With the unofficial first half of the 2026 MLB season over, it's time to evaluate each team's performances. Here are midseason grades for all 15 National League teams. We evaluated the American League on Monday.
The D-Backs are outside a playoff spot after a mediocre first half. The rotation and bullpen have been without key pieces due to injuries, but Arizona's really suffered from a lack of offense. The D-Backs own a minus-13 run differential and the second-worst offensive rating in the majors, according to FanGraphs. That's shocking considering Arizona boasts dynamic players such as Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo, and Gabriel Moreno.
The Braves are 15 games above .500 and in sole possession of first place in the NL East despite opening the campaign with several starting pitchers on the IL and Ronald Acuña Jr. missing nearly half of their contests. The offense has cooked without him - Atlanta ranks ninth in the majors in runs - but the club's plus-92 run differential is due to phenomenal pitching. Chris Sale (2.20 ERA) continues to deliver in his age-37 season, while the Braves' bullpen ranks first in MLB in FIP and second in ERA.
It's been an up-and-down season on the North Side, as the Cubs won 10 games in a row twice but also lost 10 straight in May. They'd still own the top wild-card spot if the season ended today. Pete Crow-Armstrong continues to anchor a strong offense that ranks fifth in the majors in scoring. Starting pitching could prove to be the club's Achilles' heel if the front office doesn't make a significant addition at the trade deadline.
The Reds have floundered after entering the season with high expectations. Cincinnati sits last in the NL Central despite All-Star-caliber performances from Chase Burns and Sal Stewart. Most of the Reds' problems are on offense: The club is tied for 25th in runs and sits 28th in batting average. Offseason addition Eugenio Suárez has disappointed with a .673 OPS, but the Reds also haven't gotten much from TJ Friedl, Tyler Stephenson, Noelvi Marte, and Matt McLain.
While the Rockies have improved compared to last season, they still own the worst record and run differential in the National League. The pitching staff has combined for the highest ERA in the majors, allowing an MLB-worst 982 hits to go along with 132 long balls. On the positive side, Hunter Goodman looks like one of the best catchers in the league, and a number of Colorado's hitters (TJ Rumfield, Mickey Moniak, and Jake McCarthy) have performed well.
The Dodgers' quest for a third straight World Series championship is going swimmingly. They own the best record and run differential in the majors even though Mookie Betts, Kyle Tucker, and Teoscar Hernández are having down years and the rotation has been missing Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow for most of the campaign. Andy Pages, Dalton Rushing, and Justin Wrobleski have been nice surprises for an organization that continues to churn out impact players to pair with stars Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.
The Marlins have been one of baseball's most unexpected stories. Clayton McCullough's club is seven games above .500 and in playoff contention. Otto Lopez (2024 waiver claim) and Liam Hicks (acquired in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft) have been two of the Marlins' best players, with Lopez's 4.4 fWAR ranking fifth in the majors. Miami has also hit on other acquisitions, including Xavier Edwards (.303 AVG), Esteury Ruiz (20 steals), and Heriberto Hernández (13 HRs, .483 SLG).
Doubt the Brewers at your own peril. Milwaukee's pitching staff accrued MLB's highest fWAR (15.1) in the first half after trading ace Freddy Peralta. The departure of a star seems like an annual occurrence for the team, but this time, it was mitigated by Jacob Misiorowski's emergence as arguably the best pitcher in baseball. A shrewd move for Kyle Harrison - who's enjoying a breakout season with a 3.01 ERA and 10.9 K/9 - solidified the rotation. The Brewers are getting run support from a lineup in which Jake Bauers (18 homers, .881 OPS) has blossomed into a middle-of-the-order bat.
Speaking of Peralta, he was a key addition in the Mets' revamp that's gone sideways. President of baseball operations David Stearns also whiffed on Bo Bichette, Luis Robert Jr., Marcus Semien, Jorge Polanco, and Devin Williams. New York is 16 games behind the Braves for first in the division and 12 games out of the NL's final wild-card spot after axing manager Carlos Mendoza in late June. A fire sale could be looming before the Aug. 3 trade deadline. It's turning out to be a nightmare campaign in Queens.
The Phillies have gone 45-24 since Don Mattingly became interim manager after Rob Thomson was fired. Philadelphia sits in a wild-card spot and just two games out of the NL East lead following a 9-19 start. The club's pitching has been carried by the three-headed monster of Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler, and Jesús Luzardo, with a total of 29 wins from the trio. It turns out that Bryce Harper is still elite - the two-time NL MVP has gone deep 20 times with a 133 wRC+. MLB home-run leader Kyle Schwarber has chipped in with 32 long balls.
The Pirates appear ready to make a push to play in October for the first time since 2015. Pittsburgh's plus-44 run differential is the sixth-best mark in baseball thanks to a great offense and solid pitching. The club owns MLB's second-best wRC+ (111). Brandon Lowe, Ryan O'Hearn, Oneil Cruz, Bryan Reynolds, Spencer Horwitz, and Esmerlyn Valdez have each recorded a minimum .803 OPS with double-digit homers. Although Paul Skenes has looked human at times, he still put up a 2.88 FIP with 10.8 K/9 in 20 starts.
The Padres have been consistently inconsistent, and they need way more from their stars. Manny Machado's belted a team-leading 19 homers but is barely clearing the Mendoza Line and owns a putrid .290 OBP, while Fernando Tatis Jr. somehow only has five round-trippers. Meanwhile, Jackson Merrill's posting a 76 wRC+, and Xander Bogaerts still looks nothing like the star he was with the Red Sox. Untouchable closer Mason Miller is arguably the only player on San Diego's roster who's living up to expectations.
The Giants have been a big disappointment under first-year skipper Tony Vitello. Their minus-64 run differential is the fifth-worst mark in baseball. The club is reportedly trying to offload the bloated long-term contracts of underperforming stars Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, and Matt Chapman. Impending free agents Luis Arraez and Robbie Ray should bring in nice returns before the trade deadline. Bryce Eldridge's development has been a positive: The former top prospect has eight homers and an .832 OPS in 54 games.
The Cardinals unexpectedly find themselves in the thick of the NL wild-card race after trading high-priced veterans Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan, Sonny Gray, and Willson Contreras during the offseason. Embracing a youth movement has paid off so far for St. Louis. Jordan Walker has 22 homers, 74 RBIs, and an .887 OPS amid a breakout campaign, while standout rookie JJ Wetherholt hit the ground running and recently signed an eight-year, $112.5-million extension. Michael McGreevy leads the rotation with a 3.01 ERA across 18 starts.
The Nationals are exceeding expectations thanks to one of MLB's best offenses. They're tied with the Pirates for the most runs in baseball (516), largely because Washington has hit the second-most homers (138). The club also owns MLB's top slugging percentage (.435) and the fourth-highest wRC+ (108). James Wood already has 28 homers, including a franchise-record 11 leadoff blasts, while CJ Abrams, Luis García Jr, and Curtis Mead have combined for 57 long balls amid breakout seasons. Foster Griffin became the staff ace after coming over from Japan on a one-year deal.
