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.

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 have started establishing themselves in this race while the pretenders have naturally fallen back with the midway point of the year having come and gone. 

On July 7, the two best teams in the National League reside in the NL East, with the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins boasting the top two records. The Braves have won nine of their last ten games and have continued to stretch out their lead as the top seed in the National League. We expected as much from this Braves team, but the Marlins weren’t expected to be doing this type of damage. Miami has remained in the top wild-card spot in the NL, despite having a -10 run differential. This might make you pause if you’re considering buying into the hype. 

The Cincinnati Reds have continued their nearly two-month run in the NL Central. The Reds have won five straight games and eight of their last ten, which has them two games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers for the division lead. Like the Marlins, the Reds also have a negative run differential, where they sit at -7. 

It appears the Los Angeles Dodgers have gotten back into a rhythm. They’ve won six of their last ten games and are closing in on the struggling Arizona Diamondbacks at the top of the NL West. In addition to the Dodgers, the reigning National League champs started rolling in July and now find themselves in a playoff spot. The Philadelphia Phillies have won three straight games and eight of their last ten, leapfrogging the San Francisco Giants for the NL’s final wild-card spot.