MLB superlatives and surprises as the season's first half concludes

The first half of the 2026 MLB season has left us with plenty to talk about going into the All-Star break. We’ve seen rebuilding teams take some big steps forward. We’ve seen teams we thought would be World Series contenders take some big steps back.

As the sport takes a brief hiatus for the All-Star festivities and a couple of days without games, here are a few teams and players that stood out in the first half.

Most surprising team: Chicago White Sox

The White Sox have been thriving in 2026. After two years of a grueling rebuild, including setting the record for losses in an MLB season, Chicago has surprised the baseball world this year. In an American League in which few teams have stood out, the White Sox have shown they can keep up with the best.

One of the biggest reasons behind Chicago’s first-half success is its offense, which has become the team’s calling card. Major contributions from young players such as Colson Montgomery, Munetaka Murakami and first-time All-Star Miguel Vargas have made the White Sox very dangerous every time they come up to bat. The Sox currently rank fourth in MLB in homers.

They might be a year ahead of schedule, but with their play, the Sox have put themselves in position to make real decisions about adding at the trade deadline. With their path to a division title or wild-card berth looking much more realistic now than it did at the beginning of the season, there’s no reason to believe this team shouldn’t take a swing.

Honorable mention: Miami Marlins

Led by Colson Montgomery, Munetaka Murakami and Miguel Vargas, the White Sox have been the most surprising team of 2026.

(Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports)

It has been a pretty disastrous first half for the Padres. Not only have they not played well as a team, but also their roster of stars haven’t looked like themselves.

Over the past five years, the San Diego Padres have almost always been in the conversation about the best teams in the National League, if not all of baseball. With as much star power as any team not named the Dodgers, the Padres had reason to believe they could be one of baseball’s best again entering 2026.

But this season, that star power has let San Diego down. The Padres currently rank 30th in MLB in runs scored, and when you look at the production of Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts, it’s not hard to see why.

Padres’ president of baseball operations AJ Preller has always been one to go for it in both free agency and the trade market, where he has pulled off some blockbusters, including last year, when he acquired baseball’s best closer, Mason Miller. But with his team 14.5 games back in the NL West and sliding down the wild-card standings, it might be time to think of San Diego as a seller for the first time in a long time.

Honorable mention: New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays

Most surprising player: Otto Lopez, SS, Miami Marlins

The Marlins are soaring, and front and center in their success has been Otto Lopez. If you haven’t been paying attention, you might not have noticed just how good Miami’s shortstop has been, but the numbers speak for themselves.

Lopez leads MLB in batting average, hits and doubles, and he was named to the NL All-Star team for the first time. The Marlins’ shortstop has also shown he’s one of baseball’s best all-around players this season. He is currently at +2 defensive runs saved and +4 outs above average, with 17 stolen bases.

When a rebuilding team makes a jump, it usually takes some key players developing to get them there, and Lopez has been that for the Marlins. Miami is set to play games that matter in the season’s second half, and this team will have one of baseball’s best players in the lineup every day as it tries to reach the postseason for just the fifth time in franchise history.

Honorable mention: Ben Rice, New York Yankees; Jordan Walker, St. Louis Cardinals

Most disappointing player: Manny Machado, 3B, San Diego Padres

Since Manny Machado got to the big leagues as a 20-year-old, he has always hit. Over the past 15 years, the Padres’ third baseman has put together a future Hall of Fame career. And while Machado is now 34, coming into this season, there were signs that he had something left in the tank.

But 2026 has looked unlike anything we’ve ever seen from Machado. The Padres’ all-time leader in home runs has struggled mightily this season, batting just .193 with 19 homers and 52 RBI. By average, Machado is currently the second-worst hitter in MLB.

When you look at the Padres’ disappointing season as a whole, Machado’s offensive struggles have definitely fit into that. He has looked a bit better of late, but you have to wonder if it’s too little, too late in San Diego.

Honorable mention: Matt McLain, Cincinnati Reds; Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays

The Yankees are reeling, having lost 14 of their past 19 games, and after looking like the class of the American League, the Bronx Bombers are limping into the All-Star break.

Losing Aaron Judge for an indefinite period of time due to a stress fracture in his rib has been a huge blow, as expected. Not having No. 99 in the lineup every day has rattled the Yankees’ confidence, as well as their offensive production. Since June 1, the first day Judge was out of the lineup, New York ranks 27th in MLB in hitting and 22nd in runs scored.

The trade deadline is now three-and-a-half weeks away, and general manager Brian Cashman has work to do to add not only depth in the Yankees’ bullpen but also some punch to their lineup. Because with no timetable for Judge’s return, New York needs a plan to score runs without him in the second half as they try to chase down the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.

Honorable mention: Seattle Mariners

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