Dodgers Team News

Dodgers Ranked High in First MLB Power Rankings of 2020

Recently part owner Stan Kasten addressed the lack of a move by the Los Angeles Dodgers to acquire a star player. The lack of ‘action’ has Dodger fans feeling a little tepid and stir crazy. Still, sometimes it helps to see someone who looks at all 30 MLB teams to get some perspective. For instance, maybe things aren’t as bad as they sometimes seem.

Now, Alyson Footer who writes for MLB.com has some of the first power rankings of the year year. You can read the full article by clicking below, but let’s see how she views the Dodgers.



https://twitter.com/DiamondHoggers/status/1214246124485300228?s=20

Notably, Footer thinks the Dodgers are a safe bet to pencil in as NL West winners and likely NL pennant winners. Her reasoning? The Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler and a stacked lineup returning.

Dodgers (2)
The Dodgers have been one of the quietest teams this offseason but remain the favorites to win the National League West title for an eighth consecutive year, and even months before Opening Day, it’s not a stretch to say their chances to win the NL pennant are favorable. That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement, especially with regard to their abrupt and shockingly early exit from the playoffs in ’19. But even with the loss of Hyun-Jin Ryu, who signed a four-year pact with the Blue Jays, the rotation is in good hands with Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler, and most of the stacked lineup will be back this year.

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Equally important, let’s take a look at who Footer lists as the top five teams in baseball.

  1. New York Yankees
  2. Los Angeles Dodgers
  3. Houston Astros
  4. Minnesota Twins
  5. Tampa Rays

However, let’s go back to what Footer says. Certainly it would seem safest to select the Dodgers as the presumptive NL West winner, but does baseball really work this way? Absolutely not.

To me, it feels a little bit like the top five teams from 2019 were selected; and just rolled over to 2020. In short, that’s hardly going out on a limb. Moreover, she ranks the White Sox 17th and the Mets 18th respectively. I think it would have been fine to make a bold leap with one of these teams that has done a lot to improve themselves over the winter.

It’s hard to think – at least for me – that things in baseball will remain the way they were in 2020. At least one of these teams in the top five could have nothing go right. Finally, it’s just hard to predict the variables we will see when the new season starts; or expect things to mostly repeat themselves.

Undeniably, the Dodgers should have every opportunity to be in the mix. Still, do you feel like it’s okay to pencil them in as NL West winners and possible NL pennant winners this far out? Let us know in the comments!

NEXT: Assessing the Dodgers Path to an 8th Consecutive Division Title

Staff Writer

Staff Writer features content written by our site editors along with our staff of contributing writers. Thank you for your readership.

3 Comments

  1. No, it’s not safe to just ‘pencil’ them in for October baseball. Dodgers STILL have a too LH hitter lineup and then there is Roberts who will run things the way he and FO have for past few years as far as lineups, position shuffling, and said he would make those same pitching decisions he made in the 2019 NLDS that ultimately cost the Dodgers the PS. Yes the LH heavy lineup fell flat as well.

  2. PaulDogerFan1965, I concur. Its definitely not a sure thing to pencil our boys in for October baseball. Still, I love the Dodgers, know that we have great players and must believe that we will get to post season again. (How deep into Post season is another matter.) This off season, we have watched other teams build and make necessary changes. It would have been more reassuring, to me anyways, had the Dodgers corrected some of our own well-known deficiencies (e.g., “too LH hitter lineup” and bull pen weaknesses.) Regardless, I am so ready for season to start! Go Dodgers!

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