MLB season preview: The best reason to watch every NL Central team

As the new season approaches, every club has something to offer its fans that will keep them turning in throughout the six-month season. Here's what to keep an eye out for with the Cubs, Reds, Brewers, Pirates and Cardinals.

Stephanie Apstein | Mar 29, 2017

MLB season preview: The best reason to watch every NL Central team /

As Opening Day approaches, the one thing every team can count on for the long season ahead is hope, whether to make the postseason this year or to build toward a brighter future in days ahead. Yet no matter how competitive they are, all 30 teams will have at least one reason for their fans to stay interested for the next six months. Before the season kicks off, SI.com will explore the best reason to watch each team in 2017, starting with the AL East clubs on Thursday, March 23 and continuing with the AL Central (March 24), AL West (March 27), NL West (March 28), NL Central (March 29) and NL East (March 30).

Published Mar 29, 2017

STEPHANIE APSTEIN

Stephanie Apstein is a senior writer covering baseball and Olympic sports for Sports Illustrated, where she started as an intern in 2011. She has covered 10 World Series and three Olympics, and is a frequent contributor to SportsNet New York's Baseball Night in New York. Apstein has twice won top honors from the Associated Press Sports Editors, and her work has been included in the Best American Sports Writing book series. A member of the Baseball Writers Association of America who serves as its New York chapter vice chair, she graduated from Trinity College with a bachelor's in French and Italian, and has a master's in journalism from Columbia University.