The “weak” NL Central is not that weak

Going into this season, the Central was viewed as the weakest division in the National League – giving the Cubs a greater margin of error for making the playoffs. But it hasn’t been that way so far.

When making predictions, I felt that the winner of the NL Central would have around 87 or 88 winds, with 90+ being an absolute lock. The Cubs have far surpassed that pace early in the season, but have not been able to create much separation between themselves and the rest of the division, especially the Cardinals. A 100+ win season might ultimately be necessary,

At this time of writing this (the Brewers are currently in action – so I may edit at the end of the night), here are the winning percentage rankings of all the MLB divisions:
1. NL Central 167-155 .519
2. AL East 163-154 .514
3. AL Central 164-159 .508
4. NL East 158-159 .498
5. NL West 154-165 .482
6. AL West 152-166 .477

So not only is the NL Central not the weakest division, it is the strongest, and the only NL division above .500.

Obviously, St. Louis and Milwaukee, who are a combined 12 games over .500 are the biggest surprise. And they are keeping the Cubs from running away with the division. The NL East has two strong teams in the Mets and Phillies, but the Braves have been a huge disappointment. An the NL West has the Rockies pulling the division winning percentage way down, but a surprisingly good start by the Giants has been countered by a mediocre start by the Diamondbacks.

This actually might be a good thing for the Cubs, assuming, of course, that they are able to hold on to the division. Being pressured in the division could force them to make moves at the trade deadline and keep winning into late September, which might allow them to grab a top two playoff spot in the NL and a series bye.

But for the sake of my blood pressure and nerves, I’m still hoping the Cardinals and Brewers hit some slumps to give the Cubs a bit more breathing room.