With the 2020 MLB season rapidly approaching, it’s time for the annual End of the Bench predictions. For added fun this year, we are going to include record projections as well! Today, we focus on the AL Central.
Twins 95-67, AL Central champions
White Sox 85-77
Indians 83-79
Royals 69-93
Tigers 54-108
Minnesota was one of the biggest surprises last year, owning what turned out to be one of the best offenses in the majors. 307 home runs as a team, a collective .270 average and .832 OPS. Outside of Byron Buxton, each regular starter slugged at least 20 home runs. Garver, Sano, Rosario and Kepler all slugged at least 30 and the ageless power of 38 year old Nelson Cruz hit 41. All of these big bats are slated to return to the lineup that now also includes Josh Donaldson. I think it’s safe to say this offense is set to explode again in 2020. The Twins also improved on their pitching front with the acquisition of Kenta Maeda who, after splitting time as both a starter and reliever with the Dodgers, will be thrown right into the middle of the rotation that also includes young ace Jose Berrios and veterans Jake Odorizzi and Homer Bailey. Not the biggest names in the game, but a strong core coupled by the robust offense, I expect another AL Central title is in the works for 2020.
The White Sox have not had a winning season since 2012 and have been dragging at the bottom of the division. GM Rick Hahn finally said “enough is enough!” and put together a team he hopes can fight atop of Central. With a young core that includes reigning AL batting champ Tim Anderson, Jose Abreu and Yoan Moncada as well as new acquisition Yasmani Grandal, and top prospects Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert (who is expected to be named the starting CF), I feel that we’re going to see a massive improvement on the boys of the South Side. Another reason for optimism? The updated pitching staff. Lucas Giolito had an unbelievable turnaround year in 2019 after a very disappointing 2018 campaign in which he held the highest ERA among qualified starters. After mechanical adjustments, he turned into the All Star ace he was once touted to be. He’ll anchor the staff that also includes veteran lefties Dallas Keuchel and Gio Gonzalez. Let’s also not forget the young arms of Dylan Cease, Reynaldo Lopez and flamethrower Michael Kopech who’s hungry to return after missing all of 2019 due to Tommy John surgery. Even if he can enter the rotation mid-season, I don’t see why the White Sox can’t fight for a Wild Card spot, but they still might be a year away. Then again, crazier things have happened.
Although I predicted them to be division champions last year, this year I have the Indians dropping in the standings down to third place. The main reason for that is based on the improvements and young talent the White Sox will have this year, while the Indians offense seems to be on the down turn. Not to say they don’t have talent because they absolutely do. Francisco Lindor is one of the best players in baseball today, but the constant trade talks that have surrounded him makes me feel that Cleveland is looking to trade away their star very soon knowing they will probably not be able to resign him and begin what will ultimately be a rebuild. If a good package comes up, Lindor could be out of Cleveland by midseason. Outside of Lindor, the Indians still have Jose Ramirez, Roberto Perez and Carlos Santana, who had a resurgence after being traded back to Cleveland last year. A strength the Indians continue to have will be their pitching. They traded Trevor Bauer last year and Corey Kluber this offseason, but still hold Mike Clevinger and Shane Bieber. These two make up a very good 1-2 at the top of any rotation. Cleveland also still has Carlos Corrasco, who missed a lot of time last year with a scary leukemia diagnosis, is now set to return to the rotation. Personally, I hope Cookie has a great year in 2020, but after him in the rotation, the Indians have question marks. Plesac and Civale had good rookie years in 2019, but now have to continue off that.
Just 5 years ago, the Royals were crowned World Champions. After that, they decided to go back to the drawing board. They lost their old core of Hosmer, Moustakas, Cain, and Escobar over the course of the past few years. Now, their core is Merrifield, Dozier, Soler, and Mondesi. All very good ballplayers, but are not enough to fight for a division title. The same is said for their rotation. A few good arms in Duffy, Keller, Junis and Montgomery but it’s still going to be a while until the Royals are competitive again. However, I do believe they will improve from their 59-103 record from last year but they are looking at another 4th place finish.
Finishing last again for the second consecutive year is the Tigers and they are expected to continue that trend in 2020. Miguel Cabrera, who was at one point the best hitter in the game, has battled injuries and begun to show his age. They traded Castellanos to the Cubs midseason last year so now their roster is full of young hopefuls. Guys like Christian Stewart, JaCoby Jones and Niko Goodrum. The Tigers did add a few veterans such as Cameron Maybin, Jonathan Schoop and Austin Romine. Similar to the Marlins, these vets were brought in to make an impact on the young guys, but they won’t be in any division title conversations. As far as pitching, Detroit has Matthew Boyd, Daniel Norris, Jordan Zimmermann and Spencer Turnbull. The biggest hopeful here is former Rookie of the Year Michael Fulmer, who missed all of 2019 due to Tommy John. Even if he shines in 2020, the Tigers as a whole will be at the bottom of the AL Central barrell once again.
