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We have officially made it through the first whole month of the MLB season! Now that may seem like a lot, but there are still five full months of regular-season baseball ahead. That can serve as a healthy reminder that whether your team is in first or last, there is so much baseball left to be played (unless you’re a Mets or Phillies fan and the sky is falling!).

It’s time for our start of the new month check-in, which includes updated power rankings and players of the month. Both of these will be updated on the first of every month!

Let’s get into the teams and players that have shined the brightest around MLB to open the 2026 season.

Updated Power Rankings

Our second power rankings of the season features plenty of movement based on the first month of the year!

Dodgers and Braves lead the pack. These two teams are the best in baseball so far this season, and it might not be particularly close. Los Angeles retains their spot at the top, but Atlanta has a serious case to be made as they currently hold the best record in baseball and they’ve still got more reinforcements on the way.

Padres, Reds, and Rays have surged up the list. Three teams viewed as middle-of-the-pack in our last update have climbed a lot after big starts to the year.

San Diego is right up there with L.A. in the NL West standings, while the Reds are tied for the second-best record in baseball right now behind incredible starts from Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz.

Tampa Bay has emerged as the clear number two so far behind New York in what has been an otherwise underwhelming AL East.

Every NL Central team is in the top half. This division, considered to be one of the weaker ones in recent years, is certainly shaking off that label.

The Pirates came in with real expectations and while they have slowed down of late, they’re still a rather fun team to watch.

Meanwhile, St. Louis was expected to be the clear bottom team in the division and they’re off to a surprising 18-13 record!

The other Central Division is quite the opposite. Every team in the NL Central currently ranks higher than every AL Central team, but Detroit and Cleveland are in the mix among the middle tier of the league. Neither team has really gotten going, but it’s only a matter of time before they heat up and when they do, the race is on.

Mets and Phillies are crashing and burning. It’s been ugly so far for the projected top two in the NL East. The Mets are the worst team in baseball right now, and injuries are starting to pile up as well. Meanwhile, the Phillies did win their last three but they still have the worst run differential in baseball by a wide margin at -45 so far.

Just Baseball Trivia of the Week

Our newsletter will have a trivia question every week to test and expand the baseball knowledge of our subscribers! The answer to the weekly trivia question will be at the bottom of the newsletter each week.

Which pitcher leads MLB in fWAR so far this season? (Only as a pitcher)

A) Tarik Skubal

B) Parker Messick

C) Jose Soriano

D) Cam Schlittler

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April American League Players of the Month

Plenty of stars shined bright in the first month and change of the season, but a few stood above the rest!

Hitter of the Month

It’s been a special month from the uber-talented Yordan Alvarez, who is clearly fully back to being himself after an injury-riddled 2025 season.

The Astros’ slugger has been the best hitter in baseball to open the year, which we’ve seen in spurts from him previously. He’s got a chance to push Aaron Judge for the AL MVP award if he keeps this up, but will have to absolutely mash given his lack of defensive value.

Pitcher of the Month

Talk about a breakout! There has been no bigger breakout to open the season than Jose Soriano, who has taken the leap from a solid starter to a legitimate ace for the Angels.

Prior to this week, he had allowed just one run in his first six starts of the season, which is utterly ridiculous!

April National League Players of the Month

Someone you would typically expect to be the first category here is actually the second for the month of April. Yeah, that’s ridiculous to even type.

Hitter of the Month

This was the closest call with a couple of names in serious consideration up until the buzzer. A huge part of the Braves’ early-season success deserved the shout here though, as Olson has led the charge for Atlanta’s elite offense thus far.

Olson has been a force all year, and Atlanta will rely on him to continue that success.

Pitcher of the Month

Yeah, you know that guy who is frequently also the hitter of the month? Well, he’s a few more innings away from being the best qualified pitcher in MLB. Shohei Ohtani is simply like no other.

He’s on track for quite possibly his best season yet as a starting pitcher, while still continuing to provide excellent value from the DH spot every night.

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Other Headlines

😪 The Red Sox and Phillies both parted ways with their managers, as Alex Cora and Rob Thomson are no longer with their respective teams. Both organizations are trying to contend, but have gotten off to brutal starts.

ESPN’s Buster Olney joined the Just Baseball Show yesterday to discuss the chaos in Boston and Philly amidst these big changes. Listen here!

Don Mattingly was named the interim skipper for the Phillies, creating the most unique GM/manager duo we have ever seen.

Just Baseball Discord

We have reached over 1,000 members of our Discord in just one year and expect another awesome season with our community!

Our Discord channel is the ultimate baseball group chat while also providing exclusive access to Peter’s MLB best bets, Aram’s prospect content, giveaways, and direct connection to the entire Just Baseball staff.

Read all the details about our Discord community here.

Trivia Answer: D) Cam Schlittler

The Yankees’ young star has 2.0 fWAR so far this season (as of 4/30), leading all other pitchers by at least 0.4 WAR.

Just Baseball Merch

Our newest merchandise features retro logos, tv-inspired designs, and the anti wave social club!

We have also restocked on all your favorites including our vintage World Series line, hats, hoodies, City Series line, spring line, and much more.

Check out the full collection of Just Baseball swag here!