The Nl Central is beginning to resemble what it once did a decade ago - besides the Chicago Cubs dominance, of course. Baseball's old lovable losers are now the toast of the division. The Pittsburgh Pirates were nearing that territory before setting it all on fire recently. All eyes, however, are on the Milwaukee Brewers, many pundits' sleeper pick to take the division.

Here are my NL Central power rankings entering 2018.

5. Cincinnati Reds

Outside of Joey Votto, the Reds are becoming increasingly unrecognizable in the NL Central. Good luck naming a single one of their pitchers.

There are some recognizable hitters, but each comes with their own warts. Billy Hamilton, for one, has speed for days, but can't quite make his way on to the bases to prove it. The prime of Votto's career is being wasted - luckily for him, he's being well compensated for it.

4. Pittsburgh Pirates

Remember when Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole were set to revive the Pirates franchise for the foreseeable future? Well, that lasted for but a moment. Both were traded away this offseason, to the San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros, respectively. What remains are the remnants of a shattered dream. Josh Harrison is still around, but he doesn't want to be. Ivan Nova is the Opening Day starter. A long fall to the NL Central cellar awaits.

3. St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis is one of the most consistent franchises in all of professional sports, let alone the NL Central. This year, that may actually hurt them. They brought in Marcell Ozuna, who immediately becomes a key cog in the lineup. The team did little to address its problematic rotation depth, though. Adam Wainwright, for instance, is already hurt.

As soon as injury strikes, the Cardinals are destined to sink. Meanwhile, Mike Matheny is on the hot seat.

2. Milwaukee Brewers

Many pundits list Milwaukee as their sleeper pick in the NL Central. There are plenty of reasons to like the Brewers. They're young and hungry, for starters - not quantifiable, but important nonetheless.

There are home run hitters hidden throughout the lineup. Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain, meanwhile, make the lineup more well-rounded. The pitching staff is a bit problematic, though. Zach Davies does not a second starter make.

1. Chicago Cubs

The long overdue World Series hangover was real for Chicago last year - and yet they were still pretty good. They just didn't make it back to the World Series. Replacing Jake Arrieta with Yu Darvish is an improvement, despite the latter's struggles at the end of the postseason. The lineup still promises to be as potent as ever. They should roll to an NL Central title.
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