Two weeks into the season, and one thing is very clear: The National League is far superior to the American League.
From pitchers to batters to actual game results, the NL is a force to be reckoned with thus far, with ten teams at or above .500 compared to just seven from the AL.
Surprise NL Teams like the Miami Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals are all at or above .500, whereas AL teams like the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners — all playoff teams last year — sit well below .500
Was this something anybody could have predicted, even two weeks into the season?
The short answer is no. Many AL teams made moves that were meant to position them for success, but thus far, they’ve been ineffective. Nobody would have thought that the Tigers would have gotten worse, even after signing Framber Valdez to secure arguably the best 1-2 punch in baseball. They sit in third place in the AL Central.
While the Red Sox are missing out on third baseman Alex Bregman, they still signed top left-handed starter Ranger Suarez and acquired William Contreras. They sit dead last in the AL East.
The Mariners had high hopes going into the 2026 season, coming off their first division title since 2001. They filled in holes in their infield, including trading for Brendan Donovan and re-signing Josh Naylor. Just like the other two, they also sit in third place in the AL West.
On the other hand, nearly every NL team has a standout star and is dominating its competition.
Pitchers like Mitch Keller of the Pirates, Eduardo Rodriguez of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Sandy Alcantara of the Marlins have led their squads on the mound, limiting opposing batters to less than a .200 average.
Alcantara has been the best of the bunch, even throwing a complete game shutout, Greg Maddux style. If Alcantara can return to his 2022 Cy Young form, the Marlins could be a team to look out for come September.
Closers like Mason Miller of the San Diego Padres, Jhoan Duran of the Philadelphia Phillies and Riley O’Brien of the Cardinals have each racked up four saves for their teams.
Miller, particularly, has been out of this world, striking out 19 of the 24 batters he has faced this season. At this rate, nobody will get on base against him, and he might reach 105 mph on the bump.
At the plate, hitters like Drake Baldwin of the Atlanta Braves, Andy Pages of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds, and Ian Happ of the Chicago Cubs each have at least four home runs in less than 20 games.
Despite making the least amount of money on one of the most expensive starting lineups in baseball, Pages has not only been the best Dodger so far, but also the best hitter in baseball. His 25 hits and 20 RBIs lead the majors by a lot.
All of these extraordinary players are leading their teams to a really strong start, and they’re all from the N.L. The only “bad” team in the NL is the Washington Nationals, and they haven’t even been that bad.
All of this is to say that the NL is good. Really good. The success will likely come to an end eventually, but for now, enjoy these NL squads. They’ve done a fantastic job.