The National League at the Quarter Mark: A Tale of Triumph and Despair

It’s the quarter mark of the MLB season, and if you thought things were starting to settle, think again. The National League is a mosaic of extremes—some teams are performing like destiny itself is guiding their every move, while others are sliding into irrelevance at an alarming rate. The balance of power in this league is shifting, but will it last, or is it all just a fleeting mirage?

The Mets, Dodgers, and Cubs sit at the top of the leaderboard with enviable records, basking in the glow of an early season surge. The narrative is almost too perfect: the Mets, traditionally cursed, are suddenly playing like contenders, their roster firing on all cylinders. The Dodgers, perennial giants, continue to show why they’re the envy of every other franchise. And then there’s the Cubs—rising from the ashes of mediocrity, and perhaps, finally ready to make good on their long-overdue promise. These teams have earned their ‘A’ grades, but can they sustain it?

The Great Divide

But in the shadow of these successes lies the tragic tale of the Rockies—a team that has found new depths to fall. The question here isn’t just about their lack of wins, but the bigger, more haunting one: what happened to the promise of this franchise? Last year, there were whispers of hope, of rebuilding, of finding a way out of mediocrity. But the 2025 season has been nothing short of a disaster, and one wonders how long the front office can justify the silence. Can a team like the Rockies, with so much potential, continue to be the laughingstock of the league? Or is it time for a real reckoning?

“We’ve seen it time and again,” said one seasoned analyst, “teams that start with promise but never seem to take the leap. The Rockies are now just a footnote in the NL’s broader story, and it’s hard to see that changing any time soon.”

A Surprising Shift on the Horizon?

But it’s not all bleak in the NL. The question that begs to be asked now: if the Rockies can plummet, can other teams—like the Diamondbacks, or perhaps the Reds—make a surprise jump to the top? The middle of the pack is perilously close, and the shifting sands of team dynamics could make for a thrilling second half of the season. But then again, if the top-tier teams falter, the underdogs may not just be playing for spoilers—they might be playing for the crown.

As the trade deadline approaches and the intensity of summer heats up, one thing is certain: the National League is far from decided. Will the powerhouses of the Mets and Dodgers maintain their commanding presence, or will an unexpected force rise to knock them down? And in the midst of all the drama, can the Rockies find a way to claw back into relevance, or is this their darkest hour?

Is This the Calm Before the Storm?

At this stage of the season, every win feels monumental, but every loss also leaves a bitter taste. The high-flyers are flying, the fallers are falling, and the rest of the league? Well, they’re watching, waiting. In baseball, as in life, momentum can change in an instant. So while some teams bask in the glory of a well-earned ‘A,’ the others are left to wonder—how long until the real reckoning begins?

And as we inch closer to the summer heat, one question lingers in the air like the crack of a bat: Who will rise when the dust settles, and who will be left standing in the ruins?