Atlanta Braves (Michael Harris II, Spencer Strider, Jarred Kelenic, Bryce Elder)

Had we done this exercise in the preseason, Atlanta probably ranks in the top five. But with Strider done for the year and both Kelenic and Elder struggling to establish themselves as valuable assets this season, the young core isn't anywhere near as strong as it once seemed. (That said, Ronald Acuña Jr. is 26 and both Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley are in their age-27 seasons, so Atlanta isn't exactly nearing the end of its window as a contender. Those guys just don't meet the "young core" qualifications anymore.)

Boston Red Sox (Wilyer Abreu, Brayan Bello, Triston Casas, Ceddanne Rafaela)

A strong ABC trio in Abreu, Bello and Casas, but the lack of a solid fourth member keeps Boston outside the top 10. Perhaps either Rafaela or Vaughn Grissom will take a big step forward as the season progresses.

Detroit Tigers (Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, Reese Olson, Wenceel Pérez)

Greene has been great when healthy. Torkelson hasn't been homering this season, but he clubbed 31 last year. Olson has been impressive on the mound since making his debut last season. And Pérez's near-.300 batting average has been a pleasant surprise. But with both Colt Keith and Parker Meadows painfully underperforming, it just feels like something is lacking from this young core. The Tigers almost made the cut even without those two included, though.

Los Angeles Angels (Reid Detmers, Nolan Schanuel, Zach Neto, Logan O'Hoppe)

Add José Soriano, Jo Adell, Chase Silseth and Ben Joyce to the list, and the Angels do have a little something something percolating down there in last place in the AL West. Unfortunately, their constant state of paying Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon more than $75 million combined per year to spend most of the season on the IL is holding them back.

Pittsburgh Pirates (Jared Jones, Oneil Cruz, Quinn Priester, Luis Ortiz)

Between Jones, Priester and now Paul Skenes, the future of Pittsburgh's starting rotation is quite bright. And with Oneil Cruz beginning to pick up where he left off prior to suffering that broken leg in April 2023, there's a solid core coming together in the lineup, too. Next season could be when the Pirates legitimately contend for the first time since 2015.

San Francisco Giants (Kyle Harrison, Patrick Bailey, Jung Hoo Lee, Marco Luciano)

Like the Red Sox, the Giants have a strong trio of young players in Harrison, Bailey and Lee, but a great big "patiently waiting" in the fourth spot, whether it's designated for Luciano, Luis Matos or Heliot Ramos.

Washington Nationals (CJ Abrams, Jacob Young, MacKenzie Gore, Luis García Jr.)

In addition to this quartet, Mitchell Parker has gotten out to an impressive start to his career in the rotation, Trey Lipscomb has been OK as the regular third baseman, Cade Cavalli might amount to something if he can ever get and stay healthy. And though he's struggling this season, Keibert Ruiz remains a solid long-term plan at catcher. Throw in top prospects James Wood and Dylan Crews, and the 2019 World Series champs may have reached the end of their rebuilding process.