Who is the best team in baseball?
A few clubs have looked the part in the opening weeks of the season. While there might not be a consensus answer, I felt like it was time to make a change atop this list.
The Braves are no longer No. 1 following another week of injury news and underwhelming play on the field. Which team (or teams) usurped them? Here are my top 10 clubs in baseball.
10. Kansas City Royals (10-6, last week unranked)
The Royals are more than living up to their potential through the first few weeks of the season. They’d won seven straight, which included a sweep of the Astros, before losing two of three to the Mets this weekend. Bobby Witt Jr. has picked up where he left off last year, slashing .333/.389/.697. Hopefully, Salvador Perez isn’t sidelined too long after a collision knocked him out of Sunday’s game. He leads the team in batting average (.339) and RBIs (15).
9. Chicago Cubs (9-6, LW unranked)
The Cubbies are .500 through the first six games of their West Coast swing, but they’ve mostly looked impressive against good competition after taking two of three from the Dodgers. Shōta Imanaga pitched like an ace again this past Saturday against the Mariners and has yet to give up an earned run through three starts. Rookie Michael Busch has hit like I thought he could — he leads the club in batting average (.327) and homers (five).
8. Cincinnati Reds (9-6, LW unranked)
Spencer Steer might be a star (.346/.477/.673) and Elly De La Cruz could be even better. The latter smacked four homers over six games, which might have earned him a spot on my Team of the Week. The Reds absolutely pummeled the White Sox over the weekend, sweeping the three-game series by a combined score of 27-5. Yes, the Chicago is really bad, but Cincinnati has everything it needs to be really good.
7. Cleveland Guardians (10-5, LW 7)
The Guardians narrowly avoided being swept by the Yankees on Sunday, scoring three runs in the 10th inning for a walk-off win. Cleveland’s great start is even more surprising when you consider perennial All-Star José Ramírez is underperforming. Josh Naylor (.347/.443/.673) and Steven Kwan (.368 batting average) have carried the load. My concern is with the rotation, especially with Shane Bieber out for the season.
6. Pittsburgh Pirates (11-5, LW 8)
The Pirates remain tied atop the NL Central, as Andrew McCutchen’s 300th career homer Sunday helped them split a four-game set against the Phillies. Martin Perez has played an especially big role on this younger Pittsburgh squad. His eight innings of one-run ball Thursday against the Tigers lowered his ERA to 1.89 on this season.
5. Milwaukee Brewers (10-4, LW 9)
William Contreras (.375/.455/.661, four homers) and Christian Yelich (.333/.422/.744, five homers) have been two of the better hitters in baseball. Moreover, Freddy Peralta has adjusted wonderfully to being the Brewers’ ace. In a quality start against the Orioles last week, the veteran righty allowed just one run in six innings while striking out 11. That improved his season line to 2-0 with a 2.55 ERA, while helping Milwaukee take two of three versus Baltimore.
Highlights from the Brewers’ 11-5 win vs. Orioles
4. Baltimore Orioles (9-6, LW 5)
The Brewers’ former ace has been nasty in his new home. Corbin Burnes pitched seven innings of one-run ball against the Red Sox earlier in the week before giving up just two earned runs over five innings against his former team Sunday. Top prospect Jackson Holliday is off to a slow start, but that should change soon. It hasn’t even mattered, as fellow rookie Colton Cowser (.441/.474/.971) has been on an absolute tear.
Spencer Strider‘s season-ending UCL surgery was a massive blow, especially as the rest of Atlanta’s rotation hasn’t been great to start the year. That was apparent all of last week, as the Braves dropped a series to the Mets before struggling to take two of three to the last-place Marlins. On the bright side, Marcell Ozuna leads the majors in homers (7), RBIs (21), slugging (.780) and OPS (1.192).
2. New York Yankees (12-4, LW 3)
Despite losing in extra innings to the Guardians on Sunday, the Yankees are still rolling. Anthony Volpe looks like a different hitter (.382 batting average) and Juan Soto is playing like an MVP. Carlos Rodón has looked like his old self, tossing six shutout innings against the Marlins to lower his ERA to 1.94 through three starts. The scariest part about the Yankees? They’ve done all this with Aaron Judge struggling and Gerrit Cole sidelined.
Aaron Judge’s 260th career HR ties Derek Jeter for 9th in Yankees history
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (11-7, LW 2)
OK, so they just lost two of three versus the Padres. But I still believe this is the best team in baseball right now. After a quiet few games to begin the season, Shohei Ohtani is now off to the best start of his career. Funny how that works. Mookie Betts has reached safely in all but one game to set the tone for an offense that can feel impossible to pitch to. The rotation has health issues, but Tyler Glasnow looks elite through four starts (3-0, 2.25 ERA) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto has settled down.
Out: Texas Rangers (4), Philadelphia Phillies (5), Boston Red Sox (10)
Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the “Flippin’ Bats” podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him at @BenVerlander.
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