1 Thing We've Learned About Every MLB Team So Far
The 2026 MLB season has been going on for three weeks now, which means it's that much closer to getting out of small-sample-size territory.
So, what have we learned so far?
It's always a salient question. The best way to answer it in this case is to apply it to all 30 teams individually. We've learned a lot about all of them, of course, but the idea here is to drill down to the one thing that really matters.
We'll go division by division, starting in the American League East and ending in the National League West.
American League East
1 of 6
Baltimore Orioles: $155M Doesn't Buy Instant Gratification
Record: 9-8
The Orioles are off to a solid enough start, but the same can't really be said of their $155 million investment in Pete Alonso.
He's heating up a bit after multi-hit games on Sunday and Monday, but is still batting just .206 with two home runs. The O's are expecting a lot more than that. It'll indeed take a lot more for Alonso to avoid becoming their second infamous slugging free-agent signee.
Boston Red Sox: Roman Anthony Isn't a Finished Product Yet
Record: 6-11
Though he's hardly the only Red Sox hitter with a cold bat, Anthony's totals through 16 games (i.e., .699 OPS, 1 HR) just hit different. And even if the 21-year-old gets his bat going, his throwing represents another problem to be solved.
In all, the supposed savior of the Red Sox is really going through it. Perhaps there's something to the notion that he was tasked with too much, too soon.
New York Yankees: They're Lopsided in an Unexpected Way
Record: 9-8
The Yankees are running it back with the same offense that led MLB in scoring last year, but it's had some malfunctions early on. Most notably, a .211 batting average that ranks among the worst in MLB.
Their saving grace has been a starting rotation with a 2.90 ERA. That's still without Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt, so it's possible that this is actually a sustainable level of performance.
Tampa Bay Rays: Chandler Simpson Is a Problem
Record: 9-7
Lest there be any doubt that Simpson is the fastest player in MLB, he's the only one who takes less than 4.16 seconds to get from home to first. And he does it in 3.95 seconds.
What we're finding out now is that he can also hit, as he leads MLB with a .407 average. He's also struck out only three times in 64 plate appearances! His speed plus that contact is a nightmare for the opposition.
Toronto Blue Jays: You Really Can Never Have Enough Pitching
Record: 7-9
Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease are doing their part, combining for a 2.68 ERA over seven starts. And yet, Toronto's rotation as a whole has a 5.21 ERA.
Injuries can have that sort of effect, especially when a team has as many as the Blue Jays. Trey Yesavage and Shane Bieber, especially, can't return to the rotation soon enough.
American League Central
2 of 6
Chicago White Sox: Munetaka Murakami Is as Advertised
Record: 6-11
On the one hand, there's the prodigious power. Murakami has homered five times already, and all five of them have been crushed to various degrees.
On the other hand, there's also all the swing-and-miss. Murakami has fanned 22 times in 70 plate appearances, with whiff rates of over 50 percent on breaking and offspeed pitches.
Cleveland Guardians: They Finally Have a Powerful Outfielder
Record: 10-8
The Guardians haven't had an outfielder top 25 home runs in a season since Grady Sizemore in 2008. Now that the Giants finally have a 30-homer hitter again, it might be the most notable home run drought in MLB.
Finally, Chase DeLauter might just be the guy for Cleveland. Even if he's only homered once since then, he went deep four times in the Guardians' first three games in Seattle.
Detroit Tigers: Kevin McGonigle Is the Real Deal
Record: 8-9
The Tigers have made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, but their offense has basically lacked a counterweight for Tarik Skubal in the rotation. Not just a guy, but the guy.
McGonigle sure looks equal to the task. He began the season as B/R's No. 1 prospect, and has made good on the hype by batting .311 with eight extra-base hits in 17 games. He also has more walks than strikeouts.
Kansas City Royals: Maikel Garcia Doesn't Want to Be Underrated
Record: 7-10
Bobby Witt Jr. is the center of gravity on the Royals, but Maikel Garcia wasn't far off in his own right last year. He quietly tallied 5.8 rWAR, putting him just 1.3 off Witt's pace.
Now, he seems ready for a proper breakout in 2026. His OPS+ is up from 122 to 135, with outstanding metrics across the board. And all this while still playing elite defense at the hot corner.
Minnesota Twins: You Really Can't Predict Baseball
Record: 11-7
After blowing things up at last year's trade deadline, the Twins were supposed to be a lost cause in 2026. Instead, they have the most wins of any team in the American League, with the second-most runs to boot.
All this is happening despite a muted start by Byron Buxton, which has cleared the way for others to have the spotlight. Most notably, Austin Martin by way of a .489 OBP.
American League West
3 of 6
Athletics: Their Pitching Is… Good?
Record: 9-8
Well, maybe "good" isn't the right word. The A's pitching is probably better described as "competent," with its 4.23 ERA translating to a solid, but not exceptional ERA+ of 109.
It might as well be a major improvement. The A's had a 4.70 ERA last year that ultimately led to them allowing more runs than all but three other teams.
Houston Astros: They're in Trouble
Record: 7-11
The Astros went into Tuesday having lost eight games in a row. That might not even be the least of their worries. They're practically bleeding healthy players, particularly on the mound.
It's still early, and this is not the first time in recent history that the Astros have gotten off to a slow start. But in the context of the injuries and the diminishing returns of recent seasons, it feels for real.
Los Angeles Angels: José Soriano Is Terrifying
Record: 9-9
Seriously, he's made four starts and pitched 27.0 innings. Opposing hitters have only managed nine hits and one run against him. He's struck out 31, to boot.
The high-90s heat has always been there, but he's just mixing it up more between his sinker and four-seamer this year. He's also making hitters watch out for a splitter that has become a second whiff pitch in tandem with his knuckle-curveball.
Seattle Mariners: Yup, Still a Pitching Factory
Record: 8-10
The Mariners got off to a brutal 4-9 start. The only reason it wasn't worse was that their pitching carried them. And so it goes, as it has the best ERA in the American League at 3.02.
The usual suspects are doing their thing, but so are unusual suspects like Emerson Hancock, Jose A. Ferrer and Casey Legumina. It's as if there's a reason that only two teams have allowed fewer runs since 2022.
Texas Rangers: They're Winning the Brandon Nimmo Trade
Record: 9-8
Honestly, it's not even close so far:
Where the Rangers are concerned, just as important is that Nimmo is driving a much-improved offense that, in turn, has been driving a promising start to the season.
National League East
4 of 6
Atlanta Braves: Pitching Injuries Haven't Hurt Them (Yet)
Record: 11-7
On vibes alone, the pitching injuries the Braves sustained during spring training were a five-alarm fire. And yet, there they are at the top of the MLB leaderboard with a 2.93 ERA.
It probably isn't sustainable, but Chris Sale deserves his flowers as a carrying ace. Even at 37 years old, he's still pumping mid-to-high 90s fastballs and giving the Braves six strong innings pretty much every time out.
Miami Marlins: Sandy Alcantara Is Back
Record: 9-9
In 2025, Alcantara was merely back healthy. Now he's properly back in 2026, and indeed looking a lot like his 2022 NL Cy Young Award-winning self via a 2.67 ERA and 30.1 innings through four starts.
There is the question of how long the Marlins can avoid trading him at this rate. But if he keeps their record around or above .500 every fifth day, it'll be hard to do so.
New York Mets: The Pivot Is Not Working
Record: 7-11
For real, things are getting ugly in Queens. The last thing the Mets needed was an early seven-game losing streak, much less an injury to Juan Soto and slow starts by three new hitters: Bo Bichette, Jorge Polanco and Marcus Semien.
The run prevention has been decent enough, which one supposes is a hit on a key promise. But with the Mets scoring only 3.5 runs per game, it's all going to waste for the time being.
Philadelphia Phillies: Cristopher Sánchez Does Have Another Level
Record: 8-9
It's been a weird start to the year for the Phillies, but one silver lining concerns money well spent. Kyle Schwarber and JT Realmuto are off to hot starts after re-signing as free agents, while Sánchez's second extension is off to a roaring start.
He's posting a 2.01 ERA through four starts, with a much higher strikeout rate (32.6 percent) than he had last year. He's somehow turned his changeup into even more of a weapon than it was before.
Washington Nationals: They Can Hit, At Least
Record: 8-9
Bluntly, their pitching is garbage. They're fourth from the bottom in strikeouts and first in home runs, so it's no wonder they have allowed an NL-high 108 runs.
Still, who had this team ranking third in runs at this point in the season? Probably nobody, as it largely speaks to how much James Wood (.971 OPS, 5 HR) and CJ Abrams (1.121 OPS, 6 HR) have locked in early on.
National League Central
5 of 6
Chicago Cubs: The Rotation Is Already a Bigger Question
Record: 8-9
This is to imply that the strength of the rotation was always a question the Cubs would have to answer this year. And now, even more so after injuries to Matthew Boyd and Cade Horton.
Boyd will be back soon, but Horton is done for the rest of this year after having elbow surgery. What starters Chicago does have are only rocking a 3.95 ERA in the meantime, so it's already time to be working the phones.
Cincinnati Reds: Sal Stewart Just Plain Rakes
Record: 10-7
It's also nice to see Elly De La Cruz wielding a hot bat after he played hurt in 2025, but Stewart is the big story in Cincinnati's lineup. The rookie is slashing an eye-popping .310/.431/.638 with five home runs.
His barrel rate is in the 95th percentile, so the power is clearly real. Yet even that doesn't fully distract from the sharpness of his approach, as Stewart has thus far walked three more times than he has struck out.
Milwaukee Brewers: Brice Turang Isn't Done Yet
Record: 8-8
The Brewers have been a little all over the place early on, yet Turang hasn't merely picked up where he left off in the second half of last year. He's improved on it.
Whereas he "only" had a .916 OPS after the break last year, now his OPS is at 1.050 with three home runs and six stolen bases. It all points to an increasingly strong claim as the best second baseman in MLB.
Pittsburgh Pirates: They Don't Need Konnor Griffin to Contend
Record: 10-7
The Pirates have given Griffin both a shot in the majors and a $140 million contract, yet it's important to remember that he's still only 19 years old. He has looked a little overwhelmed, going just 7-for-37 through 11 games.
On the plus side, the Bucs are in first place anyway. As much as Griffin is the center of attention right now, Paul Skenes is now just one part of a strong pitching staff as Oneil Cruz, Brandon Lowe, Bryan Reynolds and Ryan O'Hearn are all raking.
St. Louis Cardinals: Jordan Walker Has Finally Found It
Record: 9-8
Walker began this year with -2.6 rWAR to show for his MLB career. But that already looks like ancient history, as he has a 1.120 OPS to go with a league-leading eight home runs.
The ability to barrel the ball was always there for Walker. What we're seeing in 2026 is a dramatic improvement in consistency at doing so, as only Aaron Judge and Mike Trout have more actual barrels than Walker's 11.
National League West
6 of 6
Arizona Diamondbacks: Corbin Carroll Needs Help
Record: 10-8
Carroll had a huge season in his fourth year as a major leaguer last season. He's threatening to do even better in 2026. He's rocking a .958 OPS with nine extra-base hits through 16 games.
The whole D-backs offense, though, only has a .674 OPS. There hasn't been much help from Ketel Marte or Geraldo Perdomo, though the former is heating up with three home runs in his last three games.
Colorado Rockies: What a Turnaround on the Mound
Record: 6-11
The Rockies aren't a good team, but seeing them with a 4.16 ERA is frankly shocking. Though it's not a good ERA in a vacuum, it translates to a 114 ERA+. That is currently the best mark the franchise has ever achieved.
Coors Field is still Coors Field, so this is a "cross your fingers" situation for Rockies fans. But it's also early bragging rights for Paul DePodesta, whose emphasis on Rockies pitchers having a competitive mentality seems to be working.
Los Angeles Dodgers: The Bats Are Keeping Them Hot
Record: 13-4
It's early yet, but the Dodgers already have pitching questions again. Blake Snell is hurt. Roki Sasaki can't throw strikes. Edwin Díaz can't throw hard. And on it goes, really.
And yet, they have a 138 OPS+ as a team, even with Mookie Betts out of action with an oblique strain. Shohei Ohtani (.910 OPS, 5 HR) is doing his thing, while Andy Pages (1.131 OPS, 5 HR, 1.5 rWAR) might be the best player in MLB right now.
San Diego Padres: You Don't Want to Trail Them Late
Record: 11-6
The Padres bullpen has a relatively modest 3.00 ERA, but pay that no mind. What matters is that the back end of their relief corps is pretty much "game over" for opposing hitters.
Mason Miller, David Morgan and Bradgley Rodriguez have combined to allow one earned run over 28.0 innings. Miller has fanned 20 of the 27 batters he's faced. He is generally as unhittable right now as any pitcher has ever been.
San Francisco Giants: This Needed to Work (and It's Not)
Record: 6-11
Buster Posey as president of baseball operations? The Willy Adames signing? The Rafael Devers trade? Tony Vitello as manager? Yeah, the Giants are totally in a "screw it, just go for it" phase.
Unfortunately, it didn't work in 2025. It's not working in 2026 either. Stars like Devers and Logan Webb have gotten off to slow starts. Vitello's lack of MLB experience is looking like a problem, not a solution.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
