The 2026 MLB season is underway, with teams ranked from worst to first after the first month. The N.L. Central division has been notably competitive, with all teams performing above .500.
Key points
2026 MLB season is in full gear
N.L. Central division teams are all over .500
New York Mets ranked 30th
All 30 MLB teams ranked
Competitive early season standings
New York MetsMLB2026 MLB season
The 2026 season is in full gear as all of baseball has completed the first furlong of the mile-long race that is the MLB schedule (thatâs 1/8th for those that donât enjoy watching the ponies run). Some of the struggling pre-season favorites have doubled down and gotten worse, while a number of pleasant surprises have stayed hot.
The N.L. Central division has been the most enjoyable to watch thus far, with all five teams playing over .500 ball, with 1st place and last separated by just a mere couple of games. While it wonât likely continue like this for the entire Summer, we can enjoy it while it lasts. Letâs jump in and see how all 30 teams rank after almost a month of baseball.
These guys were ranked in my top 5 just two weeks ago. Coincidentally, thatâs about when they won their last game. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong for the Metropolitans lately, and it feels like they are coming up with new ways to lose baseball games. Carlos Mendoza has to be on the hot seat and may not last much longer if the team doesnât turn things around. If youâre a Met fan looking for a silver lining, Juan Soto should be back in the lineup any day, while Francisco Lindor has strung together a few multi-hit games as he continues to build strength in his surgically repaired hand.
Noah Schultz and Sam Antonacci are up from the minors and will make things fun to watch for ChiSox fans this Summer, but the team is still a work in progress. Better days are ahead on the South Side of Chicago as is near a rehab assignment and could be back within a couple of weeks.
Q&A
Which MLB team is currently ranked last in the power rankings?
The New York Mets are currently ranked 30th in the power rankings.
What division has all teams playing over .500 in the 2026 MLB season?
The N.L. Central division has all five teams playing over .500 so far this season.
How many teams are included in the MLB power rankings for 2026?
All 30 MLB teams are included in the power rankings for the 2026 season.
What has been notable about the N.L. Central division in the 2026 MLB season?
The N.L. Central division is notable for having all teams closely competing, with only a couple of games separating 1st place from last.
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The Astros dropped in my rankings for the second week in a row as they continue to struggle with injuries to their pitching staff. Yordan Alvarez leads the league in homers, while leading this lineup in every major offensive category, so if they can get some semblance of steady pitching, things will get better. Spencer Arrighetti has joined the starting 5 and has looked pretty good, so thatâs a start.
#27: Colorado Rockies
Chase Dollander has been a bright spot in what has been an otherwise uninspiring pitching staff. Poor pitching is what weâve become accustomed to from the Rockies, so the bar isnât exactly high when we look for positive signs. After he struggled mightily at Coors in his rookie campaign, the team may have unlocked something by using him as a bulk reliever this year. Overall, the team is still losing more games than they win and doesnât figure to threaten the teams at the top of this division in the near future.
The offense is still scuffling as they return home after a recent road trip where they went 4-5. When you consider their home record, that was a breath of fresh air. Bryce Eldridge has been hot in AAA and could be up sooner rather than later to give the team some desperately needed thump in their lineup. At this point, itâs likely a service time issue that is keeping him in Sacramento.
The season didnât start well, and that was before Garrett Crochet started pitching like he has a case of Steve Blass disease. Itâs a little early to panic, but it may be the right time to feel a little queasy. The lineup and the pitching have been equally mediocre, as they rank in the bottom half of the league in runs scored as well as runs allowed.
Itâs not exactly a recipe for success. This weekend, they travel to Baltimore after they host the Yankees, so perhaps seeing their hated rivals in pinstripes will be the kickstart they need to get things going.
Since sweeping the Brewers over a week ago, things have stagnated in the Nationâs Capital as the team has basically lost two games for each game theyâve won recently. CJ Abrams and James Wood are leading the way for an offense ranked 4th in the league in runs scored, while pitchers like Miles Mikolas (9.15) and Zach Littell (7.11) anchor a pitching staff ranked 29th in both ERA and Batting Average Against.
Dropping 8 games in a row this early in the season tends to make a record look ugly, and the Royals are in dire need of a makeover right now. The offense is suffering due to slow starts from everybody, while Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha are doing their best to keep the pitching staff together despite Cole Ragansâ shaky performances in the early going. Manager Matt Quatraro just got the dreaded âvote of confidenceâ from GM, JJ Picollo, so heâll probably be fired within a week or two if things donât improve.
The Jays recently won two straight road games to improve their road record from abysmal to merely terrible. They will return North of the border this weekend after they finish on the West coast, and hopefully, they will start getting some of their walking wounded back soon. On the hitting side, George Springer should be first, followed by Addison Barger, while Alejandro Kirk will be a few more weeks.
The pitching staff will most likely be without Cody Ponce for the entire season, but Tre Yesavage and Jose Berrios have both begun rehab assignments and should join the team in fairly short order.
The NL East was supposed to be a three-team race between the Mets, Phils, and Braves. Somebody must have forgotten to tell everybody but the Braves. The Phils have been terrible in all facets of the game, ranking in the bottom-5 in most offensive and pitching categories as well as overall defense. To make matters worse, they just lost closer, Jhoan Duran, for at least 2 weeks with an oblique strain. Zach Wheeler is about to return, so all hope is not lost, but it feels like Joe Girardi was fired a few years ago for less than this.
#20: Los Angeles Angels
Jose Soriano is still shoving every single time he takes the mound, but that hasnât been quite enough as the Halos pitching staff ranks in the middle of the pack in ERA and WHIP. Mike Trout has done his part to keep the offense going, teasing us to think this might be the year he finally stays healthy, but the team just canât get out of second gear. They basically alternate wins and losses, which has kept them in the middle of an AL West division that is up for grabs, thanks to the slow starts by Seattle and Houston.
Who will we get to see this week? Will it be the Dr. Jeckyl or Mr. Hyde version of the Mariners (being honest, Iâm never sure which one is better when using this as a sports analogy). This team was swept by the Rangers but bounced back to sweep the Astros.
They promptly followed that up by being swept in San Diego by the Padres. The offense has shown some signs of life with Julio Rodriguez, Josh Naylor, and Cal Raleigh all starting to come alive, so itâs possible they have a big win streak coming.
The Orioles have had a rough stretch recently, losing 5 games over a 6-game span that sank them back behind the Yankees and Rays in the AL East. Jeremiah Jackson did all he could to keep the offense going, leading the team in total bases over the past week, but overall, the Baltimore lineup has struggled, scoring just 22 runs over the aforementioned 6-game stretch (3.67 runs per game).
#17: Miami Marlins
The Fish cooled off a bit after a nice run last week as they suffered a 4-game losing streak, dropping a pair to both the Brewers and Braves while allowing 6 runs per game. Kyle Stowers recently returned to a lineup that managed nicely in his absence, ranking in the top 10 in the league in Slug%, Batting Average, and On Base%. Hopefully, his addition can get them into the top 10 in runs scored as well.
The pitching staff has picked things up as Framber Valdez and Keider Montero have joined Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize in the run prevention party. The Tigers pitching staff had a recent stretch where they allowed 2 runs or less in 7 of 9 games, which has fueled their recent surge in the standings. This is a team on the rise, and they very well could find themselves in the top 10 next week if they keep this up.
#15: St. Louis Cardinals
This is how well the NL Central is playing right now. The Cards rank the lowest of the 5 teams in my rankings this week, and they are still in the top half of the league. Jordan Walker is teasing a potential MVP-caliber season, and Riley OâBrien is an early favorite to finish second to Mason Miller for the Trevor Hoffman Award. If the Cards can get steady starting pitching all year long like Dustin May has given them recently, this team may not go away.
The starting pitching may get a shot in the arm with Matthew Boyd set to return shortly. Colin Rea has done a solid job offsetting the loss of Cade Horton and should continue to hold a spot in the rotation, at least until Justin Steele makes it back from TJS. Caleb Thielbar and Ben Brown will have to hold down the back end of the bullpen while Danny Palencia is on the shelf with an oblique strain, joining both Hunter Harvey and Phil Maton on the IL.
Corbin Carroll looks to be past his hamate bone injury, and Geraldo Perdomo has finally started heating up after a slow start. Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel should be back soon to give the offense an additional shot in the arm. The pitching staff has been up and down, but WBC heroes Mike Soroka and Eduardo Rodriguez lead the way with a combined 5 wins, 42 Ks, and a sub-3 ERA.
#12: Milwaukee Brewers
The Brew-crew is hanging tough in the AL Central thanks to a recent 4-game winning streak that helped offset a previous 6-game losing streak. A couple of surprise hitting stars in Gary Sanchez (5 HRs) and Garrett Mitchell (17 RBI) are leading the offense, while Jacob Misiorowski and Brandon Woodruff have led a rotation that should be getting Quinn Priester back in the near future.
The bullpen had a recent shakeup as Abner Uribe has slid into the closer role for a struggling Trevor Megill. Overall, the pen has pitched through a bunch of traffic with a team WHIP of 1.52, which ranks 26th overall in the league.
#11: The Athletics
Mark Kotsay has this team still hovering at the top of the AL West standings after a month, and they have to qualify as one of the biggest early surprises of the young season. When you consider that theyâve been able to have success without much of a contribution from Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker, or Jacob Wilson, itâs all the more impressive. Joel Kuhnel looks to have given Kotsay a stable option to close games, despite not having classic âcloser stuffâ.
The Rays were flying high after sweeping both the mighty Yankees and the less-than-mighty White Sox, but then had the misfortune of running into the NL Central. They are still nipping at the Yankeesâ heels thanks to the hot hitting of Chandler Simpson, Junior Caminero, and Yandy Diaz. Kevin Cash will have a challenge in patching the pitching staff together after losing both Ryan Pepiot and Joe Boyle, without overworking Shane McClanahan.
For now, he will be relying on 32-year-old journeyman Jesse Scholtens, along with swingmen-turned-starters Steven Matz and Nick Martinez, for key innings in Tampa.
Nothing says itâs early quite like ranking a .500 team inside the top 10. Things can change quickly from week to week, but I still believe this Texas team is the best team in this division. Their pitching staff is on par with Seattle and their lineup has the potential to be as potent as Houstonâs.
Cory Seager, Brandon Nimmo, Josh Jung, and Jake Burger have kept the team going while Wyatt Langford is still figuring things out. Evan Carter has a ton of talent, but he hasnât shown much yet. Overall, this entire division has struggled, but I think Texas has a chance to take it down as long as Jacob deGrom can stay upright.
The best starting pitching 1-2 punch in the league that nobody realizes exists is the duo of Gavin Williams and Parker Messick. They have combined for 6 wins in 9 starts with 65 Ks in 55.1 innings and microscopic ERA and WHIPs. Joey Cantillo hasnât exactly been a slouch either, as this pitching staff has carried the Guardiansâ lackluster offense.
Jose Ramirez is still one of the best hitters in the game and has been on a tear recently, but the rest of the lineup has been asleep. If you picked Brayan Rocchio to lead this team in batting average and RBI through the first month of the season, take a bow. Yet, they keep winning baseball games and continue to reside near the top of the standings in the AL Central.
The AL Central looks to be the exact three-team race many of us expected it to be, with the Twins, Guardians, and Tigers all lumped together at/near the top. The Twins offense hasnât hit their stride yet, aside from Josh Bell, who leads the team in Average, HR, and RBI.
Before we get too excited, he has all of 3 home runs, and heâs only batting around .265, so itâs more by default than anything else. Byron Buxton has heated up a bit over the past week or so, and I expect Luke Keaschall and Royce Lewis to join in as long as the trio can stay healthy. Easier said than done.
This is fun, isnât it? Even though this team has been alternating wins and losses over the past week, they are âmust-see TVâ whenever they play, thanks to a roster littered with exciting young talent. This is more than just Paul Skenes and Konnor Griffin.
The trio of Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler, and Carmen Mlodzinski are all No-Hitters waiting to happen every time they take the bump (if any of them could pitch more than 6 innings), and Mitch Keller has been stellar as the âveteranâ on the staff (he just turned 30). OâNeill Cruz looks like heâs putting it all together offensively, and the additions of Ryan OâHearn and Brandon Lowe have made this a formidable lineup.
#5: Cincinnati Reds
They clawed their way to the top of the Central, and although that is going to change on a daily basis, that makes them the best of the bunch in my book. At least, for this week. Sal Stewart is the early-season favorite to take down the NL Rookie of the Year, while Rhett Lowder and Chase Burns have held the pitching staff together while Nick Lodolo and Hunter Greene are out.
Lodolo is throwing simulated games and should be back soon as he works his way back from blister issues. Terry Francona has his team running hot as they began their latest road trip with a win streak that helped jump the other teams in what has been the best division in baseball in the early going.
#4: New York Yankees
Not much has changed at the top of my rankings this week as these teams have all kept winning baseball games. The Yankees woke up after a rough stretch and have ridden the hot bats of Ben Rice and Aaron Judge back to the top of the AL East. With Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole working their way back to this rotation, this team is going to have an embarrassment of riches along with some tough decisions to make.
The quintet of Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Ryan Weathers, Luis Gil, and Will Warren has this pitching staff ranked in the top 5 in Wins, ERA, WHIP, and Batting Average Against. Gil is an easy drop at the moment, but each of the other 4 have been stellar thus far.
Mason Miller is making a case to be the first relief pitcher since Willy Hernandez in 1984 to win both the Cy Young Award and the league MVP. Itâs always hard to say that a closer is the reason why a team is so successful, since he needs the team to already be winning before he comes in to shut the door, but Miller has been the best player in the game, hands down. The Padres have gone on a recent tear where theyâve won 11 of 12 games and sit with one of the best records in baseball. They arenât letting the Dodgers run away with the West quite yet.
A recent 6-game winning streak has the Braves separating from the pack a bit in the East. Bryce Elder and Chris Sale lead a pitching staff that leads the league in Wins, ERA, and WHIP. Drake Baldwin has been their offensive MVP and has cemented himself as one of baseballâs best catchers in just his second MLB campaign. The bullpen depth is going to be tested with Raisel Iglesias set to miss some time with a sore shoulder. Look for Robert Suarez to assume the closer role while Dylan Lee and Tyler Kinney step up to set him up.
#1: Los Angeles Dodgers
We finally have some concerns in La-La Land as Edwin Diaz will miss extended time after undergoing elbow surgery to clean up some loose bodies in his throwing arm. Alex Vesia, along with Tanner Scott, Jack Dreyer, and Blake Treinen will be handling the late innings until the trumpets are ready to blare again in Dodger Stadium.
Offensively, the team is so deep that the bottom of their lineup and bench are outperforming most other teamsâ entire offenses. Andy Pages, Max Muncy, and Dalton Rushing have been among the hottest bats in the league, carrying those other guys named Freeman, Ohtani, Hernandez, and Smith. They have been so hot that it has afforded Mookie Betts plenty of time to get fully healthy as he works his way back from a strained oblique. Until further notice, this is the best team in the game, by a pretty large margin.
