The MLB season is finally underway after a long-awaited return. Every year, there are power rankings for each team in the league, which are often subjective.

To combat this, let’s look at the preseason over/under win totals to determine which teams are overachieving or underachieving thus far. It’s too early for drastic predictions, but some teams are on the lookout, for better and for worse.

Overachieving: Cincinnati Reds, O/U wins: 80.5

The Reds have gotten off to a blazing start this year. This one was out of the blue, even though they reached the playoffs last season.

Star shortstop Elly De La Cruz had a down year last season, and his strikeout rate has been a problem his entire career. Additionally, the team’s No.1 pitcher, Hunter Greene, will be sidelined until July after surgery for an elbow injury.

That hasn’t seemed to slow them down. Cincinnati is 9-7, and a huge reason why is their pitching. Chase Burns, the second overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, has started two games and dominated. He’s pitched 16 innings and only given up six earned runs while also recording 18 strikeouts. 

Third baseman Sal Stewart has been mashing the ball, as he possesses 17 hits to lead the team, along with a 1.035 OPS.

Underachieving: Boston Red Sox, O/U wins: 87.5

Boston is a really talented team. With four top young outfielders — Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela — and a pitching staff that includes Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez, this team was supposed to make noise.

They haven’t. The pitching staff has an ERA of 3.90 and a WHIP of 1.9. The team’s OPS up to this point is .652, which is not ideal. They currently stand at 6-9.

It’s a shame that Abreu is the only one who is putting up great numbers, especially considering how high the expectations on the other three outfielders are.