2022 National League Central Division Prediction, Odds: (Brewers to Lose?)
By Reed Wallach
The Milwaukee Brewers pulled away to win the National League Central in 2021, can they repeat?
Milwaukee is headlined by a dominant pitching staff that has one of the best bullpen arms in all of baseball with Josh Hader and are the favorites to win it two years in a row. Elsewhere, the St. Louis Cardinals always lurk as a threat to win the division, while the Cubs, Reds and Pirates are in the midsts of rebuilds.
Let's preview the NL Central and see if the Cards can keep up with the Brew Crew this season, or if there's a surprise team lurking below them?
Here is each team's win total from WynnBET Sportsbook:
NL Central Division Win Total Predictions
- Brewers: 90 (Over -110/Under -110)
- Cardinals: 86 (Over -110/Under -110)
- Cubs: 73.5 (Over -110/Under -110)
- Reds: 73.5 (Over -110/Under -110)
- Pirates: 64 (Over -110/Under -110)
Milwaukee Brewers Win Total Predictions
Consistency. That's the Brewers way. The team doesn't win with flashy plays or star studded players, they simply produce.
The team has a deep rotation with the second choice at WynnBET to win NL Cy Young in Corbin Burnes in addition to Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta to go with a vaunted bullpen, headlined by Hader.
This is the class of the NL Central, but there is still upside in the order, namely Christian Yelich. The 2018 MVP has fallen off over the past two seasons, hitting just .248 in 2021 with 9 home runs as he battled injuries. That's the thing with Milwaukee, despite their prized position player slumping for 2+ seasons, the team has been a fixture in the postseason.
Now, they get the Central at it's weakest in several years, setting up for a runaway to have a monster season. With more teams in the division rebuilding than not, I like the Brewers to push north of 90 wins.
St. Louis Cardinals Win Total Prediction
The Cards used a late season surge to get into the postseason in 2021, and will hope for some development from their outfield prospects to win the division crown in 2022.
Tyler O'Neil hit 34 home runs last season, flanked by veteran Paul Goldschmidt and defensive ace Nolan Arenado at third base. Arizona has some upside with the best defense in baseball in 2021, but can they count on their pitching?
The team was supposed to be anchored by Jack Flaherty but he is set to be on the shelf to start the season with a right shoulder injury. The bullpen is full of questions and it's fair to question if the Cards rotation can hold up with middling arms like Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz and Adam Wainwright propping up the rotation.
The truth of the matter is that this division will alleviate the pressure on the Cards pitching staff, but there isn't enough depth to count on them to compete this season. The team closed on a 22-7 run, which might be inflating their win total out of a range of betting it, despite the easy competition in 2022.
Chicago Cubs Win Total Prediction
This win total might be selling the Cubs a bit short. Yes, they have sold off a ton of their key pieces from their 2016 World Series title, but this win total may be too low for a team that still has some pieces moving forward.
The club brought in veteran arms like Marcus Stroman and Wade Miley to pitch behind Kyle Hendricks and also have some talent in the bullpen with David Robertson, Jesse Chavez and Mychal Givens headlining the unit.
The team may not be flashy, but there are enough professionals on the club that they can rise to the top over the likes of the selling Reds or the rebuilding Pirates. If there was a team to outperform expectations with ease, it's the Cubs, who still have some talent on hand with Wilson Contreras and a handful of journeymen that can help grind out wins.
Cincinnati Reds Win Total Prediction
Comparing the Cubs to the Reds, I'd much rather play Chicago's over and Cincinnati's under.
The team has offloaded a lot of their talented players in order to cut costs and likely begin a rebuild. Sure, Jesse Votto and Luis Castillo (even though he's hurt) are still on the roster, but Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez have been traded while Nick Castellanos left in free agency.
The Reds have limited opitions in the bullpen and may be short of quality arms to start the season due to injuries.
The sell off may only just be beginning and this is a team primed to completely bottom out in 2022 as they start to prepare for the next era of their franchise.
Pittsburgh Pirates Win Total Prediction
It's tough to get excited about the Pirates, but I wouldn't be rushing to bet their under. They have NL Rookie of the Year favorite O'Neil Cruz on hand and talented budding stars like Bryan Reynolds in the outfield.
However, how long will someone like Reynolds be on hand for? There is always speculation the Pirates can cash in on their star players to send them to contending teams and he has been the subject of trade rumors already.
Pittsburgh is getting there, not enough to bet the over, but in a lousy division this team could get to the high 60's with a few breaks their way.
Looking for more previews ahead of Opening Day? Check out the BetSided team’s AL East andNL West previews here!