Every day, Pinstripe Alley offers updates on what the Yankees’ top American League opponents are up to through the Rivalry Roundup. The AL East is well-trodden ground there, but with the end of the month upon us, we’re going to take a peek around MLB as a whole and check in with each of the other five divisions. Who’s surprising? Who’s underwhelming? Who’s simply mediocre at the moment? Read on and find out.
In the spirit of competition, it was a disappointing month of June for the National League West. As has been customary for much of the last decade or so, the Dodgers are beginning to run away with the division, and the last month has been the same old story.
While the defending champs went an impressive 19-9 in June, no other team in the division went above .500. It was a sub-par month for many of our friends out west in the Senior Circuit, and while there is plenty of baseball left to be played, Los Angeles has a comfortable lead up in the top spot.
First Place: Los Angeles Dodgers (56-30)
Top Position Player: Max Muncy (3.2 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Shohei Ohtani (2.8 fWAR)
As mentioned, the Dodgers really only solidified their dominance during the month of June. Not much has changed over the last 30 or so days in Los Angeles, as Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman continue to hit like the stars they are, and 35-year-old Max Muncy seems to have regained his status from a couple years ago, as the veteran has 17 homers and a 141 wRC+ as their most valuable position player.
On the pitching side, Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Justin Wrobleski are leading the charge in impressive fashion, all continuing to boast ERA marks below 3. Meanwhile, they plan to get the often-dominant Tyler Glasnow back sometime soon, as he began a throwing program at the end of the month. His return would only help what is already baseball’s best team.
Second Place: San Diego Padres (43-42)
Top Position Player: Fernando Tatis Jr. (1.7 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Mason Miller (2.2 fWAR)
Despite a largely disappointing June, the Padres are still well within the hunt in the Wild Card, though they are already 12.5 games back in the division. They are still clawing their way just above .500 as of the end of the month, thanks in part to Fernando Tatis Jr.’s awakening (142 wRC+ in June) and some excellent work out of the bullpen from Adrian Morejon and primarily the otherworldly Mason Miller.
Even with those positive developments, the Padres have fallen from the top NL Wild Card spot to begin the month, to 2.5 games out of the chase to end it. With a rough month in the books, FanGraphs now has their playoff odds down to around 15 percent, with plenty of other teams in the same tier as we head past the mid-point of the season. The Padres are certainly alive, but there is plenty of work to do.
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Third Place: Arizona Diamondbacks (43-42)
Top Position Player: Corbin Carroll (3.5 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Michael Soroka (2.1 fWAR)
In a dead heat with the Padres, the Diamondbacks find themselves in a similar situation in the west. Fortunately for them, their stars are still playing as such, with Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte leading the charge as two of the better all-around players in the sport. Geraldo Perdomo has also turned his season around with a very good month, in which he got on base at a .414 clip, while Nolan Arenado’s renaissance has taken a turn for the worse.
The starting staff has been a real problem for the Snakes, as Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly have been downright bad in 2026, and June did not bring any improvement. Their postseason odds are a bit more favorable than that of the Padres, but there is certainly a long road ahead of them if they have October ambitions. They’ll have to get more from the top of the rotation, but they certainly are not out of the race if a few things fall in the right place.
Fourth Place: San Francisco Giants (35-50)
Top Position Player: Luis Arraez (3.5 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Logan Webb (2.2 fWAR)
Along with most of their NL West compatriots, it was a forgettable June for the Giants as well. A 13-14 month was actually an improvement on their season up to the beginning of the month, but was not nearly enough to get them back in the action in the Senior Circuit. On the bright side, Logan Webb has regained his form as one of the game’s best, as he enjoyed five excellent starts in June, three of which saw him complete eight innings. Luis Arraez has also been genuinely great in 2026, while the bats of Jung Hoo Lee and Casey Schmitt have been major boosts to the lineup. Despite those positives, they are just about out of things in the NL.
Last Place: Colorado Rockies (33-53)
Top Position Player: Hunter Goodman (1.6 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Antonio Senzatela (1.0 fWAR)
As has sadly become customary, not much has changed for the ol’ Rockies. Stalwarts at the bottom of an often competitive division, not much has changed in Colorado with the passing of June. On a fun note, Hunter Goodman swatted 13 homers in June to bring his total to 26 through 80 games, as he looks more and more like the real deal as an offensive catcher. One of these days, I hope the Rockies don’t have to be the last team talked about in one of these.
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