Power Rankings: Who's No. 1 heading into season?

There are regular-season baseball games next week. Can you believe it? You have made it. You have earned it.

A full two months have passed since our most recent power rankings, and, it¡¯s fair to say, a lot has happened since then. So with the Tokyo Series between the Cubs and Dodgers starting in just three days, it¡¯s time to celebrate the impending start of the season with the final power rankings before first pitch. And once the season gets going, we¡¯ll be back to our regular weekly schedule.

These rankings, as always, are compiled from MLB.com contributors whose names you can find at the bottom of this (and every) piece, but the words are mine. If you dislike the rankings, yell at all of us. But if you dislike the words, feel free to yell at me.

And we¡¯ll see you bright and early Tuesday morning.

1. Dodgers (Previous poll: 1)
The Roki Sasaki show is about to begin. The 23-year-old flashed his sky-high potential during Spring Training, with his splitter in particular looking like an elite weapon. But now comes the real test, with Sasaki expected to take the mound to start Game 2 of the Tokyo Series. Can he rise to the occasion in his home country?

2. Phillies (2)
It¡¯s fair to say that the Taijuan Walker deal hasn¡¯t turned out the way the Phillies had hoped when they signed him for four years and $72 million after the 2022 season. But his performance this spring has been a revelation: Velocity is up, walks are down, everyone¡¯s excited: He could even find his way back into the rotation at some point.

3. Braves (5)
Spencer Strider¡¯s return has been pegged for the end of April for a while now, but he is a rehabbing pitcher, and it¡¯s notoriously difficult to keep those guys on schedule. That¡¯s why it is terrific news that all is going according to plan: ¡°I think it¡¯s been a really seamless process so far,¡± he said.

4. Mets (4)
The injury to Francisco Alvarez was a bummer, but he should be back by May and is still only 23 years old. There¡¯s no way a broken hamate bone is going to douse all the good vibes in Mets camp this spring.

5. Orioles (7)
Grayson Rodriguez¡¯s right elbow injury, which will keep him out for the beginning of the season after he got a cortisone shot, is the sort of thing that is going to make Orioles fans particularly nervous and frustrated. The rotation, a source of concern already, is now even thinner.

6. Diamondbacks (8)
Fair to say that Jordan Montgomery¡¯s lone Cactus League start this spring didn¡¯t go the way everyone was hoping: He gave up five runs in one-third of an inning on March 8. He is less concerned than everyone else, though, saying his injured finger felt fine and encouraging himself to ¡°take a chill pill and relax.¡±

7. Red Sox (15)
Take it with it all the salt you want -- and it¡¯s totally fair if any Red Sox fan is skeptical -- but it should be said that Trevor Story has looked healthy and quite solid so far in camp. For a player many have already written off, a comeback tale would be awfully exciting.

8. Yankees (3)
It has, obviously, been a disastrous spring for the Yankees, with the injuries to Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, DJ LeMahieu and Giancarlo Stanton, and their drop in these rankings reflects that. It should still be noted that everyone was all doom and gloom about the Yankees right before last season started, too, and they reached the World Series. Of course, they had Juan Soto then.

9. Padres (6)
The Padres¡¯ quiet offseason, and some off-field tumult, have many people wondering if their late 2024 run was a blip. In our annual World Series contenders draft, my colleague Mike Petriello and I were obviously concerned: San Diego fell all the way to 17th.

10. Rangers (16)
Kumar Rocker got off to a miserable start this spring, giving up eight runs in two innings over his first two Cactus League outings, but that¡¯s all part of the process. A trip to the Rangers' pitching lab has everybody feeling better. ¡°He's going to be a big part of our team this season,¡± president of baseball operations Chris Young said.

11. Astros (9)
Christian Walker¡¯s sore left oblique had the Astros sweating, but when they got his MRI results, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Even Walker said his oblique, which cost him a month of last season, felt much better now than it did at any point then. Considering how many other corner infield options the Astros had on the table this offseason, they sure would like to be able to get Walker out there every day.

12. Brewers (10)
Nestor Cortes seems destined to be a popular Brewer, and he has already shown his human side this spring. He¡¯s about to become a father for the first time. ¡°I have to be on high alert,¡± he says.

13. Cubs (13)
How about some love for the Pete Crow-Armstrong bobblehead the Cubs will be giving away on April 19? Fittingly, the bobblehead has run so fast that his helmet has fallen off. (The helmet is nevertheless included.)

14. Tigers (11)
Is Jackson Jobe going to make the Opening Day rotation? Our Tigers beat reporter Jason Beck sure thinks so. This could end up being one of the more fun early-season stories in baseball.

15. Royals (14)
Jac Caglianone isn¡¯t going to be on the Royals¡¯ Opening Day roster, but let there be no doubt: He may be the guy Royals fans remember most from this camp. Homers that go 444 feet tend to stick in the memory. (So do season-altering injuries to franchise cornerstones, but fortunately, Bobby Witt Jr. seems to have avoided one after taking a 96 mph fastball off his left forearm on Wednesday.)

16. Guardians (12)
All of this team¡¯s success in 2024 came despite persistent issues in the starting rotation, one of which was Gavin Williams¡¯ regression following a highly promising rookie season. But the 25-year-old has dazzled this spring and looks to be on the path toward a significant rebound.

17. Mariners (17)
It was good to see Julio Rodr¨ªguez smash a grand slam on Wednesday -- even if he accidentally pointed at the wrong bullpen in celebration. Slow starts to the season have been a theme for J-Rod in his young career -- he¡¯s got a .642 OPS in the opening month and .740 in the first half -- but the Mariners can¡¯t afford another one in 2025.

18. Twins (18)
You may have thought the job of manager was complicated, but you still didn¡¯t realize that part of the job was bringing in llamas, did you? Twins manager Rocco Baldelli organized a petting zoo for players and their families on Monday. "In Spring Training, you like to come up with just a couple of ideas to mix things up for the guys," Baldelli said. Llamas definitely count as ¡°mixing it up.¡±

19. Reds (21)
Noelvi Marte has, fair to say, had a rough 12-month span, culminating in him being sent back to Triple-A earlier this week. But new manager Terry Francona still believes in him: ¡°He did a really good job. He needs repetition," Francona said. "I thought from a work ethic standpoint, he had a great camp.¡± We¡¯ll see how long it takes him to get back to Cincinnati.

20. Blue Jays (23)
MLB.com¡¯s Keegan Matheson had a great piece this week on how healthy the Blue Jays have been this spring, which is the sort of thing that makes you want to knock on wood any time you dare say it out loud. The Jays still have depth issues, though, particularly in the bullpen now that Erik Swanson looks like he¡¯ll be out for a while.

21. Giants (19)
You know who¡¯s enjoying himself this spring? Matt Chapman. Armed with that big new contract, Chapman has been raking. ¡°Now I just get to play and be a part of this team and organization for a long time,¡± Chapman said. ¡°It's the best thing that has ever happened to me in the baseball world.¡± Sounds like a happy guy to me!

22. Athletics (24)
I¡¯m not sure how optimistic you are about the Athletics in their first season in Sacramento, but you know who is optimistic? Other MLB players. In our survey, the A¡¯s were picked by players as the team most likely to surprise in 2025. ¡°They've got a really good group of young guys and they all seemed to enjoy each other," one player said.

23. Rays (20)
After the Grapefruit League schedule ends, the Rays will have exactly 120 hours to turn George Steinbrenner Field from the Yankees¡¯ Spring Training site into their new home stadium for the regular season. This AP story about how they¡¯re going to do it is absolutely fascinating. ¡°Building the plane while you fly it,¡± said Rays chief business officer Bill Walsh.

24. Cardinals (26)
The Cardinals were relieved that Jordan Walker wasn¡¯t too banged up when he slipped on a sprinkler head in the outfield of a Spring Training game. He should be back to action soon and ready for Opening Day. There may be no player on the roster who is more important to what the Cardinals are trying to do over the next few years than Walker.

25. Nationals (25)
Spring stats aren¡¯t worth much, but it should be noted: Dylan Crews and James Wood are both hitting the ball with considerable authority this spring. The Nationals¡¯ future revolves around those guys as they look to become a force again in the NL East.

26. Pirates (22)
A day after the Yankees had to deal with the aftermath of losing their ace, they had to watch the Pirates show just how grateful they are to have theirs. Paul Skenes struck out five in four innings against the Yankees on Tuesday and sure looks like he¡¯s in midseason form already. That¡¯s a guy who is very ready for the season to start. But hey, aren¡¯t we all?

27. Angels (27)
If it¡¯s OK with you, I¡¯d like to just watch a Mike Trout spring homer. Mike Trout homering is something, as we¡¯ve learned in recent years, that should never be taken for granted.

28. Rockies (28)
Ezequiel Tovar very much has the look of an emerging star. A great profile by MLB.com¡¯s Thomas Harding looked at the work that Tovar did in Venezuela this year, using soft squish baseballs that ¡°won¡¯t break anything¡± but helped Tovar pick up spin. Look out.

29. Marlins (29)
Remember Matt Mervis? The former Cubs prospect may be the starting first baseman for the Marlins this year, and it should be noted that he¡¯s hitting the ball very hard this spring.

30. White Sox (30)
It sure looks like Mart¨ªn P¨¦rez is going to be making his first Opening Day start after 13 years in the Majors and 269 starts (and 314 games). Don¡¯t look too surprised: He did make it to the All-Star Game just two seasons ago.

Voters: Jason Catania, Daniel Feldman, Doug Gausepohl, Sarah Langs, Will Leitch, Whitney McIntosh, Travis Miller, Brian Murphy, Arturo Pardavila, Andrew Simon, Zac Vierra, David Venn.