BY MILES SOUZA

The Major League Baseball season is fully underway with a few long months ahead, but who will emerge victorious? At the end of the 162 game regular season, many of these teams and outlooks could look very different, including if torpedo bats will even be legal by the end of the season.

The two front runners to win it all is last year’s World Series matchup of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees. Both teams had unbelievable seasons last year and have gotten out to hot starts. 

At the time of writing this, the Dodgers are 9-1, with their only loss being a 3-2 loss to the Phillies, shout out Owen Eichfeld. But despite the loss, the Dodgers have looked dominant in their games so far. 

The talent on the roster is uncanny, including four former MVP’s, three of which are in the starting offensive lineup. The Dodgers also added even more depth to their pitching staff with Blake Snell, Tanner Scott, Roki Sasaki, and others. 

The biggest surprise comes from one of their latest contract extensions, Tommy Edman. Their hitting coaches have clearly worked with Edman to find some extra power, as Edman already has five home runs in ten games, one shy of his total from last season, and just eight shy of his career high. 

The Yankees find themselves atop their division just eight games in with a 6-2 record. Returning MVP Aaron Judge has been unstoppable at the plate, posting a .364 batting average and six home runs, three in the same game. 

Their offseason pickups including former MVP’s Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt have already shown value to the Yankees. Goldschmidt has a .345 batting average through their first six games.

Their pitching also got even better with the acquisitions of starter Max Fried and Devin Williams, who have both been multi-year All Stars. These two teams are no surprise to be in the talks of contenders with the depth their rosters boast, with two of the largest payrolls in the league.

With all this, the main story surrounding the Yankees isn’t to do with their players, but their equipment. The Bronx Bombers teamed up with an MIT physicist and their analytics department. 

The team studied each individual player’s contact tendencies and where the ball made exact contact with the bat. They then developed bats for each player to where the barrel was centered around their most hit area.

This has been a big area of discussion and debate through the first weeks of the season, as it doesn’t follow the traditional style of a bat. But many just see it as a technological advancement within the game.

Despite whether those bats are legal or not by the end, these two teams should be near the top. Watch out for the neighbors in New York and the Mets to have a successful year after their acquisition of Juan Soto, with the largest contract in professional sports history.

Also keep an eye on the Texas Rangers, who had a down year after their World Series Championship in 2023, but have gotten off to a hot start. The battle in the NL West is sure to continue with the Dodgers, Giants, and Padres, who all sit at 7-2 or better.

Featured image: Los Angeles Times