Is the National League Central Rising?

Questions could be raised that the National League Central is starting to pick up the pace in being a strong division in baseball while other questions say otherwise. Sure you could say that the Cubs are one of the better teams in baseball and are off to a hot start. The Brewers have emerged onto the scene as a contender in the National League as well. Houston made some off season moves and are starting to glue the pieces together with the additions of Tejada, Matsui, Bourn, and Valverde. Then you have St. Louis who has gotten of to a great start and have some good young players and they are lead by "El Hombre" Albert Pujols. The Reds and the Pirates look to be at the bottom of the division again, but both teams have improved this year as well. The Reds made some off season moves, one of which was signing former Cubs Skipper Dusty Baker. Baker has some good talent on that team lead by future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. They picked up Cordero to be the closer and shortstop Jeff Kepinger has started the year off hot and has been a good starter in place of the injured Alex Gonzalaz. The Pirates have some guys that have had monster starts. Nady, McLouth, and Doumit are all batting well over .300 but their pitching is mediocre at best and their bullpen gets ruffed up as well.
Look for the Cubs to take this division. The Cubs have it all. They have depth, they are fast, they can hit, they can pitch, and they can just play some great baseball when all cylinders are running. The Brewers could make a run like last year and they have a lot of great talent on that team, but I think the Cubs have the edge on them when it comes to overall talent.
This blog is not about me praising the National Central and saying its the best division in baseball, because its not! But I think that in the next few years the N.L. Central will be among the top tier divisions in baseball.

By John Popovich: