The mighty NL Central is the majors’ only division with 5 winning teams

Milwaukee won the division in 2025 for the third consecutive year. Chicago and Cincinnati also made the playoffs as wild cards.

“We had three teams in the playoffs last year. We were the only division in the National League to have three,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “In previous years, we’ve never had respect. ... The (division) has been very good and last year was evidence. This year is not surprising.”

The Cubs signed Bregman to a five-year, $175 million contract in free agency, and the Reds and Pirates also made significant offseason additions. But the Central also has benefited from the arrival of a group of promising young hitters.

Stewart, 22, leads the majors with 29 RBIs in 28 games for the Reds. Moisés Ballesteros, 22, is batting .387 in 25 games for the Cubs. Wetherholt, 23, has connected for a solo homer in each of his last three games.

Griffin, who signed a nine-year, $140 million contract with Pittsburgh on April 8, is showing signs of shaking off his slow start. He hit his first career homer on his 20th birthday.

“A ton of young talent in the division, and I feel like that’s really exciting,” Bregman said.

The Central also has been helped by a patient approach at the plate.

The Cubs lead the National League with 130 walks, followed by the Brewers at 126 and the Reds at 119. The Pirates are fifth with 110, and the Cardinals have 103 walks so far.

“It’s about trying to put together quality at-bats and those are leading to walks,” Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell said. “It’s part of our identity, putting together quality at-bats.”

It remains to be seen how the standings shake out once the NL Central starts seeing more of each other. St. Louis played its first division game when it rallied for a 4-2 victory at Pittsburgh. Cincinnati, Chicago and Milwaukee just have played three division games apiece.

“It’s a lot of really good teams,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “When you look at the way we got three teams into the playoffs last year and the way we’ve started out this year with all five teams playing good baseball, it’s been a lot of fun. It’s cool to see the division be so strong. There’s going to be a lot of really good games.”