American League report cards at the halfway mark

Welcome to theScore's MLB midseason report cards, in which we look at where each AL team stands following the first half of the campaign. NL report cards will be published Thursday.

To the skeptics who thought the Orioles would regress after a 101-win season: Winning is the new standard in Baltimore. Gunnar Henderson has played like an MVP candidate atop a powerful lineup that leads baseball with 149 home runs. The pitching staff has also done its part, ranking in the top 10 in ERA, FIP, and fWAR. Baltimore is a piece or two away from making the first of many deep postseason runs with its new core.

The Red Sox haven't let long-term injuries to Lucas Giolito, Triston Casas, Garrett Whitlock, Vaughn Grissom, or Trevor Story slow them down. Boston enters the break occupying the final wild-card spot at 53-42 and sits just 4.5 games back in the division. The Red Sox look to be coming out on the other side of their rebuild after finishing last in the AL East in back-to-back seasons. Homegrown players Tanner Houck and Jarren Duran are All-Stars, the starting pitching has been excellent, and the offense has been an exciting blend of power and speed. Alex Cora has managed the hell out of his team in what could be his final year under contract.

The White Sox are squarely in 2003 Tigers territory - the team that lost an AL-record 119 games. Chicago already has a 14-game losing streak, a minus-177 run differential, and a .276 win percentage to its name this season. The White Sox undoubtedly have the look and feel of an all-time bad team. They came into the season expecting to be bad, and the front office does deserve some credit for moving Garrett Crochet to the rotation and signing Erick Fedde. Both players should be moved at the deadline to stockpile more assets for the future.

The Guardians sit atop the AL Central as baseball's biggest surprise team. The lineup has been unexpectedly potent thanks to huge leaps by first-time All-Stars Josh Naylor (22 home runs) and Steven Kwan (159 OPS+). Cleveland's relievers have also been dominant: Emmanuel Clase and Co. lead MLB bullpens with a 2.62 ERA and 3.17 FIP. This team has been dynamic, exciting, and undoubtedly one of the first half's best stories.

Detroit is showing signs of life, winning eight of its last 10 games before the break. But the club still likely isn't as far along as it'd hoped to be at this point. While the Tigers own what would be their best winning percentage (.492) since 2016, they're still well out of the playoff race and will likely once again be forced to sell at the deadline. While Tarik Skubal is a Cy Young candidate, recent first overall picks Casey Mize and Spencer Torkelson haven't been the franchise-changers the front office hoped for. Mize owns a 4.23 ERA over 16 starts, while Torkelson was demoted to Triple-A.

Houston's empire is bound to fall eventually, but it appears it's not ready to crumble yet. Despite unrelenting injuries across the roster, the Astros managed to climb out from a 10-game hole in the division and sit just one back of the Mariners for the top spot in the AL West. GM Dana Brown raised some eyebrows earlier in the season when he said he wouldn't sell at the deadline despite the team's struggles, and we all should've known better than to doubt him. There's still lots of work to be done, but with the team getting healthier and Alex Bregman waking up from an early-season malaise, Houston remains a threat.

The Royals' front office surprised many last winter with its free-agent spending spree. The bulk of those moves have paid off. Kansas City only needs to go 5-60 to surpass last year's win total as the club is looking to make the biggest year-to-year improvement of any team this season. Bobby Witt Jr. is a superstar, while Salvador Perez continues to build on a potential Hall of Fame career. Meanwhile, Seth Lugo and his 2.48 ERA might be one of the best offseason signings.

Mike Trout started the season with 10 home runs in 29 games but has been sidelined since April 29 after undergoing meniscus surgery. Even with Trout's production, the club got off to an 11-18 start and has gone 30-37 in his absence. Losing Shohei Ohtani may have netted the Angels right-hander Ryan Johnson in the draft Sunday, but the organization still set itself back even more years by opting to buy at the deadline instead of trading away the eventual MVP a year ago. Barring a miracle second half, the Angels are looking at a ninth straight losing season.

Despite a tendency to get red-hot or go ice-cold, Minnesota has posted a winning record every month this season. Carlos Correa has rediscovered his All-Star form in his second year with the Twins, while Jose Miranda has emerged to lead a strong supporting cast. Playoff baseball appears well within reach for a second straight year, especially if Royce Lewis can stay healthy when he returns from the IL after the break.

The Yankees looked like world-beaters at the end of May. They've since limped into the All-Star break trailing the Orioles in the AL East amid a truly dismal stretch. Make no mistake: New York is still a World Series-caliber team anchored by two of baseball's premier sluggers. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto have already combined for 57 home runs and 11.8 fWAR, but the Yankees will need others to step up to win title No. 28.

The A's final season in Oakland has been just as non-competitive as everyone expected. The pitching staff has been abysmal, ranking third worst in ERA (4.46) and dead last in fWAR (4.6). Flame-throwing closer Mason Miller has at least provided optimism for the future as either a long-term piece or a tradable asset. All-Star snub Brent Rooker has followed up a breakout 2023 campaign with an even better 2024, giving Oakland at least one legitimate bat to build around.

The Mariners continue to play a Jekyll and Hyde act with an excellent starting rotation and a downright horrendous offense. Seattle's pitchers rank near the top of every statistical category, while its hitters have posted the lowest batting average (.219) and highest strikeout rate (28.1%) in all of baseball while scoring the fourth-fewest runs. The road to winning the AL West for the first time since 2001 starts with Julio Rodríguez having a monster second half after he slumped to a .690 OPS in the first.

Whatever magic Tampa Bay normally uses to play better than the sum of its parts appears to be running out. A down year from Randy Arozarena (.202/.309/.362) is one of the many reasons why the Rays have only scored 3.9 runs per game, tied for 27th in MLB. These offensive woes, combined with a below-average starting rotation, have led Tampa Bay to post an uncharacteristically poor 12-18 record against AL East foes.

The Rangers have looked like a shell of last year's World Series-winning team for much of this season. Regression from Marcus Semien and Adolis García, along with the struggles of Evan Carter, has robbed the offense of its Texas-sized punch, while the rotation has once again been decimated by injuries. Fortunately for the Rangers, the AL West remains wide-open - a five-game deficit is hardly insurmountable with plenty of intra-division contests yet to be played.

Toronto's underwhelming offseason has translated into truly disappointing on-field results. The team's decision to bet on internal improvement backfired into regression - both in terms of performance and health. Bo Bichette (70 OPS+) and Kevin Gausman (4.50 ERA) have played well below their usual standards, while injuries to Jordan Romano and Yimi García have gutted what was supposed to be a strong bullpen. The Blue Jays should unquestionably be deadline sellers.