All hail the NL Central with all five teams in the black

Meanwhile, the Dodgers, Braves and Padres form a scary triumvirate at the top of our rankings
Regular readers of these Power Rankings know that I'm all about finding the fun.

No matter where we are or what we're doing, what kind of fun can be extracted is central to the discussion.

In looking at the standings page right now, there is a division showing itself right now.

National League Central, come on down.

Just take a look at the standings right now.

The Cubs and Brewers -- who squared off in the NLDS last season, going the distance in the five-game series -- are tied at 12-9.

Oh, and we should note that they are tied for last place in the division.

How about that, huh?

Three games over .500, two 2025 playoff teams and they are tied for last.

Of course, they are also only 1 ½ games out of first place.

No other division has more than three teams with a winning record; the NL Central has five that are relatively comfortable, at this early juncture, above the mark.

If we're approaching this discussion from the perspective of only the division, the Brewers are the titans here.

They are the three-time defending NL Central champions and have won the division four of the last five seasons.

They had the best record in baseball last season and stormed out of the gates with an 8-2 record to start this year.

They are dealing with some tough injuries, but recently responded to a six-game losing streak by winning four straight.

They aren't going anywhere.

If we divided the division up into market size, the Cubs would be the only large market team in this group.

In fact, they'd be the only one even remotely close.

Unlike, say, the Braves or Astros , it isn't like they barely sneak into the term "large" market, either.

Chicago is the third-largest market in baseball and the Cubs are the more popular team from the city.

If there are three market giants in baseball, it would the Yankees , Cubs and Dodgers .

This creates hatred from the in-division foes and that always increases the level of fun, especially if the Cubs are contenders.

They made the playoffs last year, had a good offseason and now look the part on the field.

Ready for another step forward: Reds
The Reds made the playoffs last season in a full schedule for the first time since 2013.

Something I always like to watch for heading into seasons is teams like the Reds, in that they squeaked into the playoffs and looked like a "just happy to be here" club.

The following season, that won't be good enough.

They won't be satisfied with just making it there.

Despite losing their ace in spring training for half the season (hopefully not longer), the Reds are 14-8 (on pace for 103 wins!) and sit in first place.

They've been feisty and loads of fun, continuing to find different ways to win -- including going 6-0 in one-run games.

The Pirates were 71-91 last season with good pitching and a putrid offense.

They can't keep wasting seasons of Paul Skenes , right?

So the front office went out, despite a shoestring budget from penny-pinching ownership, and grabbed some offensive upgrades like Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn .

They are fourth in OPS and sixth in runs in the majors right now and it's translating.

They are 13-9 and have the feel of a legitimate contender.

It isn't like they've gotten all the breaks or anything, either.

Each of their last four losses was by just one run, while two of those came in extra innings.

They weren't supposed to be here!

Cardinals
The one team pretty much everyone agreed that definitely wouldn't be a contender in this division this season was the Cardinals.

They were in a transition phase throughout the offseason and even if it wasn't a radical rebuild or anything, there was a youth movement settling in that could, at bare minimum, be described as a retooling at the big-league level.

The funny thing is, as a fan, when you enter a season with low expectations, the highs can feel so much higher.

The Cardinals are 13-8 and Jordan Walker has looked like one of baseball's best sluggers .

Might there be five contenders for a while?

It is actually possible, logistically.

The schedule is spread out enough that all five teams could hang around in the playoff race and have similar records all season.

It's unlikely, but not totally off the table.

Regardless, there are no dregs in here.

Whichever team settles in at the bottom of this division won't go down without a fight.

That will provide us with great entertainment in this division all season, just as we've seen thus far.

All hail the NL Central!

Flyover country?

Please.

We rule here in the Midwest.