State of the NL Central

For my next “State Of” article, I will address the very deep NL Central.

1. Milwaukee Brewers: The Brewers started very hot this season and have kept their lead all year thanks to some fantastic hitting. The return of Ryan Braun was obviously very helpful (.278 BA, 10 HR’s and 37 RBIs) but he is being rivaled by the great play from Carlos Gomez who has been even better (.317 BA, 12 HR’s and 39 RBIs). Despite those great numbers, the pitching has backed up the offense. Kyle Lohse and Willy Peralta have been great and Francisco Rodriguez has been a lockdown closer once again. They even lead the league with 50 quality starts in 74 games played. Could they come back down to earth? It’s a possibility, but the Brewers appear to be here to stay. They could be a buyer at the deadline to make a deep run this postseason. They will do well to hold off the World Series runners up as the season nears the halfway point.
2. St. Louis Cardinals: Once again, the defending National League champions have arguably the most imposing pitching staff in the MLB. Adam Wainwright is a legitimate Cy Young contender and Michael Wacha has also been very good, although he is headed to the DL. They also have a potent offense that may be starting to find its World Series run form. Matt Adams has been on fire recently with 3 HR’s and 9 RBIs in his last 10 games, but Matt Carpenter is a big contributor as well with 27 RBIs and a 2.2 WAR which is one of the top 20 in the NL. Matt Holiday has been solid but is not nearly hitting for as much power as last year. They should be well on their way to a playoff appearance once again, but it remains to be seen if their very talented lineup can give them the division crown once more.
3. Cincinnati Reds: The sole reason for this team being in the playoff race is their pitching. Johnny Cueto has a brilliant 1.86 ERA yet only a 7-5 record due to poor run support. Alfredo Simon has been a revelation as he has stepped up to the starting rotation with a 10-3 record and a 3.05 ERA. Aroldis Chapman has made a seamless return to the bullpen after the gruesome injury he suffered in spring training. Now with Mat Latos being back (and returning in fantastic style with a great outing vs. Milwaukee) this squad can match up with the other great pitchers in the National League. The biggest issue here is offense. Todd Frazier is the heart and soul of this offense and leads the team in all major categories except hits where he is second to Brandon Phillips. Devin Mesoraco has been a spark plug at times and Billy Hamilton can make a huge impact when it comes to stealing bases, but this offense is lacking some punch. A move at the deadline could really help this club. They also need to seriously retool their farm system as there isn’t much help coming up.
4. Pittsburgh Pirates: Why has Pittsburgh fallen off since their return to the playoffs last year? Because once again, the load has fallen on Andrew McCutchen’s shoulders. Their outfield may have the most promise in the majors with McCutchen, Starling Marte and now highly regarded prospect Gregory Polanco coming up to make an impact from the minors, but the situation isn’t as great as it seems. Marlon Byrd was a huge loss, as he is on pace for another career year in Philadelphia. Their pitching isn’t the same as Francisco Liriano has struggled. Gerrit Cole is great when he is out there (6-3, 3.64 ERA) but is currently on the DL. If things don’t turn around soon, they could be headed for another season of disappointment, so soon after a period of elation.
5. Chicago Cubs: Speaking of disappointment, this team is about to dump all of its talent in one single painful day (can you guess which day that will be?). The Cubs will be arguably the biggest sellers at the deadline as they will deal at least two of their pitchers; Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel. They do have a lot of young talent like Anthony Rizzo (.278 BA, 15 HR’s and 42 RBIs) and a good farm system, but they appear ready to stockpile more talent and prepare for the future. The curse will stay with this club in the near future but keep an eye out on the young talent that will make its way to Wrigley soon, like Javier Baez and Kris Bryant. Sorry Cubs fans, but this is another rebuilding year and the wait is going to continue.

Tune in for my final installment of my “State Of” series as I profile the NL West in the next few days!

Note: Stats from ESPN.com