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Rankings can’t ever be perfect. But who predicted the Braves to win it all last year, honestly? The folks at Sony San Diego have done the work, rated every player, examined every batting stance, and copied down every throwing motion, so their heavily-informed opinions manifested in MLB The Show 22’s rankings deserve a good deal of merit.
Updated on July 13th, 2022 by Hodey Johns: This list first came out before the season started. All-Star week marks the halfway point of the season. So, how did the analysts do? Of course, nobody is perfect. Some teams that were expected to do poorly ended up putting together a fantastic first half, so they needed to be added to the list. Others that were well-hyped didn’t quite hit the expectations of the experts, so they had to be dropped. A hot or a cold streak could see even the worst team make the list or the number one ranked team fall out of favor entirely. This is how things have shaken out so far.
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15 Milwaukee Brewers
Ranked as having the third-best pitching staff in the game, the Brewers give anybody who uses them a chance to win on any given day. They have four starters ranked 85+ in OVR and two relievers at 85+ OVR, one of which is Josh Hader, the game’s best closer right now.
Their defense, contact, and speed are all, frankly, terrible, but the Brewers play long ball with the best of them, ranked eighth in power. If players can get a couple of long balls, the team has a good chance to beat the best of the best. It’s a smart, underrated pick for playing against friends.
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13 Cleveland Guardians
Of the teams most improved from last season, few figured it would be the Cleveland Guardians pleasantly surprising their fan base. They quietly built a team that is competitive in most games, bolstered by an unlikely number two rank in speed.
Power hitters that rise in ranks rapidly in Road to the Show may want to add a long ball threat to this organization. Their power rating is not good and it may be the only problem that keeps them out of the playoffs.
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10 Chicago White Sox
How’s this for well-rounded? Every starting player on the White Sox is ranked 72 OVR or better. Four of their starting pitchers are in the 80s. And then they’ve got Liam Hendriks, one of the best relievers around, to shut to door on opponents.
The White Sox are still ranked this high in the face of their sub-.500 record. Many are calling for the manager’s job with all the talent going to waste. If things don’t turn around soon, the White Sox may fall further down this list.
9 San Diego Padres
Last season was supposed to be the year of the Padres as they went into it ranked first. Things didn’t pan out and the team had a disappointing finish to a lackluster season. There didn’t appear to be much of a reason this season would be better.
It’s become apparent that this squad just needed time to work out their differences and function together. Despite middling rankings in about every category, the Padres are a winning team that could seek at least a WIld Card slot.
8 Atlanta Braves
The ratings folks at Sony San Diego brutalized the Braves to start the season, ranking them as not just below average, but downright bad in speed, defense, and contact. Keep in mind, this is the same team that won the World Series last year.
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It turns out they were too savage on the defending champs. They’ve since corrected this mistake. Aside from defense, everything is ranked eighth or better. They still have Ronald Acuna Jr who was stamped with a legendary 99 OVR and is easily one of the best players in the game.
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5 Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays have put themselves in a fantastic situation to make this year special. The highest-rated player on the team is Vladimir Guerrero Jr, 2021’s home run leader and Silver Slugger recipient. People are debating whether it’s bad luck or mismanaged talent holding them back.
Despite ranking in the top ten in every category, the team is only a few games above .500 and struggling to put complete games together. They are still ranked fifth, but that’s been quite the fall from second, where they started the season.
4 Houston Astros
Last year was considered something of a finale for the Astros squad, who couldn’t quite top the cinderella Braves from their unlikely destiny in the World Series. With so many contracts expiring, it seemed like the end of an era for Houston fans. However, many of the old faces surprisingly returned for another go at an additional title.
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They may just get that title. They have an impressive win total. Their speed and defense have faltered slightly, but they’ve made up for it by improving their ratings in power and pitching, the core categories for any team bent on winning a championship.
3 New York Mets
If baseball were like football and it all came down to winning a single game, the New York Mets might be ranked first instead of fourth. Power, defense, and speed are all in the sub-average area, but with the second-highest contact rating, they will pester opposing pitchers out of the game early.
The Mets came out of the gates quickly. This team could be even better once their 99 OVR pitcher Jacob deGrom comes back from injury. Even without him, the pitching staff is ranked second among all ballclubs.
2 New York Yankees
The Yankees have put together a season for the ages so far, on pace to break the single-season win record in Major League Baseball. It’s reasonable for Yankees fans to be infuriated that they don’t top this list, considering the team could end up topping some all-time lists by the time the season ends.
Their contact is below average and speed is abysmal, but that’s not what players need when they choose the Yankees. They’re first in pitching and power. They understand how to smash home runs. When it comes to modern-day metrics, these are about the only things that the analysts care about.
1 Los Angeles Dodgers
With a budget of four times that of some other MLB ballclubs, the Dodgers stand as a giant in the league. They met a David and Goliath style ending last year against the Braves, but they’ll be back this year and they’re still going to be the lone team with a target on their backs.
The Dodgers were atop this list to start the year. They no longer are first in what seems like every category, but they are no lower than sixth in any of them either. Complete teams, especially ones with this kind of star power, are always threatening to win it all.
MLB The Show 22 is available now for Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PlayStation 5.
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