Top 10 Best Players in the NL Central for the 2026 MLB Season

Over the past few seasons, the National League Central has produced both incredibly talented teams and players alike. From the 2025 Milwaukee Brewers, who finished with the best record in baseball, to young stars such as Elly De La Cruz, this division has all of the bases covered.

In addition to their homegrown talent, NL Central teams have done a good job of bringing external talent into the division over the past few seasons. This only continued during the past winter, when superstar third baseman Alex Bregman inked a five-year, $175 million deal with the Chicago Cubs.

With even more talent now in the division, this raises an interesting question: Who are the top 10 players in the NL Central?

Let’s take a closer look and attempt to answer this question ahead of Opening Day.

Who Just Missed the Top 10?

Chicago Cubs – Dansby Swanson

Throughout his career, Dansby Swanson has consistently been a very good MLB shortstop, producing consistent results year in and year out. This continued in 2025, as Swanson posted a 20/20 season, posted a 99 wRC+, and racked up 3.3 fWAR. Also, he put up another fantastic defensive season at arguably the most valuable position in the sport.

Unfortunately, despite such a sound season overall, Swanson falls just short of being included on this list as a result of the sheer amount of talent in the division.

Pittsburgh Pirates – Oneil Cruz

Very few players in MLB history can definitively say they’ve broken Statcast and produced metrics that took the baseball world by storm. Oneil Cruz is one of these few, as he’s consistently produced eye-popping exit velocities during his MLB career.

Unfortunately for Cruz, he has yet to fully put together a stellar season. In fact, he only took a step in the wrong direction with his 86 wRC+ during the 2025 campaign. Cruz will need to fully break out in 2026 if he wants to be included on this list in 2027.

St. Louis Cardinals – Masyn Winn and Iván Herrera

The St. Louis find themselves in quite an interesting position ahead of the 2026 campaign, as they’ve taken strides towards entering a full rebuild. Despite this, they still have multiple players to be quite excited about.

The first of these players is shortstop Masyn Winn, who is coming off of his second straight year posting at least 3.5 fWAR. With stellar defense and a solid bat, he’s a young player who could take a big leap in his age-24 season with more offensive improvements.

In addition to Winn, Cardinals catcher Iván Herrera has a chance to make some serious noise at the plate. 2025 was a career year for Herrera, as he posted a career-high total in homers, wRC+, and fWAR, among a plethora of other categories. Unfortunately, similarly to Swanson, he just misses the cut due to the talent above him.

10. Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers

2025 Stats: 150 G, .264/.343/.452, 29 HR, 103 RBI, 121 wRC+, 2.4 fWAR

After spending the majority of the 2024 season on the injured list, Christian Yelich bounced back massively for the Milwaukee Brewers last season. At 33 years old, Yelich showcased the tools that allowed him to win the NL MVP back in 2018.

For starters, Yelich’s 29 homers were the most he had hit since 2019, and the only time he had surpassed the 20 mark since that same season. Despite falling short of a second-straight all-star nod, Yelich finished 12th in MVP voting, a huge accomplishment.

Although the Brewers have been known for making the most of the scrappy, gritty teams they usually field, Yelich is an example of a bona fide star on this roster, and one of the division’s best players.

9. Eugenio Suárez, Cincinnati Reds

2025 Stats: 159 G, .228/.298/.526, 49 HR, 118 RBI, 125 wRC+, 3.8 fWAR

After being dealt to the Seattle Mariners following the 2021 season, it seemed like Eugenio Suárez’s time with the Cincinnati Reds had come to an end for good. However, a reunion was formed over the winter when Suárez inked a one-year, $15 million deal with the club.

2025 was a tale of two halves for Suárez. The majority of his offensive production came in the first half, including 31 of his 49 homers. Even with this in consideration, the end result was a fantastic season for the slugging third baseman.

With Suárez returning to a more hitter-friendly run environment in Great American Ball Park than in T-Mobile Park in Seattle, this should lead him to keep producing as he did in the first half.

8. Michael Busch, Chicago Cubs

2025 Stats: 155 G, .261/.343/.523, 34 HR, 90 RBI, 140 wRC+, 3.5 fWAR

Following the 2024 season, a lot of buzz surrounded Cubs first baseman Michael Busch, as he showed the foundation for a potential breakout. As expected, that breakout came in 2025, as Michael Busch quickly became one of the game’s best first basemen.

To start, 2025 was the first time in his career that Busch smashed 30 or more homers. As if this wasn’t an impressive enough jump already, he followed that up by crushing his career-highs in wRC+, OBP, SLG, fWAR, and multiple other offensive categories.

Due to his fantastic season at the dish, Busch finished as one of only three NL first basemen to receive MVP votes, joining an exclusive club that featured Matt Olson and Pete Alonso. It seems as though this is just the beginning for Busch, as he still has plenty of room to climb offensively.

7. Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers

2025 Stats: 131 G, .270/.308/.463, 21 HR, 78 RBI, 21 SB, 111 wRC+, 2.9 fWAR

After spending years as one of the league’s top prospects, Jackson Chourio busted onto the scene in a big way during his rookie campaign in 2024. As a 21-year-old last season, Chourio continued to play at a high level, cementing himself as a true young star.

In each of his first two seasons, Chourio has joined the 20/20 club, a mark that wasn’t just impressive but rather historical. In fact, he’s the youngest player in baseball history to join the club in each of his first two seasons.

Although it’s early, Chourio is putting together quite a fantastic career to this point. He’s already racked up nearly 7.0 fWAR before his 22nd birthday, and he still has plenty of room to take his game to another level.

6. Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers

2025 Stats: 156 G, 18 HR, 81 RBI, 24 SB, .288/.359/.435, 124 wRC+, 4.4 fWAR

Up until 2025, the one consistent knock on Brice Turang’s game was that he couldn’t hit at the big league level despite playing elite defense. During his age-25 campaign, this completely flipped, and Turang posted a tremendous offensive season.

Turang became one of only three second basemen to post a wRC+ greater than 120 and record at least 4.0 fWAR last season, showing the elite caliber of player he is. He was one of the biggest contributors to the Brewers’ offense that finished with the most wins in baseball as well.

With Turang now proving he can hit in the big leagues, the sky is the limit for how high he could climb in our rankings in 2027.

5. Nico Hoerner, Chicago Cubs

2025 Stats: 156 G, 7 HR, 61 RBI, 29 SB, .297/.345/.394, 109 wRC+, 4.8 fWAR

If you were to look up the definition of a very, very good baseball player in the dictionary, you’d find a picture of Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner.

Over the past three seasons, Hoerner has never played under 150 games, and he’s been one of the best defenders in baseball during that span. Not only this, but he’s consistently posted a wRC+ above 102 along the way, stolen 29 or more bases, and registered two seasons with more than 4.4 fWAR to his name.

Hoerner may never consistently blast double-digit homers, but he doesn’t need to in order to be one of the better players in the NL Central. If history keeps repeating itself, we should expect a similar output from Hoerner in 2026.

4. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs

2025 Stats: 157 G, .247/.287/.481, 31 HR, 91 RBI, 35 SB, 109 wRC+, 5.4 fWAR

Similar to Eugenio Suarez, the 2025 season was a tale of two halves for Cubs star outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. At his peak, he looked like a legitimate MVP candidate who could dynamically impact the game on every side of the baseball. However, at his worst, he struggled to even be a league-average hitter.

Despite playing at two drastically different levels, the end result was pretty good for PCA. He finished as one of only 17 players to record more than 5.0 fWAR, while also blasting 31 homers and nabbing 35 bases along the way. He also took home his first Gold Glove Award with his tremendous defense in center field.

The fact that PCA put together this strong a season despite his abysmal second-half really says a lot about his game. If he can be the player he was in the first half over a full season, look out, because he could be a safe bet to be the top player on this list in 2027.

3. Alex Bregman, Chicago Cubs

2025 Stats: 114 G, 18 HR, 62 RBI, 1 SB, .273/.360/.462, 125 wRC+, 3.5 fWAR

After previously trying hard to attract a superstar third baseman, the Chicago Cubs finally landed Alex Bregman over the winter to fill this role. He’s expected to do all of that and more, immediately becoming one of the best players in the division without even officially playing his first game for the Cubs.

Last season for the Boston Red Sox, Alex Bregman continued to be one of the best offensive third basemen in baseball. He put up the seventh season of his career with a wRC+ of at least 120, while posting the best SLG since his 2019 campaign. Overall, it was a very good year for the 32-year-old.

By the end of 2026, it wouldn’t be surprising if Alex Bregman is clearly the best player in the NL Central. He’s going to be a big offensive upgrade for the Cubs and immediately make his presence known.

2. Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds

2025 Stats: 162 G, .264/.336/.440, 22 HR, 37 SB, 86 RBI, 109 wRC+, 4.3 fWAR

Currently, the game of baseball is filled with a plethora of excellent youngsters at the shortstop position. Elly De La Cruz is among the brightest of the bunch, and he’s one of the best players in the NL Central as a result of this. With elite tools and a dynamic playstyle, he’s a budding superstar.

Not only did De La Cruz post yet another very good offensive campaign on the surface, but he also showed growth while doing so. For example, De La Cruz lowered his strikeout rate to below 30% for the first time in his career, something that’ll be very important for him to reach his full potential.

Despite taking strides forward, De La Cruz can still unlock another level of play in 2026. If he does, he might not only sit atop this list, but also become one of the top players in the sport as a whole.

1. William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers

2025 Stats: 150 G, .260/.355/.399, 17 HR, 76 RBI, 113 wRC+, 3 FRV, 3.6 fWAR

Ever since he arrived in Milwaukee, William Contreras has consistently been one of the best catchers in the sport. With the combination of an elite bat, a good glove, and many strong qualities under the surface, he’s risen to the top of the NL Central effortlessly.

In 2025, Contreras put up his third straight season with at least 3.5 fWAR and 17 homers, marking the definition of a consistent slugger. He’s done a tremendous job at managing the Brewers’ young pitching staff as well, which is a quality that might not immediately jump off his stat sheet. Not only this, but Contreras accomplished all of this in a down year.

Contreras took home the number two spot on our catcher rankings for good reason. It says a lot about his game that he can be the best player in the NL Central while simultaneously having a down year, and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit to see him post a better 2026 season.