MLB 2016

Major League Baseball
season	2016
Period	April 3 - October 2, 2016
Regular season
Season MVP AL	Mike Trout ( LAA )
Season MVP NL	Kris Bryant ( CHC )
Postseason
AL Champion	Cleveland Indians
Second AL	Toronto Blue Jays
NL champion	Chicago Cubs
Second NL	Los Angeles Dodgers
World Series
champion	Chicago Cubs
MVP	Ben Zobrist ( CHC )
Playing times
◄ 2015 2017 ►

The 2016 MLB season , the 115th season of Major League Baseball , opened on April 3, 2016 with the opening game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh .

During the regular season , 30 teams fought in 162 games each for a place in the play-offs. Each team played 76 games against teams in its own division, 66 against teams from other divisions of the League, as well as 20 interleague games. According to the schedule, the regular season ended on October 2, 2016.

The MLB All-Star Game 2016 took place on July 12, 2016 at PETCO Park , the stadium of the San Diego Padres in San Diego . The American League beat the National League 4-2 runs and thus earned home rights for the 2016 World Series .

The MLB Draft 2016 took place from June 9th to 11th, 2016. The Philadelphia Phillies had the first choice and decided on the outfielder Mickey Moniak, who was born in Encinitas in 1998.

The 2015 World Series winners and thus the defending champions are the Kansas City Royals .

Participating teams

For the 2016 season, the MLB did not make any changes to the participating franchises or league and division assignments.

TEX OAK LAA SEA MIN CWS DET CLE KC TB NYY BOS GOAL BAL HOU

American League venues. Divisions: West, Central, East.

American League
East	Central	west
Toronto Blue Jays	Kansas City Royals	Texas Rangers
New York Yankees	Minnesota Twins	Houston Astros
Baltimore Orioles	Cleveland Indians	LA Angels of Anaheim
Tampa Bay Rays	Chicago White Sox	Seattle Mariners
Boston Red Sox	Detroit Tigers	Oakland Athletics

SF SD COL LAD ARI CIN STL Mil CHC PIT PHI ATL MIA NYM WSH

National League venues. Divisions: West, Central, East.

National League
East	Central	west
New York Mets	St. Louis Cardinals	Los Angeles Dodgers
Washington Nationals	Pittsburgh Pirates	San Francisco Giants
Miami Marlins	Chicago Cubs	Arizona Diamondbacks
Atlanta Braves	Milwaukee Brewers	San Diego Padres
Philadelphia Phillies	Cincinnati Reds	Colorado Rockies

* Sorted according to the previous year's placements in the respective divisions. The teams that qualified for the postseason in the previous year are colored green .

Spring training

From March 1st to April 2nd the season preparation of the MLB, the so-called Spring Training, took place. Here, the teams in the Grapefruit League and the Cactus League tested new players, but also had their desired core formations imported. In contrast to the regular season, games in spring training can also end in a draw and do not appear in the league tables; this was the case in 39 games in 2016. The most successful team in preparation after victories were the Arizona Diamondbacks with 24. The Washington Nationals achieved the best win rate with 82.6%.

Spring Training 2016 tables

The teams marked in blue in the tables of the Cactus and Grapefruit League are members of the National League, those marked in red play in the American League.

Cactus League

Item	team	W.	L.	%	GB
01	Arizona Diamondbacks	24	8th	75	-
02	LA Angels of Anaheim	19th	8th	70.4
03	Cleveland Indians	18th	12	60	5
04th	Chicago White Sox	17th	13	56.7	6th
05	Colorado Rockies	15th	13	53.6	7th
06th	Seattle Mariners	16	14th	53.3	7th
07th	Texas Rangers	17th	15th	53.1	7th
08th	Cincinnati Reds	16	16	50	8th
09	Milwaukee Brewers	14th	14th	50	8th
10	LA Dodgers	13	17th	43.3	10
11	Oakland Athletics	12	17th	41.4	10.5
12	Kansas City Royals	14th	21st	40	11.5
13	San Francisco Giants	13	20th	39.4	11.5
14th	Chicago Cubs	11	19th	36.7	12
15th	San Diego Padres	10	21st	32.3	13.5

Grapefruit League

Item	team	W.	L.	%	GB
01	Washington Nationals	19th	4th	82.6	-
02	Toronto Blue Jays	17th	8th	68	3
03	Minnesota Twins	19th	11	63.3	3.5
04th	Detroit Tigers	18th	11	62.1	4th
05	Houston Astros	18th	11	62.1	4th
06th	Philadelphia Phillies	15th	11	57.7	5.5
07th	Tampa Bay Rays	12	13	48	8th
08th	NY Yankees	14th	16	46.7	8.5
09	St. Louis Cardinals	11	13	45.8	8.5
10	Baltimore Orioles	12	15th	44.4	9
11	Miami Marlins	11	14th	44	9
12	Boston Red Sox	14th	18th	43.8	9.5
13	NY Mets	8th	17th	32	12
14th	Pittsburgh Pirates	8th	21st	27.6	14th
15th	Atlanta Braves	6th	20th	23.1	14.5

W = Wins (victories), L = Loss (defeats),% = Winning Percentage , GB = Games Behind (behind leaders: number of necessary defeats for the leader while simultaneously winning)

Regular season

Brief explanation of game operations and table structure

The AL and NL are each divided into three divisions for game operations. The allocation is based on regional criteria: East, Central and West Division. The game will run from April 3 to October 2, 2016.

The table positions are responsible for reaching the postseason : The three respective division winners and the two other best teams according to the winning percentage will play the championship in the American and National League in three rounds. The respective champions then meet in the World Series.

The ranking of the teams in the table results during the season from the current ratio of wins to games overall as the so-called winning percentage . The reason for this is the uneven distribution of the games over the calendar, so that some teams have played three or more games more than others. For example, the balance of team A with 15 wins and 15 defeats (.500 expressed as the corresponding percentage) is considered to be exactly equivalent to the balance of team B, which achieved 16 wins and 16 defeats at the same time. However, this is irrelevant for the final tables, since at the end of the season all teams had played the 162 season games that have been common since 1961. Therefore, it is sufficient to state wins and defeats (draws are not common).

With the indication GB ( Games Behind ) it is documented how big the gap between a chaser and the first in the table is. This expresses how many victories the pursuer would theoretically need with simultaneous defeat of the leader in order to achieve a tie. The specification GB is expressed to 0.5 games: For example, if team A has ten wins and five defeats, but team B nine wins and five defeats, a win of its own (without a defeat by A) would lead to a tie.

April: Robinson Canó eight home runs and 24 RBI

Season course of the regular season

American League

April

The most successful team in the American League in April were the Chicago White Sox , who performed particularly well on the road and won 11 of their 16 games in foreign ball parks. Pitcher Chris Sale achieved 5 wins . Defending champions Kansas City got off to a good start into the new season, but went out of shape towards the end of the month and lost five games in a row in the last week of April, and was swept away by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim . The season also began disappointingly for the Houston Astros , who were able to reach the League Division Series in the preseason but only recorded 7 wins in 24 games in April 2016.

One of the most noticeable players of the opening month was Dominican second baseman Robinson Canó , who scored 8 home runs and 24 RBI for his Seattle Mariners .

As of April 30, 2016, the following table constellations in the American League resulted:

East Division
PS	franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
2		Baltimore Orioles	14th	9	60.9	-
WC		Boston Red Sox	14th	10	58.3	½
		Tampa Bay Rays	11	12	47.8	2
		Toronto Blue Jays	11	14th	44.0	3
		New York Yankees	8th	14th	36.4	5½

Central Division
PS	franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
1		Chicago White Sox	17th	8th	68.0	-
WC		Detroit Tigers	13	10	56.5	3
		Kansas City Royals	12	11	52.2	4th
		Cleveland Indians	10	11	47.6	5
		Minnesota Twins	7th	17th	29.2	9½

West Division
PS	franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
3		Texas Rangers	14th	10	58.3	-
WC		Seattle Mariners	13	10	56.5	½
		Oakland Athletics	13	12	52.0	1½
		Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim	11	13	45.8	3
		Houston Astros	7th	17th	29.2	7th

PS = postseason; Number = Rank on the seed list or WC = Wild Card (best two teams after the division winners)
W = Wins (victories), L = Losses (defeats),% = Winning Percentage , GB = Games Behind (behind leaders: number of necessary Defeats of the leader with simultaneous own victory)

May

• Special jerseys in May, using the example of the Orioles
• 

  for Mother's Day on May 8th in pink

• 

  for Memorial Day on May 30th camouflage colors

The White Sox, still so successful in April, disappointed in May with a victory rate of only 39% and slipped to second place in the Central Division behind defending champions Kansas City. The Royals had been four games behind the White Sox at the end of April. The Detroit Tigers also weakened and lost two positions as they also only won 39% of the games in the current month. However, three of the Tigers' players were able to achieve significant career milestones in just one month. Miguel Cabrera made his 500th double, pitcher Justin Verlander made his 2,000th strikeout and Francisco Rodríguez secured his 400th career save .

The new leader of the East Division, the Boston Red Sox, developed into the now most successful team of the AL in May, winning over 64% of the games in May and displacing the Orioles from first place in the division. On the offensive, Xander Bogaerts with 49 hits and five home runs and Jackie Bradley Jr. , who contributed 37 hits and even eight home runs, were particularly convincing at the Red Sox . The Tampa Bay Rays lost to the top of the division in May and are already nine games behind the Red Sox, down from just 1½ games at the end of April.

At the head of the West Division, the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners are still almost level. In May both teams won 17 games in 11 defeats and were able to break away from the competition. The Oakland Athletics, just one game behind the Mariners at the end of April, played a weaker month and slipped to the bottom of the division. A positive mentioning of the A's in May was the performance of starter Rich Hill , who was one of the best pitchers of the month with 5 wins and an ERA of 2.13.

As of May 31, 2016, the following table constellations in the American League resulted:

East Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
▲	1		Boston Red Sox	32	20th	61.5	-
▼	WC		Baltimore Orioles	28	22nd	56.0	3
▲			Toronto Blue Jays	28	26th	51.9	5
▲			New York Yankees	24	27	47.1	7½
▼			Tampa Bay Rays	22nd	28	44.0	9

Central Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
▲	3		Kansas City Royals	29	22nd	56.9	-
▼			Chicago White Sox	28	25th	52.8	2
▲			Cleveland Indians	26th	24	52.0	2½
▼			Detroit Tigers	24	27	47.1	5
			Minnesota Twins	15th	36	29.4	14th

West Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	2		Texas Rangers	31	21st	59.6	-
	WC		Seattle Mariners	30th	21st	58.8	½
▲			LA Angels of Anaheim	24	28	46.2	7th
▲			Houston Astros	24	29	45.3	7½
▼			Oakland Athletics	24	29	45.3	7½

Wild Card Race
franchise	W.	L.	%	GB
SEA	30th	21st	58.8	+ 1½
BAL	28	22nd	56.0	-
CWS	28	25th	52.8	1½
CLE	26th	24	52.0	2
GOAL	28	26th	51.9	2
DET	24	27	47.1	4½
NYY	24	27	47.1	4½
LAA	24	28	46.2	5
HOU	24	29	45.3	5½
OAK	23	29	44.2	6th
TB	22nd	28	44.0	6th
MIN	15th	35	30.0	13

Arrows: ▲ Improvement vs. April, ▼ worsening vs. April, other explanations see AL April

June

Berlin's Max Kepler of the Minnesota Twins celebrated the first RBI (15) and the first home runs (3) of his MLB career in June .

In the East Division, the Baltimore Orioles were able to take over the top position from the Boston Red Sox in June after 19 wins in 28 games, which in turn had an extremely weak month and could only win 38.5% of their games. The Red Sox, who held the first play-off spot at the end of May, would now only qualify for the post season with a half-game lead over the wild card. At the Orioles, Adam Jones was particularly convincing with eleven home runs and 27 RBI, as well as Chris Davis , who contributed nine home runs and 24 RBI to the success. In total, the Orioles had 56 home runs, setting a new all-time record for June. The old record from June 1996 was 55 HR and was held by the Oakland Athletics. Adam Jones of the Orioles shares the league-wide best for home runs with Edwin Encarnacion of the Tampa Bay Rays , who also won eleven times and thus helped bring the Rays from last place in the division to ½ game to the Red Sox and second place .

The Chicago White Sox continued to decline in the Central Division. After first place in April and second place in May, they were only fourth on June 30th. On the other hand, the advance of the Cleveland Indians continued, who, after an average start of the season, ended June with an outstanding 22 wins and only six defeats (78.6%), displacing the Kansas City Royals from the top position. Impressive among the Indians were Rajai Davis , who was able to steal ten bases in June alone, and pitcher Danny Salazar , who won all of his five starts and was consequently named Pitcher of the Month in the AL. The Minnesota Twins were able to win more than 30% of the games for the first time this season, but still remained by far the worst team in the AL. One of the bright spots among the Twins is Max Kepler from Berlin , who was appointed to the MLB squad at the end of May , who scored his first 15 RBI in the Big Leagues in June and was the second best player on his team in these statistics.

The new and old leaders of the West Division, the Texas Rangers, with 20 wins and eight defeats, were not only able to expand their lead over the competition by 8 games, they were also the best team in the entire AL at the end of the month and currently had the first Play- off spot. Outstanding in the Rangers were Cole Hamels with four wins from four starts, Rougned Odor with eight home runs and Ian Desmond with 42 hits and 19 self-scored runs. The Houston Astros also made a leap in the west, improving from fourth to second. The most conspicuous player of the Astros and AL Player of the Month at the end of the month was José Altuve with 15 RBI and a batting average of 42%.

As of June 30, 2016, the following table constellations in the American League resulted:

East Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
▲	3		Baltimore Orioles	47	31	60.3	0-
▼	WC		Boston Red Sox	42	36	53.8	05
			Toronto Blue Jays	43	38	53.1	05½
			New York Yankees	39	39	50.0	08th
			Tampa Bay Rays	33	45	42.3	14th

Central Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
▲	2		Cleveland Indians	48	30th	61.5	0-
▼	WC		Kansas City Royals	42	36	53.8	06th
▲			Detroit Tigers	41	38	51.9	07½
▼			Chicago White Sox	40	39	50.6	08½
			Minnesota Twins	25th	53	32.1	23

West Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	1		Texas Rangers	51	29	63.8	0-
▲			Houston Astros	42	37	53.2	08½
▼			Seattle Mariners	40	39	50.6	10½
▲			Oakland Athletics	35	44	44.3	15½
▼			LA Angels of Anaheim	32	47	40.5	18½

Wild Card Race
franchise	W.	L.	%	GB
BOS	42	36	53.8	0-
KC	42	36	53.8	0-
HOU	42	37	53.2	00½
GOAL	43	38	53.1	00½
DET	41	38	51.9	01½
CWS	40	39	50.6	02½
SEA	40	39	50.6	02½
NYY	39	39	50	03
OAK	35	44	44.3	07½
TB	33	45	42.3	09
LAA	32	47	40.5	10½
MIN	25th	53	32.1	17th

Arrows: ▲ Improvement vs. May, ▼ worsening vs. May, other explanations see AL April

July

As of July 31, 2016, the following table constellations in the American League resulted:

East Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	3		Baltimore Orioles	59	45	56.7	0-
▲	WC		Toronto Blue Jays	59	46	56.2	00½
▼	WC		Boston Red Sox	57	46	55.3	01½
			New York Yankees	52	52	50.0	07th
			Tampa Bay Rays	42	61	40.8	16½

Central Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	1		Cleveland Indians	60	42	58.8	0-
▲			Detroit Tigers	57	48	54.3	04½
▲			Chicago White Sox	51	54	48.6	10½
▼			Kansas City Royals	49	55	47.1	12
			Minnesota Twins	40	64	38.5	21st

West Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	2		Texas Rangers	62	44	58.5	0-
			Houston Astros	55	49	52.9	06th
			Seattle Mariners	52	51	50.5	08½
▲			LA Angels of Anaheim	47	58	44.8	14½
▼			Oakland Athletics	47	58	44.8	14½

Wild Card Race
franchise	W.	L.	%	GB
GOAL	59	46	56.2	+1
BOS	57	46	55.3	-
DET	57	48	54.3	01
HOU	55	49	52.9	02½
SEA	52	51	50.5	05
NYY	52	52	50.0	05½
CWS	51	54	48.6	07th
KC	49	55	47.1	08½
LAA	47	58	44.8	11
OAK	47	58	44.8	11
TB	42	61	40.8	15th
MIN	40	64	38.5	17½

Arrows: ▲ Improvement vs. June, ▼ deterioration compared to June, other explanations see AL April

August

As of August 31, 2016, the following table constellations in the American League resulted:

East Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
▲	3		Toronto Blue Jays	76	57	57.1	0-
▲	WC		Boston Red Sox	74	59	55.6	02
▼	WC		Baltimore Orioles	72	61	54.1	04th
			New York Yankees	69	63	52.3	06½
			Tampa Bay Rays	56	76	42.4	19½

Central Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	2		Cleveland Indians	76	56	57.6	0-
	WC		Detroit Tigers	72	61	54.1	04½
▲			Kansas City Royals	69	64	51.9	07½
▼			Chicago White Sox	63	69	47.7	13
			Minnesota Twins	49	84	36.8	27½

West Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	1		Texas Rangers	80	54	59.7	0-
			Houston Astros	71	62	53.4	08½
			Seattle Mariners	68	65	51.1	11½
			LA Angels of Anaheim	59	74	44.4	20½
			Oakland Athletics	57	76	42.9	22½

Wild Card Race
franchise	W.	L.	%	GB
BOS	74	59	55.6	+2
BAL	72	61	54.1	-
DET	72	61	54.1	-
HOU	71	62	52.4	01
NYY	69	63	52.3	02½
KC	69	64	51.9	03
SEA	68	65	51.1	04th
CWS	63	69	47.7	08½
LAA	59	74	44.4	13
OAK	57	76	42.9	15th
TB	56	76	42.4	15½
MIN	49	84	36.8	23

Arrows: ▲ Improvement vs. June, ▼ deterioration compared to June, other explanations see AL April

End of the regular season

At the end of the regular season there were the following table constellations in the American League:

East Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
▲	3		Boston Red Sox	93	69	57.4	0-
▲	WC		Baltimore Orioles	89	73	54.9	04th
▼	WC		Toronto Blue Jays	89	73	54.9	04th
			New York Yankees	84	78	51.9	09
			Tampa Bay Rays	68	94	42.0	25th

Central Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	2		Cleveland Indians	94	67	58.4	0-
			Detroit Tigers	86	75	53.4	08th
			Kansas City Royals	81	81	50.0	13½
			Chicago White Sox	78	84	48.1	16½
			Minnesota Twins	59	103	36.4	35½

West Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	1		Texas Rangers	95	67	58.6	0-
▲			Seattle Mariners	86	76	53.1	09
▼			Houston Astros	84	78	51.9	11
			LA Angels of Anaheim	74	88	45.7	21st
			Oakland Athletics	69	93	42.6	26th

Wild Card Race
franchise	W.	L.	%	GB
BAL	89	73	54.9	-
GOAL	89	73	54.9	-
DET	86	75	53.4	02½
SEA	86	76	53.1	03
HOU	84	78	51.9	05
NYY	84	78	51.9	05
KC	81	81	50.0	08th
CWS	78	84	48.1	11
LAA	74	88	45.7	15th
OAK	69	93	42.6	20th
TB	68	94	42.0	21st
MIN	59	103	36.4	30th

Arrows: ▲ Improvement vs. June, ▼ deterioration compared to June, other explanations see AL April

• 

  Texas Rangers,
  AL West winner

• 

  Toronto Blue Jays,
  3rd AL East

National League

April

The Chicago Cubs , who lost in the League Championship Series last year , were the most successful team in April and had to admit defeat only five times in 22 games. Starting pitcher Jake Arrieta , who contributed 5 wins , played a major role in the good start to the season . Among other things, Arrieta was the second no-hitter of his career on April 21 with a 16-0 away win at the Cincinnati Reds . Last year's National League winner, the New York Mets , started April evenly with 6 wins and 6 losses, but then started a strong streak and won nine of the last ten games of the month and ended April almost level with the Washington Nationals .

The West Division was extremely balanced in April, with all teams except the San Diego Padres having almost identical success rates. It is also remarkable that none of the teams in the West Division had a positive record. Los Angeles and San Francisco lead the table together with twelve wins and 13 losses.

Two Colorado Rockies players made ten home runs at the start of the season, Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story , and Arendo was also the most successful runner in the National League in April with 21 runs .

As of April 30, 2016, the following table constellations in the National League resulted:

East Division
PS	franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
2		Washington Nationals	16	7th	69.6	-
WC		New York Mets	15th	7th	68.2	½
		Philadelphia Phillies	14th	10	58.3	2½
		Miami Marlins	12	11	52.2	4th
		Atlanta Braves	5	18th	21.7	11

Central Division
PS	franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
1		Chicago Cubs	17th	5	77.3	-
WC		Pittsburgh Pirates	15th	9	62.5	3
		St. Louis Cardinals	12	12	50.0	6th
		Cincinnati Reds	9	15th	37.5	9
		Milwaukee Brewers	8th	15th	34.8	9½

West Division
PS	franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
3 *		Los Angeles Dodgers	12	13	48.0	-
3 *		San Francisco Giants	12	13	48.0	-
		Colorado Rockies	11	12	47.8	-
		Arizona Diamondbacks	12	14th	46.2	½
		San Diego Padres	9	15th	37.5	2½

As of April 30, 2016
* Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants share 1st place at the end of the month
PS = Postseason; Number = Rank on the seed list or WC = Wild Card (best two teams after the division winners)
W = Wins (victories), L = Losses (defeats),% = Winning Percentage , GB = Games Behind (behind leaders: number of necessary Defeats of the leader with simultaneous own victory)

May

Fredi González was fired in May after managing the Braves for more than five years .

In the battle for the starting places for the post season, May brought hardly any significant changes in the National League. Despite a somewhat weaker rate, the Chicago Cubs retained their position as the most successful team in the NL and the MLB as a whole and were able to more than double their lead over the Pirates in the Central Division. At the end of the month, the Pirates themselves have an identical win-loss record as the New York Mets from the East Division and are currently sharing the lead in the Wild Card race with them.

The Mets are still just behind the Washington Nationals, where Daniel Murphy dominated the month offensively. Murphy, who moved from New York to Washington after the 2015 season , achieved 23 RBI and 17 runs of his own in May. The Miami Marlins, who had the pitcher with the most wins in their ranks in May, made up a place in the East Division. José Fernandez won all of his six starts and ended the month with an ERA of 1.38.

Also in the East Division there was the first dismissal of a manager of the current season. Fredi González, who was the Atlanta Braves' manager for more than five years , was fired on May 17 after the Braves lost 18 games in April and only four wins from their first 14 games in May. At the time of González's dismissal after 37 games this season, the Braves stood with a win rate of 24.3% with 9 wins and 28 losses.

In the West Division, the San Francisco Giants have developed a 4½-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks, which were also at the same level as the Giants at the end of April, lost even more ground than the Dodgers.

As of May 31, 2016, there were the following table constellations in the National League:

East Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	3		Washington Nationals	32	21st	60.4	-
	WC		New York Mets	29	22nd	56.9	2
▲			Miami Marlins	27	25th	51.9	4½
▼			Philadelphia Phillies	26th	26th	50.0	5½
			Atlanta Braves	15th	36	29.4	16

Central Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	1		Chicago Cubs	35	15th	70.0	-
	WC		Pittsburgh Pirates	29	22nd	56.9	6½
			St. Louis Cardinals	28	25th	52.8	8½
▲			Milwaukee Brewers	23	29	44.2	13
▼			Cincinnati Reds	17th	35	32.7	19th

West Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	2		San Francisco Giants	33	21st	61.1	-
▼			Los Angeles Dodgers	28	25th	52.8	4½
			Colorado Rockies	24	27	47.1	7½
			Arizona Diamondbacks	23	31	45.3	7½
			San Diego Padres	20th	33	45.3	7½

Wild Card Race
franchise	W.	L.	%	GB
NYM	29	22nd	56.9	-
PIT	29	33	56.9	-
LAD	28	25th	52.8	2
STL	28	25th	52.8	2
MIA	27	25th	51.9	2½
PHI	26th	26th	50.0	3½
COL	24	27	47.1	5
Mil	23	29	44.2	6½
ARI	23	31	42.6	7½
SD	20th	33	37.7	10
CIN	17th	35	32.7	12½
ATL	15th	36	29.4	14th

Arrows: ▲ Improvement vs. April, ▼ worsening vs. April, other explanation see NL April

June

In the East Division there were hardly any changes compared to the previous month. The Washington Nationals were able to extend their lead on second place. From the division, especially Nats pitcher Max Scherzer (4: 1 wins, 1.63 ERA) and Mets closer Jeurys Familia (10 saves ) are defensive in June . In the Atlanta Braves, which are still bottom of the division, first baseman Freddie Freeman , who shared 36 hits, scored most of the National League.

The Chicago Cubs were able to break away from the pursuers in the Central Division in June and now have an 11-game lead over the new Second St. Louis Cardinals, who overtook the Pittsburgh Pirates during the month. With 65.4% won games, the Cubs are still the statistically best team in the National League and the entire MLB. The Cubs had the most home run player in June with Kris Bryant , along with San Diego's Wil Myers from the West Division (11). The division's most successful pitcher is also from Chicago. Jon Lester finished June with a pitchers record of 4-0 after six games, had an outstanding ERA of 1.41 and was ultimately voted pitcher of the month for the NL. Billy Hamilton from bottom of the league table Cincinnati was the most successful in this statistic in the National League in June with new stolen bases.

As in the East Division, there were no changes in the table in June in the West Division. The San Francisco Giants were able to slightly increase their lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers, while the Dodgers took the lead in the NL Wild Card Race due to a good month . Wil Myers from the Padres offensively dominated the division and the entire NL. In addition to the eleven home runs mentioned, he achieved 33 RBI, 19 BB , ten doubles and five stolen bases. As a result, he was voted player of the month in the NL. Three East Division pitchers ended the month with four wins. Jorge De La Rosa of the Rockies, Zack Greinke of the Diamondbacks and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers.

As of June 30, 2016, the following table constellations in the National League resulted:

East Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	3		Washington Nationals	48	32	60.0	0-
	WC		New York Mets	41	37	52.6	06th
			Miami Marlins	41	38	51.9	06½
			Philadelphia Phillies	35	45	43.8	13
			Atlanta Braves	27	52	34.2	20½

Central Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	1		Chicago Cubs	51	27	65.4	0-
▲			St. Louis Cardinals	40	38	51.3	11
▼			Pittsburgh Pirates	38	41	48.1	13½
			Milwaukee Brewers	35	43	44.9	16
			Cincinnati Reds	29	51	36.3	23

West Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	2		San Francisco Giants	50	31	61.7	0-
	WC		Los Angeles Dodgers	44	37	54.3	06th
			Colorado Rockies	37	41	47.4	11½
			Arizona Diamondbacks	36	45	44.4	14th
			San Diego Padres	33	46	41.8	16

Wild Card Race
franchise	W.	L.	%	GB
LAD	44	37	54.3	+ 1½
NYM	41	37	52.6	0-
MIA	41	38	51.9	00½
STL	40	38	51.3	01
PIT	38	41	48.1	03½
COL	37	41	47.4	04th
Mil	35	43	44.9	06th
ARI	36	45	44.4	06½
PHI	35	45	43.8	07th
SD	33	46	41.8	08½
CIN	29	51	36.3	13
ATL	27	52	34.2	14½

Arrows: ▲ Improvement vs. May, ▼ worsening vs. May, other explanation see NL April

July

As of July 31, 2016, the following table constellations in the National League resulted:

East Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	2		Washington Nationals	61	44	58.1	0-
▲	WC		Miami Marlins	57	48	54.3	04th
▼			New York Mets	54	50	51.9	06½
			Philadelphia Phillies	48	59	44.9	14th
			Atlanta Braves	37	68	35.2	24

Central Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	1		Chicago Cubs	63	41	60.6	0-
			St. Louis Cardinals	56	49	53.3	07½
			Pittsburgh Pirates	52	51	50.5	10½
			Milwaukee Brewers	47	56	45.6	15½
			Cincinnati Reds	42	62	40.4	21st

West Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	2		San Francisco Giants	61	44	58.1	0-
	WC		Los Angeles Dodgers	59	46	56.2	02
			Colorado Rockies	52	53	49.5	09
▲			San Diego Padres	45	60	42.9	16
▼			Arizona Diamondbacks	43	62	41.0	18th

Wild Card Race
franchise	W.	L.	%	GB
LAD	59	46	56.2	+2
MIA	57	48	54.3	0-
STL	56	49	53.3	01
NYM	54	50	51.9	02½
PIT	52	51	50.5	04th
COL	52	53	49.5	05
Mil	47	56	45.6	09
PHI	48	59	44.9	10
SD	45	60	42.9	12
ARI	43	62	41.0	14th
CIN	42	62	40.4	14½
ATL	37	68	35.2	20th

Arrows: ▲ Improvement vs. June, ▼ deterioration compared to June, other explanation see NL April

August

As of August 31, 2016, the following table constellations in the National League resulted:

East Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	2		Washington Nationals	78	55	58.6	0-
▲			New York Mets	69	64	51.9	09
▼			Miami Marlins	67	66	50.4	11
			Philadelphia Phillies	60	73	45.1	18th
			Atlanta Braves	50	83	37.6	28

Central Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	1		Chicago Cubs	85	47	64.4	0-
	WC		St. Louis Cardinals	70	62	53.0	15th
			Pittsburgh Pirates	67	64	51.1	17½
			Milwaukee Brewers	57	76	42.9	28½
			Cincinnati Reds	55	77	41.7	30th

West Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
▲	3		Los Angeles Dodgers	74	59	55.6	0-
▼	WC		San Francisco Giants	72	60	54.5	01½
			Colorado Rockies	64	69	48.1	10
▲			Arizona Diamondbacks	56	77	42.1	18th
▼			San Diego Padres	55	77	41.7	18½

Wild Card Race
franchise	W.	L.	%	GB
SF	72	60	54.5	0+2
STL	70	62	53.0	0-
NYM	69	64	51.9	01½
PIT	67	64	51.1	02½
MIA	67	66	50.4	03½
COL	64	69	48.1	06½
PHI	60	73	45.1	10½
Mil	57	76	42.9	13½
ARI	56	77	42.1	14½
CIN	55	77	41.7	15th
SD	55	77	41.7	15th
ATL	50	83	37.6	20½

Arrows: ▲ Improvement vs. June, ▼ deterioration compared to June, other explanation see NL April

End of the regular season

At the end of the regular season there were the following table constellations in the National League:

East Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	2		Washington Nationals	95	67	58.6	0-
	WC		New York Mets	87	75	53.7	08th
			Miami Marlins	79	82	49.1	15½
			Philadelphia Phillies	71	91	43.8	24
			Atlanta Braves	68	93	42.2	26½

Central Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	1		Chicago Cubs	103	58	64.0	0-
			St. Louis Cardinals	86	76	53.1	17½
			Pittsburgh Pirates	78	83	48.4	25th
			Milwaukee Brewers	73	89	45.1	30½
			Cincinnati Reds	68	94	42.0	35½

West Division
PS		franchise		W.	L.	%	GB
	3		Los Angeles Dodgers	91	71	56.2	0-
	WC		San Francisco Giants	87	75	53.7	04th
			Colorado Rockies	75	87	46.3	16
			Arizona Diamondbacks	69	93	42.6	22nd
			San Diego Padres	68	94	42.0	23

Wild Card Race
franchise	W.	L.	%	GB
NYM	87	75	53.7	0-
SF	87	75	53.7	0-
STL	86	76	53.1	01
MIA	79	82	49.1	07½
PIT	78	83	48.4	08½
COL	75	87	46.3	12
Mil	73	89	45.1	14th
PHI	71	91	43.8	16
ARI	69	93	42.6	18th
ATL	68	93	42.2	18½
CIN	68	94	42.0	19th
SD	68	94	42.0	19th

Arrows: ▲ Improvement vs. June, ▼ deterioration compared to June, other explanation see NL April

• 

  Chicago Cubs,
  winners of NL Central

• 

  Washington Nationals,
  winner of NL East

• 

  Los Angeles Dodgers,
  winner of NL West

• 

  New York Mets,
  2nd NL East

• 

  San Francisco Giants,
  2nd NL West

Postseason

Main articles: ALWC 2016 , NLWC 2016 , ALDS 2016 , NLDS 2016 , ALCS 2016 , NLCS 2016 , World Series 2016

Mode and participants

From the beginning of October, the Division Series and then the respective Championship Series were played. To this end, the two wild card winners first met in one game. The three division winners and the winner of the wild card game met in two division series matches in the best-of-five mode ( ALDS or NLDS = American or National League Division Series). The wild card winners played against the best division winner, i.e. the team with the most wins from the regular season games.

The winners of the Division Series matches then play the respective League Champion in a best-of-seven procedure ( ALCS or NLCS = American or National League Championship Series).

Scheme

The following results were found in the postseason:

	Wild Card Games					League Division Series					League Championship Series					World Series
						2	Cleveland Indians	3
						3	Boston Red Sox	0
											2	Cleveland Indians	4th
	American League
											WC1	Toronto Blue Jays	1
						1	Texas Rangers	0
						WC1	Toronto Blue Jays	3
	WC1	Toronto Blue Jays	1
	WC2	Baltimore Orioles	0													AL	Cleveland Indians	3
																NL	Chicago Cubs	4th
						2	Washington Nationals	2
						3	Los Angeles Dodgers	3
											3	Los Angeles Dodgers	2
	National League
											1	Chicago Cubs	4th
						1	Chicago Cubs	3
						WC2	San Francisco Giants	1
	WC1	New York Mets	0
	WC2	San Francisco Giants	1

Submit Results
Wild Card Games: one game; ALDS, NLDS (Division Series): Best-of Five; ALCS, NLCS (Championship Series), World Series: Best-of-Seven

Player statistics

Hitting

	American League			National League
Stat	Player	team	Total	Player	team	Total
AVG	José Altuve	HOU	.338	DJ LeMahieu	COL	.348
MR	Mark Trumbo	BAL	47	Nolan Arenado Chris Carter	COL MIL	41
RBI	Edwin Encarnación David Ortiz	GATE BOS	127	Nolan Arenado	COL	133
R.	Mike Trout	LAA	123	Kris Bryant	CHC	121
H	José Altuve	HOU	216	Jean Segura	ARI	203
SB	Rajai Davis	CLE	43	Jonathan Villar	Mil	62

Pitching

	American League			National League
Stat	Player	team	Total	Player	team	Total
W.	Rick Porcello	BOS	22nd	Max Scherzer	WHAT	20th
L.	Chris Archer	TB	19th	Jimmy Nelson	Mil	16
ERA	Aaron Sanchez	GOAL	3.00	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	2.13
K	Justin Verlander	DET	254	Max Scherzer	WHAT	284
IP	David Price	BOS	230.0	Max Scherzer	WHAT	228.1
SV	Zach Britton	BAL	47	Jeurys Familia	NYM	51

Career milestones

AJ Pierzynski reached the 2,000 hits mark as the tenth catcher in MLB history

Batter

player	team	milestone	category	date
Víctor Martínez	DET	1,000	RBI	Apr 21, 2016
AJ Pierzynski	ATL	2,000	hit	Apr. 27, 2016
Ichiro Suzuki	MIA	500	Stole base	Apr 29, 2016
David Ortiz	BOS	600	Double	May 14, 2016
Carlos Beltran	NYY	400	Home Run	May 15, 2016
Miguel Cabrera	DET	500	Double	May 23, 2016
Adrián Beltré	TEX	1,500	RBI	May 28, 2016
Chase Utley	LAD	1,000	run	June 22, 2016
Mark Teixeira	NYY	400	Home Run	03rd July, 2016

Others

Mets pitcher Bartolo Colón , who has been under contract with various MLB teams since 1997, managed the first home run of his career on May 7, 2016. At this point, Colón was 42 years and 349 days old. This makes him the oldest player in the MLB at the time of his first home run.

Pitcher

player	team	milestone	category	date
Jonathan Papelbon	WHAT	350	Save	0Apr 4, 2016
Jake Arrieta	CHC	2	No-hitter	Apr 21, 2016
John Lackey	CHC	2,000	Strikeout	0May 6, 2016
Justin Verlander	DET	2,000	Strikeout	May 18, 2016
Francisco Rodríguez	DET	400	Save	May 24, 2016
Cole Hamels	TEX	2,000	Strikeout	June 12, 2016

Franchise records

The table shows the point in time at which the player took the lead in a club-internal category.

player	team	milestone	category	date
Kenley Jansen	LAD	162	Save	20th June 2016
Jeurys Familia	NYY	25th	successive saves at the beginning of the season	June 24, 2016
Danny Duffy	KC	16	Strikeouts in one game	0Aug 1, 2016

honors and awards

Player of the month

month	American League	National League
April	Manny Machado	Bryce Harper
May	Jackie Bradley Jr.	Daniel Murphy
June	José Altuve	Wil Myers
July	Mookie Betts	Daniel Murphy
August	Gary Sánchez	Kris Bryant
September	Miguel Cabrera	Freddie Freeman

Pitcher of the month

month	American League	National League
April	Jordan carpenter	Jake Arrieta
May	Rich Hill	Clayton Kershaw
June	Danny Salazar	Jon Lester
July	Justin Verlander	Stephen Strasburg
August	Corey Kluber	Kyle Hendricks
September	Rick Porcello	Jon Lester

Rookie of the month

month	American League	National League
April	Nomar Mazara	Trevor story
May	Nomar Mazara	Steven Matz
June	Tyler Naquin	Corey Seager
July	Tyler Naquin	Ryan Schimpf
August	Gary Sánchez	Trea Turner
September	Ryon Healy	Trea Turner

Lock

Doping cases

Jenrry Mejía is the first MLB player to be banned from the MLB for life because of his third doping violation.

The MLB's catalog of penalties for the intake of performance-enhancing substances , which has been in effect since March 2014, provides for the use of steroids to be banned for 80 games for the first violation and for a whole season (162 games) for the second violation. The third offense punishes the player with a lifelong exclusion from the MLB. Under certain circumstances, the penalty can be reduced, or if substances that cannot be assigned to steroids are taken, they can be reduced from the start.

Even before and at the beginning of the season, several players were again convicted of taking performance-enhancing substances. The MLB announced on February 12, 2016 that the 26-year-old pitcher Jenrry Mejía from the New York Mets had tested positive for an anabolic steroid . Since Mejía was convicted of taking steroids in April 2015 and July 2015, the MLB consequently banned him for life. The player is the first to receive the Lifetime Ban introduced in 2014 .

The other players who tested positive are players with no history of doping. The penalty for Kansas City talent Raúl A. Mondesí was reduced from 80 to 50 games because he was able to assure that the substance Clenbuterol was found in a drug he had taken to treat symptoms of colds and flu .

Doping cases and bans of active MLB players in the 2016 season

player	team	Item	date	violation	Lock	Ref.
Jenrry Mejía	NYM	P	Feb 12, 2016	3	lifelong
Abraham Almonte	CLE	CF	Feb. 26, 2016	1	80 games
Daniel Stump	PHI	P	Apr 14, 2016	1	80 games
Chris Colabello	GOAL	1B	Apr 21, 2016	1	80 games
Dee Gordon	MIA	SS	Apr 29, 2016	1	80 games
Josh Ravin	LAD	P	0May 2, 2016	1	80 games
Raúl A. Mondesí	KC	SS	May 10, 2016	1	50 games
Marlon Byrd	CLE	OF	0June 1, 2016	2	162 games
Alec Asher	PHI	P	June 16, 2016	1	80 games

Others

Manny Machado (left - 4 game suspension) and Yordano Ventura (9 game suspension) at Charging the Mound on June 7, 2016.

The Atlanta Braves' Cuban Hector Olivera was banned from 82 games on May 26, retrospectively to April 30, 2016, for violating the inter-league agreement on dealing with domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse and, as usual, received no salary for this time. Olivera, silver medalist with Cuba at the Beijing 2008 Olympics , was arrested on April 13 for alleged assault on a woman outside a hotel. According to MLB officials, Olivera has accepted the ban. Since the player was already inactive during the ongoing investigations and the suspension came into effect retrospectively on April 30th, Olivera was eligible to play again from August 1st.

A charging the mound by Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles after a hit by pitch by Kansas City Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura on June 7, 2016 led to a mass brawl between both teams. The two perpetrators then received bans from the MLB. Ventura was suspended for nine games and Machado for four games. Both players appealed against the punishment and were eligible to play until the hearing.

Individual evidence

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2. ↑ MLB awards 2016 All-Star Game to San Diego. usatoday.com, January 15, 2015, accessed April 27, 2015 . 
3. ↑ July 12, 2016 All-Star Game Play-By-Play and Box Score. baseball-reference.com, accessed July 13, 2016 . 
4. ↑ 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft: First-round complete results. CBS, June 10, 2016, accessed June 10, 2016 . 
5. ↑ Standings Spring Training. MLB.com, accessed April 27, 2016 . 
6. ↑ Grapefruit League 2016 Schedule. springtrainingonline.com, accessed April 27, 2016 . 
7. ↑ Cactus League 2016 Spring Training Schedule. springtrainingonline.com, accessed April 27, 2016 . 
8. ↑ O's what a month: Orioles set June HR mark. mlb.com, July 1, 2016, accessed July 1, 2016 . 
9. ↑ ^{a b} Cubs' Jake Arrieta Throws Second Career No-Hitter. New York Times, April 21, 2016, accessed April 27, 2016 . 
10. ↑ Fredi Gonzalez learned he was fired from flight-home email. New York Post , May 17, 2016, accessed June 1, 2016 . 
11. ↑ ^{a b} A.J. Pierzynski becomes 10th catcher to reach 2,000 hits. foxsports.com, April 27, 2016, accessed April 29, 2016 . 
12. ↑ 'It means a lot': Tigers' Victor Martinez records 1000th career RBI. Detroit Free Press, April 21, 2016, accessed April 27, 2016 . 
13. ↑ Marlins' Ichiro Suzuki has milestone hit, 500th stolen base against Brewers. USA Today , April 29, 2016, accessed May 1, 2016 . 
14. ↑ David Ortiz hits 600th career double to beat Astros, celebrates accordingly. USA Today , May 14, 2016, accessed May 15, 2016 . 
15. ↑ 'That's a Hall of Famer': Carlos Beltran belts historic homer. New York Post , May 15, 2016, accessed May 17, 2016 . 
16. ↑ Detroit 5, Philadelphia 4: Miguel Cabrera scorching hot; so are tigers. Detroit Free Press, May 24, 2016, accessed May 27, 2016 . 
17. ↑ Texas Rangers: Adrian Beltre reaches RBI milestone. isportsweb.com, May 29, 2016, accessed May 31, 2016 . 
18. ↑ Utley scores 1,000th career run on wild pitch. mlb.com, June 22, 2016, accessed June 23, 2016 . 
19. ↑ Teixeira joins 400-homer club - Yankees slugger is 5th switch-hitter to reach milestone. mlb.com, July 3, 2016, accessed July 14, 2016 . 
20. ↑ MLB: Bartolo Colon hits home run with 42 - Mets pitcher hits record home run. Spox.com , May 10, 2016, accessed May 10, 2016 . 
21. ↑ Opening Day: A Nationals' Holiday indeed! Late and great and FUN! talknats.com, April 5, 2016, accessed April 28, 2016 . 
22. ↑ Lackey reaches 2,000-strikeout milestone. mlb.com, May 6, 2016, accessed May 7, 2016 . 
23. ↑ Justin Verlander hits 2,000-strikeout milestone. Detroit Free Press, May 18, 2016, accessed May 19, 2016 . 
24. ↑ Tigers closer Francisco Rodriguez records 400th career save. espn, May 25, 2016, accessed on May 18, 2016 . 
25. ↑ Cole Hamels records his 2,000th career strikeout, and the Rangers collect their seventh consecutive series victory. Dallas Morning News, June 13, 2016, accessed June 14, 2016 . 
26. ↑ Kenley Jansen sets all-time Dodgers franchise record for saves. SB Nation, June 20, 2016, accessed June 26, 2016 . 
27. ↑ Familia sets another saves record for Mets. theScore, June 25, 2016, accessed June 26, 2016 . 
28. ^ Duffy owns Royals mark with 16 strikeouts. mlb.com, August 1, 2016, accessed August 8, 2016 . 
29. ^ All-time winners player of the month. mlb.com, accessed May 6, 2016 . 
30. ^ All-time winners pitcher of the month. mlb.com, accessed May 6, 2016 . 
31. ^ All-time winners rookie of the month. mlb.com, accessed May 6, 2016 . 
32. ↑ Major League Baseball, union toughen drug agreement provisions ( English ) In: ESPN.com . Retrieved May 11, 2016.
33. ↑ ^{a b} Mets Pitcher Jenrry Mejia Is First Major Leaguer to Get Lifetime Ban for Doping. New York Times , February 12, 2016, accessed May 11, 2016 . 
34. ↑ ^{a b} Raul Mondesi Jr. suspended 50 games for PEDs found in cold medicine. CBS Sports, May 10, 2016, accessed May 11, 2016 . 
35. ↑ Cleveland Indians' Abraham Almonte suspended for 80 games for PED violation. cleveland.com, February 26, 2016, accessed May 11, 2016 . 
36. ↑ Pitcher Daniel Stumpf banned by the Philadelphia Phillies for doping - Phillies doping offenders severely punished. sport1 , April 14, 2016, accessed May 11, 2016 . 
37. ↑ Positive Test for Anabolic Steroid - 80 Game Ban on Toronto's Colabello. Spox.com , April 23, 2016, accessed May 11, 2016 . 
38. ↑ Shock for the Marlins - Gordon banned for doping. Spox.com , April 29, 2016, accessed May 11, 2016 . 
39. ↑ Dodgers pitcher withdrawn - Ravin 80 games also blocked. Spox.com , May 4, 2016, accessed May 11, 2016 . 
40. ↑ Repeat offender Byrd banned for 162 games. Rheinische Post , June 1, 2016, accessed on June 2, 2016 . 
41. ↑ Phillies pitcher Alec Asher suspended 80 games. philly.com, June 16, 2016, accessed July 4, 2016 . 
42. ↑ Professional baseball banned for 82 games. Süddeutsche Zeitung , May 27, 2016, accessed on May 27, 2016 . 
43. ↑ Hector Olivera suspended 82 games for violating domestic violence policy. Sports Illustrated , May 26, 2016, accessed May 27, 2016 . 
44. ↑ MLB suspends Yordano Ventura 9 games, Manny Machado 4 games for bench-clearing fight. USA Today , June 9, 2016, accessed June 13, 2016 .