Silver linings for every MLB team with a losing record a month into the season

One month into the season, the MLB standings look nothing like we thought they would. Sure, it comes as no surprise to see teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees at the top, but there are plenty of surprises around them — both pleasant and not so pleasant.

Given that we've played a full month of baseball now, that feels like a substantial enough sample size to, at the very least, give the fans of teams with losing records at least one positive thing to look at with a smile. Let's dive in.

Baltimore Orioles

Record: 13-15 (3rd in AL East)
Silver lining: Adley Rutschman might be back

Starting pitching has been a predictable weakness, and guys like Pete Alonso and Gunnar Henderson aren't off to the starts Baltimore Orioles fans were looking for. But the same cannot be said about Adley Rutschman. Remember when he looked like the best catcher in the game not too long ago? Well, it's been a struggle the past couple of years, and he did miss some time with injury this season — but when he's been on the field, he's looked like the star he once was.

Rutschman is slashing .333/.393/.627 with three home runs and 11 RBI in just 14 games thus far. He has nine extra-base hits, after having just 27 extra-base hits (and nine home runs) in 90 games in 2025. Rutschman is a third of the way there in just a fraction of the playing time. Might this just be a hot start? Perhaps, but for now, Orioles fans have to love what they're seeing from their franchise catcher.

Boston Red Sox

Record: 12-17 (5th in AL East)
Silver lining: Wilyer Abreu is a budding star

Alex Cora was fired by the Boston Red Sox, but not before finally giving Wilyer Abreu the chance to play every day for the first time in his career. The results have been nothing short of extraordinary: In addition to his usual fantastic defense, Abreu is slashing .306/.394/.491 with four home runs and 13 RBI. Most impressively, after being shielded from facing them in past seasons, Abreu is hitting .333 with a .775 OPS against lefties thus far.

The Red Sox are where they are largely because their lineup lacks thump. Abreu is one of the few players on the team able to provide that thump, as evidenced by his team-leading 11 extra-base hits. Giving him regular playing time is one of the few things the organization has gotten right thus far.

Colorado Rockies

Record: 13-16 (5th in NL West)
Silver lining: The Rockies look ... competent?

An argument can be made that no team is exceeding expectations more than the Colorado Rockies. Sure, they have a losing record, but did people forget how bad last season went? I mean, this team won a total of 43 games last season. They're nearly one-third of the way there at 13-16, and April isn't even over.

The Rockies look, dare I say, competent. They won't make the playoffs or anything, but they do not look awful. There are actual things to like about this team: Chase Dollander looks to be taking a real leap, the bullpen is full of flamethrowers and guys like Mickey Moniak and Hunter Goodman are anchoring the lineup. There's still a long way to go, but Colorado looking this good this soon wasn't expected.

Houston Astros

Record: 11-18 (5th in AL West)
Silver lining: Yordan Alvarez is healthy and better than ever

A big reason why the Houston Astros missed the playoffs in 2025 had to do with Yordan Alvarez missing all but 48 games with injury (and having an uncharacteristically low .797 OPS in the games he was healthy enough to play in). Well, it's safe to say that while the Astros have gotten absolutely no pitching to speak of, Alvarez is back in MVP form, and dare I say he looks even better than ever.

Alvarez is slashing .358/.465/.755 with 11 home runs and 26 RBI in 29 games. Yes, in only 29 games, he already has five home runs than he hit all of last season and just one fewer RBI. Not only is Alvarez hitting for immense power, but he's drawn 19 walks while striking out just 11 times. He's been the best hitter in the sport, as his absurd 223 wRC+ would indicate, and if the season ended today, he'd likely be the AL MVP. He's been that good.

Kansas City Royals

Record: 11-17 (5th in AL Central)
Silver lining: Carter Jensen might win AL Rookie of the Year

The Kansas City Royals are another team struggling mightily to score runs, but Carter Jensen isn't to blame for that. The rookie catcher has been hitting in the middle of the team's lineup all year, and the results show exactly why that is.

He's slashing .268/.351/.512 with six home runs and 16 RBI in 26 games played this season, leading the Royals with a 134 wRC+. Yes, he's been a better hitter than Bobby Witt Jr. so far. The American League is stacked with star rookies like Kevin McGonigle, Munetaka Murakami and Chase DeLauter, but there's every reason to believe that with his raw power, Jensen has the bat to win the AL Rookie of the Year award.

Los Angeles Angels

Record: 12-18 (4th in AL West)
Silver lining: Mike Trout is Mike Trout again

The Los Angeles Angels having a losing record to this point isn't exactly shocking, but seeing Mike Trout be Mike Trout again certainly is. Trout hadn't played more than 130 games in a season since 2019, and he hadn't finished a season with an OPS over .870 since 2022. Well, so far, Trout has appeared in 29 of the Angels' 30 games, and he has a .976 OPS.

He's hit nine home runs, leads the AL in runs scored and leads the Majors in walks. Most amazingly, he's shaved his strikeout rate from over 32 percent in 2025 to just 19.3 percent in 2026. Trout might not be hitting for a very high average, but everything else about him looks like his former MVP self. Heck, he's even playing center field on most nights.

Miami Marlins

Record: 13-16 (T-2nd in NL East)
Silver lining: This middle infield is as steady as any

The Miami Marlins are a pesky team nobody wants to face, and their middle infielders, Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards, are a huge reason why. They're both well-rounded players having fantastic seasons.

Lopez is hitting .312 with a .842 OPS and four steals while playing tremendous defense at shortstop. Edwards is a high-end defender at second base in his own right, and he's hitting .340 with a .898 OPS and four stolen bases. This is one of the most underrated all-around middle infields in the game, and that is something for the Marlins to hang their hats on moving forward.

New York Mets

Record: 9-19 (T-4th in NL East)
Silver lining: Nolan McLean looks like a perennial Cy Young contender

The New York Mets are an absolute disaster almost everywhere you turn. They can't score a run, and two of their five rotation spots are a mess. One of the few positives, though, is the emergence of Nolan McLean.

McLean dominated in his first eight career starts last year, but he had more to prove entering 2026. Well, how's a 2.55 ERA in six starts this season? McLean has a 33.3 percent strikeout rate to go with a 7.4 percent walk rate, and he's allowed just two home runs. He also happens to have some of the best stuff in the game. Once he improves when facing hitters for a third time, it feels like it'll be a matter of time before he's perennially in Cy Young conversations.

Philadelphia Phillies

Record: 9-19 (T-4th in NL East)
Silver lining: At least Taijuan Walker is gone

As disappointing as a team like the Mets are, the Philadelphia Phillies might be even worse. Their young players aren't doing much, the same goes for their veterans, and firing Rob Thomson doesn't feel like a season saver. But Phillies fans can at least appreciate that Taijuan Walker is gone.

Walker, who had a 9.13 ERA in 2026 and a 5.12 ERA in parts of four seasons with Philadelphia, was a player Phillies fans wanted DFA'd for years, and for good reason. He was non-competitive most of the time he took the mound in a Phillies uniform. They might not ever turn their season around, but knowing they aren't essentially punting with Walker every fifth day is a good thing.

San Francisco Giants

Record: 13-15 (4th in NL West)
Silver lining: Landen Roupp is flashing real upside

There isn't a lot for San Francisco Giants fans to be happy about, especially when their one constant over the years, Logan Webb, hasn't exactly been himself. But Landen Roupp is picking up some of his slack, and. helooks like a real building block for this rotation.

Roupp has a 2.55 ERA in six starts so far, and while the Giants are 13-15, Roupp has gone 5-1 when he's taken the ball. He's been the one constant keeping San Francisco in games, and if it weren't for him, imagine how loud the noise would be around this team right now. In just his second full big-league season as a starter, who knows what his ceiling is?

Seattle Mariners

Record: 14-16 (3rd in AL West)
Silver lining: Emerson Hancock looks like an All-Star

The Seattle Mariners are a team built around its starting pitching, but one of their starters, Bryce Miller, hasn't made a single appearance to this point. Because of Miller's absence, the Mariners were forced to rely on Emerson Hancock, a former top organizational prospect who had a less-than-impressive 4.81 career ERA prior to this season. But Hancock has been a big reason why Seattle has been able to hover around .500 despite a slow start offensively.

Hancock has a 2.86 ERA in six starts and 34.2 innings of work, issuing just six walks on the year and allowing three runs or fewer each time he's taken the ball. I don't know what Seattle's plans are when Miller returns, but Hancock should remain in their rotation. He looks like a budding All-Star.

Texas Rangers

Record: 14-15 (2nd in AL West)
Silver lining: Jacob deGrom is healthy and in Cy Young form

Jacob deGrom has been one of the most talented pitchers in the game for over a decade now — when health. He was able to make 30 starts last season, but he had made a combined 47 starts in the four seasons prior. Well, the right-hander has been healthy so far in 2026, and he's looked a whole lot like the deGrom we're used to.

He has a 2.13 ERA in five starts and 25.1 innings of work, allowing one run or fewer in four of his five starts. At 37 years old, he remains one of the best pitchers in the world. It goes without saying that the Texas Rangers don't have much of a chance if he isn't able to stay healthy, so watching him take the ball and pitch this well is very encouraging.

Toronto Blue Jays

Record: 12-16 (4th in AL East)
Silver lining: Dylan Cease might be underpaid

The Toronto Blue Jays find themselves under the .500 mark thanks largely to a rash of injuries, but Dylan Cease has been healthy and the ace they thought he was. Most fans were confused when the Jays gave Cease a $210 million deal in free agency, citing his 4.55 ERA in 2025, but Cease is proving that he's the same Cy Young-caliber pitcher he was in previous years with the Padres and White Sox.

The right-hander has a 2.87 ERA in six starts and 31.1 innings of work, and he's struck out a league-leading 49 batters while not giving up a single home run yet. Yes, getting deep into games remains an issue, but Cease has allowed two earned runs or fewer in all but one of his starts, and has given the Jays a chance to win each time he's taken the mound. He's been worth the money and then some thus far.

Washington Nationals

Record: 13-16 (T-2nd in NL East)
Silver lining: James Wood is back to crushing baseballs

It looked like James Wood was on a MVP trajectory before he had a brutal second half to his first full season in 2025. Motivated to prove he had made adjustments, Wood is back to looking like a superstar, slashing .243/.404/./568 with a NL-leading 10 home runs and 21 RBI. He's the driving force behind a Washington Nationals offense that's been surprisingly elite this season.

Wood will always strike out more than you'd like and might not ever pull the ball as much as he should, but he has a career-high 58.2 percent air rate and has been drawing walks at will, taking what pitchers are giving him in stride. The sky is the limit with this 23-year-old phenom.

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