American League Central
1. Cleveland Indians
2. Minnesota Twins
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Detroit Tigers
Transparency of AL Central: This Division Is The Worst In Baseball
The Cleveland Indians have been the talk of the town in the AL Central for some time now, but the fire power isn’t exactly what it used to be for the Tribe. With that being said, this is no AL East we’re talking about here. This division, as it perhaps has been for the last few seasons, sans the run the Minnesota Twins made in 2017, has been relatively quiet. The Indians aren’t the monsters of the division, but, relatively speaking, are still the best team in the division.
For Cleveland, the known commodity is what makes them dangerous. Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer are still poised at the top of the rotation, combining for a formidable one-two punch. However, the tail end of the rotation is what is going to make or break the Indians season. Mike Clevinger is the epitome of polarizing. When Clevinger is on, he’s near-unhittable. If 2018 was any indication of the kind of season he’ll have in 2019, he should be much closer to unhittable than not. Then comes perhaps the pin in the rotation: Shane Bieber. Last year, the rookie went 11-5 with a 4.55 ERA. The Indians are anticipating a leap forward in year two. I am too. Bieber could be the propellant of another 90 win season for Cleveland.
The rest of the division is a crapshoot. Which Minnesota team will we see in 2019? The one that made a shocking playoff appearance in 2017? Or the one that couldn’t get the plane off the ground in 2018? I’d expect to see one somewhere in between, closer to 2017 than 2018, but not near enough to challenge the Indians for divisional supremacy. When the Twins made the playoffs in 2017, they did so with 85 wins. That won’t get it done in a revamped American League. They’d need to get to at least 90 to come close, and I don’t think they have the horsepower to do it.
The White Sox are an interesting team. They have a ton of young talent, but haven’t put it together yet. The team was linked all offseason to both Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, due to the minuscule amount of money on their books this season. They failed to land either, and will now have to go to battle with the team they have. Adding Yonder Alosno should help the offense. So too could Eloy Jimenez, who the team invested in with little proven. But the pitching staff is still too questionable to be true contenders in the American League Wild Card race. This team’s time should come shortly, but it isn’t 2019.
The Royals and Tigers rank among the league’s worst teams. These two could be interchangeable in the final two spots in the division. Neither will be worse than the Orioles, but it would be shocking should either reach the 75 win plateau.
