Life as viewed through sports, old movies, and too many concussions
Boyd Bergquist’s 2026 Memorial Day Baseball Breakdown
EDITOR’S NOTE:Boyd Bergquist was the sports director at KETS-TV in East Tree Stump, Nebraska for almost 40 years. Known across the Husker state as the voice of the Boy’s High School Basketball Tournament, Bergquist was a four-time winner of the Marv J. Butz “Golden Cob” Award For Excellence In Nebraska Broadcast Journalism.That background, along with his quick if not cliché-riddled wit and love of single-malt scotch makes Bergquist a perfect fit to be our “Question” guy.
What do I alwats say? Baseball season is like a long horse race, which is why I like to break it down into four parts. We’ve already seen the start. Later in the season there’s Independence Day which marks the half-way point. Then there’s Labor Day which is all about heading into the home stretch. But today is all about Memorial Day, which marks the “quarter turn.”
What happens today is we look at my initial categorizations of all 30 major-league baseball teams and compare that to where they are a quarter of the way into this long race.
If you recall, I’m not about the usual “power ranking” stuff. Instead, I started this season by breaking down all 30 major league squads into six easy-to-understand groups based on what I thought these teams could realistically expect in 2026. Those original six categories were as follows.
Ready To Win Right Now: These are teams which are ready to climb the mountain right now…no ifs, ands or buts.
There’s Just One Thing Missing: Did you ever almost complete a jigsaw puzzle, but the three pieces you have remaining don’t fit the holes you have left? Welcome to the stories of these teams.
Need Some Things To Go Their Way: Welcome to a collection of clubs who almost have the goods to win on their own; but anything is possible if they get more than one “lucky break.”
At Least They Don’t Suck: Do I really need to explain this one?
Why Wait For Next Year? One way or another, these teams need to make a decision about the future.
It’s Going To Be A Long Summer: Everybody has hope on Opening Day, but some lose it far faster than others.
Now that the race is underway, at the “quarter turn” I now have six new categories which are self-explanatory.
Original Rating: Ready To Win Right Now: They’re the two-time defending champs and they were one of the first teams to reach 30 wins. That was without Mookie Betts for five weeks, Freddie Freeman for a few stretches, and Shohei Ohtani having some struggles at the plate. That stuff will all be fine…go ahead and pencil this team in for October.
Atlanta Braves
Original Rating: Need Some Things To Go Their Way: First of all, it’s time to officially put Ronald Acuña, Jr. in the “I don’t want to hear it until he plays 100 games in a season” file. Care to guess how many times he’s done that in his 9 seasons? If you said “four,” you’re cashing a winner; double if you knew the last time was in 2023.
Luckily, Matt Olson is more than making up for Acuña’s then-MVP form, with his 14 homers and 42 RBI coming into the weekend. The Braves may also have a budding star in DH/catcher Drake Baldwin, who was slashing .303/.389/.543 with 38 RBIs befire a recent oblique injury.
Chicago Cubs
Original Rating: Ready To Win Right Now: Brace yourselves for a wild ride, Cubs fans. Part of this team’s streaky nature comes courtesy of the injury-plagued pitching staff. But let’s not forget about the inconsistency of the offense…led by Seiya Suzuki. Here’s a guy flirting with .300 at the plate…except when it matters. With runners in scoring position, that number plunges to .140.
Philadelphia Phillies
Original Rating: There’s Just One Thing Missing: For any of you lunkheads who think that managers don’t matter, I offer what Don Mattingly has done with the Phillies. This team was death-spiraling, and are now 16-7 under “Donnie Baseball.” If nothing else, he’s made the star-driven Phillies shine. Since April 25th (the day Mattingly took over), Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler have gone a combined 6-0, 1.10 ERA. Meanwhile, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper have put up 17 total homers with an OPS over 1.000.
New York Yankees
Original Rating: There’s Just One Thing Missing: Once again, the Achilles’ Heel of this team is pitching. Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole have been on the Injured List (IL), Luis Gil was ineffective at best before he got sent down to Scranton…where he also got hurt. Then Max Fried landed the IL with a bone bruise that will have him out indefintely.
Rodon and Cole have returned, and when healthy the Yanks’ rotation is among the best in the game. Cam Schlittler is an early AL Cy Young candidate, Will Warren and Ryan Weathers often show signs of dominance, so if Cole and Rodon can regain their pre-injury, anything is possible.
Oh…let’s not forget about Ben Rice being tied (coming into Saturday) for the team lead in dingers.
Off To A Great Start, But There’s A Lot of Season Left
Tampa Rays
Original Rating: Why Wait For Next Year?: There’s something to be said for “home cooking,” and that most definitely applies to Tampa. After a season of squatting across town at Steinbrenner Field, the Rays are back in the “Juice Box” and the results are unmistakable. Heading into the weekend, the Rays are 34-15 (second only to Atlanta for the rest record in the bigs), and are a league-tops 19-5 at Tropicana Field, and they’ve got a 5.5 game lead over the Yankees in the AL East. They’ve also outscored opponents 119-85 under the Thunderdome at the Trop.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Original Rating: Why Wait for Next Year?: Even if the Bucs are coming into Memorial Day on a bit of a cool streak, it’s still pretty obvious the investment in offense paid off.. .even if the line-up is still coming together. Either way, Pittsburgh only goes as far as the starting rotation takes them, and their recent stumbles are the source of the current cool-off from their torrid start.
San Diego Padres
Original Rating: Need Some Things To Go Their Way: Something is certainly going right in San Diego, they’ve already crossed the 30-win mark and are only sitting a half-game back of the Dodgers in the NL West. That’s in spite of the fact Manny Machado is having a distinctly off season, and Fernando Tatis has yet to leave the yard after 50 games. Another weird fact is the Friars are hitting a almost-pathetic .223 as a team, yet that number jumps to .256 with runners in scoring position.
If the clutch hitting can stay and the pitching staff can get healthy, anything is possible for the Padres…even if Tatis and Machado remain missing in action.
Chicago White Sox
Original Rating: It’s Going To Be A Long Summer: Easily the biggest surprise of the season, the very same Mighty Whiteys who I though could easily have 35 losses by now are 2 games above .500 chasing the Guardians of supremacy in the AL Central. A big reason is a Japanese guy leading a major league in home runs…and he isn’t in Los Angeles. Off-season import Munetaka Murakami is proving to be a steal on his two-year, $34 million deal which has already resulted in an American League leading 17 bombs. He’s also 3rd in the AL in RBI (36), 4th in the walks (40), and 5th in runs scored (50).
St. Louis Cardinals
Original Rating: It’s Going To Be A Long Summer: Like the Mighty Whiteys, the Red Birds are another team I didn’t see being in second place at this point. 28 wins coming into Memorial Day weekend is not where I saw this team, but I also didn’t think this was going to be the “break-out” year for guys like Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson.
Despite the offense being ahead of schedule during this rebuilding year, I’m not sure that’s going to continue to be the case for the starting rotation. They’ve been solid so far, but the Cards will spend the last two weeks in May with successive series against only division-rivals. That stretch should tell us a lot about this team.
So Far, So Good
Cleveland Guardians
Original Rating: At Least They Don’t Suck: There’s a lot of positives happening now along the shores of Lake Erie. For starters, Cleveland has finally fixed it’s offensive woes. The Guardians have risen from the AL cellar in runs scored last season…today the Guardians find themselves at 10th in all of baseball.
Better yet, they did it with something unseen in today’s game; they did it with good, old-fashioned plate discipline. So far, Cleveland hitters have the 3rd-highest walk rate (11.6%) combined with 3rd-lowest strikeout rate (19.7%). They just don’t get themselves out.
And for the future, Travis Bazzana and Chase DeLauter are both starting to look like Rookie of the Year candidates.
Milwaukee Brewers
Original Rating: At Least They Don’t Suck: I know I had the “Fool’s Gold” rule on this team until they won a play-off series. I know that finally happened last year. But I also know there’s too many in the “corporate” media that are love with this team again.
Again, I know that Brewers have found yet more pitching magic. Jacob Misiorowski has taken a big leap into Cy Young contention territory. Right behind him is Kyle Harrison who is so far riding a 1.77 ERA in 9 starts. But again, as good as the pitching might be, the offense is still only average at best. FACT: The Brewers have less total bases than the Mets. Boil it all down and despite the media gush-job over this team. I’m still not buying this is the year they break into the same ranks as the Dodgers, Phillies, and Braves.
OaklandLas Vegas Sacramento U-Haul Athletics
Original Rating: Why Wait For Next Year?: This sure looks like the beginnings of the team you would want to open a new stadium in a new city. We all know that’s the future; leading the AL West 50 games in just another positive sign…as surprising as it is.
In other words, as fun as today might be, 2028 in Vegas in the goal. But going toward that, you have a team already ranking 6th OPS (.730). This is thanks to a young core of rising talent like Carlos Cortes, Shea Langeliers, Brent Rooker, Tyler Soderstrom, and Lawrence Butler.
But at the head of the class is Nick Kurtz. This guy is in a select group for what he’s just done in his first 162 career games. Kurtz slashed .284/.398/.581 with 44 home runs, 115 RBIs, 34 doubles, and 107 walks. That makes him only he third leftie to knock at least 30 home runs, 100 RBIs and 100 walks in his first 162 career games.
The other two were Juan Soto and Ted Williams.
Washington Nationals
Original Rating: It’s Going To Be A Long Summer: Coming into the weekend, guess who is leading all of baseball in total runs scored? Washington has baseball’s youngest group of hitters by average age (24.9, more than a half-year younger than second-place St. Louis), yet no team has scored more. The Nats have plated 284 runs so far this season…3 more than the Braves, and almost 30 more than the Dodgers.
The problem is Washington’s pitchers have surrendered more runs than anybody (296). Despite giving up more runs than they score, the Nationals still hit the quarter-turn right around .500.
Not bad for a team supposedly rebuilding.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Original Rating: At Least They Don’t Suck: Not a lot of people expected much from this team in 2026, but here they are hovering around .500 and showing all the signs of progress toward the future. Corbin Carroll is a consistent MVP contender, and the returns to form for Eduardo Rodriguez and Mike Soroka make for the start of a solid rotation.
It’s Not “Panic” Time…Yet
Houston Astros
Original Rating: Need Some Things To Go Their Way: The Astros got off to a horrible start, and no team in baseball is more beat up than is Houston. They have the worst team ERA in MLB (5.34), but what would you expect from a staff with Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco, Cristian Javier, Josh Hader, Hayden Wesneski, and Brandon Walter all on the 60-day IL? Carlos Correa won’t see the diamond again until 2027, and things didn’t get any better when Jose Altuve and Lance McCullers Jr. were also shelved with injuries.
In other words. nothing has gone their way, but here’s why it isn’t panic time yet. The Astros are still only 4.5 games out of first, because short of the over-achieving A’s, nobody in the AL West is playing good baseball right now.
Cincinnati Reds
Original Rating: At Least They Don’t Suck: No team is a bigger bag of mixed messages than the Cincinnati Reds. On one hand, the Reds have allowed the 6th sixth-most runs in baseball and have a -28 run differential. They have a team batting average of .229, and a team ERA of 4.75. That’s not too good.
On the other hand, they have been hanging around .500 despite a recent 8-game losing streak. That’s in large part due to the top of the order…Elly De La Cruz, Chase Burns, Sal Stewart, and a surprise surge from JJ Bleday…literally carrying the Reds. That’s how they are only 4.5 games off the pace in the NL Central. That’s not too bad.
But I’m afraid there’s heavy weather on the horizon in Cincinnati. Hunter Greene is out until the All-Star break (at least), Nick Lodolo has only made 3 starts, TJ Friedl is hitting .178, while Ke’Bryan Hayes and his .142 average has him as a candidate to get DFA’d once he comes off the IL. The complete implosion of the bullpen is even more concerning.
Despite all that, the Reds continue to find ways to keep it working. The question is how long?
New York Mets
Original Rating: Ready To Win Right Now:
Out of the gate, Mets fans couldn’t wait to hate on this team. The bunting wasn’t even down from Opening Day before the comparisons to The Worst Team Money Can Buy were flying. That’s why we always use this Greg Giannotti meme. Here’s the representative fact for this team. Big money free agent Bo Bichette is leading the league in at-bats, and he’s hitting .217 with not much power. It’s simple…the stars have to produce, and if they don’t, you’ll be seeing this meme again.
Seattle Mariners
Original Rating: Ready To Win Right Now:
Seattle was a sexy pick for a World Series spot in 2026, but apparently nobody told them. Coming off a 60+ homer season, Cal Raliegh has been underwhelming and/or hurt. That’s why the M’s look a lot like the Rangers right now…solid on the mound, but not great at the plate. Seattle has the 7th best team ERA (3.64), but that flips when it comes to the offense. The M’s lineup ranks 19th in runs scored (210), 21st in OPS (.694) and they strike out way too much; 462 team K’s is 4th worst in MLB. Realistically, Randy Arozarena and Luke Raley are the main reasons this team isn’t closer to the basement.
Texas Rangers
Original Rating: Need Some Things To Go Their Way: Seriously, take what I said about Seattle, make a few tweaks, and we’re talking about Texas. Replace “Cal Raleigh” with “Cory Seager.” Texas has the 5th best team ERA (3.51), but also 28th in runs scored (192) and are 23rd in OPS (.690)…and they have 439 team whiffs.
Seattle Rangers or Texas Mariners…take your pick.
Better Figure It Out Quick
Kansas City Royals
Original Rating: Need Some Things To Go Their Way: The Royals are another team dependent on home cooking. They are above .500 in the comfy confines of Royal Stadium, but are an anemic 7-17 thus far on the road. A deep dive into why there’s such a stark difference gets ugly fast. Kansas City is 8th in home scoring, but that drops to dead last when the Royals suit up in the visitors clubhouse. They also bring up the rear in terms of road batting average, slugging percentage, and are second-to-last in road on base percentage.
Realistically, the only thing going the Royals’ way is Bobby Witt Jr.’s continued excellence…and that ain’t enough.
Toronto Blue Jays
Original Rating: Ready To Win Right Now: 2025 saw the Blue Jays get to Game 7 of the World Series. 2026 has looked more like the end of the world in Toronto. They’re under .500 and have -12 run differential. How can an offense featuring George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. be 25th in total bases and 27th in OPS? Somebody needs to figure that out.
Boston Red Sox
“[Baseball] is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball!”
~Joe Riggins
Original Rating: There’s Just One Thing Missing: I had this team nailed. They can’t hit, and losing Roman Anthony to an injury doesn’t help. The Red Sox total 36 homers and 173 RBIs both rank last in the American League teams, and their .680 OPS is 5th-worst in MLB.
Baltimore Orioles
Original Rating: There’s Just One Thing Missing: What happened to the 100-win Orioles? Was 2023 really that long ago? It certainly seems that way looking at this year’s squad. The pitching has been horrendous; only the Angels have a worse run differential. The starting rotation doesn’t have a guy with an ERA less than 4.25; their team ERA (.497) is 5th-worst in MLB, and they surrendered 60 dingers in their 1st 50 games.
Miami Marlins
Original Rating: Why Wait for Next Year?: This team is a testament to the power of the stolen base. Even though the Marlins have a “day after the hurricane”-level power outage, they stay near the middle of the pack in offensive production by leading the bigs in steals. It’s things like that…or the fact Otto Lopez is chasing a batting title…or the fact the Marlins have a Top-Ten bullpen is what keeps us coming back…to see how big this year’s annual Miami fire sale will be.
It’s Not Too Early To Say It’s Over
Detroit Tigers
Original Rating: There’s Just One Thing Missing: Two facts tell all you need to know about the Detroit Tigers. Since placing Tarik Skubal on the Injured List on May 4:
The Tigers have gone 2-14.
The Tigers have hit .194 with only 8 home runs as a team.
It’s over.
Minnesota Twins
Original Rating: It’s Going To Be A Long Summer: At least Royce Lewis can say “Hello” to Ronald Acuña, Jr. when he finally gets his membership card for the “I don’t want to hear it until he plays 100 games in a season” club. He’s only done it once in five seasons. But even more worrisome is now his production has dropped so much he was optioned to Triple-A.
Expect another major sell-off at the trade deadline.
San Francisco Giants
Original Rating: At Least They Don’t Suck: BREAKING NEWS: This team sucks out loud. The Giants haven’t had a 30-homer guy wince Barry Bonds, and that streak isn’t likely to end this year. They’ve only hit 44 as a team so far, and nearly enough of them are coming from the “big-money” section… the team’s two highest-paid players…Rafael Devers and Willy Adames.
Of all the moves Buster Posey has made, the one I understood the least was the hiring of manager Tony Vitello. My logic says that if I’m rebuilding a major league team, and I need a guy to lead that team, wouldn’t I want a guy who knows something about Major League Baseball?
Colorado Rockies
Original Rating: It’s Going To Be A Long Summer:Mickey Moniak might be the sole reason to watch this team. But who knows if that will last? This team could easily lose 100 games again.
Los Angeles Angels
The difference between this ship and the actual Angels? The ship is still afloat.
Original Rating:Why Wait for Next Year?: There’s simply no reason to pay attention to this franchise anymore. The Angels have just endured 10 consecutive losing seasons, 2026 promises to be another, and now it’s official…the Angels are the worst team in Major League Baseball.
Even though this looks to be the Halos 3rd straight last place finish, they’ve never been the absolute worst team in the game. That’s impressive considering how awful this team has been in large swaths of it’s history. The graphic above just shows the slide since the World Series win in 2002. As pathetic as the last decade has been, this is a new low.
Record-wise and performance-wise, the Los Angeles Angels are MLB’s worst team. They come into the weekend with a 19-34 record and similarly last-place -68 run differential. They are literally the exact opposite of the team on the other side of town. The Angels can’t hit, they can’t pitch. and now…they can’t win at all.
Got a question for our 70’s TV Sports Anchor? Got your own take? Nothing is “off-limits,” and no take is “too hot.” The only questions or comments Boyd Bergquist can’t handle are the one you don’t send him!
Got a question, comment, or just want to yell at us? Hit us up at dubsism@yahoo.com, @Dubsism on Twitter, or on our Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, Snapchat or Facebook pages, and be sure to bookmark Dubsism.com so you don’t miss anything from the most interesting independent sports blog on the web.
Know somebody who might like this? Share it here!:
Dubsism 