It's the day after Memorial Day, and thus one day past the first major milestone of the Major League Baseball season.

Since 1968, 53% of teams leading their divisions on Memorial Day went on to win them.

Compare that to more than 80% of teams who were leading their divisions on Labor Day, and it's practically useless to use today's standings to gauge October's pennant contenders.

The first installment focused on the American League, so today the spotlight is on the National League.  Without further delay, here's a look at the contenders and pretenders in the NL as of Memorial Day.

National League East

Division Leader-New York Mets

Second Place-Atlanta Braves

In the Hunt-Philadelphia Phillies

The Mighty Mets are back!  General Manager Omar Minaya put together a spectacular and incredibly balanced roster of talented pitchers and hitters, and his hard work in the off-season now appears to be paying dividends, guided by the steady managerial hand of Willie Randolph.  What makes the Mets special is their blend of key free-agent acquisitions and home-grown talent.  Carlos Beltran and Delgado may both have double-digit home runs and at least 35 RBI, but David Wright and José Reyes are not far behind.  Reyes has been exceptional for a shortstop, leading the team with 39 runs and actually driving in 27 while hitting six home runs-rather hefty power numbers for his position.  Don't think the offense guides this team though.  The Mets are only eighth in the National League in runs scored, but tied for second in runs against.  The improved gloves and continuing development of Wright and Reyes in the infield have made this team a joy to watch.  Pedro Martínez and Tom Glavine have been spectacular on the hill, while Steve Trachsel has been his dependable veteran self.  The Mets finally have a closer in Billy Wagner who can put fear into opponents.  Also, Minaya made a brilliant trade to acquire Orlando Hernandez from the Diamondbacks for the all too expendable Jorge Julio.  So much for all the fuss about the back end of the rotation.

This division is all too much like its American League counterpart.  The Braves haunt the Mets as the Yankees do the Red Sox, and as a Mets fan myself, I personally know better than to think based on what I've seen thus far that this will be the year the Mets take the division.  Atlanta is not so good as it has been in the past, but an infusion of young hitting talent led by Jeff Francoeur coupled with shrewd and wily manager Bobby Cox make this a dangerous team to deal with under any circumstance.  However, closer Chris Reitsma is no legitimate save machine, and he's bound to have many more rocky outings like the one on Sunday against the Cubs.  The pitching staff has been inconsistent at best, and key hitters such as Chipper Jones and Marcus Giles are always injury risks.  Those factors should eventually push the Braves out of the pennant race, though with their offense they're bound to go down swinging (bad pun intended).

In the end, the Phillies will be the team to challenge the Mets.  Although their team ERA is a bit high, Philadelphia's staff as a whole strikes out a whole lot of hitters-something that is important for controlling game tempo.  If Cole Hamels can return from injury and stay healthy, and if this team can protect their house (they have a losing record at home as of Monday) the Phils will be there down the stretch.  Ryan Howard, Pat Burrell, and Bob Abreu are all amazing hitters and Jimmy Rollins is a world-class shortstop.  The Mets will have a lot on their hands between Atlanta and Philly come August and September.

Projections

Division champion-Mets (already shown ability to win close games with depth and balance)

Second Place-Phillies (this team would have no excuse for not making the postseason)

National League Central

Division Leader-St. Louis Cardinals (who else?)

Second Place-Cincinnati Reds

In the Hunt-Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros

Albert Pujols, Albert Pujols, Albert Pujols, Albert Pujols... did I say Albert Pujols?  Oh yeah, Chris Carpenter has been OK too on the mound.  This is clearly another division champion Cardinals team hands down.  Scott Rolen is back and healthy, and this franchise is looking more and more like the Evil Empire of the National League.  Will they be challenged?  No.  At least not for the division lead.  Moving on...

What's more surprising-the fact that the Reds are in second place or that they've scored more runs than they've allowed?  We're not going to answer that.  The departure of the not so mighty (Sean) Casey strangely is bringing joy to Cincinnati, but this team's success thus far has got to be accredited to manager Jerry Narron, pitchers Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo, and the intense play of the entire offense (led, of course, by Ken Griffey Jr.).  But will it last?  While this team's offense is better and more consistent in the long run than other upstarts like the Detroit Tigers, Narron is no Jim Leyland in terms of experience and an unknown in terms of managerial ability down the stretch.  This team has been better with him, but one must wonder about whether the pitching staff can continue to overachieve as they have, and the bullpen in particular is a concern with potential instability at closer.  Anything can happen, but probably no playoffs this year for the Reds.

As for Houston and Milwaukee, the Astros are too old and the division too brutal for them to contend for the postseason.   Roger Clemens is coming back, but wait until the offense wins him some games-then we'll talk.  Milwaukee hasn't been in a race anytime recently, and probably shouldn't be taken seriously at this point.  The potential is there for some success with Carlos Lee, Rickie Weeks, Prince Fielder, and the pitching staff (Davis, Sheets, Capuano etc.) but the consistency isn't.

Projections

Division Champion-Cardinals (Philly vs. St. Louis would make a great NLDS)

Second Place-Reds (distant second, but still a good team)

National League West

Division Leader-Arizona Diamondbacks

Second Place-LA Dodgers

In the Hunt-Everyone

This looks familiar, circa the Bob Brenly era of several years ago.  The D-Backs have returned to the top of their division, only to be closely followed by... the Dodgers?  Arizona is enjoying quiet success, with a solid core of hitters highlighted by Chad Tracy and a pitching staff that is tied for second in the league in runs against.  But closer José Valverde has been struggling recently, and this team in general seems to be very much an upstart, as Brandon Webb may or may not keep posting his electrifying numbers as the team's ace pitcher.

What could be exciting about the Dodgers?  This is a team that bored everyone half to death last year with its anemic offense and a miserable inability to generate runs to support its generally good pitching staff.  Shockingly, the Dodgers have the most runs scored in the National League to date, in addition to the fourth fewest runs allowed.  Such an offense has enabled pitchers like Derek Lowe and Brad Penny to rekindle their careers and actually earn the money LA paid to sign them.  While Lowe could use a few more wins, you can't really blame the offense.  These hitters are making Brett Tomko look like a good option!  This is the kind of team that could be around in October.  They still fly relatively under the radar, and it may or may not be a dogfight to win the division.  At any rate, the Dodgers are probably a few wins better than even their fine record shows, and should be there in late September.

As for the Padres, Giants, and Rockies, it's anyone's guess which, if any, will emerge to challenge for the division lead.  I tend to think Colorado or San Francisco.  The Giants have winning records on the road and at home (just barely), and have scored more runs than they have surrendered.  Rockies pitchers look better this year than in years past (Aaron Cook, Jeff Francis), but the offense needs to pick up the pace away from home.

Projections

Division Champion-Dodgers (this team could run with the Cardinals)

Second Place-Arizona Diamondbacks (by default; the Giants are too old)

The Houston Astros could make a late-season run like they did last year, but the likelihood is slim unless the bullpen and offense get more consistent, even with the return of The Rocket.  The Philadelphia Phillies should win the wild-card, setting up a great playoff matchup with either the Dodgers or Cardinals (probably St. Louis). 

If my projections hold true, only one third of the current division leaders would hang on to win the division-20 percentage points less than the average.  But the average is just that-an average.  Some years all but one or two teams might hold on.

There's a lot of games left to be played, and a lot of surprises still to come, but regardless, it should be a very special and exciting summer and autumn in the Major Leagues.