Top-10 Player Predictions in the MLB this year!
Edition #57
HEADLINES
Audio of Travis Kelce & Andy Reid’s Conversation on sideline during SB58
Ex NFL Player says: Jalen Hurts = Most Overrated Player in the NFL
Eagles sign Tyrion Davis-Price of 49ers Practice Squad
The shooters of the KC Chiefs Parade = CAUGHT
Matthew Slater announces retirement from the NFL. (SPORTS SQUARE ARTICLE WRITTEN ABOUT FOR PAID SUBSCRIPTIONS. RELEASING TO FREE SUBSCRIBERS SOON.)
Justin Fields unfollowed Bears on Insta.
Gabe Davis sends a goodbye video to Bills mafia.
Looks like Doc Rivers likes throwing people under the bus?
Warriors converting 2-way G Lester Quinones to standard contract.
Intro
Well, well, well. It’s another MLB season getting ready to begin, and what else does that mean? Top-10 player rankings! If you looked at the intro and are ready to turn away because you don’t like the MLB, please WAIT. Many interesting things take place in a baseball game, and you’ll be AMAZED after reading that all this stuff could happen! So. Please.
Before the article though, POLL TIME!
Top-10 Player Power Rankings in the MLB
Well, before we get started. Here’s another poll. This time. Your votes!
My vote? Juan. Let me tell you why.
I posted a note sometime back comparing the AL East and the NL West. Here it is.
(Make sure to stay updated with my notes, as I regularly post there with news https://sportssquare.substack.com/notes). Ya have to click to see the full note…
If you read it fully, see how much of a difference there is between both of these divisions. Last year, the Yankees were bad. The Dodgers should’ve been bad, but they still won the division. Remember, the Padres are in the same division as the Dodgers.
What about this year? The Dodgers just got more stacked. If Juan Soto had stayed in that division, he certainly would not have gone any further even though they had a team that contains Fernando Tatis Jr, Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and Juan Soto. Even to this day, I still can’t believe the Padres failed SO hard.
Now? In a division that is only a bit easier? Why does it matter? 52 games. They play a combined 52 games against opponents in their division. Imagine if they can win all of that. All they need to do is win 30–35 more and heck they’re in the playoffs!
Anyway, on to the real thingy.
#10: Max Fried (Braves)
After this year, Max Fried is a free agent. Yes. Max Fried is a free agent. This is going to be his year to prove to teams that he needs to get paid. Let’s compare this to basketball for a moment. Klay Thompson.
This was his year. He was set to become a free agent after, and he has voiced concerns before about being paid. This was the year he needed to prove that he deserved that money. But, everything went haywire from there… I can write more about this, but let me stop wandering into other topics.
Fried came healthy into the 2023 season, but suddenly, injuries knocked him. He went about 2-3 weeks without pitching, then pitched 4 games before getting knocked out for 3 WHOLE MONTHS!
After that?
Yeah…
This was his final season stats.
He’s going to have a banger 2024 season. He finished 2023 off, hot, but it isn’t just that. He’s going to be even more serious because this is a contract year, and while you may think that he’s 30 and useless? Look at Justin Verlander!
#9: Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres)
I’m going to take a bit from MLB.com as I was sharing the same mind as well.
Let’s go with someone who, not that long ago, was talked about in the same breath as Acuña and Soto: Tatis, who saw his star dim with injury and suspension issues that cost him all of 2022. His 2023 return was more good than great on offense, but his transition to the outfield was spectacular defensively, and he’s still only 25 years old. Now with a full year of post-absence play back under his belt, even a little more offense makes him a 30/30 player with a Gold Glove.
Yeah. Absolutely right.
#8 Trea Turner (Phillies)
I think this is a sleeper pick. Whenever someone other than a Phillies fan talks about the Phillies, the talk has always been about Bryce Harper. Especially since he’s been snagging up the headlines about his move to first base. No one, and I mean NO ONE, talks about Trea Turner.
266? Maybe not so good, but 26 HRs? .320 OBP?
#7 Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers)
The one and only reason this man is ranked 7th is that he has no major-league experience. I have very high hopes for him, and the thing is? Very few people who have come over from Japan have failed yet. That’s a pretty big thing.
These are his stats. Do you see how the stats improve every single year?! A 1.21 ERA in 2023? A 1.82 career ERA? That’s crazy.
Remember how I told you that very few people who have come over from Japan have failed yet? This guy is definitely not going to because that place makes so many budding stars and if he’s able to do it against them? Imagine what he could do to the MLB!?
#6 Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)
Smayan? Are you serious? How could you put Ohtani at #6?
Only one reason why, and it starts with an I.
Injury.
The first time Ohtani came off this thing, he was successful. Who knows what could happen the second time? I think the Dodgers have spent 700 million $$ on nothing. But then again, Ohtani is just a different type of guy.
#5 Adley Rutschman
This guy is going to change how teams look at catchers. Adley Rutschman is an amazing player. Like, what in the world is this?
163 hits! .809 OPS? 20 homeruns? These are EYE-POPPING numbers. If you compare this with his 2022 season, look at the difference! He’s improving! If this is already impacting the O’s big time, what do you think would happen if he makes this even better next year???
#4 Juan Soto
I stated all my reasons above…
#3 Julio Rodriguez
I think this guy is going to lead the Mariners to the playoffs again. Julio is going to have the best season of his career, and I know for a fact that he’s going to be locked in the race for the Home Run Champion. I also have Julio winning the Silver Slugger.
#2 Ronald Acuña Jr.
I wanted to keep Ronald a bit earlier. Something like 6 or 7. Why? Because Acuna had such a historic season, every bit of analytics showed that he was going to slow down. But then again… He’s Ronald Acuña Jr…
#1 Mookie Betts
One, he has been an elite player for a long time now, with no signs of slipping. Since his first full season in 2015, he leads all position players in FanGraphs WAR; if you cut it off at any year since then, he remains in the top three, including tied for first this past season. Two, he does everything at a high level. And three, while his defense in right field had slipped from elite to solid to about average over the past several seasons, Betts’ transition to playing primarily second base (after an impressive test run there in 2023) gives him a shot to wield an above-average glove at an up-the-middle position. In my mind, that puts him atop an extremely competitive group.
(MLB.com)
Mookie Betts barely lost that MVP award last year, but he deserves it this year. But MVP doesn’t mean best or worst player. That’s why Acuna isn’t here. The fundamentals, his transition, his hitting, etc. All of this stuff translates into wins, even if your team wasn’t predicted to make the playoffs.
Mookie Betts is the guy you want to be.
Conclusion
Welp! That’s it for this week’s edition. Be on the lookout for the next edition on MONDAY or on the weekend. Also, make sure to do some Mookie Betts and check my notes out!
SPORTS QUOTE:
“Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your own two ears.” —Laird Hamilton
Healthy Ohtani is easily #2 or #1, also its a crime to rank betts over acuna