It’s Week 2 of the 2026 MLB season, and while there’s a lot that has gone how we’d expect it to — the Dodgers and Yankees are holding strong atop the majors — there have been quite a few surprises, too.
Did you expect to see Colorado at the bottom of the standings with the worst record in baseball? Think again! That spot is currently held by Seattle, which entered the season with championship hopes but has struggled out of the gate. Boston also has one of the league’s worst records in the early days, dropping eight spots to No. 20 on our list.
The Red Sox are one of our biggest movers from last week to this one, along with Pittsburgh. The Pirates jumped nine spots up to No. 13 as they saw top prospect Konnor Griffin join the team and make an immediate impact in his first major league games.
Our expert panel has ranked every team based on a combination of what we’ve seen so far and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season. We also asked ESPN MLB experts Jorge Castillo, David Schoenfield and Jesse Rogers to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.
Losing Cade Horton for the season is a huge blow. The Cubs can replace the innings but not the production as the righty was an emerging ace but injury issues have plagued his career to this point. So where do they go from here? Javier Assad will take Horton’s place, and Justin Steele’s return from surgery is on the horizon as well. Chicago can make up for Horton’s loss, but it simply won’t be easy. The addition of Edward Cabrera — he has given up two hits in two starts — looms large. He might be the ace of this staff in short order. — Rogers
Terry Francona claimed his team would be fine after losing Hunter Greene to a spring injury, and so far, he’s being proved right as the Reds are pitching as well as anyone in the majors. Chase Burns is living up to his hype, giving up just a single run over his first two outings, and the same can be said of Rhett Lowder, who has given up only two runs. Andrew Abbott has also been good — the trio is keeping the Reds in games and near the top of the standings. Cincinnati’s rotation ERA ranks in the top five of the majors without Greene. That’s among the most impressive storylines in the game early on. — Rogers
The season is just two weeks old and Toronto’s injured list is already perilously long. It includes five starting pitchers (Bowden Francis, Cody Ponce, Jose Berrios, Trey Yesavage and Shane Bieber), three every-day players (Anthony Santander, Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger) and an important reliever (Yimi Garcia). Francis (elbow) and Ponce (knee) are out for the season. Santander (shoulder) might be. Kirk (thumb) and Barger (ankle) were the latest additions. Kirk, one of baseball’s top catchers, is expected to miss six weeks after undergoing surgery on his left thumb. It’s a significant setback for the Blue Jays, whose AL East title defense will be far more challenging than expected. — Castillo
Let’s examine Konnor Griffin’s first few days in the big leagues. He started out with a bang, driving in a run with a double in his first MLB plate appearance. But then he cooled off, reaching base just once in the next four games until a two-hit game on Tuesday. He’s seeing mostly fastballs, going 1-for-9 in at-bats that ended in a two- or four-seamer. All in all, he has been OK so far, drawing a couple of walks along the way. The Pirates are doing the right thing by hitting him low in the lineup. The production will come soon enough. — Rogers
If last season and this year’s World Baseball Classic somehow didn’t convince you, Maikel Garcia is proving again that he is the real deal. The 2025 All-Star and WBC MVP is off to a roaring start this season, slashing .304/.377/.457 with a 146 OPS+ in 12 games. Since the beginning of last season, his 6.4 fWAR is tied with Jose Ramirez for tops among major league third basemen. Garcia’s wRC+ is tied for fifth with Eugenio Suarez and his .803 OPS is fifth. Garcia is leaving little doubt that he belongs among the game’s elite. — Castillo
Mason Miller is picking up where he left off last season, striking out a whopping 13 hitters in his first 5⅓ innings pitched this year. He’s also 4-for-4 in saves while giving up just a single hit and walk so far. Oh, and his fastball is averaging 101.2 mph. Yes, it’s become the norm for him, but it’s still a feat we should marvel at: There is actually a pitcher in MLB consistently throwing over 100 mph — and it’s not a novelty like it used to be. San Diego can stay in the race with a great bullpen — there are other parts of the team that can be exposed, but not when the ninth inning arrives. Miller is the best in the game in those moments. — Rogers
Sandy Alcantara was two outs away from a second consecutive nine-inning complete game Tuesday — which, believe it or not, no pitcher has done since Corey Kluber in 2017. Unfortunately, the tying run scored off a wild pitch from Anthony Bender and then the Marlins lost the game in 10 innings. One of the more interesting subplots of the early season is the Marlins calling pitches from the bench. With Alcantara leading the way (just 10 hits in 24⅓ innings), the pitching staff has allowed a .195 average and .605 OPS through their first 12 games, although they’re averaging more than four walks per innings. — Schoenfield
Eduardo Rodriguez is picking up where he left off in the WBC. He hasn’t given up a run over two starts for Arizona while compiling an 0.92 WHIP and .186 batting average against in the early going. His fastball/changeup combination has been phenomenal so far, especially the latter pitch, which produced a .304 batting average against just last season. So far, hitters are just 3-for-20 in at-bats ending in a changeup — and all three hits were singles. Rodriguez’s start bodes well for a team that needs its starters to give it length this year. — Rogers
Not often do you see Tarik Skubal outdueled, but Taj Bradley pulled it off Tuesday in the Twins’ win over the Tigers. The right-hander allowed one run over 6⅓ innings with 10 strikes and zero walks while Skubal gave up four runs over 4⅔ innings. A former top prospect, Bradley was acquired for reliever Griffin Jax in a trade with the Rays at the deadline last summer. He’s tapping into that potential this season, holding opponents to two runs over 16⅔ innings for a Twins rotation that is without Pablo Lopez for the year. — Castillo
One smart thing the Nationals have done is go all-in on a young group of position players, with backup catcher Drew Millas the oldest at age 28. They’ve rolled the dice on former top prospects Joey Wiemer and Curtis Mead, picking up both for nothing. Jorbit Vivas is a player who had 64 walks and 45 strikeouts last year in Triple-A, worth a shot to see what he can do. Nasim Nunez is a plus defender. Daylen Lile has turned himself into an interesting player, and former first-round pick Brady House is still just 23 years old. If a couple of those guys can develop and join James Wood and CJ Abrams as core players, that’s a positive result for Washington. — Schoenfield
Shane Smith, Chicago’s only All-Star last season, was given the Opening Day nod this year. On Wednesday, after three rough outings, he was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. The right-hander gave up 12 runs (10 earned) across 8⅓ innings in those three starts. He had his best outing Tuesday against the Orioles, holding them to one hit and no runs with eight strikeouts, but he went just 3⅔ innings, threw 99 pitches and issued five walks. Ultimately, the White Sox decided it was best for him to regain his previous form in the minors. — Castillo
What other surprises have the first two weeks of the season brought?
What is going wrong with the Red Sox? (2:56)Jesse Rogers and Jorge Castillo talk about the MLB power rankings, including Boston’s terrible start and a strong start from the NL Central. (2:56)