Opinion: The National League Central is the most competitive division in baseball

Sal Stewart (Instagram)

We are about one month into the 2026 Major League Baseball season, and one division has brought significant intrigue so far. That happens to be the National League Central, where all five teams at the moment are above .500.

The NL Central Division leaders are the Cincinnati Reds at 18 wins and 10 losses. However, they only lead the Chicago Cubs by a game and a half (17 wins and 12 losses), the Pittsburgh Pirates by two and a half games (16 wins and 13 losses), the St. Louis Cardinals by three games (15 wins and 13 losses), and the Milwaukee Brewers by three and a half games (14 wins and 13 losses).

The team that made MLB headlines over the last week are the Cubs. That is because from April 14 to 24, the Cubs went on a 10 game winning streak. In that time, they beat the Philadelphia Phillies six times, the struggling New York Mets thrice, and the Los Angeles Dodgers once.

However, despite the 10 game winning streak, the Cubs are still in second place in the division. That is because prior to the winning streak, the Cubs lost seven of their first 16 games.

The one player on the division leading Reds that has got off to a great start is first baseman Sal Stewart of Miami, Florida. Stewart leads the Major Leagues at the moment with 29 runs batted in.

Meanwhile, the Brewers are getting great pitching despite being in last place. Reliever Aaron Ashby of Kansas City, Missouri leads the Major Leagues with five wins, and starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski of Blue Springs, Missouri leads the Major Leagues with 51 strikeouts.