Regular readers of these Power Rankings know that I’m all about finding the fun. No matter where we are or what we’re doing, what kind of fun can be extracted is central to the discussion. In looking at the standings page right now, there is a division showing itself right now.
National League Central, come on down.
Just take a look at the standings right now. The Cubs and Brewers — who squared off in the NLDS last season, going the distance in the five-game series — are tied at 12-9.
Oh, and we should note that they are tied for last place in the division. How about that, huh? Three games over .500, two 2025 playoff teams and they are tied for last. Of course, they are also only 1 ½ games out of first place. No other division has more than three teams with a winning record; the NL Central has five that are relatively comfortable, at this early juncture, above the mark.
The Champs: Brewers
If we’re approaching this discussion from the perspective of only the division, the Brewers are the titans here. They are the three-time defending NL Central champions and have won the division four of the last five seasons. They had the best record in baseball last season and stormed out of the gates with an 8-2 record to start this year. They are dealing with some tough injuries, but recently responded to a six-game losing streak by winning four straight. They aren’t going anywhere.
The Megamarket Behemoth: Cubs
If we divided the division up into market size, the Cubs would be the only large market team in this group. In fact, they’d be the only one even remotely close. Unlike, say, the Braves or Astros, it isn’t like they barely sneak into the term “large” market, either. Chicago is the third-largest market in baseball and the Cubs are the more popular team from the city. If there are three market giants in baseball, it would the Yankees, Cubs and Dodgers. This creates hatred from the in-division foes and that always increases the level of fun, especially if the Cubs are contenders. They made the playoffs last year, had a good offseason and now look the part on the field.
Ready for another step forward: Reds
The Reds made the playoffs last season in a full schedule for the first time since 2013. Something I always like to watch for heading into seasons is teams like the Reds, in that they squeaked into the playoffs and looked like a “just happy to be here” club. The following season, that won’t be good enough. They won’t be satisfied with just making it there. Despite losing their ace in spring training for half the season (hopefully not longer), the Reds are 14-8 (on pace for 103 wins!) and sit in first place. They’ve been feisty and loads of fun, continuing to find different ways to win — including going 6-0 in one-run games.
The Upstart Contender: Pirates
The Pirates were 71-91 last season with good pitching and a putrid offense. They can’t keep wasting seasons of Paul Skenes, right? So the front office went out, despite a shoestring budget from penny-pinching ownership, and grabbed some offensive upgrades like Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn. They are fourth in OPS and sixth in runs in the majors right now and it’s translating. They are 13-9 and have the feel of a legitimate contender. It isn’t like they’ve gotten all the breaks or anything, either. Each of their last four losses was by just one run, while two of those came in extra innings.
They weren’t supposed to be here! Cardinals
The one team pretty much everyone agreed that definitely wouldn’t be a contender in this division this season was the Cardinals. They were in a transition phase throughout the offseason and even if it wasn’t a radical rebuild or anything, there was a youth movement settling in that could, at bare minimum, be described as a retooling at the big-league level.
The funny thing is, as a fan, when you enter a season with low expectations, the highs can feel so much higher. The Cardinals are 13-8 and Jordan Walker has looked like one of baseball’s best sluggers.
Might there be five contenders for a while? It is actually possible, logistically. The schedule is spread out enough that all five teams could hang around in the playoff race and have similar records all season. It’s unlikely, but not totally off the table. Regardless, there are no dregs in here. Whichever team settles in at the bottom of this division won’t go down without a fight.
That will provide us with great entertainment in this division all season, just as we’ve seen thus far. All hail the NL Central!
Flyover country? Please. We rule here in the Midwest.
Biggest Movers
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Rk
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Teams
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Chg
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Rcrd
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1
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Dodgers
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The Dodgers were 15-4 and making a mockery of baseball through Friday night. Then they lost two in a row to the Rockies. That’s a nice reminder of how things go in this sport sometimes and another illustration that people acting like the playoffs are going to be automatic need to return to reality.
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—
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15-6
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2
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Braves
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Pretty darn great and well-rounded ballclub right here. How about the Robert Suarez and Raisel Iglesias tandem waiting at the back end of games? We could loop in Dylan Lee and even Tyler Kinley too. Stellar.
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—
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15-7
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3
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Padres
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This is like a video game where it seems stupid because it’s so unrealistic: Mason Miller has faced 38 batters this season and has struck out 27 of them. He’s allowed two hits, two walks and zero runs. As far as the top three teams here, sort them any way you like and I wouldn’t argue. There’s a clear-cut top trio.
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—
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15-7
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4
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Diamondbacks
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The D-backs still haven’t lost a series since the season opener. Yes, they started 0-3 in the first series, but they’ve won five series and split one since.
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—
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13-9
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5
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Pirates
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The Pirates started 0-2. They haven’t lost back-to-back games since. The Pirates right now are 8-1 following a loss.
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1
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13-9
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6
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Reds
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Elly De La Cruz, Sal Stewart and Suárez could sure use some help on offense. Maybe TJ Friedl’s big game on Sunday is the start of that.
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3
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14-8
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7
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Yankees
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Before sweeping the Royals, the Yankees had lost seven of nine. They’re in first place. I guess everything is fine.
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—
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13-9
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8
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Brewers
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Look at the lineups they are running out there right now. And yet they find ways to win. It’s a testament to how the organization gets every ounce of ability out of so many players.
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—
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12-9
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9
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Guardians
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Franchise history rankings for José Ramírez: Second in runs, third in hits, second in total bases, third in doubles, second in home runs, second in RBI and second in stolen bases. He homered twice on Sunday as the Guardians hold down first place.
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4
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13-10
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10
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Cubs
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By OPS+, the only three below-average hitters among those with even somewhat regular playing time are Michael Busch, Alex Bregman and Pete Crow-Armstrong. There are legitimate concerns on PCA, but you’d expect Busch and Bregman to get going pretty soon. Meanwhile, the Cubs have won five straight.
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3
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12-9
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11
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Tigers
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They appear to be awake again, having won eight of nine heading into Monday morning’s game.
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7
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12-10
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12
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Cardinals
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Riley O’Brien is now 7 for 7 in save chances (he’s also 2-0 and has a hold) with zero earned runs, zero walks, two hits and 14 strikeouts in his 12 outings. He’s 31 and was mostly a career minor leaguer before last season.
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10
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13-8
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13
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Rays
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Until they met the (apparently) incredibly resilient Pirates, the Rays had won nine of their previous 11.
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1
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12-9
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14
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Rangers
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There are other important aspects of the ballclub, of course, but these Rangers are built to ride excellent starting pitching. MacKenzie Gore needs to be their No. 3. It was a concerning week with a six-walk outing followed by a three-homer outing.
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4
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11-11
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15
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Athletics
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On the opposite end of the NL Central would be the AL West, where the A’s are tied for first at exactly .500 and haven’t really looked very good for much of the season (aside from when they played in New York, really).
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4
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11-11
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16
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Twins
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Extreme swings are in style this season. The Twins have lost four straight after they won eight of nine after they started 3-6.
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1
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11-11
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17
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Angels
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Only the Dodgers have more home runs this season and it’s not a fluke. The Angels have a few injury-prone and inconsistent hitters, but there’s a ton of thunder in this lineup. Leading the way? Mike Trout with seven, of course.
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4
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11-12
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18
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Orioles
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Big-time positive vibes after that comeback victory last Monday. They were down 7-1 heading to the bottom of the sixth and still came out on top. It was their sixth win in seven games. Well, as we’ve seen so many times with so many teams this season already, things immediately turned. They’ve now lost five of six.
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6
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10-12
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19
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Mariners
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The Mariners are now 1-8 on the road. Remember, they didn’t make the World Series last season after losing Games 6 and 7 in the ALCS in Toronto.
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—
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10-13
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20
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Phillies
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They’ve lost nine of 11 and just getting Zack Wheeler back isn’t going to solve all of the problems (including the shoddy defense).
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4
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8-13
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21
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Marlins
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The Marlins got a studly bat back in the lineup Sunday and he wasted no time, as Kyle Stowers went 2 for 3 with a double.
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3
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10-12
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22
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Giants
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Apparently they only win in waves. The Giants won three of four from March 30-April 2. They won three in a row April 7-10 and three in a row from April 16-18. Those are their only nine wins.
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8
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9-13
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23
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Nationals
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CJ Abrams has been putting up MVP-caliber numbers so far. He’s hitting .320/.429/.600 with three doubles, six homers, 19 RBI, 12 runs and four steals in 21 games. He’s even leading the majors in hit-by-pitches with five.
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—
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10-12
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24
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Red Sox
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No concern is greater than with Garrett Crochet. Only two of his five starts have been good. Last Monday was one of the worst starts you’ll ever see in the majors (9 H, 11 R, 1 ⅔ IP). On Sunday, he looked pretty good into the fifth, but gave up four runs on a pair of homers that inning. He has a 7.88 ERA.
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1
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8-13
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25
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White Sox
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Of Munetaka Murakami’s 15 hits so far this season, eight are home runs. There’s something to be stated for the “bang for your buck” factor.
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1
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8-14
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26
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Blue Jays
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They were overshadowed by the Mets, but let’s not let the Blue Jays off the hook. Heading into Sunday, they had lost 12 of 15. An offensive explosion early Sunday helped them salvage the game in Arizona, but this team is still in a bad way until they show otherwise.
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2
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8-13
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27
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Astros
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Yordan Alvarez is hitting .333/.471/.790 with 10 homers and 21 RBI … and the Astros are 8-15. Uh oh.
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2
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8-15
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28
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Rockies
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OH YES. It is so on. I mentioned it last week and we’re totally off and running now. The Rockies are 3-10 on the road but a very nice 6-3 at home. They just won two straight at home against the mighty Dodgers.
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1
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9-13
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29
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Mets
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The roster changed dramatically but the Mets since June 12 of last season are 45-60 (a 162-game pace of 66-96).
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12
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7-15
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30
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Royals
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This might sum up how badly everything is going for the Royals right now: Bobby Witt Jr. has only scored four runs all season and three of those came in one game. This means the Royals’ main offensive catalyst has only crossed home plate in two of their 22 games.
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10
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7-15
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