MLB National League Playoff Picture if Season Ended Today

The National League has some talented teams looking to make noise in the postseason. Who holds playoff spots in the NL?

Here’s what the National League playoff picture would look like if the postseason started today.

National League

The National League has been off to an interesting start in 2023. The Atlanta Braves and New York Mets were expected to be World Series contenders, but only the Braves have performed to that standard. The phrase “it’s early" only applies for so long, and the league’s better teams will start establishing themselves in this race while the pretenders naturally fall back. 

After being leapfrogged by the Arizona Diamondbacks last week, the Atlanta Braves took sole possession of the top spot in the National League again on June 9. Atlanta has won five straight games and seven of their last ten overall. The Braves have been considered a World Series contender since opening day and are starting to act like it in June. The same can’t be said for the New York Mets. After holding a wild card spot last week, the Mets have lost six straight games and fallen out of it.

Surprisingly, the Arizona Diamondbacks have continued to lead the NL West. Arizona has won eight of their past ten games and holds a 1.5-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers sit comfortably in a wild card spot but likely aren’t thrilled with their 4-6 record over their past ten. 

In the NL Central, the Milwaukee Brewers sit on top, some might say by default. The Brewers have a 6-4 record over their past ten games and a one-game edge over the Pittsburgh Pirates, who occupy the final NL wild-card spot.

Another surging team is the Miami Marlins. The Marlins are in the second NL wild card position and have been playing well in June. They’ve won six straight games, posting an 8-2 record over their past ten. The Marlins still have a -24 run differential, so they might have issues sustaining their recent hot start to June.