Featured Image: Elly de la Cruz (44) of the Cincinnati Reds celebrates his two-run home run with third base coach Willie Harris. (Photo Credit: AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
Some people may say it is a fool’s errand to make predictions about October baseball when it’s only April, but it’s worth taking a look at anyway. It seems that already, the NL Central is running the show and is the division to watch.
Currently, all five teams in the NL Central are playing .500 ball. Ironically, only five teams in the American League are playing above .500 (Yankees, Rays, Guardians, Rangers, Athletics).
The Cincinnati Reds currently leads the division, holding an impressive record of 18-9. The Chicago Cubs are right behind them, standing at 17-10. The Pittsburgh Pirates are the middle child, standing in third place with a record of 16-11. The St. Louis Cardinals are slipping at fourth going 14-12.Unexpectedly, the Milwaukee Brewers are sitting at the bottom, but not far behind, at 13-13.
Shortstop for the dominant Reds, Elly De La Cruz is putting up good numbers to start the season, with a batting average of .275, and a dominant slugging percentage of .569. First baseman, Sal Stewart, is touting even more impressive numbers, batting .303 and slugging .626, leading the team in both respective stats. Both Stewart and Cruz have been dominating the long ball, with nine home runs each.
Chase Burns has looked like the ace pitcher for the ball club so far in his sophomore season. Burns has an ERA (Earned Runs Allowed) of 2.57 and leads the team in strikeouts with 30.
The hottest bat on the red hot Cubs is none other than second baseman Nico Hoerner. Hoerner perhaps might be the highest candidate for NL MVP, other than two-way player Shohei Ohtani. Hoerner is currently batting .309. He also has the second highest WAR (wins above replacement) in MLB with 2.0. Hoerner also has the second best slugging percentage on the team, with .482. He leads the team in RBI’s with 23.
The Cubs have just came off of their ten game win streak, which was recently ended by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are currently trying to break their ten year playoff drought this year, and this year could be their year. Right fielder, Ryan O’Hearn is batting .330 while slugging .511. His teammate in center field, Oneil Cruz is also sporting some good numbers batting .259 and slugging .518.
Paul Skenes is still a NL Cy Young candidate with a 4-1 record and a 2.48 ERA. If the Pirates can actually qualify for the playoffs, whether it be through the Wild Card, or some miracle they clinch the division, Paul Skenes will show up and pitch lights out.
There is a good chance we see three NL Central teams in the postseason this year. Perhaps one of these teams can stand a chance against the Dodgers, who look nearly invincible. However, we have an entire summer to get through before that day arrives.
