Editor’s Note: All my graphics going forward will come directly from Stat Soldier. Go check it out by clicking here.
Honorable Mention - The Skubal Scope
Baseball is witnessing one of the most miraculous medical advances in the history of the sport. Earlier this season, Tarik Skubal, the two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner in the American League, underwent elbow surgery that was performed by the famous Dr. Neal ElAttrache. The objective of that surgery was to remove a loose bone chip in Skubal’s elbow. Due to advances in the medical field, the surgery comes with a much faster recovery timeline. In the past, this would sideline a pitcher for 2 to 3 months. Now, the recovery is down to roughly 4 to 6 weeks.
This technological advancement allowed Skubal to start a throwing program just two weeks after surgery!
Since returning to play from the IL, Skubal has made 7 starts.
39.1 IP | 53 K | 3.07 ERA | 0.95 WHIP | 3 W | 2 QS
Numbers don’t lie. The Skubal Scope is working!
5) Yordan Alvarez Resurgence
Any casual baseball fan knows that Yordan Alvarez is a BAAAAD man from the batter’s box. Last year, Alvarez dealt with a couple of injuries, including a long absence due to a hand issue that was not very well covered and considered to be somewhat of a mystery to the baseball world. Now he is back and seemingly better than ever.
Alvarez has a Triple Crown season in his sights. Currently 1st in HR (34), 1st in RBI (77), and 2nd in AVG (.328) across all of baseball. He leads in all of these statistical categories for the American League.
Coming off a forgetful year, he is right back in the mix to be considered the best “hitter” in baseball.
4) Jacob Misiorowski Dominance
Jacob Misiorowski has been nothing short of spectacular this season. The Pokémon-loving flame thrower has been must-see TV. His 105.5 MPH fastball should be considered one of the “Seven Wonders of the World”.
The Brewers pitching factory has done it again and produced yet another ace on the mound.
2026 Jacob Misiorowski:
1.57 ERA (1st MLB)
173 K (1st MLB)
0.77 WHIP (1st MLB)
12 QS (T-7th MLB)
10 W (T-8th MLB)
115 IP (T-23rd MLB)
13.5 K/9 (1st MLB)
His numbers are gross. The Brewers are the second-best team in baseball. If his arm doesn’t fall off, everyone’s a winner for getting to watch him pitch.
3) The Tampa Bay Rays Are Back
The Tampa Bay Rays are one of the most fascinating anomalies in sports. The organization itself was established in 1995. Since its inception, the club has made the MLB playoffs 9 times.
Tampa accomplished this feat for the first time in 2008 when they lost in the World Series to the Philadelphia Phillies. What is crazy is that in a 31-year run, the Rays have made the playoffs on average about one in every three years. What is crazier is that since their first playoff appearance as an organization, they have never ranked among the top 10 in spending. In fact, according to Spotrac, they have never been in the top 20 in spending since 2008!
Somehow this team continues to find ways to scout, draft, develop, and move talent at an elite level. It is one of the most impressive operations we have seen in the game of baseball. They don’t overpay for talent, move their guys at the right time to acquire new talent, and compete year over year.
Currently, they are leading the American League with a 59-43 record and are the 4th-best team in baseball, all the while having the 24th highest-paid roster at $102,170,090. To put that in perspective, the Mets are spending $61,975,000 on Juan Soto and $32,477,821 on Francisco Lindor. Combined: $94,452,821 for two players.
$102,170,090 (TBR Entire Roster) vs. $94,452,821 (Juan Soto & Francisco Lindor)
Rays: 59-43 ($1,731,696/Win)
Mets: 43-60 ($7,636,216/Win)
On top of the organization’s achievements, Junior Caminero is having an insane year. He is 23 years old and on his way to back-to-back seasons with 40 or more bombs.
His salary this year is $794,800.
2) The Rise of Chase Burns
Getting a mid-season contract extension done is one of the best moves Cincinnati has made in years!
7 years for $105M is a steal for Burns.
Across a career of 151 IP, he is what Burns has delivered.
3.04 ERA
191 K
55 BB
1.16 WHIP
11.4 K/9
3.14 FIP
3.33 SIERA
Burns is one of the best young arms in the game, and at 23 years old, this extension will easily pay for itself. The Reds are not considered one of the more aggressive teams when it comes to giving players money, but they hit this one out of the ballpark. If Hunter Greene can stay healthy, this should be one of the league’s best 1-2 combos.
1) Munetaka Murakami & The Chicago White Sox
Hard to argue against the movement happening on the South Side of Chicago.
The White Sox are in 1st place in the American League Central.
Let me repeat that:
The White Sox are in 1st place in the American League Central.
For those not paying attention, this team was the 2nd-worst team of all-time by record (41-121) in 2024. Fast forward a season and a half later, and they are 54-47, leading the division through the All-Star Break, and are on their way to clinching a playoff berth for the first time since 2021.
Between the youth movement and adding arguably the best international player in the offseason, the White Sox have fans smiling again.
Munetaka Murakami has 20 home runs in just 66 games played. The White Sox hit a home run on his contract at just $34M for two years. Congratulations to White Sox fans; I hope you do make the playoffs this season!