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2019 MLB season: National League Central preview

By David Hill

ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 17: Pitcher Miles Mikolis #39 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws a pitch in the first inning during the game against the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park on September 17, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 17: Pitcher Miles Mikolis #39 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws a pitch in the first inning during the game against the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park on September 17, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Mike McGinnis/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
(Photo by Mike McGinnis/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

Out of all the divisions in the game, the National League Central may be the most difficult to predict ahead of the 2019 MLB season.

Tanking may be all the rage across the league, but you would not be able to tell in the National League Central. Instead, each team in the division is eyeing a spot in the playoffs at the end of the 2019 MLB season, a surprising scenario given the way the division played out last season.

In 2018, every team excluding the Reds finished above .500. The Brewers and Cubs had to go to Game 163 to decide the division, which ended up going to Milwaukee. The Brewers then ended up a game away from the World Series, coming up just short in their quest for a title.

This year, every team in the division has a viable path to the postseason. Even the Reds, who only won 67 games last season, made moves to improve the roster and contend. This division will not be as top heavy as it was in recent years; instead, the NL Central appears to be the best division in the game as we head into the 2019 MLB season. Indeed, it would not be a surprise for all five teams to finish within ten games of each other by the end of the season.

Which team will emerge from the pack and realize their postseason dreams? Let us take a look around the NL Central.

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