Pirates, Reds, and Twins Are Shocking Everyone: 11 Teams Got Votes and That's the Real Story

Four weeks into the 2026 season and the baseball world is absolutely split on who's surprised them most. Twenty front-office executives voted on the biggest surprises, and the results? All over the map. Eleven different teams got at least one vote, which tells you everything about how wild this early season has been.

The Pirates took top honors with four votes, followed by the Reds and Twins with three each. That's three Central division teams leading the conversation, and for good reason.

Pittsburgh Is Building Something Real

The Pirates sit at 16-13 and their plus-24 run differential is absolutely elite. Only the Dodgers, Braves, and Cubs have better numbers in the National League. The offseason additions of Ryan O'Hearn and Brandon Lowe are already paying dividends. Pittsburgh ranks fifth in the NL in runs scored after ranking dead last a year ago. One AL executive nailed it: "That kind of turnaround in one offseason is usually not an accident."

Cincinnati's 18-10 start has them leading the NL Central despite a run differential of only plus-1. They're winning close games behind fourth-best pitching in the NL and a bullpen that's crushing expectations, even without Hunter Greene in the rotation yet. "Even with a number of their hitters off to slow starts, they are just finding a way to get it done," one AL exec said.

The Twins lost nine of their last 11 after starting strong, but don't sleep on them. Twenty-five-year-old Taj Bradley is leading a pitching staff ranked eighth in AL ERA. The lineup is third in runs scored and fourth in home runs, with Byron Buxton already racking up six homers. "Despite being in the middle of a rebuild, their younger players have been producing offensively, hitting for power," an AL executive said.

Atlanta Is Playing the Best Baseball Nobody's Talking About

The Braves became baseball's first 20-win team of 2026. They've got the best ERA in baseball and they've scored more runs than anybody else. Yet somehow, they're flying under the radar. "People aren't really talking about them as much as you'd expect, given they're playing like the best team in baseball right now," one NL exec said. This is a team bouncing back from a 76-win season that ended a seven-year postseason streak.

The Mets Are a Complete Disaster

New York got ten votes as the biggest disappointment. More than half of the executives polled picked the Mets. They opened 7-4, then lost 12 straight. They've won two games since, but lost Francisco Lindor to injury in the process. Then came a three-game sweep at home against the Rockies. "Everything about the Mets has looked disjointed," one NL exec said. "They don't really look like they're playing for each other or manager Carlos Mendoza, and they've been fraught with injuries."

The Red Sox are the second-biggest disappointment at 12-17, and Boston just fired manager Alex Cora and a number of coaches. It's been brutal.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.