MLB National League Playoff Picture if Season Ended Today
The National League has some talented teams looking to make noise in the postseason, but who holds playoff spots?
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Here’s what the National League playoff picture would look like if the postseason started today.
National League| No. 1 – Atlanta Braves (48-26) | First-Round Bye |
| No. 2 – Arizona Diamondbacks (46-30) | First-Round Bye |
| No. 3 – Cincinnati Reds (40-35) | No. 5 – San Francisco Giants (42-33) |
| No. 4 – Miami Marlins (43-33) | No. 6 – Los Angeles Dodgers (41-33) |
The National League has been off to an exciting 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.
Much has changed in the National League playoff picture over the last week. The most significant change came from inside the NL Central, with the Cincinnati Reds finding their way to the top of the division. That’s what happens when you’ve won 11 straight baseball games, landing the Reds at 40-35. Cincinnati has a weekend series against the Atlanta Braves, a significant test of whether they are a legitimate threat in the National League. The Braves are also on a roll entering this series, compiling eight straight wins.
Atlanta remains on top of the NL East at 48-26, while the surprising Miami Marlins have remained in the race. Miami has the top wild-card spot in the National League, winning six of their last ten games.
While teams like the Reds and Braves are surging, the Los Angeles Dodgers have fallen from the top wild-card position to the third. A difficult series awaits them this weekend against the defending World Series champion Houston Astros, but both teams have seen a fair share of struggles in June. The Giants have taken over the second wild-card position in the National League and have won nine of their last ten games.
