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MLB Power Rankings: Which clubs are the greatest at overcoming sluggish starts, and the Dodgers retake their top spot

The Padres, Mets, and Cubs are still pushing the Dodgers, who have regained their lead.

Early in the Major League Baseball season, it's easy to feel like you've been sitting around all winter and then getting ready for the new season to finally start. In other words, all of the emotions are extremely elevated in the beginning, making it very simple to overreact. After months of missing baseball, you finally got excited and watched your team begin the first few games of the season. Yes, it's a huge disappointment.

I experienced that. Putting on my analyst hat and telling everyone to calm down is simple. I'll admit, though, that I was kind of freaking out inside when the Cubs dropped to 1-3. That sweeping, "I'm sure glad I was excited for this nonsense" emotion was all over me. Even though it's still very early, they currently lead by several games in first position.

A number of other teams had a poor start and have since recovered, saving the spirits of their once-depressed ardent supporters.

With a dismal 0–7 start, the Braves truly blew it for themselves. Their 5-13 record wasn't much better, but they pulled off nine victories in 11 games to get within one game of.500. Even if there is still plenty of time and skill to qualify for the playoffs, the fans must have been devastated by the team's 0–7 start to the season.

The Reds dropped four straight games to drop to 2-6, including three straight 1-0 losses, but no team that was predicted to compete dug a hole for themselves as much as the Braves did. The Reds have been more disappointing than not for a long time, so that must be awful to watch. The image of a group of people yelling in exasperation because "it was supposed to be different with Terry Francona!" comes to mind. Since then, it has been. The Reds won 11 of 17 during a run that put them above.500.

The Guardians of the American League team had to begin with a nine-game road journey before they could return home. Their score was 3-6. That's difficult. However, they are still competitive in the AL Central after winning 11 of their next 14. Naturally, the Tigers, who were swept at the beginning of the season, are the leaders in that division. Starting the season 0-3 and then 2-4 must have been at least a little annoying after that incredible playoff run. Since then, they have been outstanding.

But since they woke up, the Seattle Mariners have arguably been the best baseball team. The Mariners dropped to 4-8 on the season after losing a 12-inning game on April 8. Since then, they have a +43 run differential and a 16-5 record, which is the greatest record in baseball during that time.

A lot of people have come to believe that the Mariners are a low-scoring team that relies largely on their pitching staff. After all, that's how the Seattle ballpark operates. Additionally, they have an excellent rotation. And perhaps the best reliever in baseball this season has been closer Andrés Muñoz.

But the Mariners can rake. When adjusted for ballpark conditions, the offense is among the greatest in baseball. The Yankees, Dodgers, and Cubs are the only three clubs with more home runs. In terms of on-base percentage, the Mariners are ranked second in the big leagues. They are able to rank fifth in OPS because they are even among the top 10 in slugging. They also play half of their games in a pitcher's paradise, so the ballpark-adjusted stats are quite helpful. With an OPS+ of 126, the squad is second only to the Yankees, who, incidentally, have Aaron Judge as a cheat code. The Mariners are also in second place at 125 if you choose weighted runs created plus (WRC+).

In essence, the Mariners have outperformed the average club by around 25% this season when taking into account the hitting situations.