As the baseball season approaches, analysts reflect on their past rankings, emphasizing the significance of evaluating previous predictions not only for accuracy but also for the reasoning behind successes and failures. Key successes include Cole Ragans, who proved to be a valuable pick despite injury concerns, finishing as the 14th best starting pitcher while being drafted 28th. Chris Sale's strong performance marked a significant return to form, landing him as the 3rd best pitcher despite a preseason ranking of 25th. Shota Imanaga also exceeded expectations, finishing as the 6th best pitcher after being ranked 34th.

However, some analysts also faced notable disappointments. Luis Castillo was highly rated yet struggled, finishing 41st after a consensus top 10 preseason ranking. Similarly, Pablo Lopez and Zach Eflin fell short of high expectations, finishing 39th and 56th respectively. This introspection aims to enhance future rankings, highlighting the importance of recognizing talent over perceived safety, adjusting for small sample sizes, and being aware of pitchers allowing hard contact.