Although it’s the Blue Jays and the Dodgers who made it to the World Series, it was the Yankees’ roster that came out on top in one aspect. The Blue Jays beat the Yankees in the playoffs, and the Dodgers made it to the World Series final. But analytics paint a different picture of real talent. When the noise was removed from the batted ball data and only the talent was looked at, only one team stood on top of the mountain. It wasn’t the team that spent more than $300 million or made it to the World Series.

The annual batted ball-based true-talent rankings from Forbes gave a clear answer: the Yankees took the top spot in the top-team-true-talent-ranking, while the Dodgers had to settle for second place. New York’s dominance wasn’t just a symbol. With an MLB-best average exit velocity of 90.4 mph and a mind-boggling +99 home run differential, their offensive rating of 118.6 led all of baseball. Aaron Judge’s huge season was the main reason for this performance, which made him a strong candidate for AL MVP. The Yankees’ projected record of 101-61 was based on what their raw materials said they should have done, even though their actual record of 94-68 fell way short of the expectations.

The Dodgers’ payroll of more than $300 million couldn’t close the gap. Los Angeles had the third-best offensive rating (112.8) and the fourth-best pitching rating (91.9), but they struggled where it mattered most: team defense. They had the 19th-best defensive rating in baseball, which was a big problem that hurt their enormous investments in Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. After the All-Star break, the pitching staff did very well, going from 14th to fourth, but it wasn’t enough to beat the Yankees, who were great in every way.

It was even more frustrating for the Mets. Their 114.7 offensive rating was the second best in baseball, and only the Yankees hit the ball harder than New York’s 90.2 mph average exit velocity. But their terrible pitching (17th, 99.0 rating) and MLB’s worst defense (28th, 105.8 rating) wasted all that power. Pete Alonso’s 114.3 grounder defensive multiplier showed how hard the Mets were having in the infield, which is why they were the last team to be eliminated from the playoffs when they should have been in October.

The Dodgers might soon find out that rankings don’t mean much if the people who built their success leave. Now, their analytical dominance is up against a different kind of problem that money and exit velocity can’t fix.

Dodgers risk losing key coach to Braves in division shakeup

The Los Angeles Dodgers are at the top of the analytical rankings, but they might lose an important part of their coaching staff. The Atlanta Braves have been unusually quiet since Brian Snitker left as manager, even though the Giants, Angels, and Rangers all hired new managers. That quiet could mean that something big is happening behind the scenes.

Reports from MLB.com’s Mark Bowman and The Athletic’s David O’Brien say that Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann is a top candidate for the Atlanta managerial job. The connection goes beyond what they are interested in right now. Bowman talked about how deep the relationship was: “As for Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann, his candidacy has seemingly strengthened over the past couple of weeks. Lehmann was Los Angeles’ advance video scout when (Braves executive Alex) Anthopoulos was with the Dodgers from 2016-17. The two have remained in contact over the years that have followed.” 

Atlanta’s patience shows that they are planning ahead. The Braves might be putting off announcing because their top choice is still busy with postseason duties. His qualifications as a manager aren’t just ideas. When Dave Roberts went to his son’s graduation in May 2023, Lehmann stepped in and won his only game as fill-in manager, showing that he was ready for the job.

Lehmann’s journey from player to manager shows steady growth. He went back to Rice University after retiring from baseball in 2014 and then slogged his way up through the Dodgers’ system. Los Angeles is doing well under his watch, and Lehmann has made it clear that he wants to be in charge. The opening in Atlanta is the chance of a lifetime that he’s been preparing for.