Amid the daily dose of wins and losses, walk-offs and strikeouts, there’s one question in MLB that always sparks heated debate. Whether the Dodgers or the Yankees are ahead. Not just in the standings, but in reputation, clubhouse culture, and player appeal. It’s a question that never truly finds a final answer, and yet never loses its relevance. But what if the answer comes straight from the players themselves? Well, that poll has just been conducted.
Just ask who’s the better team, the Dodgers or the Yankees. And voila, you’ll set off hours of debate between fans and experts. But this time, we’re not here to debate. The votes are in. The players have spoken. And one team walks away with the crown as MLB’s most admired franchise, at least among those who play the game.
So, who is it? The Yankees, with their 27 World Series titles? Or the powerhouse Dodgers, with their star-studded roster and current dominance?
Each year, the Athletic conducts its much-anticipated anonymous MLB player poll, managed by insiders Levi Weaver and Ken Rosenthal. This time, the first question in the poll cut right to the core: Which organizations have a good or bad reputation among players?
And the results? The Dodgers came out shining, with a practically spotless reputation. They received a staggering 82 good votes and zero bad votes. Yes, you heard that right. None of the players, who participated in the poll, found anything negative about the Dodgers. So, players want to be Dodgers, plain and simple.
Well, that’s not a surprising result, considering how the Dodgers have been flexing their financial muscle for the last few years. “Teams that want to win, they give everything to the players,” one respondent said. That’s enough for the players to choose the Dodgers over others.
But what’s surprising is how far behind the Yankees fell in comparison. Notably, the Bronx Bombers came in second, but with just 40 good votes and 3 bad votes. You can see that’s nearly half the praise the Dodgers got. Also, not quite the spotless image you might have expected from MLB’s most iconic franchise.
So, the verdict is clear! The Dodgers are currently ruling the hearts and minds of the players. Yankees? Not quite. Interestingly, while the Braves and Cubs got fewer good votes compared to the Yankees, they got no bad votes. So, that’s something for the Yankees’ front office to work on.
But what are the Dodgers doing different?
The Dodgers are here to alter the status quo
It’s not just the financial strength that’s helping the Dodgers get the players’ vote. Shohei Ohtani, despite having a $700 million contract, will get only $2 million annually for the first 10 years. A significant amount of his contract is deferred for later. So, hoping to play for the Dodgers is not all about money. It’s just the tip of the iceberg.
What’s special about the Dodgers is how they spend big spending with elite player development. Most teams either trade talent or build from within. But the Dodgers? They do both.
You can see how they signed superstars like Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Shohei Ohtani, while developing homegrown names like Walker Buehler, Will Smith, and Gavin Lux. It’s the balance that gives them both star power and depth.
The next in line is their technological edge. For starters, the Dodgers were also among the first teams to fully embrace technology and analytics at a scale previously unseen in baseball. This includes using high-speed cameras, biomechanics labs, and advanced data tracking to optimize performance and recovery. They even hired data scientists, engineers, and experts from the tech world to give their players a competitive edge.
“We want to at least strive to be at the cutting edge of what technology is — either has been introduced into baseball or what’s coming next,” said David Hill, the Dodgers’ director of performance innovation laboratory.
In short, the Dodgers are altering the status quo in MLB. Till the time other teams get on par with them, the poll results will not likely change.
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