In this article, I will be ranking each MLB division, based on their success and potential. Since the season is still young, I will certainly consider how I expect teams to perform down the road. However, these first two weeks have painted a clearer picture of this season’s landscape. Let’s look at these divisions.
1.) NL West
NL West could very well be in the number one spot for the entire season. Ranking NL West number one was easy. So far this season baseball fans have been blessed with an outstanding Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres series. It’s been described as a season-long, World Series battle between these two and I’m here for it. The best part of this division, the Padres are in third place right now! A team with Fernando Tatis Jr., Chris Paddack, and Manny Machado in third place is astounding. The San Francisco Giants have jumped into second place and put the league on notice. The NL West is the best division in baseball now and will be really fun to watch.
2.) AL West
The AL West has been very impressive with a joint win percentage of .538 which is certainly elite. It’s hard to say you have a bad division when the Houston Astros are dead last. From the looks of it, this is going to be a fun and dynamic division to watch this year. The standings have already changed multiple times this short season and I expect nothing less. This division is riddled with playoff hopefuls like the Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics (11 game win streak), and the Astros. Personally, I think the Angles make this a fun division to watch with superstars Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon. Not to mention the one-of-a-kind Shohei Ohtani.
3.) NL East
My pick to be the best division in baseball this year, the NL East has been good but not great at the start. The New York Mets seemed to find their groove earlier taking a stronghold of first place in the division. However, they are only one game above .500 with a 7-6 record. This division is off to a bit of a slow start but that will soon change. With talented teams like the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and Mets, this division will be a must-watch come July. Bryce Harper, Jacob deGrom, Ronald Acuna Jr., and several other stars will add to the excitement in this division. If these players can help spark their team this division can earn the number one ranking.
4.) AL Central
Ranking this division 4th was challenging because they have three teams at or above .500. You could swap the third and fourth spots in these rankings, I have them this way because I strongly believe the NL East is going to be electric this year. Overall, the AL Central is a good division and should have a good race to the finish. Currently, the Kansas City Royals have surprised me by jumping up into first in the division with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox trailing.
I expect the Indians and Sox to be fighting for the division crown up until the conclusion of this season, making this another postseason storyline. If you’re looking for a reason to watch this division, look no further than White Sox Tim Anderson. He is a part of the new wave swagger movement in the MLB. Anderson is a great player, and a name to know for the next few years.
5.) NL Central
The NL Central has been a good, yet slightly disappointing division thus far. With teams like the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals, you would expect more from this division. The Brewers are doing phenomenal with a .611 winning percentage right now and carrying the division on their back. Superstar Christian Yelich is yet to hit a long ball this season, but his BA and OBP are similar to the numbers he had in his MVP season. I thought this would be one of the better divisions in baseball, but the Cardinals are really failing expectations right now as are sitting at the bottom with the same record as the Pittsburgh Pirates.
6.) AL East
I should almost call this division the AL Least in their official title because they were an easy pick for the last place. Ranking the AL East number six was the easiest choice in this article. A little caveat, the Boston Red Sox are PHENOMENAL at the moment, and the Tampa Bay Rays are pretty good too. However, what is going on with the New York Yankees? A consensus pre-Season top-five team is now the worst team in baseball.
The AL Least has earned its name due to the stark disappointment out of the Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays so far. These two teams include stars like Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and yet they can’t win ball games. Exclude the Red Sox and Jays from my disappointing rant, but the AL Least is not a fun division to watch this year. My recommendation is to only watch Sox vs Jays games this year, nothing else is worth your time. Until the Yankees pick up the slack, this division is disappointing.
