Spring Training is in full effect, and with that, opening day is now just over 3 weeks away. After being without baseball for so long, we will finally get to see all 30 teams play again when they all take the field on March 29th, the first time ever that all 30 teams play on opening day.
I started making my predictions yesterday when I shared my predictions for the AL East this season. I'm now moving through the divisions, with my next stop being the AL Central. The Central is very different from the east because instead of 2 teams who are nearly neck-and-neck for the top spot, you have 2 teams that will be going back and forth in the middle of the division.
With 1 division down and 5 to go, I present my 2018 predictions for the AL Central.
1st Place: Cleveland Indians
I'm sure there will be plenty of disagreements over many of my decisions throughout this series on 2018 predictions. However, I don't think there's much of a debate when I say that the Indians will take home the 3rd year in a row. They have a nearly unmatched balance between young talent, star pitchers, and some veterans that make Cleveland a winning combination. Francisco Lindor has already established himself as a superstar, but his teammate Jose Ramirez is not far behind him after finishing 3rd in MVP voting last season. Not to mention the fact that they have a 2-time Cy Young award winner Corey Kluber. If their core can match their performance from last season, and Trevor Bauer and Danny Salazar can recreate their 2016 performances, the Indians will win the Central without a doubt. But, on the outside chance they don't, there's another team not too far behind them who are hungry to take their place.
2nd Place: Minnesota Twins
1 year ago, the Twins were coming off one of the worst seasons from any team in modern baseball history when they went 59-103. Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano did not have the seasons people expected them to, and Brian Dozier was deep into trade rumors. Flash-forward 1 whole year and the Twins have become a front-runner to make a Wild Card push. Buxton and Sano have improved, Dozier is still there, and the Twins became the first team in MLB history to make the playoffs the year after losing 100 games. Rising stars like Eddie Rosario, as well as surprising performances from players like Ervin Santana, took the Twins to the Wild Card game against the Yankees last season. Now, with new additions like Logan Morrison and Jake Odorizzi joining the team, I would not be surprised if they won a Wild Card spot again this season, and even win the division a couple of years from now.
3rd Place: Kansas City Royals
Here's where things get interesting. The Royals won the World Series in 2015. Yes that's not even 3 years ago, yes they still have some talented players from that championship team, and yes they have a pretty good team overall. However, losing Eric Hosmer in the offseason, and the strong possibility of losing Mike Moustakas as well is going to have a lasting effect on the Royals, and one that may take years to overcome. They still have 2 very good pitchers in Danny Duffy and Jason Vargas, and still, have Salvador Perez behind the plate. However, baseball has changed a lot since Kansas City won it all in 2015, and the Royals have not been able to change with baseball. The Royals need to make a decision, either try to contend or go into rebuild mode. Because they aren't going anywhere while they're stuck in the middle of doing well and rebuilding, and that's only going to hurt the franchise in the long run.
4th Place: Chicago White Sox
I never knew that Avisail Garcia was 2nd in the AL in Batting Average in 2017 until I pulled this card from 2018 Topps. Why didn't I know this? Because Garcia plays for the White Sox, one of the least recognized teams in baseball. The White Sox have some of the best prospects in baseball that they got from trading Todd Frazier, Chris Sale, Adam Eaton, and Jose Quintana. However, prospects aren't going to win the White Sox much this season and most likely next as well. Still, I wouldn't get discouraged if I were a White Sox fan. Your franchise centerpiece Jose Abreu looks like he will not be traded, and Avisail Garcia is just 26 and is primed for another great year. The White Sox should be ready to contend for a playoff spot certainly by 2020. By that time, who knows if the Indians, Twins, and Royals will be ahead or behind the south-siders.
5th Place: Detroit Tigers
The Tigers entered a complete rebuild mode in which the absolutely blew up their team, sending players like Justin Upton, J.D. Martinez, Ian Kinsler, and fan-favorite Justin Verlander, out of Detroit in trades last season. They hired Ron Gardenhire and look ready for another 90-plus loss season. Miguel Cabrera is regressing fast, yet still has 6 years left on his contract. Jordan Zimmerman and Victory Martinez are 2 more players who the Tigers are stuck with paying unless they can trade them away. Their few bright spots are Nick Castellanos, who had 101 RBI last year, and Michael Fulmer, the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year. For a team that was a perennial World Series contender for much of the early 2010's, it seems weird that the Tigers are as bad as they are. And without any big signings over the offseason, it doesn't seem like the Tigers are going to be much better this year.
To recap, here are my final 2018 AL Central Predictions.
1. Cleveland Indians
2. Minnesota Twins
3. Kansas City Royals
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Detroit Tigers
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