The baseball season is just over two weeks old, but it might be OK to say the National League West will be the best division this season.
It’s a very short sample size, but the top three teams in the NL West also possess the top three records in the majors.
The San Diego Padres are an MLB-best 12-3, with the San Francisco Giants (10-4) and Los Angeles Dodgers (11-5) close behind.
The Padres and Dodgers were among the better teams in the majors last season.
You may recall Los Angeles rallied from a game down to eliminate San Diego in the NL Division Series and later won the World Series.
Let’s not forget about the Arizona Diamondbacks (7-7). They reached the 2023 World Series before losing to the Texas Rangers.
So we’re looking at four good teams in the division now that the Giants are faring well.
Who exactly had the San Francisco Giants looking this good anyway?
Wilmer Flores is bashing the ball, Jung Hoo Lee is energizing the attack, and former Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray is hinting he’ll form a fearsome one-two punch with ace Logan Webb.
San Francisco is faring well despite three-fourths of the infield being invisible at the plate — new shortstop Willy Adames (.196), third baseman Matt Chapman (.184), and first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. (.114) need smelling salts to wake up their bats.
It may not keep up, but it’s a solid start for a club that missed the playoffs each of the past three seasons.
The Dodgers again are the team to beat — not just in the NL West, but all of baseball.
Los Angeles already has 29 homers despite boasting just a .228 average. Shohei Ohtani has four homers but only five RBIs.
Tommy Edman has six homers and 14 RBIs, and Teoscar Hernández has five homers and 16 RBIs.
Freddie Freeman just returned from an ankle injury, and the Dodgers will be more potent once he finds his form.
Los Angeles added Blake Snell to the rotation in the offseason, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto is off to a strong start with a 1.23 ERA in 22 innings.
San Diego saw key cogs such as All-Star outfielder Jurickson Profar, shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, and left-handed reliever Tanner Scott depart in the offseason. That led many observers to expect the Padres to drop a notch or two.
As for Profar — better he drew an 80-game suspension for PED use with the Atlanta Braves than with the Padres.
Hmmm, maybe that’s why he suddenly had that career-best campaign last season.
But a 9-0 home start at Petco Park — the best home-field advantage in baseball — has helped San Diego turn the page from its offseason woes.
Fernando Tatis Jr. is batting .365 with four homers and nine RBIs to fuel the offense.
Recent injuries to Jackson Merrill (hamstring) and Jake Cronenworth (rib) will hurt in the short term. Merrill, the NL Rookie of the Year runner-up last season, started strong with three homers and a team-high 10 RBIs while batting .378.
The pitching is solid, even though Michael King (4.05 ERA) and Dylan Cease (7.98) are still searching for last season’s prowess.
The Diamondbacks want part of this conversation, and Corbin Carroll (five HRs) will do his best to get them in it.
As for the Colorado Rockies — well, wrong conversation for them. Their last winning season was in 2018, and they are already 3-11 this season, having been outscored by a major league-worst 38 runs.
The Denver Nuggets fired title-winning coach Michael Malone. Maybe he can manage the Rockies while waiting for another NBA gig.
The NL East could put up a battle for best division later in the season. The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets are off to good starts, but the Atlanta Braves are just 4-10 and counting down the days until 2023 MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. is back from his ACL injury.
The American League East has good depth, with top to bottom separated by just two games. The New York Yankees are again the team to beat.
But right now, there is no debate: The NL West is the best.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Joel Klatt on Shedeur Sanders-Browns, Travis Hunter, Big Ten, SEC dominance | FULL INTERVIEW | The Herd
THE HERD WITH COLIN COWHERD Trending MLB NFL UFL NTT INDYCAR SERIES NASCAR LIV NBA PGA NCAABK NCAAFB
Draymond Green seals Warriors’ Game 4 win with another play to remember him by
SAN FRANCISCO — Draymond Green was stunned and stoked, simultaneously.He didn’t expect to be isolated at the free-throw line, on an island with the outcome of Game 4 to be determined by his resistance. Houston’s strategy for a game-winning bucket, its last stand to even this Western Conference first-round series, couldn’t be to go at him. HIM? No way. He isn’t that lucky.AdvertisementBut with 13.4 seconds remaining Monday, the Rockets inbounded the ball to Alperen Şengün and, as the clock ticked under 10 seconds, he went for it. Şengün sized up Green and went iso.The Golden State Warriors’ defensive anchor couldn’t believe it. He also couldn’t wait.If confidence was measured on a scale to 100, Golden State’s level of belief is all the way up if the game comes down to Green making a play on defense.“I feel like 100,” […]
MT historisch, SG souverän – Schon wieder! Deutsche Euro-Festspiele perfekt
Das Final4 wird erneut zur deutschen Angelegenheit!Erst macht Rekordmeister THW Kiel am frühen Abend den Einzug ins Finalturnier der European League klar, dann ziehen auch die MT Melsungen und die SG Flensburg/Handewitt nach – und wie!Wie geht das denn?: Plötzlich klebt der Ball HIER fest<!-->[-->Quelle: DYN25.04.2025Bidasoa Irun - MT Melsungen 22:32Die MT schafft historisches, steht erstmals in einem europäischen Finalturnier! Dem furiosen 32:22-Auswärtssieg bei Spanien-Vertreter Irun sei dank. War das Hinspiel noch ein Kampf auf Messers Schneide (28:27), machen die Nordhessen nun kurzen Prozess.Entscheidend ist Melsungens Abwehr-Bollwerk, das eine irre erste Habzeit liefert: Nach 15 Minuten führen die Hausherren mit 8:6. Was danach bis zur Pause passiert, sucht seinesgleichen. Bis zum Halbzeitpfiff kassiert der Bundesliga-Zweite keinen einzigen Treffer mehr, legt selbst einen 9:0-Lauf hin und geht mit einer 15:8-Führung in die Kabine – Wahnsinn und die Grundlage für den unerwarteten […]
2025 NFL odds: Back Rams to win NFC West, Steelers win total Under
Geoff Schwartz FOX Sports Betting Analyst <!--> Now that the 2025 NFL Draft has wrapped up, and all 257 players have been selected, it’s time to look ahead to the time when the players actually take the field.With that being said, let’s take a look at three bets I like for the upcoming NFL season.Los Angeles Rams to win NFC WestIn Sean McVay’s eight seasons as head coach of the Rams, he has led the team to four division titles, including two out of three seasons with a healthy Matt Stafford at quarterback. The 2024 season was supposed to be a reset for the Rams, as they got younger on defense and did some offensive line shuffling. Instead of losing while being young, the Rams ended up winning the division and, in driving snow, were a play away from taking […]
Real Madrid’s David Alaba suffers knee injury setback
Real Madrid defender David Alaba has suffered a meniscus injury in his left knee and is unlikely to feature again before the Club World Cup.Alaba is Madrid’s third defender to have been confirmed as facing a layoff on Tuesday, with left-back Ferland Mendy set to miss the rest of the season after sustaining an injury during Saturday’s 3-2 Copa del Rey final defeat by Barcelona and Antonio Rudiger expected to be sidelined for around six weeks after undergoing surgery for a meniscus tear.AdvertisementCarlo Ancelotti’s side are also without long-term defensive absentees Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao.Like Rudiger, the club expect Alaba, who will undergo minor surgery, is expected to return to selection for the revamped Club World Cup. Madrid get their tournament underway against Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal on June 18.32-year-old Alaba’s season has been restricted by injury […]
Nick Wright on Warriors up 3-1 & if Shedeur Sanders could be Browns QB1? | FULL INTERVIEW | The Herd
THE HERD WITH COLIN COWHERD Trending MLB NFL UFL NTT INDYCAR SERIES NASCAR LIV NBA PGA NCAABK NCAAFB
Related
Joel Klatt on Shedeur Sanders-Browns, Travis Hunter, Big Ten, SEC dominance | FULL INTERVIEW | The Herd
THE HERD WITH COLIN COWHERD Trending MLB NFL UFL NTT INDYCAR SERIES NASCAR LIV NBA PGA NCAABK NCAAFB
Draymond Green seals Warriors’ Game 4 win with another play to remember him by
SAN FRANCISCO — Draymond Green was stunned and stoked, simultaneously.He didn’t expect to be isolated at the free-throw line, on an island with the outcome of Game 4 to be determined by his resistance. Houston’s strategy for a game-winning bucket, its last stand to even this Western Conference first-round series, couldn’t be to go at him. HIM? No way. He isn’t that lucky.AdvertisementBut with 13.4 seconds remaining Monday, the Rockets inbounded the ball to Alperen Şengün and, as the clock ticked under 10 seconds, he went for it. Şengün sized up Green and went iso.The Golden State Warriors’ defensive anchor couldn’t believe it. He also couldn’t wait.If confidence was measured on a scale to 100, Golden State’s level of belief is all the way up if the game comes down to Green making a play on defense.“I feel like 100,” […]
MT historisch, SG souverän – Schon wieder! Deutsche Euro-Festspiele perfekt
Das Final4 wird erneut zur deutschen Angelegenheit!Erst macht Rekordmeister THW Kiel am frühen Abend den Einzug ins Finalturnier der European League klar, dann ziehen auch die MT Melsungen und die SG Flensburg/Handewitt nach – und wie!Wie geht das denn?: Plötzlich klebt der Ball HIER fest<!-->[-->Quelle: DYN25.04.2025Bidasoa Irun - MT Melsungen 22:32Die MT schafft historisches, steht erstmals in einem europäischen Finalturnier! Dem furiosen 32:22-Auswärtssieg bei Spanien-Vertreter Irun sei dank. War das Hinspiel noch ein Kampf auf Messers Schneide (28:27), machen die Nordhessen nun kurzen Prozess.Entscheidend ist Melsungens Abwehr-Bollwerk, das eine irre erste Habzeit liefert: Nach 15 Minuten führen die Hausherren mit 8:6. Was danach bis zur Pause passiert, sucht seinesgleichen. Bis zum Halbzeitpfiff kassiert der Bundesliga-Zweite keinen einzigen Treffer mehr, legt selbst einen 9:0-Lauf hin und geht mit einer 15:8-Führung in die Kabine – Wahnsinn und die Grundlage für den unerwarteten […]
2025 NFL odds: Back Rams to win NFC West, Steelers win total Under
Geoff Schwartz FOX Sports Betting Analyst <!--> Now that the 2025 NFL Draft has wrapped up, and all 257 players have been selected, it’s time to look ahead to the time when the players actually take the field.With that being said, let’s take a look at three bets I like for the upcoming NFL season.Los Angeles Rams to win NFC WestIn Sean McVay’s eight seasons as head coach of the Rams, he has led the team to four division titles, including two out of three seasons with a healthy Matt Stafford at quarterback. The 2024 season was supposed to be a reset for the Rams, as they got younger on defense and did some offensive line shuffling. Instead of losing while being young, the Rams ended up winning the division and, in driving snow, were a play away from taking […]
Real Madrid’s David Alaba suffers knee injury setback
Real Madrid defender David Alaba has suffered a meniscus injury in his left knee and is unlikely to feature again before the Club World Cup.Alaba is Madrid’s third defender to have been confirmed as facing a layoff on Tuesday, with left-back Ferland Mendy set to miss the rest of the season after sustaining an injury during Saturday’s 3-2 Copa del Rey final defeat by Barcelona and Antonio Rudiger expected to be sidelined for around six weeks after undergoing surgery for a meniscus tear.AdvertisementCarlo Ancelotti’s side are also without long-term defensive absentees Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao.Like Rudiger, the club expect Alaba, who will undergo minor surgery, is expected to return to selection for the revamped Club World Cup. Madrid get their tournament underway against Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal on June 18.32-year-old Alaba’s season has been restricted by injury […]
Nick Wright on Warriors up 3-1 & if Shedeur Sanders could be Browns QB1? | FULL INTERVIEW | The Herd
THE HERD WITH COLIN COWHERD Trending MLB NFL UFL NTT INDYCAR SERIES NASCAR LIV NBA PGA NCAABK NCAAFB
Be the first to leave a comment