The NL Central is still the best division in Baseball – Part 3

Time to take a quick glance at the divisional standings as we get to the end of June. Things are looking pretty similar to the end of April and May.

The NL Central continue to drop slightly, down to .534, with the Reds falling 5 games below .500. But the Brewers continue to dominate, the Cardinals have kept their surprising season going, and Cubs have had a mini-resurgence.

The NL East have jumped over the AL East, despite the best efforts of the Mets to drag the division down. The Braves continue to lead the pack, but the Phillies have brought their season back from the brink. And the Nationals and Marlins have managed to keep themselves in the thick of the Wild Card race.

The Yankees have climbed back over the Rays in the AL East. But the Blue Jays are still a slight disappointment at two games under .600 – but still in the 3rd Wild Card spot in the AL. The Orioles have not bounced back from their rough 2025, and the Red Sox have the worst record in the AL, and look to be a seller at the trade deadline.

The NL West is very top-heavy, with the Dodgers having another great season. Shocking, right? The Padres and Diamondbacks are still in the Wild Card race, but the Giants and Rockies are the still the two worst teams in the NL – despite playing better than expected against the Cubs. The division is at exactly .500, which seems about right.

The AL West has actually managed to edge percentage points ahead of the AL Central, despite the leader being only 1 game over .500. But there is only one really bad team in the West, the Angels. The Astros, Rangers and Athletics are still well within striking distance of a Wild Card spot in the dumpster fire that is the American League this year.

And the Guardians continue to be the Brewers-light of the AL, co-leading the AL Central despite a low payroll. But the real surprises are the the White Sox are tied for the division lead, and the Tigers and Royals – the darlings on the 2024 season – are 12 and 13 games under .500, respectively.

And we are still seeing a massive advantage for the NL over the AL in total wins, dominating interleague play. The National League is 620-576 for a .518 winning percentage, while the AL is 580-624 for a .482 winning percentage. It is unlikely, but still possible that we could see one or two teams with losing records make the postseason in the AL, which would be a black eye on the 3 Wild Card team format. It has opened the door for a mediocre Blue Jay team to defend the AL title, and for every team besides the Angels in the NL West to think of themselves as still in the race.