Can the St. Louis Cardinals still win the National League Central?

Just a week ago, many were writing off the Cardinals' 2023 season. Now, they look like a team who could win their division

It's safe to say that the St. Louis Cardinals are coming off of their best week of baseball all season. The club has won six of their last seven games, and there is a whole new energy surrounding the club.

Many wrote off the Cardinals as recently as May 6th, when the club fell to 10-24 and looked completely lost in all facets of the game. They had just made the crazy move to remove Willson Contreras from being their primary catcher, and it seemed like hope was lost on a turnaround for the club.

All week long though, the Cardinals showed fight and determination. They played much better baseball than they had been all season, especially when it came to producing runs. Any time they fell behind in a game, you had the confidence that they could come back in a hurry and win the game.

If you're thinking to yourself "It was just one week, are we really going to write off the first 34 games of the season?", that is completely fair to say. The club still has major flaws when it comes to pitching, and the whole they dug themselves will not be easy to climb out of.

But for those who are starting to believe they could still win the National League Central, you have good reason to.

Here are three reasons why the Cardinals have a legit shot to win the National League Central after their recent turnaround.

The National League Central is weak

When compared to their fellow division rivals, the Cardinals have the best record in the division over the last 10 games. The Brewers and Reds are both 5-5, the Cubs have stumbled at 4-6, and the Pirates have been an awful 2-8.

While some believed in the hot starts of the Brewers, Cubs, and especially the Pirates, they all seem more like teams that overachieved to begin the year and are falling back down to their initial expectations, while the Cardinals are doing the exact opposite.

This doesn't mean those three teams cannot win the NL Central this year, but I don't think they are going to give the Cardinals as much trouble as they'd find in the National League East or West.

A weak division allows for a team like the Cardinals to climb out of the hole they are in. Crazy enough, they are only 7.5 games back of the division at this point. They could very easily cut into that lead significantly before the end of May, and have all summer and September to cover the rest of their deficit.

The surging offense

Over the last week, the Cardinals' offense has come alive in a way that many of us had expected them to play before the season began. During that stretch, the Cardinals have a .817 OPS and look ready to slug with the best teams in baseball.

This resurgence can be pinned to multiple hitters, such as Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Nolan Gorman, and Lars Nootbaar. Each of these guys has been playing at an All-Star level, if not more, and has allowed the Cardinals' offense to reach heights it had not yet this season.

The supporting cast around those guys has been incredible as well. Willson Contreras, Brendan Donovan, and Paul DeJong have especially turned it on the for club, and even someone like Andrew Knizner is finding ways to do damage with the baseball.

This offense is finally hitting it's stride, and still has more reinforcements in the wings. Tyler O'Neill or Jordan Walker could force their way onto the roster in the near future, and guys like Luken Baker and Masyn Winn provide incredible depth as well.

If the Cardinals' offense can play up to it's expectations as a top-5 offense in baseball from here on out, they'll win a lot of games.