How MLB’s biggest surprise teams flipped the script in 2026: White Sox, Braves and more

We’ve reached the last full week of the 2026 MLB regular season, and everything has gone to plan, right?

Well, no. And that’s part of the beauty of baseball. Anything can happen over a 162-game marathon, and that’s especially the case this season.

How MLB’s biggest 2026 surprise teams exceeded expectations

With SeatGeek serving as the Official Ticket Marketplace of MLB, we’ve kept a close eye on all 30 teams, and there are a few that have certainly exceeded expectations this year. We’re here to break down three postseason-bound squads that made big jumps from 2025 to 2026 and what’s gone right for them this season. 

Chicago White Sox

The White Sox have slipped out of the AL Central lead after holding the division for much of the last few months, but they’re still three games up on a few teams when it comes to the third and final AL Wild Card spot. 

Whether they win the Central or make the playoffs via a Wild Card berth, this has been an unbelievable season for the White Sox after losing 100+ games each of the last three years. 

So, what’s gone right? How about everything for the team that was 28th out of 30 in my preseason power rankings?

In 2025, when the Sox lost 102 games, they were bad at basically everything. They were 27th in runs scored and 23rd in home runs, and the team also ranked 20th in team ERA. It was a young team, though, so a lot of that was to be expected. 

The 2026 White Sox are also a young team, and part of the reason for their big jump towards contention is that many key players took notable steps forward. Miguel Vargas was a low-.700 OPS guy in 2025, and he’s been one of the best infielders in baseball this year with 33 home runs and an .844 OPS. Colson Montgomery’s numbers aren’t quite the same as his 2025 stats as he’s hitting for worse average and striking out a ton, but he’s another 30-homer guy and Chicago has benefited from having him for a full season. And, of course, the offseason addition of Munetaka Murakami has paid major dividends this year, giving the White Sox a premier slugger who can change any game with one swing. 

The White Sox are sixth in runs scored and sixth in homers this year. And after being a pretty average team in terms of walks and strikeouts, they’ve drawn the fourth-most walks and struck out the fifth-fewest in MLB. 

Chicago has also taken a nice step forward on the mound. After ranking 20th in ERA in 2025, the White Sox are 13th this season. Sean Burke and Davis Martin were solid young arms last year, but each has a sub-4 ERA this season. Relievers Sean Newcomb, Grant Taylor and Bryan Hudson are also enjoying very solid seasons. 

If any team can enter the postseason feeling accomplished, it’s the White Sox. Regardless of what happens, they’ve had a successful 2026 season. But there’s enough intriguing young talent to make some noise in the early rounds.

Atlanta Braves

I had the Braves as a “sleeper” team to watch for before 2026 started, but I had them 14th in my preseason power rankings and didn’t pick them to make the playoffs. I wasn’t alone in that estimation after Atlanta finished under .500 in 2025, but it’s clear that was a one-year blip. 

The Braves were awesome in 2024, especially on the mound, where they were tied with Seattle for the best team ERA in baseball at 3.49. Things went very, very wrong last season, though, largely due to injury. Ronald Acuna Jr. missed 67 games, Sean Murphy missed half of the year and Chris Sale missed 10 starts. Ozzie Albies had a sub-.700 OPS, as did Michael Harris II. The Braves finished 76-86 while ranking 13th in runs, 14th in home runs and 22nd in ERA. 

The team has still dealt with some injuries this year – including to Acuna, a former league MVP – but things overall have been much, much better under first-year skipper Walt Weiss. Matt Olson was good in 2025, but he’s been even better in 2026. Drake Baldwin has kept up the hot play that made him the NL Rookie of the Year. Acuna has an OPS over .800, as does Harris. Sale owns a low-2 ERA, while Grant Holmes and Martin Perez have ERAs in the 3s. Trade addition Tyler Mahle also sports a 1.28 ERA since being traded to Atlanta. 

After average to below-average stats in 2025, the Braves are eighth in runs, seventh in homers and have the fourth-best team ERA in the game. The Braves are NL East champs and will likely be the top NL team playing in the Wild Card round. All eyes will be on the Dodgers and Brewers in the National League, but the Braves have a well-rounded roster with quite a bit of playoff experience. Like the beginning of the year, they’re being slept on a bit as October approaches. 

Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays have been pretty great under manager Kevin Cash, but they finished under .500 each of the last two years, and I had my doubts about them in 2026. They were 22nd in my preseason power rankings. 

So much for that.

The Rays are 95-60 and can reach 100 wins with a 5-2 or better finish to 2026. They’re on the doorstep of clinching the AL East, which will come with home-field advantage in the American League bracket. 

Let’s talk about playing at their home field for a second. Due to Hurricane Milton in late 2024, the Rays were forced to play their home games at Steinbrenner Field, a Yankees minor league site. Tampa Bay finished 77-85 overall in 2025, with a 41-40 home record. 

Back home at the Trop this year, the Rays have been baseball’s best home teams with a 55-26 home record. The next best? The Brewers at 52-26. 

Tampa Bay was 15th in both runs scored and team ERA in 2025, but the Rays have improved to seventh in ERA and 11th in runs scored. Yandy Diaz, Jonathan Aranda and Chandler Simpson have remained good pieces from last year to this season, but star third baseman Junior Caminero has taken a nice step forward. He’s hit 40 homers for the second year in a row, but he’s a more well-rounded hitter. After hitting .264 with a .311 on-base percentage in 2025, Caminero is hitting .277 with a .363 on-base percentage in 2026. 

On the mound, Drew Rasmussen remains one of baseball’s best yet still underrated pitchers, but the offseason signing of Nick Martinez has been incredible as he’s turned in a career year, and former unquestioned ace Shane McClanahan has a 3.36 ERA this year after not pitching at all in MLB in 2024 or 2025 due to injury. Bryan Baker has also been a lockdown closer with 40 saves and a 1.49 ERA. 

The Rays will almost certainly have to get through at least one of the Yankees or Red Sox this postseason to reach the World Series, but they’ve been the best, most consistent and most well-rounded team in the American League this year. Who saw that coming?