So here is my first look at the 2026 season of baseball, after twenty games.
American League
Who’s in trouble? Really no one. Toronto being 5 games back in the NL East is the biggest gap, but really, anyone ripping off a series sweep and anyone losing a series changes the standing pretty significantly this early in the season.
Who’s looking good? I would not say anyone is looking “dominant” this early. The Rays 12-8 record looks good until you realize the Yankees also have 12 wins and the Orioles have 10. The AL West is looking like a bit of a fight right now- with A’s/Rangers/Angels all sporting 11 wins.
National League
Who’s in trouble? The Mets for sure. 7-14 is a horrible start, and sitting on a 10 game losing streak can really demoralize your efforts. The Rockies know all about that, sitting back at 7.5 games in the AL West, which would not be much better even if you took the Dodgers out of the mix. San Fransisco is not much better at 6.5 back. In all reality, however, no one is near “give up” stage as yet, but these teams will need to pick up the pace here in May to salvage their chances.
Who’s looking good? Atlanta. Best record in the league. Low key profile. Just like the 90’s teams- they are here to play baseball and they are playing it well. Cincinnati. Got let down last year, and looking apparently to avoid that fate this year. first place in the division and a .619 winning percentage is a great place to start. 3/5 of the NL West Teams. No one typically looks past the Dodgers but the Padres and the Diamondbacks are not slouching at this point.
Overall, the National League is stratifying a bit faster than the American, but again, with only 20 games in, it is hard to call anyone “out” at this point.
Bob’s Teams
Well, the Red Sox have yet to find a groove. not sure what to make of that, but the 6-4 last 10 games here gives some hope that things will start coming together soon. After they finish the Detroit series here, the rest of the month is AL East, so it is a bit of an early make or break moment for the team. May sees them play another AL East team only once.
As for the D-Backs, more of the same, please. The 2 game San Diego series on the 25/26 is a BIG series this early in the season, as I do not see San Diego fading, and wins here could be game changers in September.