Baseball America Ranks Braves High in Latest Power Rankings

The Atlanta Braves are still one of the top teams in Major League Baseball in the eyes of one of the sport's top publications

The Braves, once again, are getting credit for what they can do when healthy | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Notable baseball publication Baseball America released its latest MLB power rankings, putting the Atlanta Braves near the top. They ranked the Braves No. 2 behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Each team was given a grade on a 20 to 80 scale (naturally) and the Braves received a 70. The Dodgers were the only team to receive an 80 and the Braves were the only 70. Four teams received a 60 grade. 

The Braves are projected to win the National League East. 

Like most outlets continue to rank the Braves high, they acknowledge that a healthy Braves team is likely going to be much better than the 2024 team and therefore will have much better results. 

“Virtually every Braves regular missed time to injury last season, helping explain how the team lost nearly 250 runs off its 2023 total,” Baseball America’s Matt Eddy wrote. 

It should be noted that these power rankings were released before the apparent injury to outfielder Jurickson Profar. He has been reported to have suffered a jammed wrist on a play in the outfield in Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

He is awaiting results from further testing. Those results will change the outlook of the start of the regular season, and in turn, the outcome. 

First baseman Matt Olson, third baseman Austin Riley and center fielder Michael Harris II are still seen as the ones by Eddy to power the Braves offense while they await the return of MVP winner Ronald Acuña Jr. from his recovery from ACL surgery. 

Spencer Scwellenbach, Grant Holmes and Ian Anderson were the arms mentioned as the ones who will fill in for the losses of Max Fried and Charlie Morton in free agency. 

The rehabbing Spencer Strider was not mentioned in this piece, but we can safely assume that the 2023 All-Star will also be expected to make an impact when he returns.