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New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge. Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

10 takeaways from MLB action through Memorial Day

By Seth Carlson | Last updated May 27, 2025 3:44 PM ET

Memorial Day is widely viewed as the first true benchmark of an MLB season, with enough sample size (nearly two full months) to take stock of certain teams and trends, while also allowing for the rest of schedule to play out.

With that said, let's look at 10 takeaways we have from the first 50-plus games of the 2025 MLB season.

(All stats as of Tuesday, May 27)

1. The Dodgers may not run away with things

At 33-21, the Dodgers are sitting atop the NL West, as expected. However, they've been plagued by pitching injuries that have hampered them from attaining runaway status as many predicted before the season. The Padres and Giants each sit just two games back.

It's all to say that the National League is competitive, and Los Angeles isn't immune to that.

2. The Yankees are probably the class of the American League

With all due respect to the Detroit Tigers, who have been fabulous at 35-20, the Yankees have the highest run differential (+111) in the American League despite their slightly lesser 33-20 record.

New York appears primed to run away with the AL East division while looking as formidable as ever.

3. Tarik Skubal is the best pitcher in MLB

Not only do the Tigers have the most wins (35) in baseball, they also have the best pitcher right now in lefty Tarik Skubal.

Skubal has an elite 2.49 ERA in 11 starts thus far. And that figure would be lower had he not been rusty out of the gate.

Tarik Skubal just threw as good of a game as you're ever going to see. His start against Cleveland:

9 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 13 K

94 pitches, 72 strikes

Final pitch: 102.6 mph, the hardest of his career

26 swings and misses

First CG of his career
pic.twitter.com/SzSVHd5fV5
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 25, 2025

4. The Rockies are historically awful and that won't change

Colorado is projected to win 27 total games at their current pace, which is downright silly considering the rest of the teams in their division (NL West) have already won at least 27 games before June.

One-third of the way into the 162-game season and the Colorado Rockies project to win 27 games.

The rest of NL West has already won 27 games or more with four months remaining. pic.twitter.com/y0Vt7nXttW
— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) May 27, 2025

The Rockies should've begun a rebuild yesterday. We didn't need 50 games to conclude that.

5. Aaron Judge continues to be the best hitter of this generation

Need we say more? Judge leads MLB in virtually every major offensive category, slashing .398/.492/.756 as he paces the AL MVP field once again in 2025. He's the closest player we've seen to approaching the greatness of Barry Bonds.

6. Juan Soto: Bad luck or bad year?

One of the biggest storylines of 2025 has been the dramatic underperformance of New York Mets' outfielder Juan Soto, who has just a .771 OPS in the first 193 at-bats of his Queens tenure.

It feels like a matter of time before Soto reverts back to his shuffling ways.

7. The Orioles look headed for a lost season

One of the preseason favorites to make the playoffs in the American League, everything has gone sideways for the Orioles in 2025. They fired manager Brandon Hyde and sit in the basement of the AL East (19-34), with no apparent prospects of righting the ship soon.

Turn the page and look to 2026.

8. The Philadelphia Phillies aren't fading just yet

Many thought last year's early exit in the playoffs was a sign of decline from the Phillies' current core, which has made the playoffs in three consecutive seasons.

However, at 34-19 Philadelphia has the best winning percentage (.642) in baseball through Memorial Day and is locked in a tight battle with the New York Mets for NL East supremacy in 2025.

9. Pittsburgh is sabotaging greatness

The Pirates have one of the most talented pitchers we've ever seen in Paul Skenes, but they cannot score for him as the organization has failed to provide an infrastructure that is conducive to winning.

Those factors have fueled rampant trade speculation, but as long as Skenes stays in Pittsburgh, his greatness will lay low.

10. The Cardinals are punching above their weight

No one expected a St. Louis revival in 2025, but here they are at 30-24 and firmly in the National League playoff mix.

We'll see just how long the good times last for the Cardinals, but their young players have been fun to watch.

Seth Carlson

Seth Carlson is an experienced writer and editor based in the NYC area with a particular love for all things baseball. He has a demonstrated history of delivering insightful analysis and engaging content across multiple outlets and industries. Seth brings his expertise and commitment to high-quality coverage to Yardbarker’s readers.

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