ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — When spring training began last season, the computer models at Baseball Prospectus put Atlanta’s odds of winning the National League East at 20-to-1. Eight months later, the Braves were World Series champions. That’s not a knock on analytics, it’s a nod to unpredictability.
As much as advanced metrics have shaped the game in recent years, baseball is still a game played by people who surprise, disappoint, frustrate and invigorate us all on a daily basis across 162 games. So approach these 2022 rankings for exactly what they are worth. That is to say, nothing. At least not once the games begin.
30. Pittsburgh Pirates
