Brewers, Cubs, Cardinals and more: Bold May predictions for NL Central teams

Cincinnati Reds bold prediction: Spencer Steer gets hot offensively

The Reds hope that Spencer Steer turns into one of their best young players this season … and why not? Acquired at the trade deadline last summer in a trade with the Minnesota Twins in a deal for Tyler Mahle, he was called up late last season and made a name for himself with his first career hit being a home run.

This season, the power-hitting first baseman is hitting near the top of the Reds’ order and offers a mixture of power and a speed threat on the bases. The 25-year-old is hitting .255 with a pair of home runs and nine RBI in his first full month in the majors.

As he gets more comfortable, there is no reason to believe that his average will not go up over the next month. He has four doubles and two home runs and those numbers should be on the rise. There is some hype around Steer and rightfully so in Cincinnati.

Milwaukee Brewers bold prediction: Rowdy Tellez hits eight homers in May

Rowdy Tellez is a power-hitting first baseman, with the key there being “power-hitting.” He had eight home runs in the month of April and is one of the must-watch hitters when he steps into the box. He finished with 35 last season and is on track to top that this season.

In three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, he played one full season in 2019 with 21 home runs, but he has found a new home in Milwaukee. This season has been bang or bust for Tellez as he has struck out 24 times, but the Brewers will take that with the power he has supplied early on.

Milwaukee currently is in second place in the division and third in run differential with a plus-29, behind the Cubs with a plus-45, and the Pirates with a plus-38. If the Brewers are going to stay near the top of the standings by Memorial Day, Tellez will play a big part in that with his offensive power.

Pittsburgh Pirates bold prediction: Lead in the division will increase in May

It’s been a long time since there was excitement around the Pirates and this season they have proved that they are going to be a problem, despite losing shortstop Oneil Cruz. They can win games in multiple ways and turned some heads with a sweep of the Boston Red Sox on the road in the second series of the season.

They can win a game with some small ball, they can hit for power with the home run ball and they currently lead the majors in stolen bases with 38. Andrew McCutchen and Connor Joe have been producing offensively and they locked up star left fielder Bryan Reynolds with an eight-year, $106 million contract.

The loss of Cruz is without a doubt a blow to Pittsburgh, but their pitching both with their starters and the bullpen have been a surprise. They have a veteran in Carlos Santana who can be a leader and Rodolfo Castro has done a nice filling in for Cruz. This team is going to be a problem for the NL Central in 2023.

St. Louis Cardinals bold prediction: Pitching continues to be a problem

What’s wrong with the Cardinals this season? It starts on the mound. They are 22nd in the league with a 4.49 ERA and their opponents are hitting 2.72 off of their starters and bullpen, a big reason why they are in the cellar of the division.

Miles Mikolas has a 5.97 ERA, Jack Flaherty has just under a 4.00 ERA and Steven Matz has struggled mightily with a 6.23 ERA. Even former New York Yankee Jordan Montgomery has an ERA of 3.81. The news gets worse out of the bullpen with Jordan Hicks, Drew VerHagen, and Chris Stratton all having ERAs north of 4.00.

To compound matters, they are fourth in the majors in batting, but 16th in runs scored and with their struggles on the mound, that’s not a good combination. It is set up to be a long summer in St. Louis.

The NL Central has been one of the most interesting divisions through the first month of the season with the Pirates sitting on top, the Cardinals in the basement, and some young players making the most of the opportunities they have. May is setting up to a very interesting month in the NL Central.