Every week, we ask a selected group of our baseball writers — local and national — to rank the teams from first to worst. Here are the collective results.At the quarter mark of the Major League Baseball regular season, we’ve seen enough to say some things definitively. For Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, slow starts were just that. Fernando Tatís Jr. may never homer again. And that Shohei Ohtani — the guy with 160 homers, a 1.020 OPS and three consecutive MVPs since the start of the 2023 season — can really pitch!By now, it’s also clear what each club is missing. Every team has a piece of the puzzle they’d really like back right now. Maybe it’s the one who got away in free agency or was shipped off in a regrettable trade. Maybe it’s an injured player. Maybe it’s a top prospect toiling at Triple A.In this week’s MLB Power Rankings, we’re bringing back the “Wish You Were Here” edition.Let’s dive in.Stats are through Monday morning unless otherwise noted.1. Atlanta Braves (Average ranking: 1.2)Record: 32-16
Last Power Ranking: 1Wish you were here: Spencer SchwellenbachFull disclosure: We had a whole paragraph here — and it was written real nice — about how, contrary to expectations, Atlanta’s only flaw to this point in the season was some offensive inconsistency. And thus, the player it really missed was Ronald Acuña Jr. And then, who was activated unexpectedly off the IL Monday? Ronald Acuña Jr. So we’re pivoting, because as surprisingly good and deep as Atlanta’s pitching staff has been to this point, Schwellenbach raises the ceiling, alongside Chris Sale and a looking-better Spencer Strider at the top of the rotation. — Tim Britton2. Los Angeles Dodgers (1.8 )Record: 29-19
