2020 MLB predictions: Cardinals can prevail in underwhelming NL Central

The Post’s Dan Martin previews the NL Central.

1. St. Louis Cardinals

O/U wins: 32 ¹/₂

Key player: Jack Flaherty. He was superb in the second half of last season, going 7-2 with a 0.91 ERA in his final 15 outings and emerged as the team’s ace.

Player who’ll need to step up: Paul Goldschmidt had a rough start to open last season, his first in St. Louis. He had a .769 OPS in the first half, followed by .886 in the second half. Goldschmidt doesn’t have the luxury of that much time to get going in a 60-game regular season.

Name you’ll get to know: Dylan Carlson. The team’s top prospect is just 21 and played only 18 games at Triple-A, but he is on the team’s 60-man player pool and could win an outfield spot. He hit well in spring training before it was shut down and could be in line to compete for the starting job in left field, along with Tyler O’Neill and Lane Thomas, as the Cards move on from Marcell Ozuna.

Biggest question mark: How do they replace Ozuna in the lineup after not adding any significant bats following his free-agent departure to Atlanta? They’ll need contributions from new faces, as well as better seasons from veterans like Dexter Fowler and Matt Carpenter.

How it’ll go down: The Cardinals overcame a mediocre offense last year to get back to the postseason, as Paul DeJong and Tommy Edman helped make up for some of Goldschmidt’s struggles. They’ll need the entire lineup to produce at some point. Carlos Martinez will return to the rotation after working as a reliever. Lefty Kwang-Hyun Kim came over from the KBO and is set to pitch in the back end of the bullpen. Flamethrower Jordan Hicks — who was coming off Tommy John surgery — chose to opt out of the season. Giovanny Gallegos and Andrew Miller will have to pick up the slack for a team that’s good enough to contend in an underwhelming division.

2. Chicago Cubs

O/U wins: 32

Key Player: Kris Bryant is coming off a rough offseason in which he lost his service-time grievance, which will delay his free agency by a year. But the 28-year-old has been nothing but consistent on the field and recently expressed a desire to stay with the Cubs long term.

Player who’ll need to step up: Craig Kimbrel struggled after signing late last year, pitching to a 6.53 ERA in just 23 appearances. He’ll be on an even playing field this year and shouldn’t have the same issues, and the Cubs will need him to be the elite closer he’s performed like in the past.

Name you’ll get to know: Nico Hoerner. With Addison Russell out of the picture, Hoerner is expected to compete for the starting second base spot, where he’d slide into a veteran-laden infield. Jason Kipnis is another candidate at second.

Biggest question mark: How will David Ross do replacing Joe Maddon as manager? The former Cub will have to manage some former teammates and takes over a team that hasn’t changed personnel much since a year ago.

How it’ll go down: Cole Hamels is gone to the Braves, which makes Yu Darvish’s role that much more important after two very disappointing seasons after signing with Chicago. He’ll be 34 next month and there’s reason to believe his days as a No. 1 starter are over. The Cubs still have a core that includes Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez — as well as Kyle Schwarber, who should benefit from the NL adopting the DH this season. They’ll be in the mix, but with Bryant and Baez approaching free agency, their window could be closing soon.

3. Cincinnati Reds

O/U wins: 32 ¹/₂

Key player: Nick Senzel looks like he could be a standout player after impressing as a rookie with the ability to play the infield and outfield.

Player who’ll need to step up: Joey Votto. While the Reds upgraded their lineup, they still need Votto in the middle of it and the 36-year-old is coming off two straight subpar seasons. Alarmingly, his walks were down and strikeouts up a year ago.

Name you’ll get to know: Shogo Akiyama. As part of Cincinnati’s spending spree, they signed the Japanese outfielder to a three-year, $21 million deal.

Biggest question mark: The Reds figure to have a shaky defense, especially with Mike Moustakas at second base and Eugenio Suarez at third, but they’ll mostly be looking for Trevor Bauer to return to the form he showed before his trade from Cleveland last July. He had a 3.79 ERA in 24 starts with Cleveland and a 6.39 ERA in 10 outings with the Reds after being acquired for Yasiel Puig. Bauer has plenty of incentive to have a better 2020, since he’ll be a free agent following the season.

How it’ll go down: The Reds brought in Moustakas and OF Nick Castellanos on four-year, $64 million deals. The lineup, which also includes Suarez and his 49 homers from a year ago, will support a solid rotation that includes Yankee castoff Sonny Gray — who is in line to start Opening Day — along with Luis Castillo and Bauer. They have a solid shot of challenging for a postseason spot.

4. Milwaukee Brewers

O/U wins: 30 ¹/₂

Key Player: Christian Yelich. He’s emerged as one of the game’s top offensive forces, but he’s coming off a fractured knee suffered last September and will have less protection surrounding him this year after Milwaukee freed up money to sign Yelich to an extension in the offseason.

Player who’ll need to step up: Brandon Woodruff. The 27-year-old right-hander was terrific last season, when healthy. He went 11-3 with a 3.62 ERA in 22 starts in 2019, but suffered an oblique injury. Woodruff will head a new-look rotation that includes Josh Lindblom and Eric Lauer, though Brett Anderson will start the season on the IL.

Name you’ll get to know: Keston Hiura. The 23-year-old second baseman had an OPS of .938 after a May call-up and could help fill the void left by the departure of several veteran free agents.

Biggest question mark: While the Brewers locked in Yelich to an extension, they lost Mike Moustakas, Eric Thames, Yasmani Grandal and Travis Shaw from last year’s lineup to afford the nine-year, $215 million deal and will have to make up for that offense. And in general, the players Milwaukee imported were not upgrades.

How it’ll go down: The Brewers and manager Craig Counsell have thrived in the second half of seasons to reach the playoffs the last two seasons. They won’t have time to wait this year and will rely on veteran newcomers like Justin Smoak, Eric Sogard and Avisail Garcia to go with Ryan Braun — who has been dealing with myriad physical issues — and Lorenzo Cain to try to make another run at the postseason.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates

O/U wins: 25 ¹/₂

Key player: Bryan Reynolds. The switch-hitting outfielder is coming off a solid rookie year and could be a part of the future in Pittsburgh. He finished fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year race in a season that included stellar debuts by Pete Alonso, Mike Soroka and Fernando Tatis Jr.

Player who’ll need to step up: Josh Bell. In an ordinary season, Bell would be a prime trade candidate for the rebuilding Pirates. The first baseman’s value is hurt by the shortened season, but his presence will be important to a team in need of leadership after a 2019 season marred by clubhouse fireworks that resulted in a fight between pitchers Kyle Crick and Felipe Vazquez.

Name you’ll get to know: Mitch Keller. Pittsburgh’s top pitching prospect made his debut last season, and though he didn’t fare well, the 24-year-old second-round pick will look to build on that experience, since the Pirates won’t be competing for a spot in the playoffs.

Biggest question mark: After an ugly season on and off the field that included clubhouse fights and a last-place finish, the Pirates replaced the team president, general manager and manager. Can the trio of Travis Williams, Ben Cherington and Derek Shelton begin to fix the mess this year?

How it’ll go down: After trading Starling Marte in the offseason, they lost Chris Archer for the upcoming season to thoracic outlet syndrome. The Pirates will probably be glad the season is only 60 games long, but they at least hope the ugliness of 2019 is behind them.