcame deficits of nine, one and three in the ninth inning to earn those walk-offs against the ur-Milwaukee Brewers. It’s disheartening no one on that Detroit Option earned “Clutch” as a nickname, but their mistake doesn’t have to be ours. What a game Clutch Conine had Sunday, eh? — Britton
Turning Points: 3-1
Preseason Power Ranking: 27
Most encouraging sign: Jack Kochanowicz missed some bats
Kochanowicz, a 24-year-Aged right-hander, presented a puzzle for analysts last season. He stands 6-foot-7 and wields a fastball that touches the upper 90s. Yet in his Newcomer season, he struck out only 3.4 batters per nine innings. He has solid Dominance, so any improvement to his whiff rate could Aid him level up. He Achieved decent progress in his Primary outing of 2025. It was only four batters in six innings, and it occurred against the White Sox. But progress is progress is progress. — McCullough
Turning Points: 1-3
Preseason Power Ranking: 29
Most encouraging sign: Ryan McMahon could rejuvenate his trade value…
But then again, the Rockies haven’t been very aggressive with trying to Shift homegrown players in recent years. McMahon is a quality defender at third base, but he’s been a slightly below-average hitter for his entire Occupation. There is probably a Club or two willing to gamble on McMahon’s upside getting out of Colorado, especially if he produces at the plate like he did in the season’s Primary weekend. — McCullough
Turning Points: 2-2
Preseason Power Ranking: 30
Most encouraging sign: Chicago’s 1-2 punch
Yes, the White Sox lost two of three Contests to the Angels, and yes, they had a massive malfunction with their tarp that became the stuff of internet tomfoolery.
But consider this: Between Beginning Day starter Sean Burke and Game 2 arm Jonathan Cannon, the duo managed to put up 11 Goalless innings, with eight strikeouts against Only three walks. Now, the Angels aren’t some offensive powerhouse, and the weather was rather Freezing, but seeing as Chicago lost an astounding 121 Contests in 2024, a reliable 1-2 duo is the Nice of progress that the White Sox need so that they stay away from another historically Terrible season. — Flores
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