With over three months remaining in the regular season, do the division leaders have what it takes to hold their positions and claim their crowns?
- National League West: Los Angeles Dodgers
This seems like a never-ending cycle. The Dodgers have won the NL West every season since 2013, which the lone outlier being their 2nd place finish to the Giants in 2021 (a year they won 106 games). Their dominance has truly been astonishing, even though it has only led to one World Series title. Of all the division leaders, the Dodgers seem to have the easiest path to claim their division. The Padres and Giants have been inconsistent and are currently under .500, the defending National League Champion Diamondbacks have underperformed, and the Rockies are amongst the worst teams in baseball. With a 9.5 game lead, the Dodgers need to just stay healthy, which of late has been a real challenge with the losses of Mookie Betts, Walker Buehler and Yoshinubo Yamamoto.
2. National League Central: Milwaukee Brewers
Out of the gate, and before the season even commenced, the Brewers were not the talk of the town to win the NL Central in 2024. In recent years, the Brewers have been the team to beat in their division, taking home the crown in 2023, 2021 and 2018. They otherwise have made the postseason consistently, earning a trip in 5 of the last 6 seasons. Their division foes have slacked off since starting off hot, with all four teams currently sitting below .500. While of these teams have underperformed, they each have reasons to believe they can get hot and make runs of their own. The Pirates and Reds have a lot of young talent, while the Cubs have built a team that they thought should be competitive. St. Louis has a lot of veteran talent, but they just have not been able to put it all together, at least not as of yet. The Brewers 7+ game lead may hold, but they need to make sure that they take care of business when facing their division foes.
3. National League East: Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies held the best record in baseball until the Yankees recent surge, but they still hold the best record in the National League. Currently, Philadelphia holds a 7.0 game lead over the Atlanta Braves, who have been riddled with injuries to key players. After Atlanta, the Nationals, who are full of young talent, have put together a good season. They are likely still a year or two away from being a real threat. The Mets have been red hot as of late but have dug themselves a pretty significant hole with poor play early on. While these teams are not too far off the pace, it does seem like the division will come down to the Braves and Phillies come October. The two teams play each other 10 more times this season, and that likely will decide who gets to hang the division banner. Otherwise, it will truly be a test of depth and ability to stay on the field. something that both teams have had difficulties with to start this season.
Leave a Reply