Every day, Pinstripe Alley offers updates on what the Yankees ’ top American League opponents are up to through the Rivalry Roundup. The AL East is well-trodden ground there, but with the end of the month upon us, we’re going to take a peek around MLB as a whole and check in with each of the other five divisions. Who’s surprising? Who’s underwhelming? Who’s simply mediocre at the moment? Read on and find out.
In the subheader of the previous edition of this series, John (correctly) identified the AL
West as the “league’s most ‘meh’ division”. Although the past month did little to overturn that overall sentiment, there’s been a shakeup in the standings.
First Place: Texas Rangers (44-42)
Top Position Player: Josh Jung (2.1 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: MacKenzie Gore (2.0 fWAR)
After a magical championship year in 2023, not much has gone the Rangers’ way since. However, things might be looking up for them for the first time in a while, as they’ve overtaken the floundering Mariners for the top spot in the division. Their bats are led by Josh Jung, who has continued to post strong numbers after two consecutive down years. Their other players aren’t pushovers, either; Joc Pederson and Wyatt Langford are having stellar offensive years (though Langford is set to be sidelined through the All-Star break with a lat injury), and former first-round pick Justin Foscue is running a 137 wRC+, albeit in a small sample. This is a fairly deep lineup, with solid to elite gloves in Jung, Langford, Ezequiel Duran, and Evan Carter to boot.
The starting rotation appears to be rounding into form as well. MacKenzie Gore’s 4.05 ERA masks a 3.43 FIP and very strong peripherals; the question with him is, will he be able to avoid the second half slide that marred him in 2024 and 2025. After a rough patch in May, Jacob deGrom has returned to his dominant ways, posting a 3.10 ERA (2.34 FIP) with a 30.8-percent K rate across five June starts. Nathan Eovaldi and Kumar Rocker have been more than serviceable as mid-rotation arms, giving Texas a potent starting four. Meanwhile, led by the leveled-up Jacob Latz, their bullpen owns a 3.81 ERA, fifth-best in the AL. Maybe they’re short on top-end talent, but this is a well-rounded team, and if the Mariners continue to underwhelm, the Rangers should contend for the division lead down the stretch.
Second Place: Seattle Mariners (44-43)
Top Position Player: Randy Arozarena (2.2 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Bryan Woo (2.5 fWAR)
Despite entering June with a six-game winning streak, which they extended to eight in the first two games on the month, the Mariners spent the rest of it spinning their wheels, falling to second place in the process. The offense is potent on paper, as seven of their nine current regulars boast wRC+ marks north of 100 (Cal Raleigh is at 70, and Josh Naylor’s is 98). However, for whatever reason, that hasn’t translated into actual run production, as the team’s 348 runs scored puts them at 11th in the AL. It probably doesn’t help that they’re rated the second-worst defensive team in MLB, in front of only the lowly Angels.
On the other hand, pitching, particularly starting pitching, is the Mariners’ strength. Their starters’ WAR total of 9.5 trails only the Brewers for the best in baseball, and it’s not just the usual suspects driving that performance, either. The trifecta of Bryan Woo, George Kirby, and Logan Gilbert are humming right along, but joining them have been Emerson Hancock and Bryce Miller, who have both bounced back in a big way from disastrous 2025 campaigns. The bullpen has been middle-of-the-road, but certainly not a major weakness. It’s up to the offense to hold up their end of the bargain if the Mariners want to repeat as division champs.
Third Place: Houston Astros (43-45)
Top Position Player: Yordan Álvarez (3.6 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Peter Lambert (0.7 fWAR)
As the saying goes: Never count the Astros out. Despite a brutal 8-18 April, Houston has clawed their way out of that hole and now stand just 2 games out of 1st in the division, and 1.5 games back of the Mariners for the third Wild Card spot. They’re led by their offense, which ranks fifth in the AL with 391 runs scored, and of course, any discussion of the Astro’s bats has to start with Yordan Alvarez. After his 2025 was cut short due to injury, the hulking slugger is back at full strength and raking, with a 179 wRC+ that paces MLB. Elsewhere, strong seasons from Jeremy Peña, Isaac Paredes, and Christian Walker has helped the club weather a down year from Jose Altuve and the loss of Carlos Correa due to an ankle injury (though Peña just hit the IL with a strained calf).
What has held them back is their pitching, or lack of it. Peter Lambert has been their best starter so far, and while his 3.51 ERA makes him look like a legitimate frontline starter, his 4.47 FIP suggests that he’s really more of a back-end guy. However, there have been positive developments in June. The team welcomed back ace Hunter Brown from the 60-day injured list, and he’s been solid in his three starts since rejoining the rotation. Tatsuya Imai has improved markedly of late, and is coming off a six-inning, 10-K, one-walk, scoreless dismantling of the Detroit Tigers in his latest start. If the Astros do get to enjoy some good starting pitching, they’ll be sure to move up the divisional standings.
Fourth Place: The Athletics (40-46)
Top Position Player: Nick Kurtz (3.3 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: J.T. Ginn (1.3 fWAR)
Much like the Astros, the A’s score a bunch of runs but can’t keep them off the board. Their offense has been legitimately good, led by young phenom Nick Kurtz, and flanked by solid-to-stellar performances from Shea Langeliers, Zack Gelof, and Tyler Soderstrom. New faces like Henry Bolte and Carlos Cortes are also hitting well, softening the blow of the disappointing showings from Brent Rooker, Jeff McNeil, and Lawrence Butler. Ideally, you’d like a little more depth, but this lineup can do some damage.
The pitching, however, is…less than ideal. Their team ERA of 5.01 is the worst among MLB teams that don’t play on the Moon (read: excluding the Colorado Rockies). Top prospect Gage Jump has flashed top-of-the-rotation stuff, and J.T. Ginn looks like a solid No. 3 or 4, but that’s about where the positives end. Until the A’s shore up their arms, I won’t really be convinced to see them as contenders.
Last Place: Los Angeles Angels (36-51)
Top Position Player: Mike Trout (2.4 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Reid Detmers (2.9 fWAR)
Oh Angels, you poor, poor team. If I had told an Angels fan before the season that Mike Trout would have a bounceback season after a down 2025, and that Reid Detmers would finally realize his tantalizing potential and look the part of a frontline starter, I’m pretty sure that they would have been ecstatic. And yet, in this world where those two things have happened (although Trout is currently sidelined due to a strained hamstring because the beings above really enjoy denying us joy), the Angels find themselves dead last in this otherwise wide open division. Indeed, they just fired GM Perry Minasian, who–even acknowledging the limitations of working for a meddler like owner Arte Moreno–had accomplished very little with this roster since taking over in November 2020.
Looking at the rest of the roster, it’s not hard to see why. On the position player side, Zach Neto has been characteristically solid, and Wade Meckler has been a pleasant surprise, but that’s about where the good news ends. On the pitching side, Walbert Ureña and José Soriano have been competent, but outside of that duo and Detmers, the rest of the Halos’ arms have generated just 0.8 WAR. It’s looking like yet another lost season for the Angels. Maybe interim GM John Mozeliak of old Cardinals fame can salvage it by selling everything not nailed to the floor at the deadline and getting a haul. I doubt it, though — Moreno has also voiced a preference on retaining his best trade chips, so I think the organization lacks both the brains and the guts to do so. MLB’s longest playoff drought will continue with no clear end in sight.
