The Los Angeles Dodgers are showing why they are the favorite to win the World Series this year.
Even though it is spring training, the Dodgers’ offense has been elite.
After spending over $1 billion in free agency on hitters and pitchers, the Dodgers want to see those players produce on the field.
While the results in spring training are irrelevant, they can foreshadow how good a team will be this year.
So far the Dodgers seem to be living up to the hype.
According to Codify, the Dodgers have the top run differential in spring training by a wide margin.
Their +35 run differential is way ahead of the Orioles who are second with +17.
Spring training doesn't matter and here are the run differentials so far:
+35 LAD
+17 BAL
+15 TEX
+14 NYY
+13 COL
+12 KC
+11 LAA
+10 BOS
+8 PIT
+6 CIN
+4 OAK WSH
+3 ATL PHI
+2 HOU NYM
0 CHC
-1 SF
-3 STL
-4 SD
-5 ARI
-9 DET MIA
-10 TB
-14 CLE
-15 MIN
-17 TOR
-23 MIL SEA
-26 CWS— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) March 6, 2024
It would be best if fans did not put too much weight into the run differential of each team.
But, seeing how some of the players are performing can be important.
For instance, Shohei Ohtani looks right at home in Dodger-blue this spring.
He has taken 10 at-bats so far, batting .500 with one home run, five RBI, and 10 total bases.
Even though Ohtani will be unable to pitch this upcoming season, he should still be one of the best hitters in baseball.
Hitting in the heart of that Dodgers lineup should set him up for a career year.
Over the past few seasons, the Dodgers have been the best regular-season team in the league.
But, they completely fall apart in the playoffs.
For all of the money they spent this offseason to be worth it, they need to make an appearance in the World Series.
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