Baseball's Starting Nine (Week of April 24th)
The grind of the MLB season is in full swing and teams are already dipping into their minor league reserves to keep afloat and it’s not even May! More to come as the season starts to get warmer. Here is this week’s Starting Nine:
Starting Nine (Week of April 24th)
Hope to see you back: Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates; Welcome Back to the Show: Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays
#9. Toronto Blue Jays 13-10 (+900/+2000) - The emergence of Yusei Kikuchi and Jose Berrios as top-end starters could put this team over the top in 2024. Last Week’s Rank: Unranked
#8. Texas Rangers 9-8 (+650/+1500) - The Rangers keep plugging in pitchers and keep on surviving. If the pitchers on IL come back strong, they’ll be better than any trade acquisitions they could make. Last Week’s Rank: 9th
#7. LA Dodgers 13-11 (+200/+350) - The Dodgers are still the odds-on favorite to win it all but they have been complacent thus far. This team is built for October if the pitching holds up. Last Week’s Rank: 3rd
#6. Milwaukee Brewers 15-7 (+2200/+4500) - The Brewers keep defying the odds with a team devoid of starts and a staff devoid of a true ace. Last Week’s Rank: Unranked
#5. Philadelphia Phillies 15-8 (+650/+1200) - The Phillies lineup is heating up and, don’t look now, Ranger Suarez and Christopher Sanchez could give the Phillies two quality starters behind Nola and Wheeler. Last Week’s Rank: 8th
#4. New York Yankees 15-8 (+400/+800) - Aaron Judge has yet to heat up but should eventually benefit from hitting behind Soto. Can the Yankees get enough pitching help to be a true World Series threat? Last Week’s Rank: 1
#3. Atlanta Braves 15-6 (+205/+380) - The Braves brought up Elder to help the lower half of their rotation. They have the lineup, and the bullpen, but will they upgrade their staff for the playoffs? Last Week’s Rank: 2
#2. Cleveland Guardians 16-6 (+1100/+2800) - Triston Mackenzie’s solid start this week is encouraging. If he can lead this staff, the Guardians could be a true threat. Last Week’s Rank: 4
#1. Baltimore Orioles 15-7 (+450/+950) - Another week, another top prospect up to the Big Club. The O’s may be primed and ready to make a deep run in 2024. Last Week’s Rank: 6th
AL/NL MVP Candidates & AL/NL Cy Young Candidates:
Last week I listed the top candidates for each league in terms of the best odds to start the season in these two major awards. Starting at the end of April, I will kick off a weekly top three for each category in each league.
*All odds courtesy of Draftkings.com