Latest MLB Power Rankings showcase daunting task Brewers face in NL Central

As of April 21, the Milwaukee Brewers are bringing up the rear of the NL Central...with a 12-9 record. For reference, that record would be good enough for first or second place in every American League division.

So, yeah, it's safe to say that the NL Central is good this year. How good? Well, in MLB.com's latest power rankings, four of the five teams are inside the top 10, and every single one ranks in the top half of the league.

This division has often been the butt of many jokes from other fans. While the Brewers have owned it during the 2020s, having perennial bottom-feeders like the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates among the quintet tends to bring down the overall winning percentage.

But not this year. Save for maybe the St. Louis Cardinals, the NL Central should be a war all summer long.

Earning their fourth straight division title will be no easy task for the Brewers in the newly-competitive NL Central

The Brewers' run differential of +19 ranks fifth in the National League, but only third in the NL Central. The Pirates (+25) have ridden an elite pitching staff to one of the best marks in the league, while the Cubs (+34) have slugged their way to the third-best run differential in baseball.

Perhaps the most bizarre thing that's happening right now: the Reds (-3) and Cardinals (-10), who are leading the pack, have negative run differentials. Both starts feel unsustainable -- the Reds are somehow 10-0 in one-run games, while the Cardinals are theoretically in the first part of a multi-stage rebuild -- but that's not stopping either of them from coming out of the gates hot in 2026.

Considering just how much young talent is making its way to the big leagues in the NL Central, this doesn't figure to be a one-off trend, either. This very well may be the best division in the league for the next half-decade.

If you've been paying close attention in recent years, you know how much of a split from the norm that is. You'd have to go back to 2015 -- when the Cardinals (100 wins), Pirates (98), and Cubs (97) had the three highest win totals in the league -- to find the last time multiple NL Central teams ranked among the top five in win percentage.

Those are the circumstances the Crew will have to overcome this year in order to secure their fifth division title in six seasons. Is anyone feeling daunted yet?

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow