The Four Biggest Disappointments of the First Half of the Season

Statistically speaking, we're halfway through the 2026 Major League Baseball season. However, the All-Star Game is considered the unofficial midseason break.

And with just a few days to go before the All-Star Game, now is the perfect time to look back on the first half of this season by examining the biggest disappointments of the past few months in MLB.

First things first, let's start with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. With a $500 million contract in hand, Vladdy is going through the worst stretch of his career, having hit just five home runs and posting a slugging percentage of .351 with a WRC+ of 96—indicating he's a below-average hitter this year.

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It's the same story for Cal Raleigh. The Seattle Mariners catcher put on the greatest display of power in MLB history in 2025, finishing second in the American League MVP race.

But after hitting 60 home runs and posting an OPS of .948 last season, Raleigh has just nine home runs in 59 games and a dismal OPS of .573 this year, striking out in 31.9% of his plate appearances.

Vlad Jr. and Raleigh, however, are far from the only ones struggling this season. Starting with the Detroit Tigers—the entire team.

Considered preseason favorites to win the American League Central Division, the Tigers are currently nine games below .500 with a record of 41 wins and 50 losses.

Detroit has the most blown leads in the Manfred era with a staggering total of 26 and has four relievers in the league's top 15 for blown saves: Kyle Finnegan, Will Vest, Kenley Jansen, and Drew Anderson.

Finally, how can we overlook the New York Mets' 2026 season? It was a disastrous season in Queens after the Mets added Freddy Peralta, Bo Bichette, Luis Robert, and Jorge Polanco, among others.

Yet New York is the only team in the National League East with a record below .500, and already finds itself 15 games behind the division leader and 11 games out of the Wild Card race.

None of this looks good.

• Aaron Judge will undergo a re-evaluation during the All-Star break.

• Ranger Suarez on the injured list.

• Who will be traded, and where?

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