It's time for first-half grades, so let's just get right to it -- especially since we've technically passed the halfway point, as teams are reaching the 90-game mark of the 2026 Major League Baseball season.

After all, we had a World Cup game to watch! Only during commercial breaks of baseball games, of course.

(All stats through Sunday.)

Jump to a team:

AL East: BAL | BOS | NYY | TB | TOR
AL Central: CHW | CLE | DET | KC | MIN
AL West: ATH | HOU | LAA | SEA | TEX

NL East: ATL | MIA | NYM | PHI | WSH
NL Central: CHC | CIN | MIL | PIT | STL
NL West: ARI | COL | LAD | SD | SF

Chicago White Sox: A+

After three straight 100-loss seasons and low expectations entering this one, the first-place White Sox have been the best story of 2026. They're the only team with three players with 20 home runs, even though one of them -- Munetaka Murakami -- hasn't played since May 29. Colson Montgomery has turned into the top power-hitting shortstop in the game, and Miguel Vargas simply decided to swing harder and became an All-Star.

The talent doesn't stop there, with Braden Montgomery now in the majors, Caleb Bonemer mashing home runs in the minors, and the White Sox soon to make the first pick in the 2026 draft. They split four games with Cleveland this past weekend, but it could have been a sweep as they blew a seventh-inning lead in one game and a ninth-inning lead in another. This points to the concern: Is there enough pitching to get through 162 games?

Milwaukee Brewers: A+

Run differential doesn't lie. A 101-win pace doesn't lie. The Brewers are good, and might end up running away with the National League Central. Jacob Misiorowski put together the most breathtaking individual performance of the first half, lighting up radar guns with unfathomable velocity -- starting pitchers have thrown 948 pitches this season at 100 mph or faster and Misiorowski has 613 of them, including all 185 at 102 mph or faster -- while going 9-4 with a 1.47 ERA and 156 strikeouts. It's the sixth-most strikeouts in the first half for a pitcher 24 or younger, and his one-hit, 15-strikeout performance against the Phillies goes down as the best pitching performance in Brewers history.

Los Angeles Dodgers: A

The Dodgers are on pace to win 105 games. That earns them a high grade, even though it hasn't always been a smooth ride, with injuries to Mookie Betts, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Will Smith and Tommy Edman and a few shaky performances, especially from Kyle Tucker, Roki Sasaki and Betts. That's how good the Dodgers are: They haven't even necessarily played their best baseball, at times having to rely on breakout seasons by Andy Pages and Justin Wrobleski. Oh, and on that Shohei Ohtani guy, who is pretty good.

Tampa Bay Rays: A

I say this with no hyperbole intended: Junior Caminero has a chance to go down as one of the greatest power hitters in the game's history. He hit 45 home runs last year, the second-highest total for a player in his age-21 season (behind Eddie Mathews). He's sitting on 26 this season after that surge of 11 home runs in 11 games, putting him on track for another 45-homer season. Think of what might happen if he can learn to get the ball into the air more consistently? Anyway, the Rays rely a little too much on Caminero, Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda for offense, and the bullpen depth is a little thin, but insiders also believe the Rays are one of the favorites to land Tarik Skubal if he's traded.

Atlanta Braves: A-

It's hard to argue with the overall results -- first place, on pace for 95 wins -- but the Braves faded with a 9-14 record in June and saw their big lead in the division shrink from 9½ games on June 7 to just three games, so we're going to drop the grade a bit. After producing OPS figures of .786 in April and .732 in May, the offense collapsed in June with a .599 OPS, worst in the majors. Meanwhile, Bryce Elder and Martin Perez have somewhat predictably faded after fast starts, and Spencer Strider landed on the 60-day IL, so suddenly there are a lot of concerns about the lineup and the rotation.

Miami Marlins: A-

The Marlins in a wild-card position? That's going to earn them a nice grade. They rolled through June, going 20-6 with an impressive plus-53 run differential, as their offense started hitting more home runs after ranking near the bottom of the majors through two months. The Marlins are averaging 4.59 runs, which would be their most since 2017 -- the year Giancarlo Stanton hit 59 home runs. Otto Lopez is hitting .346/.376/.520, ranking second to Pete Crow-Armstrong in WAR among NL position players. In a non-Ohtani league, he'd be a stealth MVP candidate. If the rotation can find another solid arm behind Max Meyer, Eury Perez and Sandy Alcantara, and they figure out the closer situation, I like their chances to make the playoffs.

St. Louis Cardinals: B+

Another team that has overperformed its preseason expectations, the Cardinals have played themselves into the playoff picture behind a monster first half from Jordan Walker (leading the NL in RBIs), a superb all-around performance from rookie JJ Wetherholt (4.2 WAR), clutch hitting from Alec Burleson (right up there with Walker among the RBI leaders), and on-base machine Ivan Herrera (24 hit by pitches!). They've gone 7-2 in extra-inning games even though the bullpen is just 17th in ERA and the rotation is 28th in strikeout rate -- so there are some indicators this might not continue -- but the Cardinals are interesting for the first time in years.

Washington Nationals: B

The Nationals are still leading the majors in runs scored, averaging 5.33 runs per game compared to 5.31 for the Dodgers, and that might be the most shocking team statistic of the first half. James Wood is not a shocker because we already knew he was good, and he leads the majors with 78 runs scored -- 16 more than anyone else. CJ Abrams is joining Wood at the All-Star Game and will start at shortstop, while the biggest surprise has been Luis Garcia Jr., who has 19 home runs. It's suddenly a fun team when also factoring in that Nasim Nunez at second base and Jacob Young in center field can really pick it. Not as fun: The pitching is still problematic, although Foster Griffin and Cade Cavalli have created some stability at the top of the rotation.

Chicago Cubs: B

What a weird, wild ride this has been. Two 10-game winning streaks, a 10-game losing streak, another 11-2 stretch, and then those back-to-back games where they won 23-3 and then lost 17-1. Pete Crow-Armstrong is suddenly drawing walks and is hitting .292/.383/.527, so combine that with his spectacular defense and he's a legitimate MVP contender, even against a two-way Shohei Ohtani.

The glaring problem: Cade Horton (last year's breakout), Ben Brown (having a breakout season), Edward Cabrera and Jameson Taillon are all on the injured list, joining Justin Steele, who is still recovering from last year's Tommy John surgery. That would be one of the best rotations in the game if they were healthy. Oh, closer Daniel Palencia is also on the IL, as are key relievers Phil Maton and Hoby Milner. No team has a clearer mission at the trade deadline: Get some pitching reinforcements.

Cleveland Guardians: B

As always, they find a way. Jose Ramirez, injured and having a subpar season? No problem. The outfield has the lowest combined OPS in the majors? No problem. The starting catcher was sent to the minors because he was hitting so poorly, and the guy acquired to replace him has a .584 OPS? No problem. So how are the Guardians doing it? The rotation hasn't missed a start, so they've only used five starters all season. Avoiding injury attrition is a huge key to succeeding in 2026-era baseball.

The bullpen has been good, with closer Cade Smith making the All-Star team. Rookies Parker Messick and Travis Bazzana are also All-Stars (only the fourth and fifth rookie All-Stars in franchise history, joining Herb Score, Dick Stigman and Sandy Alomar Jr.) while fellow rookie Chase DeLauter leads the team in RBIs. Somehow, they find a way, and as the week kicks off, FanGraphs rates the Guardians as the favorites to win the division.

Pittsburgh Pirates: B

The disappointing thing: What if Paul Skenes was pitching like Paul Skenes? The Pirates have lost his past nine starts, as Skenes has gone 0-6 with a 5.36 ERA. Some of the peripheral numbers look fine -- 63 strikeouts and 15 walks in 47 innings over that stretch -- but his four-seam velocity averaged a season-low 94.9 mph in his last start and the spin rate has dropped as well. That has made his fastball more hittable: a .791 OPS allowed in those games compared to .376 through his first nine starts (when he was 6-2 with a 1.98 ERA). Skenes blamed "execution" after his last outing, when he got knocked out after four innings, but that doesn't tell us anything. There's something going on with his fastball and it's not good.

Philadelphia Phillies: B-

The Phillies dug themselves out from a bad start that resulted in Rob Thomson getting fired, going 41-21 since Don Mattingly became manager. It probably has little to do with the managerial change and everything to do with: 1. Playing a softer part of the schedule immediately after Mattingly took over; 2. Zack Wheeler returning to the rotation; 3. Bryce Harper getting hot (.305/.405/.589 in June); 4. Cristopher Sanchez reeling off five straight scoreless starts. This is a team with five All-Stars: Sanchez, Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh and Jhoan Duran. Throw in Wheeler and Jesus Luzardo and that's a fantastic top seven. The rest of the team isn't really that good, and the Phillies have relied on an 18-6 record in one-run games to climb close to Atlanta.

New York Yankees: C+

OK, that grade dropped precipitously over the past two weeks as the Yankees have lost 12 of 15 heading into this week. They started off well after Aaron Judge went down on May 31, going on an 8-1 stretch in early June, but without Judge they've hit just .219/.285/.387 while averaging barely four runs a game. The pitching has been solid -- fifth in the majors in runs allowed per game -- but not good enough to carry a bad offense. The bullpen also is leaking a bit.

Look, the Yankees have been without their two best players -- Judge and Max Fried, plus Carlos Rodon just returned to the IL -- for more than a month now, but this team was supposed to be deep enough to withstand a few injuries. Maybe not. At least not big ones. The Yankees can still end up with the best record in the AL, but general manager Brian Cashman might have to do some maneuvering to get there.

Minnesota Twins: C+

Can we skip the rest of the AL? Just kidding. We love parity! Are the Twins good? Meh. Are they in the division race? Yes. The big positives are All-Stars Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton, but a lot of the problems have been exactly as forecast: the lack of a closer (11 different pitchers have a save), the lack of rotation depth (19th in ERA), and relying again on Royce Lewis (more injuries, hitting .217). The bullpen is the most frustrating part because that's the easiest area to solve, but the Twins basically ignored this in the offseason. Maybe the Twins will make some deadline additions in that department, but don't count on ownership doing anything here.

Seattle Mariners: C

This is a reluctant "C" grade, because it feels as if the Mariners should be running away with the AL West. Then again, they're in first place even though their best players haven't played all that well -- especially last year's AL MVP runner-up Cal Raleigh. Put it this way: Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez, Bryan Woo, Andres Munoz and Randy Arozarena were all All-Stars in 2025, combining for 24.5 WAR. Arozarena is an All-Star again, but that group is still on pace to combine for just 11.0 WAR in 2026. Mariners fans can blame Dan Wilson all they want, but their stars are on pace to produce 13 fewer wins. The good news: It's a long season.

Texas Rangers: C

In the immortal words of Dennis Green, the Rangers are who we thought they were: a .500 team. But how they got there is a different story, as Corey Seager has been injured and ineffective; Wyatt Langford has sat out half the season; Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom have been OK but homer-prone; and the bullpen, especially All-Star Jacob Latz, has been better than expected. It's not difficult to see a path to the postseason for the Rangers: Seager and Langford return without sitting out too much more time and get a more dominant second half from Eovaldi, deGrom and MacKenzie Gore.

Houston Astros: C

Let's just run through the AL West while we're here. The Astros get a passing grade primarily because they've hung close enough despite a slew of injuries. With a minus-44 run differential, they haven't played as well as the Mariners (plus-27) or Rangers (minus-8), but at this point, it's about what Houston does moving forward. With Hunter Brown and Josh Hader back, and Yordan Alvarez on an MVP mission, don't count out the Astros winning the division.

Arizona Diamondbacks: C

In the immortal words ... wait, used that one already. The Diamondbacks are somehow hanging around .500 despite a starting rotation that is near the bottom of the majors in home runs allowed and strikeout rate and a lineup that features just three regulars with an adjusted OPS above league average and ranks next-to-last in the majors in home runs. They haven't even been especially good in close games to cover up a minus-29 run differential (16-14 in one-run games and 2-5 in extra-inning games). The hope is better second-half results from longtime rotation stalwarts Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, but Gallen and Kelly are a combined 9-16 with a 6.04 ERA and little hope of a sudden turnaround given their peripheral numbers.

San Diego Padres: C-

This grade might be a little generous since it feels as if the Padres are teetering on the edge of a cliff -- not only for the 2026 season but for a future that includes a gazillion dollars still owed to Manny Machado (.189 average, 0.2 WAR), Fernando Tatis Jr. (five home runs, 1.0 WAR), Xander Bogaerts (.658 OPS, 1.5 WAR), Jake Cronenworth (.168, minus-0.5 WAR) and even Jackson Merrill (.214, 0.5 WAR). A great bullpen can only do so much, and if the Padres' top hitters continue to struggle and they fall behind in the wild-card standings, general manager A.J. Preller might have to consider trading pending free agents Jason Adam and Adrian Morejon -- or even look to flip Michael King (player options worth $58 million the next two seasons) or, dare we say, Mason Miller.

Athletics: C-

The A's were .500 and a half-game out of first place on June 19 following a wild 12-11 win over the Angels in which the A's scored in each of the final five innings. That would have earned them a solid "B" grade, but they've gone 3-11 since as the pitching staff gave up 86 runs and 29 home runs in 14 games. Nick Kurtz is a superstar and Shea Langeliers is a deserving All-Star starter, but the A's own a minus-72 run differential as the pitching starts to splinter in the heat of the Sacramento (and Las Vegas) summer.

Colorado Rockies: C-

Are the Rockies going to be printing playoff tickets? Ha, of course not. Are they vastly improved? Yes. They're on track to win 23 more games than last year, which, even as bad as they were last year, counts as a minor surprise. They're also doing it in a little smarter fashion: Every lineup regular is younger than 30 years old and some guys who have had a chance to play -- TJ Rumfield, Troy Johnson, Jake McCarthy -- have played well. Those guys are all a bit older, as is Mickey Moniak, so it will be interesting to see if the new front office looks to flip any of them at the trade deadline, especially given the paucity of position players who might be available. The future for the Rockies is more in the hands of Kyle Karros, Cole Carrigg and Hunter Goodman -- and prospects like Charlie Condon and Ethan Holliday -- than that group.

Cincinnati Reds: D+

The Reds haven't really played that well with a minus-60 run differential and a 5-20 record within the division, but they've managed to hang just close enough to barely remain in playoff contention (2.3% playoff odds). They're a bad defensive team, have failed to resolve ongoing production issues in the outfield for years now and, fair or not, have had issues keeping their starting pitchers healthy and producing quality bullpens. Cincinnati squeaked into the playoffs last season, which reflects that there's talent, and now that Hunter Greene is back (although he struggled in his first start), the Reds can dream on a 1-2 punch of Chase Burns and Greene.

Boston Red Sox: D+

The Red Sox were looking at a failing grade until a recent four-game sweep of the Yankees suddenly turned around their season and provided some ... well, we're not going to say "hope," because this is Red Sox Nation after all. They're still not hitting with power -- they're last in the majors in home runs. That's not necessarily a death spell as the 2017 Red Sox were last in the AL in home runs and still won 93 games, but that team was sixth in the AL in runs scored; this team is 13th. The rotation has been solid as Ranger Suarez is an All-Star -- and Sonny Gray should have been one -- but Garrett Crochet's continued absence is even more important now with Connelly Early hitting the IL.

Detroit Tigers: D

Let's talk about the bullpen. Detroit's pen is 14th in ERA -- but 30th in win probability added. The Tigers are 2-6 in extra-inning games and 9-16 in one-run games, which is why they're 40-50 entering the week despite a positive run differential. They're on pace for minus-8.84 WPA, which would be the third-worst total of any bullpen since 2000, ahead of only the 2024 White Sox and 2021 Nationals. That said, the Tigers turned things around in June, going 15-11 with a plus-46 run differential. They started off 3-1 in July. Tarik Skubal is back, and if the bullpen stops coughing up leads and the team wins 11 of 13 before the trade deadline, maybe Skubal finishes the season in a Tigers uniform.

Baltimore Orioles: D

Has a team ever gone from "Wow, this is a young, exciting team to watch! I'm buying Gunnar Henderson AND Jackson Holliday jerseys" to "Is there a pickleball match on another channel?" faster than the 2023 Orioles morphed into the 2026 Orioles? Look, it's too early to write off the present or the future, as Henderson, Holliday, Samuel Basallo, Coby Mayo and Dylan Beavers are all 25 or younger -- and that could still be a playoff-worthy offensive core, along with Adley Rutschman and injured Jordan Westburg. But it hasn't been and, as projected, the pitching hasn't been good enough.

Toronto Blue Jays: D

On the heels of last year's World Series, the follow-up has surely been aggravating for the rabid fan base in Toronto. Certainly, injuries are probably a more valid excuse for the Blue Jays than any other team, but also: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has obviously struggled with only four home runs; George Springer, seventh in the MVP voting last season, looks his age (36); and last year's supersubs Tyler Heineman, Myles Straw and Davis Schneider haven't been as effective. Some of the pitching issues were perhaps predictable though: Jeff Hoffman's early struggles as the closer, Max Scherzer's age, Shane Bieber's health. The AL is bad enough that the Jays can still reach the postseason, but we can't give this first half anything better than a "D," injuries or not.

Kansas City Royals: D-

As bad as they've been, I can't give a failing grade to a team with Bobby Witt Jr. Oddly, Jac Caglianone is putting it together now and rookie Carter Jensen has been promising ... and still the Royals have sunk to the bottom of a bad division. Injuries to Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic have crushed the rotation while the bullpen is 29th in ERA. After making the playoffs in 2024 and going 82-80 in 2025, it's a step-back season for the Royals, leading to trade rumors for Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo.

Los Angeles Angels: D-

The Angels were expected to be bad -- and they've been bad, leading to the recent firing of general manager Perry Minasian. With owner Arte Moreno meddling as always, it probably wasn't all Minasian's fault, but it was also his sixth season at the helm with a sixth losing season on the way. At least there will always be "The Jo Adell Game" for the 2026 Angels, when he robbed three home runs in a 1-0 victory, including his spectacular catch in the ninth inning when he tumbled over the wall into the right-field stands, emerging triumphantly with the glove raised high, ball secure, a moment that almost makes another losing season endurable. Though, that moment came on April 4.

San Francisco Giants: F

Well, everything pretty much has gone wrong under college coach-turned-big league manager Tony Vitello. There have been odd comments, like when he blamed his own "fire-and-brimstone" pregame speech for the team's 0-3 start. There was the odd Rafael Devers episode. There was the Pride Night fiasco, which was an entire organizational failure and resulted in massive backlash from the city.

Most of all, there has been bad baseball. Buster Posey is now at the center of the organization as president of baseball operations and check out his free agent signings: Tyler Mahle, 1-8, 5.70 ERA; Adrian Houser, 2-6, 5.33 ERA; Harrison Bader, .170 average, 30 games played. Those were all questionable signings, even on short-term deals. Luis Arraez has been the one acquisition that has worked, and he's now a potential trade candidate.

New York Mets: F

Let's just have the New York Post do our work here with a few back-page headlines:

"AMAZIN' DISGRACE" (after Carlos Mendoza was fired)

"DO SOMETHING" (calling for Steve Cohen to act or lose some Mets fans forever)

"8 OF FLUBS" (after the Mets gave out Gary Carter's old uniform number)

"BREAKING BAD" (after Clay Holmes fractured his leg)

"WOE, WOE, WOE YOUR BOAT" (after the Mets made six errors in a game)

What else is there to say? Go Knicks.