The NL West is usually a bloodbath, but 2025 felt different. It was a year of extreme highs, historic lows, and a division race that was much tighter than the final numbers suggest. If you just look at the NL West standings 2025 at a glance, you see the Dodgers on top. Big surprise, right? But the actual story of how we got there involves a $700 million man chasing history, a San Diego squad that refused to blink, and a Colorado team that arguably had the most miserable season in the history of the sport.
Seriously. It was weird.
By the time the dust settled in late September, the hierarchy of the West was established, but the vibes were all over the place. You had the Dodgers clinching in Phoenix, the Padres breathing down their necks until the final week, and the Giants firing their manager the second the season ended. Let's break down what actually happened across those 162 games.
The Final NL West Standings 2025: By the Numbers
Before we get into the drama, here is how the division looked when the lights went out on the regular season. No fancy charts here, just the raw data:
- Los Angeles Dodgers: 93-69 (.574) — Division Champs
- San Diego Padres: 90-72 (.556) — 3.0 GB (Wild Card)
- San Francisco Giants: 81-81 (.500) — 12.0 GB
- Arizona Diamondbacks: 80-82 (.494) — 13.0 GB
- Colorado Rockies: 43-119 (.265) — 50.0 GB
The gap between first and last was 50 games. 50! To put that in perspective, the Rockies were closer to a winless season than they were to catching the Dodgers. It's almost hard to wrap your head around that kind of disparity in a professional league.
Why the Dodgers Didn't Just "Coast" to the Top
Most people assumed the Dodgers would win 110 games. They didn't. In fact, they "only" won 93, which is actually their lowest full-season win total in years. But honestly? It didn't matter because they had Shohei Ohtani doing things that shouldn't be possible.
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Ohtani finished the year with 55 home runs and 172 hits. He was the engine. Even when the pitching staff looked shaky—and it did, especially in May when they hit a rough patch—the lineup was just too deep. They officially clinched the division on September 25, 2025, with an 8-0 blowout against the Diamondbacks.
What's wild is that the Dodgers weren't even the hottest team for large chunks of the summer. They just had the highest floor. When they needed a win to stop a slide, Yoshinobu Yamamoto or Tyler Glasnow usually stepped up. They finished with a +142 run differential, which is great, but pales in comparison to some of their previous juggernauts.
The Padres and the "What If" Season
If you're a Padres fan, the NL West standings 2025 probably sting a little. On August 23, San Diego actually held a lead in the division. It was the latest they had been in first place since 2010. A.J. Preller went "all-in" at the trade deadline (as he always does), snagging guys like Ryan O’Hearn and All-Star closer Mason Miller.
They were dangerous.
Dylan Cease and Michael King formed a nasty 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. They even tied a franchise record with a 15-4 start to the season. But baseball is a long grind. They finished 3 games back, largely because the Dodgers went on a tear in September while the Padres had a few ill-timed losses to sub-.500 teams. Still, 90 wins is a massive success, even if they ended up as a Wild Card team.
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The Mediocrity Trap: Giants and Diamondbacks
Then you have the middle of the pack. The Giants and Diamondbacks spent the entire year playing "Spider-Man pointing at Spider-Man."
San Francisco finished exactly .500 at 81-81. They made a massive splash by trading for Rafael Devers in June, giving up a haul of prospects including Kyle Harrison. It felt like a move that would catapult them into the elite tier. It didn't. They stayed stuck in neutral, and the day after the season ended, manager Bob Melvin was shown the door. Buster Posey, now running the show as President of Baseball Operations, clearly isn't interested in being "just okay."
The Diamondbacks were a similar story. After their miracle World Series run in '23, 2025 was a bit of a hangover. They finished 80-82. Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll had their moments, and Eugenio Suárez mashed 36 homers, but the pitching was a disaster. A team ERA of 4.49 just isn't going to cut it in a division where you have to face Ohtani and Mookie Betts 13 times a year.
The Historic Tragedy in Colorado
We have to talk about the Rockies. We just have to.
The 2025 Colorado Rockies were historically bad. They finished 43-119. They avoided the 121-loss record set by the 2024 White Sox by the skin of their teeth, but in many ways, they were actually worse.
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Look at these stats:
- They gave up 1,021 runs.
- Their run differential was -424. That is the worst in the modern era (since 1901).
- They started the season 8-42.
Bud Black was fired in May after a 7-33 start, and things didn't get much better under interim manager Warren Schaeffer. They set a record by losing 19 straight series to open the season. It was painful to watch. When people look back at the NL West standings 2025, the Rockies' record will be the thing that looks like a typo, but it was very, very real.
Actionable Insights for the 2026 Season
If you're looking at these standings to figure out what happens next, here is the expert take on how this shapes the future:
- Watch the Giants' Roster Turnover: With Bob Melvin out and a new GM in Zack Minasian, expect the Giants to be the most aggressive team this winter. They have the Devers contract now; they have to build around it.
- The Padres' Window is Wide Open: San Diego's 90-win season proved their core is legit. If Mason Miller stays healthy at the back of that bullpen, they are the only team truly capable of dethroning the Dodgers in 2026.
- The Rockies are in a Deep Rebuild: After a -424 run differential, there is no "quick fix." If you're betting on them, wait until you see significant investment in pitching that can actually survive Coors Field—though 2025 proved they couldn't even pitch on the road (5.4 runs allowed per game).
- Dodgers Sustainability: The Dodgers won the World Series in 2025 (beating Toronto), and they show no signs of slowing down. As long as Ohtani is healthy, the NL West title goes through Chavez Ravine.
The 2025 season was a reminder that in the NL West, you’re either a titan, a pretender, or a historical footnote.
Next Step for Fans: Check the 2026 Spring Training schedules that were just released; the Dodgers and Padres are already projected to have the highest win totals in the National League once again.