Happy 4th of July, playbook fans! To celebrate Independence Day, Andy and I are heading out to Riders Field tonight to catch our local Double-A Frisco RoughRiders take to the diamond. Visiting their ballpark has become one of our absolute favorite traditions—in fact, we wrote a piece all about our date night experience there last season if you want to see why it’s such a must-visit destination for local baseball fans.

But before the first pitch flies tonight, we’re pausing to check the pulse of the major leagues. Believe it or not, we have officially hit the halfway mark of the 2026 season. To mark the occasion, Andy put together his midseason report card: the sparklers setting the league on fire, and the fizzled fireworks that have left their fanbases in a cloud of smoke.

Grab a cold brew, and let’s dive into a quick holiday recap:

🌟 The Midseason Sparklers (The Highlights)

• Jacob Misorowski (Pitcher, Milwaukee Brewers): Talk about a breakout year for the first-place Brewers! Misorowski is absolutely dominating the league, leading baseball with a mind-boggling 1.47 ERA and racking up 156 strikeouts against a stingy 27 walks. He clocked a pitch at an insane 105.5 mph, and his average fastball sits comfortably at 100 mph.
• Otto Lopez (Shortstop, Miami Marlins): Another massive breakout story. Lopez is pacing all of baseball with a sparkling .337 batting average and 117 hits, while securely sitting in the top 5 with a 4.0 WAR. He is single-handedly captaining the surprising Marlins right into the wild-card conversation.
• Tampa Bay Rays: Pushing past every single preseason projection, the Rays are currently sitting pretty at 19 games over .500, holding a 4-game lead over the Yankees. Operating with one of the smallest payrolls in the sport, they just continue to prove that smart culture beats deep pockets every single time.
• Washington Nationals: Experts predicted the Nats would struggle to win 65 games during their total rebuild. Fast forward to July, and they’ve already secured 46 wins and are actively hunting a wild-card spot—all while carrying the 4th lowest payroll in the league.

🧨 The Fizzled Fireworks (The Non-Highlights)

• Manny Machado (3rd Base, San Diego Padres): The 2026 season has been rough on Machado, who is currently hitting just .190 with a worrisome 2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. At 33 years old and only in the fourth year of a massive 11-year commitment, the Padres desperately need him to find his rhythm to avoid major long-term pain.
• Cal Raleigh (Catcher, Seattle Mariners): Expectations were sky-high after Raleigh blasted 60 homers and drove in 125 last year. Instead, 2026 brought a sluggish start and 32 missed games due to injuries, leaving him hitting a mere .160. With $81 million owed on his contract after this season, Seattle needs their star catcher to heal up and heat up for their wild card push.
• New York Mets: Entering the year as National League favorites with the highest payroll in the game, the Mets have collapsed into the 4th worst record in baseball—just one game out of the absolute basement. The bats are cold, the pitching hasn’t clicked, and the slump shows zero signs of breaking.
• Detroit Tigers: After a stellar 2025 playoff run, Detroit looked like a title contender by adding Framber Valdez to complement Tariq Skubal. Unfortunately, the dynamic duo dissolved when Skubal got hurt, the bullpen repeatedly collapsed, and the offense completely stalled. Now out of the playoff picture, trade rumors are swirling that Skubal might be on the move.

Enjoy the fireworks, the baseball, and whatever craft pints are keeping you cool this weekend! We’re off to the ballpark. Let us know in the comments who your midseason MVP or biggest disappointment is so far!

Let’s hear it below! ⚾️ 👇