ESPN and Kim Hye-sung will also play a part in the Dodgers' first power ranking of the new year to reproduce 111 wins in 2022
Jan 06, 2025
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Sports channel ESPN put the Dodgers on top in an article titled `MLB Power Ranking: Where Are Each Team Located in the New Year' on the 6th (Korea Standard Time). ESPN said, `Our Major League experts ranked based on the offseason work each club has done so far and last year's performance.'
In the power ranking evaluated by the media in the last week of the regular season last year, the Dodgers ranked second after the Philadelphia Phillies. In other words, after winning the World Series, he strengthened his power further in the offseason. However, the Dodgers also topped the list a year ago in early January 2024.
ESPN said, `No matter what happens in the remaining offseason, the Dodgers will enter 2025 as the No. 1 candidate to win the World Series. No team has won a second World Series in a row since 2000. The Dodgers signed two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell to strengthen their rotation and succeeded in catching Teoscar Hernandez again. "By bringing in Michael Confoto and thickening the outfield, we proceeded with Mookie Betts' return to shortstop as planned."
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However, the prevailing analysis is that the Dodgers are the strongest candidates to win the World Series this year. It is the same as the offseason explained by ESPN. The history of winning the World Series was not disturbed at all.
Walker Buehler, who took the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 5 of the World Series against the Yankees on October 31, moved to the Boston Red Sox as an FA, and Jack Fleherty, who has been stable with an ERA of 3.58 in 10 games since moving to the Dodgers last year, is also likely to move in the FA market, but the overall rotation has increased.
This is due to Snell's addition, the return of pitchers who underwent surgery such as Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin, and the resumption of pitcher Shohei Ohtani. On top of that, he not only maintained the weight of the lineup by catching big-arm outfielder Hernandez, but also could push for Betts' return to the infield without hesitation.
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ESPN predicted that `If the Dodgers bring Loki Sasaki to their target and Ohtani's return to the pitcher is successful, they may surpass the NL record of 111 wins since the 1906 Chicago Cubs (116 wins) they set in 2022.'
It goes without saying that Kim Hye-sung slightly increased the Dodgers' infield power, which seemed a little unstable. In response, ESPN added 'Dodgers reinforced another multi-position fielder. Kim Hye-sung evaluated that he is a left-handed hitter, which distinguishes him from Chris Taylor and Miguel Rojas in the same position, and allows Tommy Edman to focus more on center field.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia, Yankees, New York Mets and Atlanta Braves ranked second to fifth after the Dodgers in the rankings, while the Baltimore Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston, San Diego Padres and Cleveland Guardians made top 10.
The team that stands out is the Mets. The Mets, who finished 10th in the last ranking last year, brought in Juan Soto, the FA's biggest fish this offseason, and held on to starting pitcher Sean Munaia, increasing the balance of pitching and hitting. On top of that, ESPN reported that the renewal of Pete Alonso is also expected to be a strong candidate.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
