Brewers
Good: The Brewers went on a 14-game winning streak to takeover the division and should be able to keep the lead. The bats and pitching have been on fire. Ace Freddy Peralta has been on fire and killed the trade rumors for another season. P Quinn Priester has taken the next step as the #2 and late free agent Jose Quintana has been a solid #3. 1st year P Jacob Misiorowski is proving to be special already at 6’7.
Veteran OF Christian Yelich has been on fire overcoming his back problems. 2B Brice Turang is looking like one of the best 2B in the league at 25. CF Jackson Chourio is looking like one of the best in the league in year 2 at only 21. 1B Andrew Vaughn has been on fire with the change of scenery from the White Sox. C William Contreras is having another good year after a slow start. The production can come from anywhere in the lineup.
Bad: No major issues besides Yelich’s back concerns and any injuries. Keeping the Cubs from winning the division and seeing how far they can take this team in the postseason should be the only concerns.
Cubs
Good: The team is #1 in the NL Wildcard and only 5.5 games back despite the Brewers streak. The bats have been solid while the pitching has been good. OF Seiya Suzuki has shown increased power to his game while having a solid season. OF Kyle Tucker has solid production and has been able to stay productive after a short injury stint. 1yr 3B Matt Shaw seems to have figured it out offensively after early struggles. 1B Michael Busch has added solid power to the lineup along with SS Dansby Swanson who has been very consistent also. 2B Nico Hoerner continues to play good defense and get on base consistently. Underrated OF Ian Happ completes one of the best outfields in the league. The power can come from anywhere in the lineup.
Big free agent P Matt Boyd has been solid performing more like the ace. Ace Shota Imanaga has been solid after a slow start. 1yr P Cade Horton has been a solid addition to the starting rotation. Veteran P Colin Rea has been very productive as the #3 pitcher and a solid pick up. The bullpen has played well.
Bad: OF Pete Crow-Armstrong has been ice cold after a very hot start to the season. The team lacks batting depth outside of the outfield. The pitching needs to be more consistent to catch the Brewers and into the postseason.
Reds
Good: The team tried to make moves to move into the NL Wildcard race. The starting pitching has been solid. SS Elly De La Cruz continues to be a do it all player leading the team. OF T.J. Friedl has had a solid season and has been able to stay mostly healthy. 2B/OF Gavin Lux has been a solid pick up and consistent bat from the Dodgers. 3B/OF Noelvi Marte has proven to be a solid power bat in year 3 at only 23. Veteran OF Austin Hays has been a solid bat with power. Trade deadline pickups 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes from the Pirates and OF/3B Miguel Andujar from the Athletics have provided solid production.
Bad: The team doesn’t seem to have enough to make a push for a wildcard spot. 1B Spencer Steer and 2B Matt McClain haven’t played to their potential. Veteran OF Jake Fraley had a down year and was let go. The batting production is inconsistent, and the bullpen could use improvements. 1st year P Chase Burns struggled and is now injured. Despite good production, P Graham Ashcraft continues to deal with injuries.
Cardinals
Good: Veteran 1B/C Willson Contreras is having a good season staying mostly healthy leading the team. 1B/OF Alec Burleson is having a good season in his 2nd year of increased playing time. 2B/OF Brendan Donovan played well when healthy. C/DH Ivan Herrera proved to be a solid power bat with versatility in his 1st year of increased playing time at 25. SS Masyn Winn has played well when healthy at age 23. Ace Sonny Gray continues to be the main bright spot of the pitching staff. 2nd year P Michael McGreevy has played well so far for a starting unit in need.
Bad: Team has fallen out of the wildcard race and to 4th in the division. Injuries. The younger players they depended on still haven’t developed like 2B Nolan Gorman and OF Jordan Walker. Veteran 3B Nolan Arenado cooled off after a good start and the team didn’t trade him when his value was high. The team could use another power bat or 2. The starting pitching has been horrible outside of Gray and most of the productive bullpen players have been traded.
Pirates
Good: 2nd year P Paul Skenes looks set to win NL CY Young with a 1.98 ERA despite the lack of batting production giving him a 10-9 record. The team has called up top prospect P Bubba Chandler who has the talent/potential to be a solid #2 behind Skenes. P Mitch Keller continues to be a solid #2 pitcher despite the lack of run production. The bullpen has played well also.
OF/SS Oneil Cruz has shown increased power and good defense moving to the outfield, although his batting average has dipped. OF Bryan Reynolds continues to be a consistent bat with good power. Veteran Andrew McCutchen continues to be a consistent bat with good power at 38. 1B Spencer Horwitz who basically fell in their lap has been a consistent bat. Veteran OF Tommy Pham has played well at age 37 after a down year.
Bad: The team hasn’t been able to find consistent batting production outside of the above and the team severely lacks power. The pitching staff hasn’t been able to get bailed out with the lack of batting help even Skenes. The team continues to be last in the division. The team had to become sellers at the deadline. The team waived veteran SS/3B Isiah Kiner-Falefa who was playing well to avoid a bonus.
