Ever wonder how a team manages to stay at the top of the rankings in spite of all the hardships, mistakes, and setbacks?
Unbelievably, the reigning World Series champions have once again advanced to the top MLB teams, this time in third place. Starting the 2025 season in red-hot form, with an 8-0 record, the Los Angeles Dodgers almost looked unbeatable. However, as we often say, life is full of ups and downs, and the Dodgers suffered a similar fate in April. They struggled through the month in their previous games. Their injury-riddled lineup is a major contributing factor to their early-season struggles. However, amid all these setbacks, an MLB insider has made a surprising prediction on the Dodgers.
Regardless of how the Dodgers have been playing now, it cannot be denied that their lineup comprises some immensely talented players. Be it the Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani, who has led the Dodgers to success multiple times, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, or anyone else. It’s not just the hype; rather, it’s their zeal and consistency that push them to go way beyond expectations. That’s what makes the Dodgers so special.
With 85.8 baserunning, 51.2 fielding, 99.6 rotation, and an 85.6 bullpen, the Dodgers are ranked 99.8 in terms of hitting when looking at percentile rankings. But according to MLB insider Bradford Doolittle, there is a good chance that the ranking will rise. How is it so? Well, the Dodgers have a record of making postseason appearances twelve times, eleven of which include the National League West titles. In the last four seasons, they have had a massive average of 103.8 wins, which even got higher, reaching up to 105.5 by the end of March.
But what about the struggles they are facing at the moment and the series of injuries?
“That definitely needs to be considered because, despite starting the 2025 season strong, the Dodgers have been missing their pitching star, Tyler Glasnow, and even Blake Snell and Blake Treinen. Bradford Doolittle stressed the high baseline expectations the Dodgers have and how they could meet those. He even cited an example of Roki Sasaki’s forecast, which doesn’t have much to do with the expectations, as he is relatively new in the major league.
It all depends on how the players perform. So, it’s basically too early to justify the ranks that the teams are holding at the moment. It all depends on the hype before the season and what has been presented on paper as per the players’ performances.
However, there’s another team this 2025 season that has made it to the top of the list, emerging as the number one team from the National League.
A new team replaces the Dodgers as the number one team in the NL
It’s just the start of the 2025 season, and amid the speculations surrounding the Los Angeles Dodgers, another team has emerged as the best: the New York Mets. If you followed all the games this season, not many would disagree that the Mets have been one of the best teams this year. Although this ranking is purely based on the current performance, as analyzed by the MLB.com contributors, it cannot be denied that the Mets are having the most fun. You know what’s more surprising?
Their $765 million superstar hasn’t found his form yet, and the Mets are still playing like it’s their last. The 26-year-old star has a batting average of .248 with 12 RBIs, posting three home runs at a .770 OPS. Despite Soto’s struggles, complaining about the way pitchers have approached it, the Mets have gotten a few of their players back on the roster. Francisco Álvarez and Jeff McNeil were down with injuries, and now they are finally back.
David Stearns, the president of baseball operations for the Mets, praised the team’s performance, saying, “You tend to learn in this job over and over again that you have to plan for the unexpected or leave room for the unexpected. You try to put yourself in the best position you possibly can as an organization every day and guys will step up.”
Stearns further continued, “I couldn’t have predicted the particular names that were going to do it on Opening Day. We had a lot of guys do it and ultimately had a fun year.” And it’s true, the Mets have got quality players and they have good depth in their lineup. That’s one of the reasons they are doing good and have the best record in baseball this year till now.
Do you think the New York Mets will be able to make it to the playoffs, or will the Dodgers just like the previous year?
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