Two MLB Divisions Remain Shockingly Subpar

Often times when trying to determine who the best teams in baseball are, it’s important to look at the strength of said team’s division.

If one were to evaluate the Tampa Bay Rays, then a positive evaluation would be accurate given the strength of the American League East.

However, other MLB divisions may lack that strength and may have teams that aren’t exactly setting the world on fire who are battling for the top spot.

On Twitter, Buster Olney of ESPN posted the combined run differentials of every division.

Run differential by division:
AL East +245
NL West +33
NL East +32
AL West +23
NL Central -76
AL Central -257

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 2, 2023

The list shows the AL East ahead of the pack by a mile, while the NL Central and AL Central divisions are bringing up the rear.

The NL Central is not the strongest division in baseball by any means.

The Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers came into Sunday’s action tied at the top with records of 44-39.

However, they do not have full command of the division at the moment.

The Chicago Cubs came into Sunday five games below the .500 mark at 38-43, but are only five games out of first.

The St. Louis Cardinals entered Sunday’s slate of games 9.5 games back of first with plenty of time left in the season, despite sitting at 34-48.

The AL Central is even weaker than the NL Central.

The Minnesota Twins entered Sunday at the top spot in the division, but with a .500 record.

Interestingly enough, the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox were 10 and 13 games below .500, respectively.

However, Detroit was just five games out of first, while the White Sox were only 6.5 back.

The Central divisions are certainly not the class of baseball this year, and it will be interesting to see how things play out.

NEXT: 
Ken Rosenthal Discusses Marcus Stroman’s Future With The Cubs