We've inched past the quarter pole of the 2025 MLB season and, in many ways, the season has gone as expected: The American League looks to have a crowded playoff race, the Los Angeles Dodgers are good even with a slew of pitching injuries, contending National League teams are living up to expectations and we have some awful squads at the bottom of the overall standings.
That doesn't leave a lot of room for surprises, but let's look at five clubs that began the season with projected playoff odds of less than 50%, according to ESPN's Bradford Doolittle's initial preseason projections, and have so far exceeded those predictions.