Sunday, March 17, 2019

2019 Predictions; AL Central

Commonly agreed upon as the weakest division in all of Baseball, the AL Central appears to have a clearcut winner for the 4th straight season. However, the final 4 places in the division are all up in the air.

Continuing with my 2019 MLB predictions series, I'll be making my picks for the AL Central today, a division that had 3 teams finish with 95 or more losses in 2018. 

Although the Twins, Tigers, Royals, and White Sox all made improvements this offseason, it's clear that none of the signings were significant enough to catch up with the 91-win Cleveland Indians. The White Sox's hope of signing All-Star Manny Machado didn't work out, likely meaning that the Indians will win the division once again.

But from there, the rest of the division is uncertain. The Twins made the Wild Card game 2 years ago but saw a rapid decline in 2018. The White Sox have a stellar farm system, but their prospects need more time to develop.

The Royals added Billy Hamilton and extended Whit Merrified as well, but they're still lacking a true franchise player. Even the Tigers, who have been rebuilding for years now, quietly signed utility-man Josh Harrison over the offseason. If nothing else, it'll be interesting to see how these 4 teams stack up with one another.

The first place spot should come as no surprise, but the next 4 are definitely up for debate. With that being said, here are my 2019 predictions for the AL Central. Last year, a simple flip of the Tigers and Royals would've meant perfection for my prediction. Let's see what 2019 entails.

1st Place; Cleveland Indians
When their team is completely healthy, the Cleveland Indians are a nearly unstoppable force with fantastic pitching and stellar hitting. Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor have been 2 of the best young players in Baseball since their respective breakout seasons. Their rotation includes guys like Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, and of course, 2-time Cy Young award winner, Corey Kluber.

In an effort to reacquire former Indians slugger Carlos Santana, Cleveland parted ways with Edwin Encarnacion and traded him to the Mariners. The 2016 AL champs also received young Rays 1st baseman Jake Bauers and cash in this deal as well. 

Although the 3-team trade still baffles me, I will say that Cleveland got the better end of the trade. They may have lost Andrew Miller and Michael Brantley, but the Indians won't be losing the AL Central anytime soon.

2nd Place; Minnesota Twins
For the last few years, the Twins have finished as the runner-up of the AL Central division. This year, I fully expect rookie manager Rocco Baldelli to help his new team achieve the same rank. With Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano not living up to their hype, it's up to the other players to keep the team afloat.

Both Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco received notable extensions over the offseason and free agent acquisitions like Nelson Cruz and Marwin Gonzalez are bound to help the Twins achieve a .500 win percentage once more. 

Their lack of pitching remains an issue, but Minnesota's problems aren't as plentiful as that of other teams in their division.

3rd Place; Chicago White Sox
Patience is a virtue, and White Sox fans will have to be patient for at least 1 more year before their team has a shot of making significant improvements. After striking out on Manny Machado, the returning Chicago players will have to pull their weight to avoid ending up in the cellar of the AL Central once more.

Similar to Sano and Buxton, this could very well be a make or break season for Yoan Moncada who has significantly underperformed in Chicago. Prospects like Eloy Jiminez and Michael Kopech aren't major league ready so Jose Abreu will have to step it up after failing to reach the 100-RBI mark for the first time in his career last season.

In another year or so, the White Sox may clinch a Wild Card spot or even win the entire division. However, this team will not be ready to take the Baseball world by storm in 2019.

4th Place; Kansas City Royals
Ultimately, the Royals missed Eric Hosmer more than they thought they would last season when they finished dead last in the least competitive division in Baseball. Lacking a true "face of the franchise," the 2019 Royals are a mere shadow of the team that won the World Series in 2015.

Billy Hamilton, Aldaberto Mondesi, and Whit Merrifield provide a plethora of speed, but Kansas City seems to fall short in almost every other stat category. In 2018, they finished 28th league-wide in home runs, 25th in RBI, and 24th in slugging. Clearly, this team lacks any kind of power hitter.

Astonishingly, Kansas City's team ERA last year was 4.94, 2nd to only the Orioles for the worst in all of Baseball. Even though there's 1 team worse than Kansas City, this Royals team is not destined for success in 2019.

5th Place; Detroit Tigers
Even with 98 losses in 2019, the Tigers were able to finish 3rd in a disastrous AL Central. Unfortunately for them, the White Sox and Royals got a tiny bit better while Detroit did not. The team is going through a full rebuild, yet they don't even have a top 15 prospect in all of Baseball.

Miguel Cabrera's injuries kept him from playing across most of 2018. The 2016 AL Rookie of the Year, Michael Fulmer, doesn't appear to be the consistent pitcher that the Tigers hoped he could be. Moreover, with 2019 shaping up to be a 100-loss season for Detroit, their biggest offseason move was signing Josh Harrison.

They may have eeked out a 3rd place finish last year, but in 2019, there's nowhere to hide for the Detroit Tigers.

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