1 Fun Fact About Every MLB Team Thus Far
Though we are still a few weeks away from Memorial Day and the unofficial start of paying attention to the standings, 35-ish games is more than enough to dive into some fun facts and stats about the 2026 MLB season.
All 30 of these "fun" facts are intended to be fun—read: positive—information about the team in question. (A few teams were definitely tough to find anything positive to say.)
But from Munetaka Murakami's historic "three true outcomes" percentage and Seattle's leadoff prowess to Atlanta's ninth-inning dominance and Jordan Walker's incredible breakthrough, we've got all sorts of "20 percent into the season" goodies in here.
Even for the woebegone New York Mets, we were able to identify one player who is unexpectedly having the best season of his career. That teaser alone should be worth a scroll down to the NL East, right?
All statistics are current through the start of play on Monday, May 4.
AL East
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Baltimore Orioles: Rico Garcia's MLB-Best WHIP
Back in April 2023, Orioles reliever Yennier Cano became a star out of nowhere in his age-29 season. He didn't allow a hit or walk in his first 11.0 innings of work and did not allow a run until his 18th appearance.
Well, 32-year-old Rico Garcia is out to a similarly dominant start to the current campaign. He had a 5.27 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 70.0 innings pitched in his MLB career prior to 2026, but he went 11 hitless innings before allowing a solo home run to Michael Massey. It's still the only hit he has surrendered, boasting an MLB-best (10 innings minimum) 0.34 WHIP through 14.2 innings of work.
And with Ryan Helsley recently landing on the IL, Garcia suddenly may be Baltimore's top option for saves for the foreseeable future.
Boston Red Sox: Best Hitters Have Been Pinch Hitters
At an MLB-wide level, pinch hitters have a .215 batting average and a .659 OPS in 904 plate appearances. Each of the nine starting positions has fared better than those marks.
For the Red Sox, though, pinch hitters have had the most reliable bats, hitting .318 with an .875 OPS, which is better than any of the starting spots in their lineup.
Roman Anthony homered in his only pinch-hitting role of the year, while Marcelo Mayer and Masataka Yoshida have each provided a pair of hits off the bench.
New York Yankees: Crushing Southpaws
To be sure, the Yankees homering against left-handed pitching isn't a new development. They tied for the MLB lead with 70 home runs off southpaws last year, with Aaron Judge unsurprisingly leading that charge with 16 blasts.
They've stepped it up a notch this year, though, on pace for 100 home runs against lefties. Judge has five of those 21 dingers, but so does Ben Rice, who has become the best left-on-left hitter on the planet with a 1.324 OPS.
As a result, Rice is leading the majors in OBP, SLG and OPS.
Tampa Bay Rays: AL's Biggest Overachiever
Just like Toronto last season, Tampa Bay entered the year projected for dead-last in the American League East. The Rays' win total o/u was 76.5 and their postseason odds ranked bottom 10 in the majors.
Through 33 games, however, they are on a 103-win trajectory, victorious in nine of their last 10 games with four series sweeps already in the bank. Only the Yankees have a better record, and that was one of the four series Tampa Bay swept.
Veteran swingmen Steven Matz and Nick Martinez have been godsends for this rotation, with Tampa Bay sitting at 11-2 in their 13 starts.
Toronto Blue Jays: Best Bullpen xFIP
The Blue Jays have blown as many saves as they have converted with seven of each, but xFIP (and fWAR) suggest this ought to be the best bullpen in baseball.
Among pitchers with at least 10 innings of work this season, only San Diego's Mason Miller has a lower FIP than Toronto's Louis Varland at a mark of 0.74.
And though Jeff Hoffman struggled mightily en route to losing his status as closer, he has struck out nearly 40 percent of batters faced and has had almost impossibly bad BABIP luck (.529) after five consecutive seasons below .300. Both he and Mason Fluharty should turn things around soon.
AL Central
2 of 6
Chicago White Sox: Munetaka Murakami and Three True Outcomes History
In 2021, Joey Gallo either homered, walked or struck out in 362 of his 616 plate appearances. That is a "three true outcomes" percentage of 58.8, and it is the highest such mark in any MLB season by a player who made at least 500 plate appearances.
Well, White Sox rookie Munetaka Murakami might surpass that mark, already with 13 home runs, 27 walks and 50 strikeouts in his 149 plate appearances (60.4 percent).
As long as home runs remain roughly 15 percent of those true outcomes, though, it's hard to complain about the whiffs.
Cleveland Guardians: J-Ram's Pursuit of HR/SB History
In Saturday's win over the Athletics, José Ramírez stole his 13th base of the season, which was also the 300th swipe of his career. He is leading the American League in steals, well on his way to a third consecutive season with at least 40.
He is also presently at 291 career home runs, likely to reach 300 in that department before the All-Star Break.
Once he gets there, Ramírez will become the eighth all-time member of the 300/300 club.
If he reaches 340 homers and 340 steals in the next season or two, he would join Barry Bonds as the only player ever to hit both plateaus.
Detroit Tigers: Home Cooking
On the road, Detroit is 6-14, which is the worst such record in baseball. But at home, they have been a force of nature, going 12-3 and winning all five series at Comerica Park.
Without question, the biggest difference has been the long ball. The Tigers have hit 20 home runs at home while holding the opposition to an MLB-low six.
The weirdest part of that home/road split? Prior to Monday's jaw-dropping news of an arthroscopic surgery on his pitching elbow, five of Tarik Skubal's seven starts had come on the road, with a 2.35 ERA in those outings. But even the reigning AL Cy Young winner hadn't been enough to get them going away from home.
Kansas City Royals: Shutting Down Cleanup Hitters
At an MLB-wide level, cleanup hitters are batting .245 with a .750 OPS, producing more home runs than any other spot in the lineup.
Royals pitching, however, has been lights out against that portion of the opponent's lineup, allowing just a .252 on-base percentage that ranks best in the majors.
Starters Kris Bubic, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha all have a sub-.450 OPS against or better when dealing with the No. 4 hitter.
Minnesota Twins: Byron Buxton Looking Great Again
At 31 years young last season, Byron Buxton set career-best single-season marks in each of hits, runs, triples, home runs and RBI—and, maybe most importantly, plate appearances.
With five home runs in the past week, he is again on pace for new bests in hits, runs and home runs.
Buxton is, unfortunately for Minnesota, 0-for-19 with runners in scoring position, so he only has 14 RBI to show for his 10 home runs. But in all other situations, he is slugging roughly .620. Eventually, he'll start delivering in the clutch, too.
AL West
3 of 6
Athletics: Sure-Handed Defense
As far as advanced metrics like Fielding Run Value, Outs Above Average and Defensive Runs Saved are concerned, the Athletics haven't been anything special on defense. In fact, DRS rates the A's as the second-worst defense, ahead of only the Phillies.
But when they do get glove to ball, it's usually a success. The A's have committed just seven errors through 34 games, only three of which were committed by the 12 players who lead the team in innings played. Both shortstop Jacob Wilson and first baseman Nick Kurtz have been flawless so far.
Houston Astros: Fewest Blown Saves
Houston's pitching has been disastrous, saddled with a 5.75 ERA through 35 games. If you combine walks and hit by pitches—the Astros "lead" the majors in both department—they have issued 31 more free passes than the next-most generous pitching staff, and a lot of those BBs and HBPs are turning into Rs.
But when they do get a late lead, they've managed not to blow them, converting seven saves and 12 holds with just one blown save. Whether you want to include holds and call it a 95 percent success rate or focus exclusively on saves for an 87.5 percent success rate, it's the best in the majors right now. And they've done it without Josh Hader, who is about to begin a rehab assignment.
Los Angeles Angels: Mike Trout's Career-Best Paces
Three-time AL MVP and 11-time All-Star Mike Trout has gotten out to a remarkable start to 2026, even compared against his pre-injury-prone standards of excellence.
Trout's career high for home runs in a single season is 45, while his previous best marks in runs and walks were 129 and 122, respectively. But through 35 team games, he is on pace for 46 home runs, 139 runs scored and 157 free passes.
(Somehow, though, even with José Soriano also having a breakthrough year on the mound, the Angels are on pace for what would be the first 100+ loss season in franchise history.)
Seattle Mariners: Leadoff Lumber
At 16-19, it hasn't been the start to the season the Mariners had in mind.
But the M's have started out games better than any other team.
Seattle's first batter of the game—a role that has bounced around between J.P. Crawford, Brendan Donovan, Rob Refsnyder and Luke Raley—has gone 7-for-25 with three home runs, eight walks, two HBPs and just four strikeouts, good for a 1.246 OPS. No other team is within 200 points of that mark, as the Mariners are leading the majors in both leadoff home runs and leadoff walks.
Texas Rangers: Budget Bullpen Booming
Even if both Tyler Alexander and Jalen Beeks max out all of their performance incentives, Texas will be spending a combined total of less than $10M for the quartet of Alexander, Beeks, Jakob Junis and Jacob Latz.
Yet, they have become the four most heavily used arms in the Rangers bullpen, each logging at least 14 innings pitched with a sub-2.00 ERA.
Collectively, they have a line of 63.1 IP, 1.56 ERA and 0.85 WHIP with eight saves, 14 holds and one blown save, anchoring what has been one of the stingiest pitching staffs thus far in 2026.
NL East
4 of 6
Atlanta Braves: Ninth Inning Dominance
Fun facts abound for the team with the best record and best run differential in baseball, but let's hone in specifically on winning time.
Even though the Braves have only batted in their half of the ninth inning in 25 of 35 games, they have hit 10 home runs in that frame, boasting a laughably-best-in-baseball 1.139 OPS. Meanwhile, Atlanta pitchers have a .569 OPS against in the ninth inning, good for fourth-best in baseball.
All told, they have outscored their opposition 29-8 in the ninth inning. And, again, they haven't even batted in the ninth inning in nearly one-third of their games. Ridiculous.
Miami Marlins: Cleaning Up Well
There hasn't been much pop in Miami's lineup, hitting just 25 home runs through 34 games. But while no other team in baseball is getting even a .300 batting average from its cleanup spot, Miami has gotten a .350 average and .976 OPS from its No. 4 hitter.
The biggest chunk of that has come from Liam Hicks, who is 20-for-57 with four home runs and just three strikeouts when batting cleanup. Meanwhile, Xavier Edwards has gone 11-for-30 with nine walks and no strikeouts, good for a .513 on-base percentage, and Otto Lopez (10-for-27) isn't terribly far behind him.
New York Mets: MJ Melendez Can Hit Now
Over the past four seasons with the Royals, MJ Melendez never quite made his mark in the majors, failing to live up to the hype of a 2021 campaign with 41 home runs and a 1.011 OPS between Double-A and Triple-A. He did hit 52 home runs, but with a .685 OPS that got him non-tendered this past winter.
But he has blossomed into just about the only New York Met who is exceeding expectations. Since getting called up in mid-April when Jorge Polanco hit the shelf, Melendez is batting .324 with two home runs and a .983 OPS.
Philadelphia Phillies: Midseason Firing Provides Another Spark
Four seasons ago, the Phillies were 22-29 when they fired Joe Girardi, replacing him with Rob Thomson. They immediately won eight consecutive games and ultimately made it all the way to the World Series.
This time around, Thomson was on the opposite end of that managerial swap, fired with a 9-19 record and replaced by Don Mattingly for an immediate surge of five wins in six games. For no discernible reason, they went from an NL-worst 5.6 runs allowed per game under Thomson to just 3.0 runs allowed per game thus far under Mattingly.
Washington Nationals: Best in the Majors at Two Spots in the Lineup
While Miami is thriving in the cleanup spot, the Washington Nationals have gotten MLB's best OPS out of both the leadoff spot (.885) and the five hole (.950).
That leadoff role has belonged almost exclusively to James Wood, and he has 10 home runs to show for it. Only Minnesota (12, mostly from Byron Buxton) has gotten more four baggers from the leadoff spot.
Meanwhile, Washington's No. 5 spot has been more of a revolving door, from which both CJ Abrams (15-for-37 with four home runs) and Joey Wiemer (10-for-25 with two home runs) have batted at least .400.
NL Central
5 of 6
Chicago Cubs: Third Inning Thumping
It isn't quite as impressive as what Atlanta has been doing in the ninth inning, but the Cubs sure have had a knack for taking games over in the third inning this season.
As a whole, they have a 1.065 OPS in that frame, compared to a .549 OPS against, outscoring the opposition 34-13. But the biggest individual heroes have been Moisés Ballesteros (5-for-9 with three home runs and 10 RBI), Pete Crow-Armstrong (8-for-12 with three stolen bases) and Shota Imanaga (retired all 21 batters faced with eight strikeouts). Both of Michael Busch's home runs have also come in the third inning.
Cincinnati Reds: Nail-Biting Extraordinaires
The Reds are tied for the seventh-best record in baseball (20-14), while also tied for the seventh-worst run differential (minus-22). And the only way for that to make sense is a propensity for winning close games, which the Reds have had.
Prior to a 1-0 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday, Cincinnati was a perfect 14-0 in games decided either by two runs or fewer or in extra innings. Granted, that doesn't mean the bullpen has been elite. In fact, the Reds have a 6.75 ERA in the ninth inning, occasionally turning what should be comfortable leads into close calls. But they keep finding ways to win.
Milwaukee Brewers: Kings of Small Ball
Like the Moneyball-era Athletics, the Brewers have had to figure out how to manufacture runs while operating with a budget that makes it darn near impossible to acquire established sluggers.
So, in lieu of home runs (22, good for 29th in MLB), Milwaukee is leading the majors in walk rate (12.1 percent), leading the majors in stolen bases (38), leading the majors in bunt hits (12) and ranks second in the majors in sacrifice bunts (12). It's how they've managed to tread water en route to a winning record and a +45 run differential, even with Jackson Chourio, Andrew Vaughn and Christian Yelich all on the IL.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Power Surge
In 2025, the Pirates hit 117 home runs and slugged .350. Not only were they dead last in both departments, but it was the lowest home run total by any team in the past three seasons, and the only team during that stretch to slug worse was the 121-loss White Sox with a mark of .340 in 2024.
But after a busy offseason that included adding Brandon Lowe, Ryan O'Hearn and Marcell Ozuna, they have surged from "god awful" to "league average," on pace to hit nearly 60 more home runs than last season. Only Atlanta (improving from .399 to .464) has had a bigger spike in slugging percentage than Pittsburgh's 43 point rise to .393.
St. Louis Cardinals: Jordan Walker Has Blossomed from LVP to MVP
In 2025, Jordan Walker had a bWAR of negative-1.7. He was tied with LaMonte Wade Jr. and Michael Toglia for the worst such mark among all position players. (Neither Wade nor Toglia is presently on an MLB roster.)
As of Monday morning, though, Walker had a bWAR of 2.2, second only to Matt Olson's mark of 2.3 for the top spot among all position players.
He is presently batting (.307) better than he slugged (.306) in 2025, as well as out-slugging (.591) his OPS mark (.584) from yesteryear. Quite the drastic turnaround for a guy who was probably going to be on the non-tender chopping board in a few months if he didn't have a considerable breakthrough.
NL West
6 of 6
Arizona Diamondbacks: Best with Bases Loaded
If you're going to be the best in the majors in any situation, having it be "with the bases loaded" is a pretty fantastic idea.
Arizona has only had 23 such plate appearances this season, which is the third-fewest. But the Diamondbacks have made the most of those rare opportunities, going 10-for-21 with three doubles, a triple and two grand slams en route to a 1.478 OPS.
That's 310 points better than the second-place team on the list.
Colorado Rockies: Pouncing on First Pitches
No team has put the first pitch of an AB in play more often than the Rockies, and stepping into the box ready to hack sure has worked wonders for them.
When facing anything other than a 0-0 count, Colorado is batting .225 for the year. Put that first pitch in play, though, and the Rockies are batting an MLB-best 73-for-178 (.410) with nine home runs and a 1.074 OPS. In fact, of the 10 Rockies who have hit the first pitch at least nine times, only Hunter Goodman is batting below .364—and even he has a .936 OPS thanks to a pair of first-pitch homers.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Quality Rotation
There aren't many areas in which the Dodgers ranked bottom 10 in the majors over the past two seasons, but quality starts was one. They had 52 last year (Yoshinobu Yamamoto at the head of the class with 18) and just 50 in 2024, for a QS% of 31.5 percent.
This year, however, the Dodgers are 21-for-34 (61.8 percent) in the quality starts department, four ahead of both the Royals and Braves in second place with 17. Shohei Ohtani is a perfect 5-for-5, going exactly six innings in each of his outings with two total earned runs allowed. But how about Justin Wrobleski reeling off four quality starts in a row with just one earned run allowed in his last 27 innings pitched?
San Diego Padres: Clutch Genes
Baseball Reference has a 'Late & Close' statistic for trying to quantify clutchness, defined as "plate appearances in the 7th or later with the batting team tied, ahead by one or the tying run at least on deck."
In those pivotal moments, San Diego's bats have been the best in baseball, triple-slashing .317/.404/.540 in 172 chances.
Thanks no doubt in large part to Mason Miller's dominance, the Padres have also been one of the better teams at pitching in those situations, with just a .666 OPS against.
San Francisco Giants: Caleb Kilian Suddenly Breaking Through
Not many fun facts to be found with this squad, but Caleb Kilian pitching well in his age-29 season—even if it has predominantly been in mop-up duty—has been a fun development.
Kilian previously had a 9.22 ERA in his 27.1 innings of MLB work from 2022-24 with the Cubs. But he has added more than three miles per hour to his fastball since his last stint in the big leagues, while the knuckle curve has become the best pitch in his arsenal.
Through 15 innings with the Giants, he has allowed just seven hits and one earned run.
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