2018 Preview: NL Central
- Dylan Anderson
- Mar 25, 2018
- 3 min read
Projected Standings:
1. Chicago Cubs
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Milwaukee Brewers
4. Cincinnati Reds
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
Chicago Cubs
It seems like no one is talking about the Cubs. Are we turned off because they won only 92 games last season after 103 and 97 the two years before that? The roster is deep and stacked and has best-shape-of-his-life Kyle Schwarber.
The Cubs carry the best hitting corp in the National League and will regularly have two bench bats that could start for most teams. Every regular in the lineup is between 23 and 28. Talk about prime. Their rotation will be fine with Yu Darvish filling in for Jake Arrieta. Incoming sinker baller Tyler Chatwood will enjoy escaping Coors Field and having 2017's best ground ball defense behind him.
Ultimately, the team's success may hinge on its reworked bullpen. They will cruise to the central crown, but relying on Brandon Morrow to repeat his 2017 dominance may be risky against the league's other juggernauts come October.
St. Louis Cardinals
Like their rivals in Chicago, the Cardinals have a deep lineup which is projected to earn at least 2 WAR at each position. Paul DeJong is an obvious regression candidate and Kolten Wong represents somewhat of a question mark at second base. Marcell Ozuna was a terrific acquisition and the outfield will be elite if Tommy Pham repeats last season's brilliance.
Unlike the Cubs, St. Louis will struggle to pitch. Carlos Martinez may be the only sure bet in their rotation, and the bullpen looks like a disaster. Alex Reyes may provide much needed relief, literally and figuratively, when his Tommy John rehab concludes. After a very mediocre 2017, St. Louis have an excellent shot at a wild card.
Milwaukee Brewers
A useful barometer for a team's outlook is "Will Wade Miley be counted on to pitch innings for your team this season?" If the answer is yes, your chances are slim. Even with the terrific additions of Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain, the Brewers should be closer to .500 in 2018. Their overachieving pitching staff is sure to regress and will miss Jimmy Nelson heavily.
Figuring out how to utilize cherished franchise face Ryan Braun will be a challenge for the crew as there is no real spot for him. Should he be able to play first, a platoon role with Thames at first would be intriguing. Led by Josh Hader and Corey Knebel, the bullpen should be absolutely filthy at the back end and could wreck havoc should the team somehow claw their way into the postseason.
Cincinnati Reds
Scooter Gennett hit four home runs in a game last season. Just wanted to make mention of that.
The Reds might be better than people think in 2018 and could win more than 70 games for the first time in four years. Jesse Winker should help a decent offense anchored by sabermetrics darling Joey Votto.
Once again, Cincinnati's weakness will come from the mound. Luis Castillo is an exciting young arm who should have a 200 strikeout season in the near future. Raisel Iglesias has quietly become a bullpen stud. The rest of their arms will largely be ineffective. The best of the rebuild is yet to come. With Nick Senzel and Hunter Greene on the way, Reds fans should have optimism towards the future.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Oh how far the Pirates have fallen since winning 98 games just three seasons ago. Their once dominant outfield now consists of Corey Dickerson, Gregory Polanco coming off a very down year and questions about Starling Marte after his PED suspension. Andrew McCuthchen and ace Gerritt Cole were shipped off to save money in the future though little was spent in the past.
The infield could be one of baseball's worst. Felipe Rivero may again be one of the most dominant southpaws in the game, and the rotation could be great if unproven youngsters Joe Musgrove, Jameson Taillon and Tyler Glasnow reach their ceilings.
With just a middle-of-the-road farm system, the next few seasons could be quite hard in the steel city.
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