National League Central Update: Trio of teams competing, Cardinals terrible
Darren Yamashita - USA Today Sports

National League Central Update: Trio of teams competing, Cardinals terrible


by - Staff Writer -

The 2023 regular season is underway, and what an exciting start to the year it has been. Baseball has undergone some rule changes to speed up the game and increase action, but there has been no shortage of storylines in the league and the NL Central so far this season.

Vegas picked the Cardinals as the favorite to win a division that featured a lot of roster movement over winter and through Spring. At the very least, this division is loaded with talent throughout. Another week has come and gone in the season, and we are through the month of April — we at CUBSHQ are here to break down the action of the NL Central periodically as the season progresses.

Here is our third NL Central Update of the year:

Pittsburgh Pirates 20-9

The Pirates were widely expected to finish last in this division over the course of the last few years, but the progress they have made over the years does not pencil them in as a bottom feeder in this division. In fact, their strong start to the 2023 season has them in first place through almost a month of baseball. Bryan Reynolds is once again leading things for the Pirates with 5 home runs and 23 RBI already, to go along with a stellar .320 batting average. Jack Suwinski’s 19 home runs lead all rookies last year, and has six dingers on the season thus far.

Andrew McCutchen has also seen some success in his return to Pittsburgh and has been a strong producer in the lineup so far. O’Neil Cruz was expected by many to take a big leap this season, but he is on the injured list. Mitch Keller and Vince Velasquez have been the Bucs' best starters so far, and David Bednar is still closing things down in All-Star fashion.

Since we last updated, the Bucs took two of three from the Dodgers and two of three from the Nationals.

UP NEXT: This week, the Pirates take on the red-hot Rays on the road and then host the Blue Jays for three over the weekend.

Milwaukee Brewers 18-10 (1.5 games back)

Similar to last season, the Brewers were constructed to prevent runs, not really score them. The Brewers are boosted by an excellent pitching staff of Freddy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff, and Corbin Burnes — a three-headed monster that stacks up against anybody in the National League. But just like last season, the Brewers have faced some injuries lately in the pitching staff. Despite not having a potent offensive attack, the Brewers have been able to string together some nice wins in the early going.

Offensively, Milwaukee has been led by Rowdy Tellez and Willy Adames, similar to last season. Plus, Brian Anderson and former Brave catcher William Contreras have been welcome additions thus far.

Since we last updated, the Brewers dropped two of three to the Tigers and then swept the Angels in all three games over the weekend.

UP NEXT: This week, the Brewers are on the west coast, taking on the Rockies for three and then heading to San Francisco for a weekend set with the Giants.

Chicago Cubs 15-13 (4.5 games back)

The Cubs finished in third place in the NL Central last year and made it a point of focus over the offseason to make drastic improvements to the team — which also fit baseball’s new rules. The Cubs may have let Willson Contreras go, but they committed to long-term contract extensions with Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ, both of whom enjoyed breakout campaigns in 2022. Plus, the Cubs acquired Trey Mancini, Eric Hosmer, Cody Bellinger, Tucker Barnhart, Jameson Taillon, Brad Boxberger, and Michael Fulmer over the offseason to improve the team — plus the big ticket item of Dansby Swanson to be the team’s starting shortstop for the next seven years.

In the early going, the moves have paid off. The Cubs are near the lead in the National League in runs per game and are top five in the MLB in both batting average and starters ERA. Marcus Stroman and Justin Steele have been as good as any two starters in baseball, Patrick Wisdom is tied for near the MLB lead in home runs, Nico Hoerner leads the MLB in steals, the Cubs have four qualified players hitting over .300 and have been very fun to watch so far.

The Cubs took two of three from the Padres last week but were also swept by the Marlins in Miami over the weekend.

UP NEXT: This week, the Cubs play in Washington for four against the Nationals (won last night) and then host the Marlins for three at Wrigley.

Cincinnati Reds 12-16 (7.5 games back)

The Reds are once again expected to be one of the worst teams in the MLB early on. Fully in another rebuild. Joey Votto is the only really recognizable name on a team that had players like Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray, Nicholas Castellanos, Jesse Winker, and Eugenio Suarez. The Reds claim to fame has been flame-thrower Hunter Greene, who is developing into a young ace in baseball.

Offensively it has been a mixed bag thus far. Since we last updated, the Reds swept the Rangers and took two of three from the A’s over the weekend.

UP NEXT: This week, the Reds travel to San Diego to take on the Padres and then head home to Great American Ballpark for three against the White Sox.

St. Louis Cardinals 10-19 (10 games back)

The St. Louis Cardinals are the reigning NL Central Division Champions, but for the first time since I was born, this will be the first season that the Cardinals do not have Albert Pujols or Yadier Molina on the roster. The St. Louis Cardinals did not make a ton of noise in the offseason but did acquire former Cub Willson Contreras to be their new catcher. Jordan Walker was their top prospect and was called up to start the season, and has been an absolute stud for them early on.

The offense has been led by NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt and perennial All-Star Nolan Arenado — but has certainly been boosted by Nolan Gorman’s hot start as well. Who would have thought that Gorman would be leading an offense that has all-stars all over the diamond?

On the mound, Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas, and Jordan Montgomery have been the top three - but as faced their fair share of struggles so far. Flaherty is starting to come back into form as well.

Since we last updated, the Cardinals have struggled mightily, dropping three of four again the Giants and getting swept by the Dodgers over the weekend.

UP NEXT: This week, the Redbirds are back at home, hosting the Angels and the Tigers.

Stay tuned all year for updates on the NL Central.

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