The Padres have been really good; the Rockies have been really bad
The Diamondbacks started off the season by winning eleven of their first eighteen games (11-7 W/L) for a .611 winning percentage. Under most circumstances, you’d consider that a solid enough start to the season, or maybe even reason to believe they have a good chance at winning the division. After all, that’s good enough for first place in both of the Central Divisions. It’d put the Dbacks ahead of the 10-8 Detroit Tigers (.556W%) and the 9-8 Cleveland Guardians (.529 W%) in the American League, and it would put them ahead of the 12-9 Chicago Cubs (.571W%) and 10-9 Milwaukee Brewers (.526W%) in the National League. The Dbacks’ 11-7 record would tie the AL East leading Yankees, the AL West leading Rangers, and the NL East leading Mets.
So given that their record is good enough to put them in first place in the majority of divisions, it wouldn’t be too crazy to think they’d be leading their own division. Unfortunately, that is not the case; the Diamondbacks play in the NL West, the most competitive division Major League Baseball. That’s really not that surprising to anyone paying attention, considering the Dodgers had been projected by basically everyone to easily win the division. What is a surprise is that the Padres actually lead the division (and the league) with a 15-4 record and .789 W%, followed by the San Francisco Giants in second with a 12-5 record (.706W%), and the Los Angeles Dodgers in third with a 13-6 record (.684W%).
The Atlanta Braves so far are the biggest shock of the teams that have been bad so far this year. Considering that going into the season the Braves were looked as not only favorites to win the NL East, but they also had the second best projections in MLB after the Dodgers. Instead of living up to those lofty expectations, they’ve done the exact opposite, going 5-13, in last place in the NL East, with a record worse than the last place Pittsburgh Pirates (7-12 .368W%), Baltimore Orioles (7-10, .412W%), and the Athletics (7-10, .412W%). The Braves have been so bad that only the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox have been worse. At least in the Braves’ case, they probably won’t be flailing away for a decade of losing seasons, so I don’t expect their bad season to last much more than that.
Saying that the Colorado Rockies are bad doesn’t really paint that accurate of a picture in my opinion. They’re a league worst 3-15 with only the 4-13 Chicago White Sox being close to as bad, but at least the latter team has the excuse of coming off the worst season in over a century. If the White Sox remain as inept as their current record indicates, they’re on pace for a 124 loss season, which would be a modern era record. That still wouldn’t be as bad the Rockies could potentially be this season if they continue being awful. Not only will they be on pace for a 135 loss season, but they’ll also have the worst winning percentage in the modern era, and the fourth worst winning percentage all time. (Quick in the comments, name the teams with the three worst winning percentages all time)
You may wonder why I haven’t explained WHY any of these teams are doing good/bad, or why I haven’t made any predictions for the rest of the season. I am not doing either because we’re not even through the first full month of the season, and A LOT can change over the course of a season. History tells us that best thing we can is sit back, relax, and enjoy the game. However, I am going to ask you for your predictions: What team(s) do you think are going to get worse as the season progresses? What team(s) do you think will turn it around and get back to winning? Let me know in the comment section below!