The American League West is home to the reigning World Series champions (Texas Rangers), and another team gunning for its eighth consecutive League Championship Series appearance (Houston Astros).
The AL East (New York Yankees) and National League East (New York Mets) are home to the sport’s two highest-payrolled clubs, per Spotrac, each of which plays in the nation’s largest media market.
The NL East also features a pair of deep, star-studded teams jockeying for positioning atop the division in Atlanta and Philadelphia, with the nascent Phillies looking to dethrone the Braves’ streak of six consecutive division titles.
These are good storylines, all, yet none capture the intensity of the hottest division in baseball.
Welcome to the National League West. In one of the wildest instances of division-wide dominance, they’re not just the only team with a winning percentage of .600 or higher since the All-Star break — they’re the only division above .500, per OptaStats:
The NL West is a combined 40 games over .500 since the All-Star break (94-54, .635).
No other division even has a winning record over that span. pic.twitter.com/vi5QyBV1ce
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) August 21, 2024
It’s a degree of dominance that has been anything but boring — or flukey.
Start at the top, where the Los Angeles Dodgers recently welcomed back third baseman Max Muncy and shortstop/center fielder Tommy Edman to round out one of baseball’s deepest lineups.
Read more: Dodgers Get Major Reinforcements But Lose Veteran Hitter With Fractured Toe
Along with the trade-deadline boosts from former White Sox closer Michael Kopech and former Detroit Tigers starter Jack Flaherty, the Dodgers are a balanced behemoth ready to capitalize on its potential. At 75-52 through Tuesday, they have the best record in MLB.
Just one problem: the Dodgers haven’t been able to put away the competition in their own division.
The San Diego Padres (72-55 through Tuesday) and Arizona Diamondbacks (71-56) are both within four games of the division lead. That’s because they have the best records in MLB since the All-Star break: San Diego is 22-6, while Arizona is 22-8. (The San Francisco Giants are a not-too-shabby 18-13 during that time, good enough to compensate for the Rockies’ 13-16 record since the break.)
Time will tell whether this degree of dominance represents a one-month blip, or is at least close to a true measure of the talent in the division. Here’s guessing it’s the latter.
While the Dodgers have been steadily building to this point as their best players returned to health, the Padres and Diamondbacks can point to tangible reasons for their sudden dominance.
San Diego acquired coveted ex-Miami Marlins closer Tanner Scott at the trade deadline — just the latest in a series of acquisitions since the start of the spring training, including rotation ace Dylan Cease and All-Star infielder Luis Arraez.
Throw in the Rookie of the Year-worthy performance of center fielder Jackson Merrill (slashing .330/.355/.649 since the break) and the Padres’ ascent looks real.
Since the break, the Diamondbacks have gotten the version of Corbin Carroll they expected at the outset of the season from the reigning NL Rookie of the Year. His power, absent at the outset of the season, has come around in the form of a 148 wRC+. Ketel Marte, Jake McCarthy, Joc Pederson and Eugenio Suárez have made for a strong supporting cast, as well.
Look for the trio of teams to hang together at the top of the division until the end of a thrilling finish.
The post The National League West is MLB’s Best Division, And it Isn’t Close appeared first on Newsweek.
