(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
The Atlanta Braves entered the All-Star break, a couple of weeks ago, as the unquestioned best team in baseball.
If you were wondering if they held the top spot in the first power rankings of the second half, well, they officially do.
MLB published its power rankings and the Braves are still the unquestioned best team in the sport.
The first Power Rankings of the second half of the season are here. pic.twitter.com/oLw4cxbFsQ
— MLB (@MLB) July 24, 2023
We have some news, though: the Baltimore Orioles are now the leaders of the AL East and took over second place in the power rankings, ahead of the team that they surpassed on the division table: the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers are fourth and fifth, respectively; and the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondbacks, and San Francisco Giants complete the top ten.
Let’s focus on the Braves and their incredible season.
After winning another tough series against the Brewers over the weekend, they took their record to an impressive 64-34, the best in the league.
They also have the largest divisional lead as of Monday afternoon: 11.5 games separate them from the teams that are tied in the second spot of the East: the Philadelphia Phillies and the Miami Marlins.
The Braves, before taking the series against Milwaukee, had lost three-game sets against the D-Backs and the Chicago White Sox.
Before that, they had won a whopping 11 straight series.
They are a juggernaut, with Ronald Acuna Jr. and Matt Olson leading an impressive offense that also has Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, Marcell Ozuna, Orlando Arcia, and two highly productive catchers in Sean Murphy and Travis d’Arnaud.
But their pitching is also good and deep, and they are close to getting aces Max Fried and Kyle Wright back.
Good luck trying to beat the Braves in the postseason.
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