NL Central leader: Milwaukee Brewers
The National League Central leaders have a similar problem to their American League counterparts. At the outset of 2017, it appeared as though Milwaukee was in for another rebuilding year. But the Brewers have started strong and sit at 30-27.
But despite that and a major World Series hangover from Chicago Cubs, the Milwaukee is only one game ahead of the champs. That’s a problem.
Which nucleus are you going to take for the next four months? Eric Thames, Travis Shaw, Domingo Santana, Ryan Braun, Chase Anderson and Jimmy Nelson? Or would you go with Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta and Kyle Hendricks?
Door No. 2 looks a lot more promising.
If the Cubs didn’t exist, we could point out that the Milwaukee has a shaky bullpen. It’s not quite as bad as Washington’s or Minnesota’s, but a 4.01 ERA is not ideal from your relievers.
Another problem with the Brewers is that they strikeout a lot. Milwaukee’s 558 strikeouts are second in the majors and first in the National League. Teams that thrive in the playoffs tend to put balls in play, pressuring the defense.
But really, we expect the Brewers to be done in by the lack of separation they’ve gained from the Cubs. Chicago has had an awful lot go wrong in 2017, including a recent winless road trip through Southern California.
The Cubs may not be quite the juggernaut that they were a season ago. But by the end of the year, we expect them to be good enough to make up the one game that the Brewers have on them, with room to spare.