MLB Standings 2019: Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs Have Best Records In Baseball For Most Of The Season

The 2019 MLB season has taught us not to overreact to what might happen after just a few weeks of baseball. A few World Series favorites that got off to slow starts have rebounded in a big way and climbed to the top of the standings.

The New York Yankees (30-17) have been the best team in baseball for the better part of a month. The Bronx Bombers have overcome a rash of injuries and a 6-9 start to lead the AL East. With Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge missing most of the young season, the Yankees have managed to win 75 percent of their last 32 games.

New York has the best divisional record in MLB, and they’ve handled business against their two biggest threats in the AL East. The Yankees’ turnaround began when they swept a two-game series from the Boston Red Sox (25-23) at home in mid-April, and they recently took four out of six games from the Tampa Bay Rays (27-18).

The Chicago Cubs (28-18) have done the exact same thing, going from 6-9 to first place in their division. Chicago has done it in a highly competitive NL Central, which features four teams above .500. The Cubs are a combined 5-1 against the Milwaukee Brewers (28-22) and St. Louis Cardinals (24-23) in May.

The Los Angeles Dodgers (32-17) had a winning record when the Yankees and Cubs struggled to start the season. They’ve matched Chicago with an NL-best 22-9 record since April 15, giving them four more wins than any other NL team. The Dodgers have a seven-game lead in the division over both the San Diego Padres (25-24) and Arizona Diamondbacks (25-24).

Cody Bellinger has been the clear best player in MLB this season, leading the league with .404/.487/.783 splits. Only Bellinger and reigning MVP Christian Yelich have a higher WAR in the NL than Chicago’s Javy Baez.

DJ LeMahieu leads the Yankees with a 1.6 WAR. Gio Urshela is first on the team with a .336 batting average.