NL Central Discussion 2026

[sveumrules]

1 minute ago, Jopal78 said:

I don’t know. I think you’d be singing a different tune if the Brewers had a 22 year old with 32 homers and an .810 in his first 546 PAs like Sal Stewart.

Abbott has had a tough year, but was a 5.4 bWAR last year so I’m not sure the denigration is apt.

 

For his career Abbott is at 553 IP of 81 ERA- | 99 FIP-. Out of 85 pitchers with at least 400 IP over the last four seasons the -0.78 run gap between his 3.58 ERA and 4.36 FIP is the second largest behind only Shota Imanaga (3.43 ERA | 4.33 FIP) and just ahead of Jose Berrios (3.79 ERA | 4.44 FIP).

If his mediocre peripherals (95 K+ | 103 BB+ | 109 HR+ | 97 AVG+) were more in line with his run prevention I'd be fine classifying him as a #2, but most thought Peralta was barely a #2 in the grand scheme of things and he had 516 IP of 81 ERA- | 93 FIP- (3.40 ERA | 3.88 FIP) over his last three years with the Brewers while also running a top end strikeout rate (130 K+ | 6th highest from 2023 to 2025) and being one of the hardest pitchers to get a hit off of (85 AVG+ | 4th lowest from 2023 to 2025).

Stewart's raw power numbers will naturally be inflated hitting at GABP. All that only shakes out to a 114 wRC+ so far this year (115 for his career) and he is looking like a long term 1B where league average wRC+ has been 117, 109, 107, 111, 111, and 113 the last six seasons.

Still plenty of time to improve for sure, but so far he has 2.5 WAR in 615 career PA which is more of a solid starter than any kind of star. If that is your second best player you are going to need a whole lot more depth than the Reds currently have with their 5.5 WAR (30th in MLB, 1.3 wins below even the Rockies) from their position players entirely accounted for by EDLC (3.6 WAR over 491 PA) and Sal (2.0 WAR over 557 PA). The rest of their position players have combined to put up -0.1 WAR over 3,773 PA.

[Fear The Chorizo]

48 minutes ago, Jopal78 said:

I don’t know. I think you’d be singing a different tune if the Brewers had a 22 year old with 32 homers and an .810 in his first 546 PAs like Sal Stewart.

Abbott has had a tough year, but was a 5.4 bWAR last year so I’m not sure the denigration is apt either.

They have a nice core, but their moves for veterans have busted. I’m sure almost anyone would prefer the Reds group for future potential than for example PCA and a bunch of veterans in their 30s like in Chicago. 

 

I think a big differentiator is the Reds' defense stinks...and that's being generous.  They've got some young talent with pop, but they struggle with keeping teams off the scoreboard and many of their young position players aren't going to win gold gloves.  They remind me of the Fielder/Weeks/Braun brewers teams when they all came up together - it took a few seasons of tweaking pitching staffs to turn those teams into playoff contenders. I agree that their core is better positioned for success in future years than the Cubs....but both organizations are way behind the Brewers in that regard.

[wibadgers23]

Seems like it was just yesterday when the Cubs had the lead down to 3 games and now it's back up to 6 just like that. Even with the 7 head to head remaining, the Cubs are in danger of Milwaukee running away with the division.

[Jopal78]

39 minutes ago, sveumrules said:

For his career Abbott is at 553 IP of 81 ERA- | 99 FIP-. Out of 85 pitchers with at least 400 IP over the last four seasons the -0.78 run gap between his 3.58 ERA and 4.36 FIP is the second largest behind only Shota Imanaga (3.43 ERA | 4.33 FIP) and just ahead of Jose Berrios (3.79 ERA | 4.44 FIP).

If his mediocre peripherals (95 K+ | 103 BB+ | 109 HR+ | 97 AVG+) were more in line with his run prevention I'd be fine classifying him as a #2, but most thought Peralta was barely a #2 in the grand scheme of things and he had 516 IP of 81 ERA- | 93 FIP- (3.40 ERA | 3.88 FIP) over his last three years with the Brewers while also running a top end strikeout rate (130 K+ | 6th highest from 2023 to 2025) and being one of the hardest pitchers to get a hit off of (85 AVG+ | 4th lowest from 2023 to 2025).

Stewart's raw power numbers will naturally be inflated hitting at GABP. All that only shakes out to a 114 wRC+ so far this year (115 for his career) and he is looking like a long term 1B where league average wRC+ has been 117, 109, 107, 111, 111, and 113 the last six seasons.

Still plenty of time to improve for sure, but so far he has 2.5 WAR in 615 career PA which is more of a solid starter than any kind of star. If that is your second best player you are going to need a whole lot more depth than the Reds currently have with their 5.5 WAR (30th in MLB, 1.3 wins below even the Rockies) from their position players entirely accounted for by EDLC (3.6 WAR over 491 PA) and Sal (2.0 WAR over 557 PA). The rest of their position players have combined to put up -0.1 WAR over 3,773 

Baseball analytics are now a Rorschach test, anyone can pick metrics to prove whatever point they want to make. 

Abbott is the Reds #3 starter behind Burnes and Greene (when healthy) with a 1.28 WHIP in over 500 career innings, and is probably a Top 10 lefty starter in the NL, despite the metrics. 

We do know Stewart has more home runs and a higher slugging percentage on the road than at home so I’m not so sure GABP is inflating his slugging, but regardless the fact is he would be hitting 3 or 4 in the Brewers line up every night. 

[markedman5]

12 hours ago, StearnsFTW said:

He's right though.  

I’m not a fan of them either……. but it’s just bizarre to be so obsessed that you can’t gain ground on your rival that that you are left with complaining about their fashion choices……..lol.

[gregmag]

14 hours ago, Jopal78 said:

Baseball analytics are now a Rorschach test, anyone can pick metrics to prove whatever point they want to make. 

Comments like this are such a tell. “You responded to my argument with information. I don’t want to admit that your information refutes my argument. Instead, I insist that all information is worthless. Now that I’ve undermined the whole basis of reasoned discussion, here’s some information that doesn’t address your points at all but sounds good to me and — who knows! — might even fool a few other people.”

[Jopal78]

6 hours ago, gregmag said:

Comments like this are such a tell. “You responded to my argument with information. I don’t want to admit that your information refutes my argument. Instead, I insist that all information is worthless. Now that I’ve undermined the whole basis of reasoned discussion, here’s some information that doesn’t address your points at all but sounds good to me and — who knows! — might even fool a few other people.”

You do you, bro. The original poster said “Sal Stewart is nice and would be alright as a teams 5th or 6th best hitter”. Then used a bunch of metrics to denigrate the player.
 

But for a group that otherwise prides itself on “prospect knowledge” it’s interesting that it’s unacknowledged that Sal Stewart was a Top 100 prospect for multiple seasons, and MLB Pipeline’s  #1 first base prospect coming in to the 2026 season.
 

Then with 32 home runs and an .812 OPS in his first 148 games as a 21-22 year old, plus an All-Star recognition under his belt there’s a bunch of metrics posted arguing he’s not an impressive player merely “nice” or “alright”…..Rorschach test plain and simple. 

[Team Canada]

Not calling you out specifically Jopal more than any other poster, but "you do you" is just the latest way to say "I think you're an idiot," and it's not necessary nor additive to any conversation. I hope at some point it just goes away and encourage others to proactively remove it from your vocabulary.

[Jopal78]

9 hours ago, Team Canada said:

Not calling you out specifically Jopal more than any other poster, but "you do you" is just the latest way to say "I think you're an idiot," and it's not necessary nor additive to any conversation. I hope at some point it just goes away and encourage others to proactively remove it from your vocabulary.

It’s actually not, it means exactly what I said, I’m not going call somebody idiot if I make a point and support that point with evidence and they don’t want to believe it.  That’s their prerogative ie, you do you. To insinuate otherwise insults both Bobby Brown and myself. 
 

More seriously, there are way more back handed put downs on here which are more deserving of your time cleaning up than monitoring what I write.

[wiguy94]

Crazy how different the Brewers and Cubs are. They just hit their 43rd HR in August to go up 3-0 tonight meanwhile the Brewers have 42 HR since the start of July.

[ReverendBrewmeister]

6 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Crazy how different the Brewers and Cubs are. They just hit their 43rd HR in August to go up 3-0 tonight meanwhile the Brewers have 42 HR since the start of July.

Lack of power in the lineup looks like the looming potential downfall in a playoff series. Last in the NL in home runs; 11th in slugging percentage. That type of instant offense, one-man rally potential, let alone the 3-run bombs, is an advantage for the other NL contenders: Dodgers, Cubs, Phillies, and Braves.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

9 hours ago, ReverendBrewmeister said:

Lack of power in the lineup looks like the looming potential downfall in a playoff series. Last in the NL in home runs; 11th in slugging percentage. That type of instant offense, one-man rally potential, let alone the 3-run bombs, is an advantage for the other NL contenders: Dodgers, Cubs, Phillies, and Braves.

Brewers' lack of power may just be outweighed by the Cubs' terrible pen.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

On 8/23/2026 at 12:41 AM, gregmag said:

Comments like this are such a tell. “You responded to my argument with information. I don’t want to admit that your information refutes my argument. Instead, I insist that all information is worthless. Now that I’ve undermined the whole basis of reasoned discussion, here’s some information that doesn’t address your points at all but sounds good to me and — who knows! — might even fool a few other people.”

Lmao. This is dude's whole schtick. Don't sweat it.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

10 hours ago, ReverendBrewmeister said:

Lack of power in the lineup looks like the looming potential downfall in a playoff series. Last in the NL in home runs; 11th in slugging percentage. That type of instant offense, one-man rally potential, let alone the 3-run bombs, is an advantage for the other NL contenders: Dodgers, Cubs, Phillies, and Braves.

Until it doesn't happen and then the narrative is that whatever team can't manufacture runs and is too reliant on "selfish swinging." I think so much more of postseason success is just being hot in a short series than anyone wants to admit, because you can't "analytic" that.

[owbc]

10 hours ago, ReverendBrewmeister said:

Lack of power in the lineup looks like the looming potential downfall in a playoff series. Last in the NL in home runs; 11th in slugging percentage. That type of instant offense, one-man rally potential, let alone the 3-run bombs, is an advantage for the other NL contenders: Dodgers, Cubs, Phillies, and Braves.

We’re near the top of the league in 3 run HR.

We have power, we purposely don’t go for solo HR because they aren’t worth it according to our analytics. 

[dlk9s]

1 hour ago, Ron Robinsons Beard said:

Brewers' lack of power may just be outweighed by the Cubs' terrible pen.

Ah, so that's where "the pen is mightier than the sword" comes from.

[Brian]

In the fifth inning of the Cubs' 7-0 win over the D-backs, jawing between dugouts broke out as Arizona suspected Chicago third-base coach Quintin Berry was stealing and relaying signs from the coaches’ box. D-backs starter Merrill Kelly and his allies suspected Berry was picking up his changeup grip from the open angle of his glove.

https://www.mlb.com/news/d-backs-cubs-argue-over-sign-stealing

[markedman5]

So Cubs blow it with 2 outs in the 9th last night and just got shut out 2-0 today.

[ClosetBrewerFan]

11 minutes ago, markedman5 said:

So Cubs blow it with 2 outs in the 9th last night and just got shut out 2-0 today.

They need more power in their lineup

[markedman5]

Cubs apparently got screwed out of scoring the tying run in the 8th on a missed balk call……,..that really is a shame.

 

[Samurai Bucky]

8 hours ago, dlk9s said:

Ah, so that's where "the pen is mightier than the sword" comes from.

SWORD!

[Brian]

On 8/25/2026 at 9:38 PM, wiguy94 said:

Crazy how different the Brewers and Cubs are. They just hit their 43rd HR in August to go up 3-0 tonight meanwhile the Brewers have 42 HR since the start of July.

Except you could say the exact same thing about the Cubs pitching.  It is questionable at best. 

Brewers pitching is what they are proficient at.