2024 Positional Power Rankings

The FanGraphs Newsletter, March 25, 2024 [READ IN BROWSER]( March 25, 2024 Welcome to the 2024 positional power rankings! As is tradition, we have been ranking every team by position as we inch closer to Opening Day on Thursday. This is always something of a funny exercise. You read FanGraphs regularly, after all — a fact for which we are [very grateful]( — and are well-versed in the various signings and trades that occurred over the offseason. You know that Shohei Ohtani is now a Dodger, just as you’re aware that Juan Soto is a Yankee and Dylan Cease a very recent Padre. And yet, you’re still keen to know more about the game and what it might look like between now and October. The positional power rankings are our answer to that impulse. You can learn more about our approach to the positional rankings [here](. Today, we are going to give you a preview of our reliever rankings: There are some positions for which a cleaner, wider WAR gap exists between the top teams and the bottom, where we can more definitively say that some teams are better than others. For instance, the combination of talent and depth that the Yankees and Braves have in [right field]( separates them from the rest of baseball in a substantial way: There’s a projected 4-5 WAR gap between those clubs and the teams projected/ranked as high as sixth in right field. The projected WAR gap between the Phillies’ bullpen and that of the White Sox, ranked all the way down at 30, is only about that much, at 4.5 WAR. Relief pitching is not one of those positions with clear, WAR-driven demarcation from team to team, and bullpens on clubs with better rotations (and starters who eat up innings) are going to be punished for throwing fewer innings than those on teams that frequently deploy long relievers since WAR is a counting stat influenced by playing time. [Learn More]( 2024 Positional Rankings Check out the rest of our positional rankings by navigating to each position below: - [Catcher]( - [First Base]( - [Second Base]( - [Shortstop]( - [Third Base]( - [Left Field]( - [Center Field]( - [Right Field]( Latest Analysis [Sunday Notes: Alexander is Blazing a Path to Arizona]( Plus the Cubs' most interesting pitcher, an Oneil Cruz-Elly De La Cruz poll, a Mainers World Series prediction, Blue Jays and Cardinals keys, and much more. | by David Laurila [The Mets Scoop up a New DH]( The J.D. Martinez signing lines up on so many axes. He is offense in a can at an affordable rate. There’s just one question: How good will he be? | by Ben Clemens [Daulton Varsho Is Cleaning up His Process]( The Blue Jays outfielder is better connecting the pieces of his swing this spring. | by Esteban Rivera 🎧 [Effectively Wild Episode 2142: Season Preview Series: Yankees and Nationals]( [DOWNLOAD THE FANGRAPHS APP]( [FanGraphs & Effectively Wild Merch Is Now Available at BreakingT!]( [ORDER HERE]( [The unheralded ace who just might be one of MLB's best pitchers]( by Theo DeRosa, MLB [MLB offseason grades 2.0 : Which teams passed — and which teams failed]( via The Athletic ($) [MLB 2024 season preview: Rankings, every team's playoff odds]( via ESPN [What Will Be The Biggest MLB Storyline Of 2024?]( via Baseball America ($) [@fangraphs]( [FanGraphs]( [FanGraphs]( [RSS]( [FORWARD]( [SUBSCRIBE]( Copyright © 2024 FanGraphs Inc, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the FanGraphs Newsletter. Our mailing address is: FanGraphs Inc 3017 N Underwood StArlington, VA 22213 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](