MLB Betting: What Should We Make of the NL Central?

The National League Central remains one of the biggest question marks in baseball this season as it has been the worst division in the game.

The division has seen a mixture of the best teams underperforming and the bottom teams playing much better than expected. As the MLB season nears the halfway point, the NL Central remains up for grabs, with all five teams still in the discussion.

Here's a look at the current NL Central odds via the MLB division winner odds at FanDuel Sportsbook

Milwaukee Brewers

FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: +115
Record: 37-35 (second in NL Central)

The Milwaukee Brewers are not the team they were a few years ago -- one that boasted a league-best starting rotation and an awesome offense led by an MVP-caliber Christian Yelich -- but they're still a good baseball team. Milwaukee has, in many ways, performed around as expected offensively but hasn't seen the usual success from its pitching, which is why they have found themselves in and out of first place so far this season.

Despite being in second place, Milwaukee is currently the betting favorite to win the division.

It's safe to say that the rotation's woes will be aided whenever Brandon Woodruff makes his way back to the field as he's made only two starts this season. But any resurgence from the Brew Crew's starting pitching needs to begin with former NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes getting back on track. The right-hander has a 4.22 skill interactive ERA (SIERA), which is easily the worst in his career. This connects to Milwaukee's overall SIERA of 4.35 -- seventh-worst in the league.

Milwaukee being the favorite means oddsmakers are likely operating under the assumption Woodruff returns healthy and Burnes gets back on track. Plus, no one else in the division is all that good.

Chicago Cubs

FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: +350
Record: 34-38 (fourth in NL Central)

Despite being fourth in the NL Central, there's confidence in the Chicago Cubs to figure things out, per these odds.

The Cubs, like their record, have been in the middle of the pack all season. Their starting rotation has been solid and has only gotten better with the return of Kyle Hendricks. Justin Steele has notably been a standout, keeping down the walks with an impressive 5.8% walk rate and forcing weak content against opposing batters with a 17.7% hard-hit rate. It'll be their starting pitching, which also features a return-to-form Marcus Stroman, that can earn them the division crown.

Offensively, the Cubbies rank 14th with a .319 weighted on-base average (wOBA) but have the 6th-highest strikeout rate (24.2%). If offseason additions Cody Bellinger and Dansby Swanson can get back to their early-season success, the Cubs have just as good a chance of winning this wide-open division as anyone else does.

They'll need to turn things around sooner rather than later, but with +350 odds and numbers that add up to be better than most in their division, the Cubs makes some sense.

Cincinnati Reds

FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: +440
Record: 38-35 (first in NL Central)

The Cincinnati Reds have won nine straight games, and that has landed them in first place in the NL Central.

Who saw that coming?

The call-up of Elly De La Cruz has unquestionably been a jolt to the team, with his dynamic speed and power, but it goes beyond that for the Reds. Since De La Cruz joined the lineup, the Reds have a .339 wOBA, ranking eighth-best in the majors in that time. Cincinnati's offense also has the sixth-lowest strikeout rate in baseball (19.4%). This isn't to say Cincy will be able to keep this up for the rest of the season, but the way things have been going, there's no reason to believe their offense can't keep driving them forward.

In all liklehood, what will make or break this team long-term will be pitching, as the starting rotation has plenty of injuries and wasn't all that good to begin with. The bright spot has been their bullpen, specifically closer Alexis Diaz. His 15.6 strikeouts per nine (K/9) and 2.47 expected ERA (xERA) rank him among the very best in baseball. If the Regs can patch together everything ahead of Diaz, maybe they can hold up this success.

Despite their red-hot run to first place, Cincinnati is just +440 to win the division. Oddsmakers clearly aren't counting on the Reds to keep it up, but with a fun, young team in a winnable division, the Reds should at least be able to make some noise this year.

St. Louis Cardinals

FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: +500
Record: 30-43 (fifth in NL Central)

Things have to turn around for the St. Louis Cardinals eventually, right?

Coming into the season, it was between the Cardinals and Brewers as the two best teams in the division, with everyone else trying to play catch-up. After all, the Cardinals were coming off a 93-69 season in which they won the division. The retirement of Yadier Molina was a big deal, but St. Louis went and acquired Willson Contreras to make up for that loss.

The Cardinals just haven't been able to click this season.

With an offense led by reigning NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, St. Louis has been OK with the bats. The Cards rank 10th in wOBA (.325) but have the 10th-lowest batting average on balls in play (BABIP) at .288. Their numbers may pick up with some good BABIP luck.

The Cardinals' main struggles come on the pitching side. The team's 4.31 SIERA isn't ideal, ranking 11th-worst, but it is the 2nd-best in the division. None of the Cardinals' starters have a SIERA below 4.09.

Currently eight games back of the Reds, the Cardinals will need to turn it up on both sides of the ball if they want to get back to the playoffs. It's a bold bet at their current state, but if the Cards are able to flip the switch, they're capable of making a run.

Pittsburgh Pirates

FanDuel Sportsbook Odds: +1000
Record: 34-37 (third in NL Central)

With the mess that the NL Central has been, the Pittsburgh Pirates at +1000 odds may be the bet among any of these.

By no means are they the most talented team in the division. Pittsburgh has the third-lowest payroll in baseball and is playing with house money at this point. Looking at their offensive numbers, not much stands out -- which is a constant with the majority of the NL Central -- as the Pirates' .316 wOBA ranks 16th in the league. But the Pirates are walking a lot, with a 9.8% walk rate that is the fourth-highest.

Only three games back of the division lead, the Pirates' mediocrity could be what helps them stay afloat in the division. If Pittsburgh is able to hover near a .500 record, it would likely keep the Pirates in the hunt all year long.

With that said, it's difficult to be too excited about the Pirates when other teams in the division will likely be more willing to make moves to bolster the team while the Buccos could sell some of their best parts to keep obtaining prospects.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.