The AL Central Is Starting To Get Crowded

After beating the Cleveland Guardians for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, the Royals woke up on Wednesday with a 17-19 record, with an ongoing five-game winning streak and just half a game behind the top spot in the AL Central.

The Royals swept the Mariners in Seattle over the weekend and have taken the first two games of their series vs. Cleveland, a direct divisional foe, at home. Talk about a hot streak and a considerable improvement: this team was 12-19 on April 30.

The AL Central might not be the best division, with no team at .500 as of Wednesday afternoon, but it sure is the most fun these days: all five squads are separated by just a game and a half.

(Not So) Pleasant Surprises

The Guardians and the Detroit Tigers are ahead with an 18-19 record before Wednesday’s games. Jose Ramirez, with a 103 wRC+, hasn’t been his usual dominant self, but Cleveland is enjoying breakout seasons from rookies Chase DeLauter and Parker Messick, utilityman Daniel Schneemann, infielder Brayan Rocchio, and outfielder Angel Martinez. Additionally, star prospect Travis Bazzana is already up. 

The Guardians are dangerous, and even with some regression from the aforementioned players, it’s also wise to expect a bounce-back by Ramirez.

The Tigers have top Rookie of the Year candidate Kevin McGonigle already leading the team in fWAR with 1.5. Most of their regulars are performing above the league average offensively, most notably Riley Greene (139 wRC+) and Spencer Torkelson (six homers, 112 wRC+), but they lost Tarik Skubal for at least a few months, and that hurts their chances. They are still a solid ballclub, though.

Then, tied with the Royals, you have the surprising Chicago White Sox. Led by Munetaka Murakami’s 14 home runs and multiple young players performing well on offense and defense, the South Siders certainly don’t look like the team that finished with a 60-102 record. Their -10 run differential is not that bad considering pre-season expectations, and it’s actually better than Kansas City’s -11.

The Twins are last with a 16-20 record, just a game and a half behind the leaders. They have won the last two and boast a +3 run differential, second-best in the division behind Detroit’s +10.

Can The Royals Compete All Year?

Before the start of the season, the overall consensus was that the Tigers, Guardians, and Royals would be the main contenders for the AL Central crown. Perhaps it’s time to open the mind for new possibilities and potential scenarios, though. All five teams are definitely flawed, but they also have talented rosters and room to grow.

The Royals, in particular, can definitely count on Vinnie Pasquantino (72 wRC+) returning to form at some point, and even though he is getting up there in age, Salvador Perez (58 wRC+) should also improve. The same can be said about ace Cole Ragans, should health be on his side. Will that be enough to compete for a spot in the postseason?

We won’t know the answer to that question until September, but it sure will be fascinating to find out if the overachievers in the division can keep up and actually compete for October.