AL Central Preview
Chicago White Sox - The worst team in the league last year made a few moves this offseason and reloaded their farm and MLB roster with many young prospects. They couldn’t find a package worth trading Luis Robert this winter, but if he catches fire in the first half of the season, the White Sox will command a large haul for him and likely get it. They added several new players, but few will be difference-makers, so I will hold off on them for now.
Projected Healthy Lineup -
- Miguel Vargas
- Luis Robert Jr.
- Andrew Benintendi
- Andrew Vaughn
- Lenyn Sosa
- Korey Lee
- Travis Jankowski
- Josh Rojas
- Austin Slater
Rotation -
- Sean Burke
- Davis Martin
- Jonathan Cannon
- Martín Pérez
- Shane Smith
Closer - Jordan Leasure
Projected Win Total: 54.5
The lineup you see listed above will not be how it looks by July 1. There are about five players in this lineup who will be replaced and two or three in the rotation who won’t remain by the end of the year. I’m excited to see what Colson Montgomery will do when he is called up in late spring. However, this team will go over 55 wins by accident.
Cleveland Guardians - Cleveland, for the most part, builds their team through the draft each season, but they did make one trade this offseason for Nolan Jones from the Colorado Rockies and also brought back Carlos Santana, who hopes to play for another 15 years.
Projected Healthy Lineup -
- Steven Kwan
- José Ramírez
- Kyle Manzardo
- Carlos Santana
- Lane Thomas
- Nolan Jones
- Bo Naylor
- Gabriel Arias
- Brayan Rocchio
Rotation -
- Shane Bieber
- Tanner Bibee
- Gavin Williams
- Ben Lively
- Luis Ortiz
Closer - Emmanuel Clase
Projected Win Total: 82.5
This team has a good, not great, lineup with the most underrated star in the sport, José Ramírez, who puts up monster numbers every season, yet no one talks about it. Their bullpen is elite, and they have an abundance of starters. This is one of my dark horses for the World Series this year. I would feel comfortable taking the over for them this season.
Detroit Tigers - It seemed like everyone fell in love with this team at the end of last season. We will see if people are still on the bandwagon to start the season. They also had a productive offseason, filling holes on their roster, such as adding a solid sidekick for Skubal so that the team has another reliable pitcher to focus on. They went out and acquired Jack Flaherty and Alex Cobb.
Projected Healthy Lineup -
- Zach McKinstry
- Riley Greene
- Gleyber Torres
- Kerry Carpenter
- Colt Keith
- Spencer Torkelson
- Javier Báez
- Jake Rogers
- Manuel Margot
Rotation -
- Tarik Skubal
- Jack Flaherty
- Reese Olsen
- José Urquidy
- Jackson Jobe
- Casey Mize
Closer - Tommy Kahnle
Projected Win Total: 83.5
I don’t think this team will be strong enough to reach 84 wins this season. They don’t have enough offense to get it done. The cold spring months will be rough for this team, as they are not the best at hitting.
Kansas City Royals - The team features one of the best young players in the sport, Bobby Witt Jr. They didn’t do a whole lot this offseason, but they added two solid players, Cavan Biggio and Jonathan India, to bolster their lineup.
Projected Healthy Lineup -
- Jonathan India
- Bobby Witt Jr.
- Vinnie Pasquantino
- Salvador Pérez
- Michael Massey
- Hunter Renfroe
- MJ Melendez
- Maikel García
- Kyle Isbel
Rotation -
- Cole Ragans
- Seth Lugo
- Michael Wacha
- Kris Bubic
- Michael Lorenzen
Closer - Carlos Estévez
Projected Win Total: 82.5
I think it’s going to be a battle between Kansas City and Cleveland for first place in the division. I believe they have a great pitching staff and will be able to stay consistent throughout the season, even if their offense doesn’t show up. I also like Witt's odds to win AL MVP.
Minnesota Twins - The Twins had a rather pedestrian winter, but they added two above-average bats, Ty France and Harrison Bader, to the roster to help them this season.
Projected Healthy Lineup -
- Matt Wallner
- Carlos Correa
- Royce Lewis
- Byron Buxton
- Trevor Larnach
- Ty France
- José Miranda
- Eduardo Julien
Rotation -
- Pablo López
- Joe Ryan
- Bailey Ober
- Simeon Woods Richardson
- Chris Paddack
Closer - Jhoan Duran
Projected Win Total: 83.5
I don’t think this team can score enough to win 84 games this season. Even though I like Lewis and Buxton, I don’t believe they will score enough to be in the mix toward the end of the season, so I would take the under.
