The MLB season is still very young, most teams have only played about 15-20 games of their 162 but as fans it’s natural for us to overreact earlier than we should. With a few teams expecting to do good off to slow starts and a few teams not expecting to do much playing well we look at the panic meter for each MLB team starting with the NL in this article. I will be using a standard 1-10 scale with 10 being freak the heck out and 1 being sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.
NL East:
Atlanta Braves- 4
The Braves are 10-7 coming into the day which is on pace to finish better than most people expected. Even with a young talented core many people have the Braves winning 70-75 games max but they have played well so far and if they can avoid mistakes that a lot of young teams make they could be a team that finishes around .500. That being said Atlanta fans should be happy with where they are now.
Philadelphia Phillies- 4
Philly just like Atlanta is a young team but should finish better than the Braves according to pre-season predictions. The addition of Jake Arrieta should help and the Phillies are 10-7 and flying high. Don’t see too much concern for the Phillies yet but the NL East could be tougher than people thought which could make it challenging for Philadelphia, that being said Phillies fans should be contempt with their place currently.
New York Mets- 3
This may seem like a high score considering the Mets entered the day at 13-4 but if history tells us anything then the Mets rotation will have injuries at some point this year. That being said the Mets look very good and if they can stay healthy they have a legitimate shot of winning the NL East which many people counted them out for to start the season. For now Mets fans should feel fairly good about themselves.
Miami Marlins- 8
The Marlins are 5-12 which isn’t all that surprising but there are a lot of questions about how the organization is being run and the direction. This season is already lost and Marlins fans shouldn’t worry about that, they should worry more about the long term potential of the organization.
Washington Nationals- 6
The Nationals are 9-10 so far but I wouldn’t be too worried about that if I was a nationals fan. Bryce Harper and Max Scherzer have been great so far and the rest of the team will come around as well. The Nats just have to make sure it doesn’t take too long as they now probably have competition in the East they didn’t expect to start the season.
NL Central
Chicago-5
The cubs are 8-8 which isn’t great but they have had 5 games postponed or delayed so far which can mess with a team. The cubs also got Anthony Rizzo back from the DL this week and the rotation should get into a groove once they can start pitching every 5 days when the snow stops. The central may not be as easy as anticipated but the Cubs are still the most talented team and should have no problem making the playoffs at this point.
Milwaukee-6
The Brewers are 10-9 so far which isn’t bad. The offense is good but could use another piece and the rotation lacks a true ace. Both of those could be fixed at the trade deadline but the cubs will probably still win he division and there are a lot of other good teams in the NL which will make the wild card even harder to win. Brewed fans shouldn’t be too worried yet but they still need to add more to make a playoff run.
Cincinnati- 9
Only a 9 because nobody expected much from them but the reds are 3-15 and just fired their manager. The good news is they can only go up from here the bad news is they will struggle to win 60 games this year and the future isn’t entirely bright.
Pittsburgh-4
Pittsburgh is off to a hot start. The pirates are sitting at 12-6 which may be the biggest surprise in baseball so far. The pitching has been solid and the bats have been hot. The pirates may have to be careful as they are young and lacking an Ace in their lineup. They have been hot so far and could keep it up but they still very easily could have a month here where they go 9-18 or something due to their youth.
St. Louis- 7
The Cards are 10-8 after losing to Chicago today which is a good start for them but their rotation has questions past Martinez and the Bats haven’t been great yet. Luckily the Cards have Cincinnati in the division but they way the pirates have been playing with the talent of the cubs and brewers and the cardinals could finish 4th this year if they don’t change something quick.
NL West
Arizona- 2
Arizona is sitting at 12-5 and has hit the ground running out of the gates. The pitching is performing and so are the Bats. The NL West looks tough again but Arizona may be the best team in the division and could run away with it if they stay hot. Another big trade deadline move could be the key but the D- backs are looking good so far!
Colorado- 4
The Rockies are 11-9 and look to be off to a good start. The pitching could be a weak spot but that may not be an issue and they could address that at the trade deadline if needed. The Rockies are sure to score runs and as long as the bats stay strong they should be in the mix of things in a strong NL West come September.
LA Dodgers-7
The Dodgers are 8-9 and have not played up to expectations so far. Kershaw has been good but it is clear the rest of the rotation probably won’t be as good as they were last year. The Bullpen has been iffy so far and they are still waiting on a few bats to get going. There have been some bright spots so far and their issues aren’t huge but there is some for concern for LA so far.
San Diego-5
San Diego is 7-13 and on pace to finish last again in the NL West. The team is still young and rebuilding but it seems like they have been for a while now. Who knows if they will ever get over the hump but if they finish 4th or higher in the West this year it will be a good season. Low expectations so I’m not sure anyone in San Diego is dying over this so far.
San Francisco-6
The giants looked like they may be off to a good start with some big wins over the Dodgers but this team is getting old even with some additions. They have too many players past their prime and unless they can get a few young sparks they will likely miss the playoffs again. That being said, they do have good players and if they can get back to playing to their full potential they could make some noise but that is less than likely.