David SchoenfieldApr 28, 2026, 07:00 AM ETCloseCovers MLB for ESPN.com Former deputy editor of Page 2 Been with ESPN.com since 1995Multiple Authors
We’re a month into the 2026 baseball season: Has anything happened yet? Oh, yes, my friends, a lot has happened.
The New York Mets lost 12 games in a row. The Philadelphia Phillies tried to match that and lost 10 in a row. The Boston Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora and five members of his coaching staff after their own bad start, prompting shortstop Trevor Story to wonder “what the true direction of the franchise is.”
Only two of those four players made our list of April All-Stars. Let’s pick an All-Star at each position along with one player to watch and an early disappointment.
Devers has started more games at first base than DH, so we’ll list him here — but his defense is, well, concerning enough that he’ll likely end up with more time at DH. That’s not the biggest problem, though: He’s hitting .216/.256/.306 with 36 strikeouts to just six walks. Last year, he drew 112 walks, nearly doubling his previous career high. This season, he’s on pace for 35. He has also had trouble catching up to fastballs. It’s like he has forgotten how to hit.
For $42 million, the Mets expected a lot more than an occasional single. Bichette is hitting .233/.268/.302 and he has looked that bad. He’s not running well at all, not barreling up anything and pounding everything into the ground. He’s also struggling against four-seam fastballs, hitting .148. It looks like there’s some bad luck cooked into his low average, but this could end up turning into one of the major blunders of the offseason.
Was the hype too much, too soon? Perhaps, but all the indicators pointed to a superstar hitter in the making. I still think he’ll get there, but the back issue that caused him to miss three games last week is a concern.
Cruz struggled in 2025. This season’s Opening Day looked more of the same, when he lost two fly balls in the sun and ruined Paul Skenes’ ERA. After getting benched in the second game, Cruz bounced back, and his strong start at the plate has keyed Pittsburgh’s early-season success. He’s still a mishmash of extremes, though: He’s not really a center fielder, and he strikes out too much, but when he connects just right, it’s a beautiful thing.
It’s only 69 plate appearances, but he’s hitting .387 with a 1.144 OPS. Maybe it’s time for manager Craig Counsell to pencil his name in as the DH every game and let Ballesteros ride.
Did I think either of these signings would work out? No. Did I think they’d be this bad? No. Both teams will be in search of a DH to fill the void.
The rookie left-hander impressed in a seven-start stint at the end of 2025 and is 3-0 with a 1.73 ERA through his first six outings of 2026. He’s fun to watch because he doesn’t blow batters away with a big fastball, instead relying on a six-pitch mix, throwing each at least 10% of the time. The changeup is his big swing-and-miss pitch. Score another one for the Cleveland pitching development program.
On Monday night, Miller finally gave up a run. His scoreless streak, which dated back to last season (including the postseason), ended at 37⅔ innings. Entering Monday’s appearance, he had allowed seven hits in that span — an .061 average allowed — and fanned 60% of the batters he faced. Absolutely incredible.
Last we saw Varland, he pitched in 15 of Toronto’s 18 playoff games. Now, he’s taking over as the closer after Jeff Hoffman lost the job. Varland has 23 strikeouts and just four walks in 15 innings, but Hoffman was striking out a lot of batters as well. The key for Varland is keeping the ball in the park. He has done that so far in 2026.
Williams had a 4.79 ERA last season for the Yankees, but his peripheral numbers were still excellent, prompting the Mets to give him a three-year, $51 contract to replace Edwin Diaz as the closer when Diaz later signed with the Dodgers. This year, Williams has a 9.00 ERA, and his peripheral numbers are messier than a Queens auto body shop. He has allowed 14 hits and six walks in eight innings for a .465 OBP allowed.
Warning: Semien might not be the only Mets player on this list of April disappointments. The 12-game losing streak was bad enough, but scoring one run in a doubleheader loss to the Rockies on Sunday was brutal. Semien was worth 3.3 WAR last season, and the Mets were hoping for something close to that when they acquired him for Brandon Nimmo this past offseason, but Semien’s power erosion continues. He had 73 extra-base hits in the Rangers’ World Series win in 2023, but is on pace for 35 this season.
The 21-year-old rookie has split his time between third base and shortstop, but we’ll list him as a third baseman here to get him a well-deserved spot as an April All-Star. His bat-to-ball skills and swing decisions are already those of a wily vet, allowing him to hit for a high average even without big exit velocity. He’s hitting .330 and he could win the batting title as a rookie. Since 1900, only Tony Oliva in 1964 (.323) and Ichiro Suzuki in 2001 (.350) have done that. McGonigle is tied with Hoerner for the MLB lead in position player WAR with 2.0, although his Statcast defensive metrics are much worse than the ones used at Baseball-Reference.
David SchoenfieldApr 28, 2026, 07:00 AM ETCloseCovers MLB for ESPN.com Former deputy editor of Page 2 Been with ESPN.com since 1995Multiple Authors
And those were supposed to be three of the good teams this year.
Player to watch: Dalton Rushing, Los Angeles Dodgers
Disappointment: Rafael Devers, San Francisco Giants
Player to watch: Jordan Walker, St. Louis Cardinals
Disappointment: Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres
Disappointment: Nick Castellanos, San Diego Padres/Marcell Ozuna, Pittsburgh Pirates
Player to watch: Parker Messick, Cleveland Guardians
CloseCovers MLB for ESPN.com Former deputy editor of Page 2 Been with ESPN.com since 1995
Ben Rice and Aaron Judge smash back-to-back homers in Yankees’ win (0:40)Ben Rice and Aaron Judge smash back-to-back homers in Yankees’ win (0:40)