Then of course there\u2019s\u00a0Chase DeLauter<\/a>. MLB Pipeline\u2019s No. 43 prospect has already clubbed five homers in seven games, putting up a .923 slugging percentage through 27 plate appearances. Safe to say he\u2019s scorching hot, and could be another offensive weapon for Cleveland.<\/p>\n The young guys are rolling. And so is the rest of the majors. The Dodgers and Yankees are still elite, the Marlins look like a team that could fight their way into a regular top-10 team through seven games, and the Braves have also jumped to a 6-2 record with a healthy core.<\/p>\n Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images<\/p>\n 1. Dodgers<\/p>\n The Dodgers started the 2026 season in classic fashion. They swept the Diamondbacks to open the year 3-0, lost a series to the Guardians thanks to DeLauter going nuclear, and then bounced back with by slaughtering the Nationals 13-6.<\/p>\n They\u2019ve done all this despite slow starts from\u00a0Mookie Betts<\/a>,\u00a0Will Smith<\/a>, and\u00a0Freddie Freeman<\/a>. The pitching has been the leading factor for the club, with\u00a0Roki Sasaki<\/a>\u00a0proving doubters wrong in his first start and Shohei Ohtani<\/a>\u00a0struck out six in six scoreless innings to start his season.<\/p>\n 2. Yankees<\/p>\n The Bombers are poised to have another dominant season. But right now, it\u2019s not because of the bats.<\/p>\n The pitching staff was historic in the first week of the season for the Yankees. They allowed just three runs over their first five games, matching the record set by the 1943 Cardinals, and through seven games have allowed just eight runs.\u00a0Max Fried<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Cam Schlittler<\/a>\u00a0haven\u2019t allowed an earned run through two starts, and\u00a0Will Warren<\/a>\u00a0has a 2.70 ERA and nine strikeouts in 10 innings.<\/p>\n This is not to say the offense has been lagging behind either.\u00a0Ben Rice<\/a>\u00a0looks like another Brian Cashman gem, and\u00a0Giancarlo Stanton<\/a>\u00a0has begun the season on a tear with three extra-base hits in 25 plate appearances.<\/p>\n 3. Mariners<\/p>\n The M\u2019s have started the season exchanging wins and loses, but there\u2019s no cause for panic.<\/p>\n They ran into the Guardians for a four-game set to begin the year, resulting in an even split down the middle. Then they hosted the Yankees at home, where they dropped the final two games to lose the series.<\/p>\n Julio Rodriguez<\/a>\u00a0is having his usual slow start, batting just .100 coming into Saturday.\u00a0Cal Raleigh<\/a>\u00a0has also fallen back to earth to begin 2026, and has already gotten a mental day off in the first week of the season. He\u2019s still looking for his first homer, and has struck out 16 times in 29 at-bats. Both these two superstars will find their groove, and this team should dominate the American League West.<\/p>\n 4. Blue Jays<\/p>\n The Jays\u2019 new pieces in 2026 have clicked.<\/p>\n Jes\u00fas S\u00e1nchez<\/a> and\u00a0Kazuma Okamoto<\/a>\u00a0have both hit in their new homes, registering OPS+\u2019s over 120 and combining for three homers. They\u2019ve fit nicely with guys in Vladimir Guerrero Jr.<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Andr\u00e9s Gim\u00e9nez<\/a>, and the offense has averaged over four runs a game.<\/p>\n The pitching has been hit or miss.\u00a0Jeff Hoffman<\/a>\u00a0has blown a couple saves already, but neither led to losses and he still has a sparkling 1.93 ERA. The rest of the bullpen has been rough, and holds four seperate players with ERAs over 10.<\/p>\n The Jays also got some unfortunate news Saturday. Alejandro Kirk<\/a>\u00a0was placed on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left thumb, resulting in the Jays losing a key piece of their offense.<\/p>\n 5. Mets<\/p>\n The Mets\u2019 2026 season started out bumpy.<\/p>\n The offense exploded for 11 runs Opening Day against Paul Skenes<\/a>, but then went on to score 14 runs over their next six games. Guys like\u00a0Bo Bichette<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Marcus Semien<\/a>\u00a0haven\u2019t hit yet, but showed signs of progression Friday.\u00a0Francisco Lindor<\/a>\u00a0also has mitigated his usual slow starts by walking an NL-leading 10 times.<\/p>\n It also helps that the pitching has been reliable.\u00a0Nolan McLean<\/a>,\u00a0Clay Holmes<\/a>, and\u00a0Kodai Senga<\/a>\u00a0have been a strong 1-2-3, and the bullpen hasn\u2019t faltered for Carlos Mendoza.<\/p>\n The only thing looming over the Mets right now is\u00a0Juan Soto<\/a>\u2018s calf. He was pulled in the first inning Friday and is getting an MRI to see how serious the injury is.<\/p>\n 6. Phillies<\/p>\n Will\u00a0Brandon Marsh<\/a>\u00a0win the NL MVP? Probably not, but he\u2019s playing like one in March.<\/p>\n And the Phillies have needed it, because their offense has been stale.\u00a0Bryce Harper<\/a>\u00a0is slashing .179\/.258\/.429, Trea Turner<\/a>\u00a0has a .646 OPS, and\u00a0Alec Bohm<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Bryson Stott<\/a>\u00a0have both registered OPS+\u2019s under 70.<\/p>\n The backbone early has been their elite pitching.\u00a0Cristopher Sanchez<\/a>\u00a0has a 0.79 ERA through two starts, Andrew Painter<\/a>\u00a0struck out eight over 5 1\/3 in his major league debut, and\u00a0Aaron Nola<\/a>\u00a0has 16 strikeouts in 11 1\/3 innings.<\/p>\n 7. Guardians<\/p>\n Cleveland might have developed another superstar.<\/p>\n DeLauter was called up to begin the season, and he\u2019s already mashing. The lefty has five homers in seven games, and is OPS\u2019ing 1.293. He\u2019s been a life preserver for the lineup which is struggling right now, as Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Steven Kwan<\/a>\u00a0haven\u2019t hit through the first week.<\/p>\n The starting rotation is also being leaned on early in the season.\u00a0Gavin Williams<\/a>\u00a0has a 2.25 ERA through two starts, 25-year-old\u00a0Parker Messick<\/a>\u00a0threw six scoreless to begin the season, and Joey Cantillo<\/a>\u00a0has punched out 11 over nine innings.<\/p>\n 8. Braves<\/p>\n The Braves are healthy. And that should scare the league.<\/p>\n The club has gone 6-2 in their first eight games, powered by\u00a0Matt Olson<\/a>,\u00a0Ozzie Albies<\/a>,\u00a0Drake Baldwin<\/a>, Dominic Smith<\/a>, and Mauricio Dub\u00f3n<\/a>, who all have OPSs over .900.<\/p>\n Chris Sale<\/a>\u00a0is also already in midseason form, pitching to a 0.75 ERA over two starts and leading a Braves rotation that has survived despite numerous injuries. The bullpen also looks like the best in the sport, with just four earned runs allowed in 28 1\/3 innings.<\/p>\n 9. Cubs<\/p>\n Chicago has started slowly, and continues to deal with injury.<\/p>\n Seiya Suzuki<\/a>\u00a0is still out due to his injury in the WBC, and the club had\u00a0Cade Horton<\/a>\u00a0pulled with right forearm tightness Friday. Not great.<\/p>\n Still, they have the glue to survive and the talent to win. Nico Hoerner<\/a> and Ian Happ<\/a> have been carrying the freight for a lineup trying to find their swing, and\u00a0Alex Bregman<\/a>\u00a0broke out of a funk with a couple homers against Washington.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll see how the rotation holds up.\u00a0Edward Cabrera<\/a>\u00a0was lights out in his debut and struck out five over six scoreless innings, and\u00a0Matthew Boyd<\/a>\u00a0struck out 10 over 5 2\/3 innings after a rough debut.<\/p>\n 10. Orioles<\/p>\n Baltimore\u2019s record isn\u2019t at .500 to start the year, but there have been positive signs.<\/p>\n Adley Rutschman<\/a>\u00a0is slashing .294\/.429\/.529 to start the season, hopefully putting worrisome thoughts about the type of player he is to bed.\u00a0Pete Alonso<\/a>\u00a0has also fit in nicely, homering off\u00a0Jacob deGrom<\/a>\u00a0in the first series of the year.<\/p>\n Trevor Rogers<\/a>\u00a0is also repeating his bounce back 2025. The lefty has registered a 1.38 ERA in two starts, and has provided Birdland with a reliable ace, something the club hasn\u2019t had since\u00a0Corbin Burnes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rest of the Field<\/p>\n 11. Red Sox![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/USATSI_28653333-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
12. Astros
13. Padres
14. Rangers
15. Royals
16. Brewers
17. Tigers
18. Marlins
19. Giants
20. Pirates
21. Reds
22. Rays
23. Nationals
24. Cardinals
25. Diamondbacks
26. Twins
27. Athletics
28. Angels
29. White Sox
30. Rockies<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/XWBcyxX7-e1686140012520.jpg\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The first week of the 2026 season is already in the books. And lots of rookies made impacts…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":663519,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[5,377,192,161,39,538,620,101,4,125,40,142],"class_list":{"0":"post-663518","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-blue-jays","10":"tag-braves","11":"tag-cubs","12":"tag-dodgers","13":"tag-guardians","14":"tag-mariners","15":"tag-mets","16":"tag-mlb","17":"tag-orioles","18":"tag-phillies","19":"tag-yankees"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116348793619742526","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=663518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/663519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=663518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=663518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=663518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}