Braves' Preseason Power Rankings Reflect Brutal Spring Training

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Braves have reached the regular season, with Opening Day at Truist Park set for Friday night. As we approach the first day of meaningful baseball, it is time to unveil the first set of power rankings for the 2026 season.

The Athletic put together its inaugural preseason power rankings for Major League Baseball, and the Braves find themselves in a rather familiar place.

Atlanta came in with an average ranking of 8.8, slotting them at No. 9 in the league, with their projected playoff odds at 79%. The writers highlighted how “no team has had a worse spring training than Atlanta.” The Braves lost starting pitchers Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep, and Spencer Strider. In the lineup, they lost Jurickson Profar for the season due to a second failed drug test.

The Braves had a nightmarish spring training off the field, but on it, they were as steady as they come. The club finished atop the Grapefruit League standings with an MLB-best 21-7-2 record and +51 scoring differential.

They will look to continue that success on the field this spring, as they look to avoid the brutal start to the season that derailed them this time last year. Fortunately, their slate of games figures to be much more palatable than their West Coast swing to start 2025. Last season, they had a pair of series with the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers – both ended in sweeps, and the Braves limped home on a seven-game losing streak to start the year.

In 2026, the Braves start with a pair of winnable home series against the Kansas City Royals (No. 13) and the Athletics (No. 21). While these two teams have formidable offenses, it will be a far cry from the torment that the Dodgers and Padres inflicted last season.

Elsewhere in the National League East, the Braves sit in third place. The New York Mets come in tied for fourth place, receiving an 80.0% chance of reaching October and an average ranking of 5.3. The Philadelphia Phillies slot in just behind the Mets at No. 6, with a 72.8% chance of reaching the playoffs and an average ranking of 6.3.

Behind the three usual suspects in the NL East, the Miami Marlins sit at No. 24 (average ranking of 23.5 and a 6.3% chance of reaching the playoffs), and the Washington Nationals sit at No. 29 (average ranking of 28.7 and a 0.7% chance of reaching the playoffs).

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