Blue Jays, Mets Top MLB’s Early-Season Surprises

Apr 19, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. tosses his bat after striking out in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Blue Jays, Mets Top MLB’s Early-Season Surprises

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Apr 20, 2026 12:12 PM ET

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The Toronto Blue Jays have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 Major League Baseball season so far, and not in a positive way.

Toronto won 94 games in 2025 and finished atop the American League East standings and moved to face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. The Dodgers are the Dodgers. At the time, they were the reigning World Series champions and and boasted more talent than any team out there. The fact that any team was able to push Los Angeles to Game 7 of the World Series just goes to show how talented the 2025 Blue Jays team was.

Toronto had a roller coaster of an offseason that featured additions, like Dylan Cease and Kazuma Okamoto, but also a major loss in Bo Bichette. The 2026 season hasn't been kind to the Blue Jays will injuries all over the place and that's why the Blue Jays are baseball's biggest surprise. Toronto is 8-13 on the season so far. That's a half-game behind the 9-13 Colorado Rockies, for example. The Chicago White Sox have just eight wins as well, like Toronto. That's certainly not the expectation.

The Blue Jays Broke Out On Sunday

The Blue Jays have been slumping, but broke out and made franchise history on Sunday with eight consecutive batters reaching base to kick off Sunday's contest for the team, including seven consecutive base hits, per MLB's Sarah Langs.

"Blue Jays tied two franchise records: 8 consecutive batters reaching safely to start game (5/31/14)," Langs wrote. "7 consecutive base hits to start game (9/15/07)."

Again, the Blue Jays have been the American League's biggest shock so far this season so far. There are a handful of expected contenders struggling. The Kansas City Royals are 7-15 on the season. The Boston Red Sox are 8-13, like Toronto. The Houston Astros are 8-15. The Philadelphia Phillies are 8-13. The New York Mets are 7-15. The San Francisco Giants are 9-13

The Mets are baseball's biggest shock in the National League. New York has lost 11 games in a row. The Mets were 7-4 through their first 11 games and are now 7-15 on the season and are eight games back in the National League East.

For the Blue Jays, at least they were able to break out on Sunday. The Mets aren't able to say the same right now. At least the Blue Jays showed a sign of life on Sunday. Now, the Mets need to do the same.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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