NL Central Winner Odds, Predictions & Picks 2023

The National League Central was a competitive division in 2022, with the St. Louis Cardinals pulling away from the Milwaukee Brewers to finish on top of it. This year, the Brewers and Cardinals are poised to do battle again for the NL Central title, with the Chicago Cubs hoping to work their way into the race as well.

Here, we will keep you posted on the latest happenings in the battle for the NL Central title, updating the odds to win this division on a weekly basis. Be sure to grab a sign up bonus from one of the top MLB sportsbooks and check back here every week to find out where each team stands.

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NL Central Winner Odds 

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

NL Central Winner Pick - Milwaukee Brewers (-145)

The Milwaukee Brewers have finally overtaken the Pittsburgh Pirates at the top of the NL Central, and they should remain at the top of the division for the remainder of the season. While Milwaukee has yet to play their best baseball yet this season, the rest of this division has struggled mightily over the first two months.

We took the Brewers to win this division before the season at plus money, and are happy to take them at this price as well. Should the Pirates and Cubs come back to Earth by the All-Star break, the Brewers’ superiority over the St. Louis Cardinals thus far will be a huge difference maker in their favor.

Milwaukee Brewers (-145 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

After trailing the Pittsburgh Pirates for the first six weeks of the MLB season, the Milwaukee Brewers have finally jumped to the top of the NL Central. A recent slide by the Pirates opened the door for the Brewers to take the top spot in this division. So far, Milwaukee has taken advantage of that opportunity, and they will need to keep winning to maximize their chances of winning the Central.

Interestingly enough, the Brewers have a negative run differential at this stage of the season, while the next three teams behind them in the NL Central standings all have positive run differentials. But it does not matter how much you win games by in baseball, just that you win enough games to be at the top of the standings. So far, the Brewers have done a better job of that than any team in their division.

St. Louis Cardinals (+220 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

The St. Louis Cardinals were favored to win the NL Central before the start of the season, but a less-than-stellar start has moved them behind the Milwaukee Brewers in this year’s NL Central futures odds. The Cardinals are no longer in last place in this division, but they still have plenty of work to do if they are going to get back above .500 and become a real threat to the Brewers at the top of the standings.

St. Louis has been the best-hitting team in the NL Central, ranking first in this division in runs scored by a rather wide margin. But their pitching has been suspect throughout the year, with all of their main starting rotation members posting ERAs over 4.00 on the season. That will need to change if the Cardinals are going to win this division later in the year.

Chicago Cubs (+800 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

There is a slight gap between the first-place Brewers and third-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central standings. That gap is growing, as a recent losing streak for the Cubs has dropped them below .500 and well behind the Brewers at the top of this division race. Chicago has the best run differential in the NL Central, but that has not translated to success in the win column just yet.

Chicago’s struggles on the road are the reason that they have not been able to keep up in this division. The Cubs are right around .500 at home, but their road record is what has kept them below .500 overall. It will be interesting to see if they can develop some level of consistency in games that Justin Steele is not starting to help them move back up the NL Central standings.

Pittsburgh Pirates (+1200 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

The Pittsburgh Pirates spent some time in first place in the NL Central, thanks to a hot start that drew plenty of attention over the first few weeks of the season. But they have dropped into second place, as their strong start appears to have fizzled out. Now the Pirates face a telling test going forward, as their response to the adversity of dropping out of first place will determine how the rest of the season goes.

Surprisingly, the Pirates have been the best pitching team in the NL Central so far in 2023, allowing the fewest runs in the division. But they have also scored the fewest runs in the NL Central as well. Their lack of offense will be costly in the long run unless the Pirates find a spark in their lineup sooner rather than later.

Cincinnati Reds (+6000 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

It would take nothing short of a miracle for the Cincinnati Reds to win the NL Central in 2023. They, like the Pirates, lost 100 games last season and could be on track to do so again over the course of this year. Cincinnati has fallen into last place in the NL Central, and they are likely to remain there for the rest of the year, though the gap between the Reds and the first-place Brewers is still within single digits.

Cincinnati is another team for which road games have been their downfall so far in 2023. The Reds are a .500 ballclub at home, but they have failed to win a third of their games outside of Cincinnati. With that said, only being a handful of games out of first place this late in the season can be chalked up as a win for this team.

How to Place a Futures Bet on the NL Central Division

Futures bets are wagers on a team to win a championship or division title, in this case the NL Central championship. Betting on NL Central futures is an easy process, as bettors can login to their preferred sportsbook, go to the MLB Team Futures section, and pick the team they think will win this division.