Who Are the Top Teams in the National League as June Begins?
Each MLB team has played a third of its regular season schedule, and the calendar has officially turned to June. So, this is a great benchmark for teams to evaluate where they stand with other comparative playoff contenders. That is exactly what we are here to do today, as we take a look at the top five teams in the National League to this point in the season. There are a lot of familiar faces that are expected to be on this list, but maybe not in the order some people might have expected. So, here are my top five National League teams as we begin June.
5. San Diego Padres
The Padres are hanging with the Dodgers at the top of the NL West, and they are doing it behind the MVP-level play of Fernando Tatis Jr. and quality starting pitching. Nick Pivetta, Michael King, and Dylan Cease have proven to be a lethal three-headed monster at the top of the Padres’ rotation. There have been some stretches of ups and downs to this point for San Diego, which sits at a modest 32-24 record, but keep in mind that comes while playing in the toughest division in all of baseball this season. The Padres have superstar talent littered throughout their roster, making them a potential force to be reckoned with come October.
4. Chicago Cubs
This could be argued as too low of a ranking for one of the best statistical offenses in the league, but there are a lot of question marks surrounding the pitching staff for Chicago. There is no doubt that this lineup is one of the most dangerous ones in all of baseball, and that has been proven in the numbers, but with an alarming amount of injuries to both the starting rotation and the bullpen, it is a reasonable cause for concern when measuring this Cubs team up against the top teams in the league. There is no doubt that Jed Hoyer will be looking to add quality pitching at the deadline, so there is real potential for the Cubs to climb up the ranks, given their offense stays hot. One last thing worth mentioning regarding the Cubs’ rank is that Chicago did drop two of three to both the Phillies and Mets earlier this season, and spoiler alert, both of those teams are on this list.
3. New York Mets
Bringing back Pete Alonso is proving to be one of the best moves of the winter for the Mets, as Alonso has been hitting at an MVP level to this point in the season. However, their other massive offseason move has been under more scrutiny than praise, given the performance of Juan Soto and the insane dollar amount he was signed to. I do not see Soto being held down for long. He is one of the best hitters in baseball, and once he inevitably starts clicking, there is a legitimate argument to make for the Mets’ top three in their lineup as the best group in the league. There are some depth questions when it comes to the pitching staff, but there have been guys like Kodai Senga and David Peterson who have performed above expectations so far in their roles. Not to mention, this Mets team is hungry after their loss in last year’s playoffs to the Dodgers.
2. Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are coming off a tough weekend series where they were swept at home by the Brewers, but that is not enough for me to change my opinion of them as a whole. This team has it all, from the star power of Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber to a Cy Young caliber pitcher in Zack Wheeler. This team is loaded with talent, and they will be very hard to beat in October if they are fully healthy. They have experienced starters who know how to get big outs like Aaron Nola and Ranger Suárez, along with an elite bullpen. On the other side of the ball, their offense goes nearly nine batters deep. The X-factor for them as the summer heats up is going to be the health of Aaron Nola and Bryce Harper, who are both banged up with what appear to be minor injuries.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
There is no surprise who is at the top of this list. The defending champions are still the best team in all of baseball in 2025, despite a bit of a rocky start by their standards. Their lineup is truly a pitcher’s worst nightmare, the way that Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman are hitting the baseball right now. Ohtani leads the majors in home runs, and Freeman is coming off a red-hot May where he hit over .400 for the month. They have been hammered with injuries to their starting rotation, but it does not seem to be slowing them down whatsoever, and just for good measure, Ohtani is getting ready to return to the mound. It appears as though the National League is going to run through Los Angeles once again in 2025.
