The NL Central Is the Most Underrated Division in Baseball

Stats were taken prior to play on July 1.

Only one division in MLB has four teams above the .500 mark, and it might not be the one that most would expect: The National League Central.

While the NL West and AL East are considered to be two of the top divisions in baseball and feature some big-market teams to go with some monster star power, the NL Central is easily forgotten and overlooked as a great division.

The Milwaukee Brewers are on a roll as of late and have the best record in MLB over their last 30 games, putting them in a wild-card spot with the potential to push for another division crown.

The St. Louis Cardinals had a bad streak but have seemingly found their footing and also find themselves in a playoff spot at a 47-38 record.

And the Cincinnati Reds are within 2.5 games of a wild-card berth too and currently sit three games above .500 and fourth in the division standings.

Not to mention the division-leading Chicago Cubs, who are 49-35 and have the fifth-highest winning percentage in MLB, have been one of the best teams in the sport ever since the 2025 season began.

Simply put, this is a stacked division loaded with playoff-caliber teams. While other divisions across the sport might receive most of the attention, the NL Central is the most underrated division in baseball. Not just in terms of record, either, but also in terms of pure talent that it has to offer.

How the NL Central Compares to Other Divisions

The NL Central is one of two teams (the NL West) that features four teams with a positive run differential, and all four ball clubs are comfortably in the positive.

Teams in the NL Central have performed well overall this season, but they’ve specifically held their own against other National League opponents. The NL Central is 42-33 against the NL West and 41-38 against the NL East. 

The NL Central also has an exciting race for first place, especially in comparison to other divisions.

The Astros and Mariners are the only teams above. 500 in the AL West and are the only teams who are realistically competing to win that division. The AL Central is a one-team race for the crown with the Tigers pulling away as the favorite. And the NL East is pretty interesting, but only two teams, albeit both big-market teams, are vying for a division crown.

In the NL Central, four teams are currently within 5.5 games of first place. With the Cubs leading the pack, the Brew Crew sit two games out of first followed by the Cards at three games back and the Reds at 5.5 games out of first place.

Each one of those teams could make a run at a division title come season’s end, and all could be competing for a playoff berth down the stretch.

Underappreciated Talent in the NL Central

Moreover, the NL Central features some of the game’s biggest unsung names as well as a few of baseball’s brightest young stars.

Of course, the NL Central is home to two darlings of MLB: Paul Skenes and Elly De La Cruz. Even if you’re a casual baseball watcher, those two players have become household names in MLB. But even beyond those two superstars, the division features some of the best talent in the sport.

Not too far behind Skenes and De La Cruz in terms of exciting young talent in MLB is Jackson Chourio of the Brewers. Chourio certainly gets his praise, too, after what he did with Milwaukee as a 20-year-old last season.

Chourio’s teammate, Christian Yelich, is finally back to form and is helping the Brew Crew greatly during their recent hot stretch. Yelich has already played more games this season (79) than he did as an All-Star in 2024 (73) and he’s putting up impressive numbers in the process, especially as of late.

He may never relive his 2018 or 2019 season, but Yelich is still a must-watch Brewer. Since May 22, he has the fourth-best wRC+ (199) in baseball. That really paints a picture of just how good he has been over the course of the past month-plus for Milwaukee.

Jacob Misiorowski is gearing up to be the next best thing in the majors. He is the first starting pitcher to begin his MLB career with 11 hitless innings since 1900 and is the only pitcher since then to have more wins than hits allowed (two wins to one hit) across his first two starts.

Moving onto the Cardinals, they have three of the least talked about stars in the sport: Masyn Winn, Brendan Donovan and Alec Burleson. Donovan and Burleson are worthy of All-Star nods, and Winn is a dynamic playmaker with a cannon for an arm who continues to produce for St. Louis.

Winn has quietly entered the top 10 in fWAR among shortstops with 2.3, while Donovan is third among qualified second basemen with 2.2 (tied with the Cubs’ Nico Hoerner for second, but he has two more games this season). Burleson has solidified himself as more than a bench piece and is nearing the top 10 in OPS among all DHs.

Not to mention the Cardinals’ best hitter, Ivan Herrera (currently on the injured list), is having a career year. While he doesn’t have enough plate appearances to qualify, his wRC+ is second in all of Major League Baseball only behind Shohei Ohtani.

For the Reds, despite ace Hunter Greene facing a couple of injuries this season, the rotation has been stellar. Andrew Abbott has a 1.79 ERA through 80.1 innings pitched in his age-26 season. His ERA is better than some of the National League’s best starters, including Skenes, Chris Sale, Zack Wheeler and Logan Webb, just to name a few. 

Chase Burns, who got roughed up in his most recent outing against the Red Sox, is an exciting young player (Just Baseball’s No. 13 overall prospect) who will contribute to the rotation. Nick Lodolo and Nick Martinez are also giving solid contributions, rounding out a reliable starting staff that is 12th in MLB in ERA, which is impressive given that the hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park is their home stadium.

While Elly De La Cruz is often referred to as Elly De La “Strikeout” on MLB meme pages, the 23-year-old is having a great season. He had a 190 wRC+ in June and is tied for the third-best fWAR this month (1.7) to help the Reds remain in contention in the Central.

Pete Crow-Armstrong and his rise to stardom have given the NL Central another must-watch star. Plus, the offseason acquisition of Kyle Tucker gave the Cubs the best outfield tandem in the NL in fWAR (7.9). Likewise, Seiya Suzuki has been one of the top hitters in baseball this season, posting a 133 wRC+ that is top 30 in the sport.

Shota Imanaga recently returned to the staff from the IL, but in his absence, Matthew Boyd carried the rotation with a 2.58 ERA in nine starts. He was one of the better arms in the NL in the month of June.

While the division might not be privy to coastal biases like the AL East or NL West, it has its share of big-name talent and needs to be appreciated more than it has been this season.