One year ago, the Chicago Cubs ran away with the best record in baseball en route to a World Series championship. Chicago posted 103 wins and finished 17.5 games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central. The Cubs are off to another strong start this year while their familiar competition has struggled to keep up with the St. Louis Cardinals in particular off to a slow start. A lot can change over the course of the season but Chicago will be extremely tough to keep up with in the division. Here is a look at the key x-factors for each team in the National League Central.
Chicago Cubs (12-10)
X-Factor: C Wilson Contreras
The Cubs don’t really have any major weaknesses. One area of concern is behind the plate. David Ross was a leader in the clubhouse and a steady presence for Chicago’s pitchers last season so there were some obvious question marks when he retired. However, Wilson Contreras has been solid early on and there is reason to believe the 24-year-old is more than capable of performing at a high level. The Cubs are banking on Contreras contributing at a high level both with his bat and in a defensive role. With so much talent across the board, Contreras could turn out to be the biggest x-factor for Chicago this season.
Milwaukee Brewers (12-11)
X-Factor: OF Lewis Brinson
Keon Broxton and Kirk Niuwenheis haven’t performed at a high level for the Brewers this season. It might be only a matter of time before Milwaukee calls on Brinson. The 22-year-old is a legitimate five-tool prospect with tremendous upside. After hitting .355 with two home runs in his first seven games for Triple-A Colorado Springs the temptation has to be there to give him an opportunity with the big club. Milwaukee’s offense could use some more pop and Brinson could be the x-factor that provides it for them.
Cincinnati Reds (10-12)
X-Factor: SP Anthony DeSclafani
The fact that Cincinnati has managed to hang around the .500 mark so far this season is pretty impressive. A patchwork starting rotation has been pretty good so far and will be key to their continued success. DeSclafani in particular is an intriguing piece that could help the Reds hang around the .500 mark this year. The 27-year-old struggled with injuries last season but excellent in his 20 starts. DeSclafani went 9-5 with a 3.28 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in 123.1 innings of work. Cincinnati is clearly high on DeSclafani’s potential upside and he could emerge as a key x-factor for them this season.
St. Louis Cardinals (11-11)
X-Factor: RP Trevor Rosenthal
The Cardinals bullpen has shown signs of stabilizing following a rocky start. Seung Hwan Oh in particular has settled down following a brutal first couple of appearances and for now he has solidified his hold on the closer role. However, Trevor Rosenthal’s presence could keep the pressure on Oh as the Cardinals have toyed with the idea of using him in the closer role. Rosenthal has allowed just one earned run in his first four appearances with seven strikeouts in 3.1 innings of work. Rosenthal’s presence will be key for St. Louis as both a bullpen option and somebody to keep the pressure to perform on Oh. The Cardinals need the veteran reliever to continue to perform at a high level as one of their x-factors this season.
Pittsburgh Pirates (10-12)
X-Factor: SP Tyler Glasnow
Garrit Cole, Jameson Taillon and Ivan Nova make up a solid top three in the Pirates starting rotation. With their offense struggling and Starling Marte suspended, Pittsburgh will continue to rely heavily on its starting rotation to win games. That means they will need Tyler Glasnow to perform at a high level as an intriguing prospect that is ready for his shot. Glasnow produced a 2.03 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in 500 innings in the minors. While nobody expects him produce those numbers with the Pirates, his ability to stabilize the back end of Pittsburgh’s rotation will be an important x-factor this season.
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