At the midpoint of the 2026 season, ESPN’s franchise report cards found a few clubs that have blown past the expectations attached to them in March. The biggest headline belongs to the Chicago White Sox, who have turned a run of three straight 100-loss seasons into an A+ first half and a spot atop the American League Central.
Chicago’s rise has been fueled by breakout work from Colson Montgomery and Miguel Vargas, with ESPN also pointing to more young talent still on the way through the system. Milwaukee matched that top grade, riding a first half powered by ace Jacob Misiorowski and a roster that has played at more than a 100-win pace.
St. Louis wasn’t far off the top tier either. The Cardinals received a B+ after Jordan Walker’s emergence, JJ Wetherholt’s standout rookie season and steady production across the lineup pushed them into legitimate playoff contention.
Miami also made ESPN’s list of biggest surprises after a huge June helped the Marlins climb into the National League Wild Card race. Washington rounded out the group, and ESPN highlighted the Nationals’ offense as the driving force, noting that they lead the majors in runs scored behind MVP-caliber production from James Wood and major contributions from CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr.
Now comes the harder part. The White Sox still have to show their young pitching can survive a full 162-game grind.
The Cardinals have rotation questions to answer. Miami needs more consistency from the arms behind its top starters, and Washington is still looking for dependable pitching.
But all four teams have already rewritten the shape of their seasons, and the first 90 games made one thing clear: preseason forecasts only tell part of the story.
In Other News...
Cardinals Fans Will Love Where This Oli Marmol Feud Is Headed
A familiar name is set to leave the umpiring ranks after the 2026 season, and for Cardinals fans, the timing may bring a little extra satisfaction. CB Bucknor is among seven Major League Baseball umpires who have informed the league they plan to retire then, closing the book on a long run that began in 2000 and made him one of the sports most experienced officials.
For St. Louis, Bucknors departure carries a little more edge because of his history with Oli Marmol, a relationship that has not exactly been defined by warmth. The two have crossed paths in moments Cardinals followers remember well, and Bucknor has also been part of a few recent St. Louis games, though not nearly as often as in the past. With his retirement now on the horizon, it adds another layer to a feud that has lingered long enough to become part of the backdrop around this team. [Read more 🡒]
ESPN Just Sent Cardinals Fans A Surprising Midseason Message
ESPNs midseason report cards offered a pretty encouraging snapshot of where the Cardinals stand relative to expectations, and the grade reflected a first half that has felt better than many around the club might have predicted in April. Breakout showings from Jordan Walker and rookie JJ Wetherholt helped drive that positive view, giving St. Louis a couple of young building blocks to point to as the season moves into its next stretch.
Still, the praise came with some caution attached, and it is the kind of warning that tends to linger for a team trying to prove its staying power. ESPN flagged the Cardinals success in extra innings and raised questions about whether the pitching staff can keep this pace, especially with a bullpen that has been ordinary and a rotation that has not piled up strikeouts at a high clip. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Finally Turn To A Bullpen Answer Fans Have Wanted
With the bullpen thinned by injuries, the Cardinals are turning to a fresh arm ahead of their doubleheader against the Brewers. The move gives the club another option in a relief group that has been forced to absorb some recent hits, and it also opens the door for a pitcher who has climbed quickly through the system after spending 2025 in Double-A and this season in Triple-A.
The reward for that rise is a long-awaited major league debut, and the timing could hardly be more important for St. Louis. He has been effective in Triple-A this year, posting a 2.27 ERA across 36 outings, and the Cardinals will now see whether that production can carry over when the games start coming fast and the margin for error gets even smaller. [Read more 🡒]