It is finally here! The 2019 MLB season gets underway this Thursday, March 28. Fans across the US can’t wait for the Boys of Summer to return after a long winter. With a lot of changes this offseason, it will be interesting to see which teams get off to a good start and which stumble out of the gate.
Manny, Bryce bring change and pressure
The two biggest moves of the offseason were definitely Manny Machado signing with the San Diego Padres and Bryce Harper heading to the Philadelphia Phillies.
While both cities welcome each player with open arms, the pressure to win and make a postseason run will be higher than ever.
According to NBC Sports, Phillies fans are already planning on buying up a lot of tickets when the Phillies play Harper’s old team, the Washington Nationals. Not when they play in Philadelphia mind you, in Washington! Obviously, Phillies fans want to show Washington just what they lost out on in the offseason.
The Nationals knew that Harper would most likely leave and test the free agent market, but losing one of the best players in the game to your division rival is tough. Now Harper will face the Nationals several times a year - this time as their opponent. Deep down, the Nationals' brass would have probably preferred to see Harper head to the American League. Yes, this is going to be an interesting season.
Power rankings
The first edition of the MLB Power Rankings is based on two things – how the teams are expected to do, and how they did in spring training. Of course, to many, spring performance doesn’t mean much. However, for Week 1, it isn’t a bad idea to take it into consideration.
The Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals played well in the spring, and not much is expected out of either this season.
Nevertheless, Detroit jumped up from No. 27 to No. 21, while the Royals rose up four spots from No. 28 to No. 24. These moves are comparable to the final rankings of 2018. The biggest drop belongs to the LA Dodgers. The Dodgers fall from No. 2 to No. 9.
Here are the MLB Power Rankings heading into Week 1.
Play ball!
- New York Yankees
- Boston Red Sox
- Houston Astros
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Chicago Cubs
- Washington Nationals
- Atlanta Braves
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Cleveland Indians
- Oakland Athletics
- New York Mets
- Colorado Rockies
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Cincinnati Reds
- San Diego Padres
- Minnesota Twins
- Los Angeles Angels
- Toronto Blue Jays
- Detroit Tigers
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- Seattle Mariners
- Kansas City Royals
- Texas Rangers
- Chicago White Sox
- San Francisco Giants
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- Miami Marlins
- Baltimore Orioles