MLB power rankings: Defending World Series champion Astros open season ranked No. 1
The Houston Astros have a tall task ahead of them.
No team has won back-to-back World Series titles since the New York Yankees in 1998-2000. Then again, no American League team has reached the League Championship Series six consecutive years like the Astros, either.
So, not surprisingly, the Astros open the 2023 major league season as the preseason No. 1 team in USA TODAY Sports’ MLB power rankings.
The San Diego Padres, who rank No. 3, spent the offseason spending cash. They have an expected payroll near $250 million after extending Manny Machado’s contract ($300 million) and signing free agent Xander Bogaerts ($280 million). The expectations are to win in Southern California.
The first pitch is Thursday with a long, grueling season to follow.
Here are USA TODAY Sports’ power rankings heading into the season.
1. Houston Astros
2. Atlanta Braves
3. San Diego Padres
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
5. New York Yankees
T-6. Philadelphia Phillies
T-6. New York Mets
8. Toronto Blue Jays
9. Tampa Bay Rays
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Is this the best rotation in baseball? McClanahan, Glasnow, Eflin, Springs and Rasmussen?
10. Seattle Mariners
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AL Rookie of the Year Julio Rodriguez, who signed a $119.3M deal in the offseason, is just getting started.
11. Cleveland Guardians
12. St. Louis Cardinals
13. Milwaukee Brewers
14. Minnesota Twins
15. Baltimore Orioles
16. Texas Rangers
17. San Francisco Giants
18. Chicago White Sox
19. Los Angeles Angels
20. Boston Red Sox
T-21. Arizona Diamondbacks
T-21. Chicago Cubs
23. Miami Marlins
24. Detroit Tigers
T-25. Colorado Rockies
T-25. Pittsburgh Pirates
27. Kansas City Royals
28. Cincinnati Reds
29. Oakland Athletics
30. Washington Nationals
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Shocker: Stephen Strasburg, who has been limited to just 31 1/3 innings over the past three seasons, suffers a setback.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB power rankings: Houston Astros open season ranked No. 1
Source: Yahoo Sports
