Authority Athletics continues its MLB preview with the AL Central. To recap, we chose the Seattle Mariners to win the AL West and the Baltimore Orioles to win the AL East. Now we look at quite possibly the worst division in baseball, the AL Central.
The AL Central saw only one team with a winning record last year, the Minnesota Twins. With a division that is not competitive, the division title could go to any one of these teams.
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Kansas City Royals
Bobby Witt Jr. is one of the most exciting players to watch in my opinion. Unfortunately, he is surrounded by a lineup that is less than stellar. Salvador Perez will likely put up another decent season, but he is on the decline at this point in his career. The lack of talent surrounding those two players will cause the Royals to have an underwhelming season. I’m picking them to finish last in the division.
Chicago White Sox
Chicago has some solid players in their lineup. Luis Robert, Eloy Jimenez, and Andrew Vaughn are all exciting players to watch and should have productive seasons. The roster starts getting a little rough to look at after that. I am looking forward to seeing rookie Nick Nastrini in the starting rotation. Nastrini has been lights out during Spring Training and I think he has potential to earn some rookie of the year considerations. The lack of depth on offense and pitching force me to choose the White Sox to finish 4th in the division.
Detroit Tigers
It’s going to be odd not seeing Miguel Cabrera suit up for opening day. That being said, I’m looking for a couple Tigers to have breakout seasons. First baseman Spencer Torkelson needs to take another step forward in order for this team to have any success. Outfielder Riley Greene has shown flashes of promise but needs to put together a consistent season. Another player to watch is second baseman Colt Keith who is one of the top rookies to watch this upcoming season. The Tigers won 78 games last season and I’m predicting they win at close to the same rate this year and finish 3rd in the division.
Cleveland Guardians
If you are a fan of the long ball, Cleveland is not the team to watch. The Guardians were last in the league last year in homeruns. They have some quality talent in their lineup including third baseman Jose Ramirez who I consider one of the most underrated players in all of baseball. Steven Kwan has always been one of my favorite players to watch and Josh Naylor should also have a productive season. The Guardians rotation is good, not great, led by Shane Bieber. I’m picking the Guardians to finish 2nd in the divison.
Minnesota Twins
I’m picking the Twins to win the division IF they can stay healthy. The twins are carried by Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton who have had injury problems in the past. Former 1st overall pick Royce Lewis has also experienced significant injuries in his career. I’m hoping to see a healthy season out of him. The Twins have a good mixture of young talent and solid pitching. If the Twins get off to a solid start, they could wrap up the division by the All-Star break.
Who do you think will win the AL Central? Comment below!
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