Only three players in the National League rank in the top 10 of all three triple crown categories. All of them play in the National League Central. Only one division has three of the top five in wins and in saves — the National League Central.
No other division has a stronger top three, and no other division has a better run differential at the top, than the NL Central. According to ESPN, there's a better statistical chance of three teams from the Central making the playoffs than there is from any other division, and more of a chance of that occurring than of only two teams from the NL West playing October ball.
The Central is the best division in the NL without any doubt from a serious and unbiased observer, and to most statistical gurus (at least those that realize that teams usually end up close to their expected record stat) it may just be the best division in all of baseball.
It may not go over well on either coast, but the best baseball is being played in America's heartland. The Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, and St. Louis Cardinals are all in the thick of the playoff race, and very few people who know anything about baseball would be surprised if all three teams made the playoffs this year.
If they do, it will be the first time that three teams from the same division have made the playoffs in the same year (although it's also the first year such a feat would be possible). This simply means that three of the top five teams in the league could likely play in the same division, which is even more impressive when considering that those elite records have been/will be amassed while playing a large number of games against two of the top five teams in the league.
Last year, the Central was the only NL division to put multiple teams in the playoffs, and the NLCS was an All-Central battle as well. So why is it that this division can't seem to shake the perception of weakness?
At first, it seems like a good question, especially when considering that almost every measurable statistic says exactly the opposite — that it has been the strongest division over the last two years. But after a while of mulling it over, an unsettling truth becomes all too clear: the Central is hated and despised not because of its overall talent pool and level of play, but only because of the ignorance of the most vocal baseball fans and experts.
I'm not blaming these fans, however, as much of the blame falls upon sports reporters and writers being lazy and unwilling to do proper research. It's simply easier to say "the Central is weak this year" than it is to say "the Central looks weak this year in some ways, but in almost every way that matters, they're an elite division." The second quote just wouldn't sell enough papers or get enough page views, would it?
So forget what you think you know about the National League Central. It is not weak, it is not average, it is an elite playing field that just might make playoff history in less than two months. If that isn't enough to excite baseball fans everywhere who are anticipating playoff ball, I don't know what would be.
Leave a Comment