1x Thought To Sum Up Every National League Team's Season So Far

Aug 14, 2024

Last week I wrote a quick piece on my thoughts for each American League team’s season so far and today I shall do the same for the National League.

National League East:

Philadelphia Phillies (69-50)

Philadelphia is a juggernaut. They are sitting atop the National League East with a comfortable 6 game lead over Atlanta. They have one of the best pitching staffs in all of baseball and are led by one of the best players of this generation, Bryce Harper. The Phillies are hungry to make a return to the World Series and try to capture what they missed out on back in 2022.

Atlanta Braves (63-56)

It has been a disappointing season for Atlanta plain and simple. Losing Acuna & Strider for the season has been devastating. Not to mention Ozzie Albies, Reynaldo Lopez, and Michael Harris are all dealing with injuries of their own. It is just not Atlanta’s season this year. The good news is the Braves have a majority of its core signed already for the future so they will be back.

New York Mets (61-58)

It’s been a roller coaster of emotions from Queens, NY in 2024. They were BAAAAAD to begin the season and now they are 3 games above .500. Baseball is a weird sport. I do not take them as a serious contender for this year and they did not do all that much at the deadline to change that. I honestly think that was for the better to look towards next year. Are the Mets going to sign Corbin Burnes in free agency? It would be a great fit plus they would pay him fun coupon stacks!

Washington Nationals (55-65)

Teams honestly should take notes on Washington. They went all in to win a World Series a few years ago and accomplished what so few do. They brought home a coveted World Series trophy! Since that moment they have had to suffer some bad years of baseball but from trades, they have rebuilt the entire farm system and looked poised to have a bright future behind players like CJ Abrams, James Wood, and Dylan Crews.

Miami Marlins (45-75)

It is all about the prospects baby! The Marlins have not only been a trash product on the field but their farm system was also looking bleak. Peter Bendix and the entire Marlins management team were able to pull off some savvy trades at the deadline to bolster their youth development and I think it will pay dividends in a short time with players like Connor Norby, Agustin Ramirez, Deyvison De Los Santos, and Robby Snelling getting added to the farm system.

National League Central:

Pittsburgh Pirates (56-63)

The pitching movement in Pittsburgh is astonishing. Yes, I can talk about Paul Skenes for days on end but Skenes is not the only weapon in their arsenal. Jared Jones has disgusting stuff and can be an elite #2 behind Skenes. Bubba Chandler and Braxton Ashcraft are also talented arms on the come-up in Pittsburgh and they will be in the major leagues soon enough. You have to be excited if you are a Pittsburgh fan. They need to continue adding bats to the lineup to make them competitive year in and year out as this pitching staff will be elite in a few years.

St. Louis Cardinals (60-60)

One of the most frustrating teams to watch in baseball. At least they brought Jordan Walker back up to the bigs where he belongs. They have somehow ruined Erick Fedde and are currently 7.5 games back in the division. They will most likely not make the playoffs this season. Why did they not trade Goldschmidt or Arenado to a contender? Someone would have paid for them as they are two of the more talented players from this generation. I do not understand what the Cardinals are trying to do in the long term by not moving those two as they are not winning a World Series in the short term.

Chicago Cubs (59-62)

What a disaster of a season it has been for the city of Chicago and its baseball fans. The team on the south side might be the worst team of all time and the Cubbies are also a massive disappointment. The Cubs need a little bit of everything for 2025. More bats, more starting pitching depth, and certainly, an entirely new bullpen as it’s been horrendous this season.

Cincinnati Reds (59-61)

Give this team another year or so. They have so much youth and I think good things take time. Not to mention they have one of the most electric players in all of baseball in Elly De La Cruz (59 SB / 21 HR). The pitching is solid and the staff is top-10 in all of baseball with a cumulative 3.85 ERA. The bats need to stay healthy and develop but this is another team I think is on the rise that we were all a year too early on.

Milwaukee Brewers (67-52)

Milwaukee is a factory. Able to trade away Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader over the last couple of years and prosper? They have a commanding 7.5-game lead in the National League Central and do not seem to be letting off the gas pedal. Almost a +100 scoring differential on the year fans in Milwaukee have to be stoked with this team. Not to mention Jackson Chourio looks like a budding star!

National League West:

Los Angeles Dodgers (71-49)

Is it wrong for me to say that I almost feel bad for the Dodgers? They just can’t stay healthy, especially with the arms. Mookie Betts is back which is huge especially if they want a deep playoff run. They have the talent to win a World Series, the question is will all that talent be able to take the field together?

Arizona Diamondbacks (68-53)

Somehow this team is 15 games over .500. Corbin Carroll has struggled all season except the last month and Eduardo Rodriguez just made his season debut. If Carroll and Rodriguez get it going this team is dangerous. The National League West is wide open and with the Dodger’s injuries keep piling up it will be an open race to see who takes the division.

San Francisco Giants (61-61)

I do not know what direction the Giants are taking, similar to the Cardinals. They are a middle-of-the-pack team and do not have enough firepower to win a World Series. As for the farm system, there are some intriguing players, I just do not know if there are enough to produce a serious contender without big free-agent additions. Kudos to the Giants, Blake Snell is on fire!

San Diego Padres (68-53)

And just like that the Padres are making things interesting. Dylan Cease and the rest of the pitching staff are doing their thing. Jackson Merrill is a legit ball player. If they get Tatis Jr. back soon…sheesh.

Colorado Rockies (44-77)

This organization has so many problems, I do not know where to start. All I know if they need a revamp of the entire way they are running the farm system. Not to mention they need to get more aggressive for hitters in free agency. This is Denver we are talking about, this is not a small-city team

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