One promising trend for every National League team

Even the dregs of the National League — we're looking at you, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins — can revel in a little good news.

With roughly a third of the regular season completed, Yardbarker MLB writers identify a promising trend for every NL team. (Records and statistics are through Monday's play.) 

NL East

ATLANTA BRAVES (25-27) | OF Ronald Acuna Jr. still has it | The 2023 NL MVP returned to the lineup May 23 and quickly made his presence known. Acuna already has two home runs, with his first at-bat of 2025 resulting in a first-pitch, leadoff homer that left the bat at 115.5 mph and traveled 467 feet.

MIAMI MARLINS (21-31) | RF Kyle Stowers is a potential building block | With a .902 OPS, 10 homers and 31 RBI, Stowers could be on his way to representing Miami at the All-Star Game. The Marlins may have also found a player to build their future around, but can the 27-year-old keep it up?

NEW YORK METS (33-21) | Elite pitching continues to carry them | One of the bigger surprises of the season is the effectiveness of the pitching staff. The starting rotation and bullpen (league-leading 2.81 ERA) have stepped up where the offense has failed.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (34-19) | SS Trea Turner has found his power | He batted .400 with a double, triple, three homers, eight RBI and four walks during a recent seven-game road trip in which the club went 6-1. Turner cited adjustments to his mechanics following a hit-by-pitch earlier in the season as the reason for the recent power surge.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (24-29) | Juan Soto trade is paying off | SP MacKenzie Gore, SS CJ Abrams and LF James Wood, all a part of the Soto trade with the San Diego Padres in 2022, are budding stars. Gore is tops in MLB in strikeouts with 93, Abrams’ .294 batting average leads the team and Wood has 13 homers. —Lauren Amour

NL West

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (27-27) | 2B Ketel Marte’s power groove | In May, Marte has a career-high eight homers, the most in his career for a month and most for any month in his 11-year MLB career. It’s a great sign for Marte, who returned from a nearly monthlong absence because of a left hamstring strain on May 2.

COLORADO ROCKIES (9-45) | OF Jordan Beck leading off | Under interim manager Warren Schaeffer, the top of the order has solidified, including Beck in the leadoff spot. In the 12 games he has batted first, Beck is slashing .333/.333/.667 and giving Colorado needed consistency.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS (33-21) | Hitting when it matters | The offense is always dangerous, but it has been extremely lethal when runners are on the cusp of scoring. The Dodgers lead MLB with a .308 batting average and .933 OPS when runners are in scoring position.

SAN DIEGO PADRES (30-22) | Resurgence of DH Gavin Sheets | The signing of Sheets to a minor league deal in February has paid off in a big way for the Padres. His hard-hit percentage shows the largest improvement of any MLB player year-over-year (up 17.3 percent) and seven of his 10 homers have come in May.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (31-23) | Solid pitching | Since May 16, Giants pitchers have a 2.12 ERA, the best of any MLB team during that span. San Francisco’s starters have been particularly effective, logging a 2.00 ERA over their past 54.1 frames. — Kevin Henry

NL Central  

CHICAGO CUBS (33-21) | Late-inning dominance | Winning eight of their last 10 games, the Cubs have found the bulk of their production in the later innings. During the stretch, they’ve dominated opponents on both sides, outscoring them 54-3 from the sixth inning on.

CINCINNATI REDS (27-28) | Hot-hitting outfield | Needing hot bats, Cincinnati has relied on the outfield trio of Gavin Lux, TJ Friedl and Will Benson. Over the past 10 games, they’ve combined for a .333 batting average.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS (27-28) | 1B Rhys Hoskins is raking | Through 24 games in May, Hoskins is Milwaukee’s most productive hitter, hitting .292 with 11 extra-base hits (four home runs) and 16 RBI. With his hot month at the plate, Hoskins now leads Milwaukee in batting average (.287), on-base percentage (.387), slugging (.467) and OPS (.854). 

PITTSBURGH PIRATES (19-36) | CF Oneil Cruz is finding his swing | After struggling with a .220 batting average, eight home runs and 18 RBI through his first 41 games, Cruz has found his swing over the past week. In his past six games, he’s hitting .348 (8-for-23), with six of his eight hits going for extra bases (three home runs, two doubles and a triple). 

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (30-24) | A hot winning stretch | In May, the Cardinals are rolling (16-7), winning three of their past four and closing to just 4.5 games back of the best record in the NL. The Cardinals have slashed .258/.326/.386 with 103 runs in 23 games in May. — Taylor Bretl