American League Central Preview
Capsules
[March 15, 2025]
Cleveland Guardians
2024: 92-69, first place, lost to Yankees in AL Championship Series.
Manager: Stephen Vogt (second season).
Opening Day: March 27 at Kansas City.
He’s Here: 1B Carlos Santana, RHP Luis Ortiz, RHP Paul Sewald, RHP
Jakob Junis, LHP John Means
He’s Outta Here: 1B Josh Naylor, 2B Andrés Giménez, CF Myles Straw,
RHP Nick Sandlin, LHP Matthew Boyd, RHP Alex Cobb
Top Hitters: 3B José Ramírez (.279, 39 HRs, 118 RBIs, 41 SBs, .872
OPS), LF Steven Kwan (.292, 14, 44, .793 OPS), 1B Carlos Santana
(.238, 23, 71, .749 OPS with Minnesota).
Projected Rotation: RH Tanner Bibee (12-8, 3.47 ERA), RH Ben Lively
(13-10, 3.81), RH Luis Ortiz (7-6, 3.92 with Pittsburgh), RH Gavin
Williams (3-10, 4.86), RH Triston McKenzie (3-5, 5.11)
Key Relievers: RH Emmanuel Clase (4-2, 0.61 ERA, 47/50 saves, 8.0
Ks/9 IP), RH Cade Smith (6-1, 1.91, 1 save), RH Hunter Gaddis (6-3,
1.57), RH Paul Sewald (1-2, 4.31, 16/20 saves with Arizona), LH
Jakob Junis (4-0, 2.69, 1 save with Milwaukee and Cincinnati).
Outlook: With Ramírez leading the way on offense and one of
baseball’s top bullpens, the Guardians should contend for their
sixth AL Central title since 2016. However, there remain concerns
about the rotation and the middle of the batting order. Bibee will
be the staff’s ace until Shane Bieber returns later this season
after having Tommy John surgery last year. The final two rotation
spots are questionable after Williams and McKenzie struggled last
season. While Ramírez and Kwan provide plenty of offense at the top
of the order, the rest of the lineup needs to keep pace. This could
be a pivotal year for catcher Bo Naylor, who had 13 home runs but
batted only .201 last season.
___
Detroit Tigers
2024: 86-76, second place AL Central, lost ALDS to Guardians.
Manager: A.J. Hinch (fifth season)
Opening Day: March 27 at Los Angeles Dodgers.
He’s Here: 2B Gleyber Torres, RHP Jack Flaherty, RHP John Brebbia,
RHP José Urquidy, RHP Tommy Kahnle, RHP Alex Cobb.
He’s Outta Here: RHP Shelby Miller, LHP Joey Wentz, RHP Alex Faedo,
OF Mark Canha, 3B Gio Urshela.
Top Hitters: LF Riley Greene (.262, 24 HRs, 74 RBIs), RF Kerry
Carpenter (.285, 18, 57), 1B Colt Keith (.260, 13, 61), OF/IF Matt
Vierling (.257, 16, 57), Torres (.257, 15, 63), SS Javier Báez
(.184, 6, 37).
Projected Rotation: LH Tarik Skubal (18-4, 2.39 ERA, 228 Ks in 192
IP), RH Jack Flaherty (13-7, 3.17 in 28 starts), RH Reese Olson
(4-8, 3.53 in 22 starts), RH Jackson Jobe (0-0, 2 Ks in 4 IP), RH
Casey Mize (2-6, 4.49).
Key Relievers: RH Jason Foley (3-6, 3.15 ERA, 28 saves), RH Will
Vest (3-4, 2.82, 69 games), RH Tommy Kahnle (0-2, 2.11 in 50 games
with New York Yankees, LH Tyler Holton (7-2, 2.19 in 66 games), RH
John Brebbia (0-6, 5.86 in 59 games with Atlanta and Chicago White
Sox).
Outlook: The Tigers are expected to contend for a spot in the
playoffs, a year after a late-season surge ended a decade-long
postseason drought. They kept their top players and made some key
additions, signing a two-time All-Star (Torres) and bringing back
Flaherty as a free agent to rejoin a rotation led by the AL Cy Young
and Triple Crown winner (Skubal). Injuries may be a concern in the
outfield with Vierling, Parker Meadows, Wenceel Perez and Akil
Baddoo already banged up and oft-injured Cobb ailing again. If DH
Spencer Torkelson can get in a groove at the plate, it would be a
big boost for the lineup.
___
Kansas City Royals
2024: 86-76, tied for second place, lost to Yankees in Division
Series.
Manager: Matt Quatraro (third season).
Opening Day: March 27 against Cleveland.
He’s Here: 2B Jonathan India, RHP Carlos Estevez, INF Cavan Biggio.
He’s Outta Here: RHP Brady Singer, INF Adam Frazier, OF Garrett
Hampson, 1B/OF Tommy Pham.
Top Hitters: SS Bobby Witt Jr. (MLB-best .332, 32 HRs, 109 RBIs, 31
SBs), 1B Vinnie Pasquantino (.262, 19, 97), C/1B Salvador Perez
(.271, 27, 104), 2B Jonathan India (.248, 15, 58), INF/OF Michael
Massey (.259, 14, 45), INF/OF Maikel Garcia (.231, 7, 58, 37 SBs).
Projected Rotation: LH Cole Ragans (11-9, 3.14 ERA), RH Seth Lugo
(16-9, 3.00 in MLB-best 33 starts), RH Michael Wacha (13-8, 3.35),
RH Michael Lorenzen (2-0, 1.57), LH Kris Bubic (1-1, 2.67).
Key Relievers: RH Lucas Erceg (2-6, 3.36 ERA, 14 saves with Royals
and Athletics), RH Carlos Estevez (4-5, 2.45, 26 saves with Angels
and Phillies), RH Hunter Harvey (0-0, 6.35), RH John Schreiber (4-3,
3.66), RH Alec Marsh (9-9, 4.53), LH Angel Zerpa (2-0, 3.86).
Outlook: The Royals went from 106-loss laughingstock in manager Matt
Quatraro’s first season to 86 wins, a second-place finish in the AL
Central and a wild-card series win over Baltimore last year. The
biggest reason for the abrupt turnaround was an almost entirely
rebuilt starting rotation, which produced All-Stars in Ragans and
Lugo and dependability in Singer and Wacha. Singer was traded to the
Reds in the deal that landed on-base machine India to play 2B, but
the rotation otherwise returns intact with Bubic, Lorenzen and Kyle
Wright in the mix for the open job. The Royals failed to land an
offensive upgrade in the corner outfield spots, so they will hope
incumbents produce more than last season.
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[to top of second column] |
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal throws against the Toronto Blue
Jays in the first inning of a spring training baseball game, Monday,
March 3, 2025, in Lakeland, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
They can hardly expect more from Witt, who finished
second to the Yankees’ Aaron Judge in AL MVP voting while also
winning Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards during his All-Star
season. The Royals play in a relatively weak division, so they
expect to be in the mix for their first title since 2015, when they
went on to beat the Mets for the World Series title.
___
Minnesota Twins
2024: 82-80, fourth place.
Manager: Rocco Baldelli (seventh season).
Opening Day: March 27 at St. Louis.
He’s Here: 1B Ty France, OF Harrison Bader, LHP Danny Coulombe.
He’s Outta Here: 1B Carlos Santana, RF Max Kepler, OF Manny Margot,
INF Kyle Farmer, OF Alex Kirilloff, LHP Caleb Thielbar, LHP Steven
Okert, RHP Josh Staumont.
Top Hitters: SS Carlos Correa (.310, 14 HRs, 54 RBIs, .905 OPS in 86
games), CF Byron Buxton (.279, 18, 56, .859 OPS in 102 games), 3B
Royce Lewis (.233, 16, 47 in 82 games), RF Matt Wallner (.259, 13,
37, .894 OPS in 75 games), C Ryan Jeffers (.226, 21, 64).
Projected Rotation: RH Pablo López (15-10, 4.08 ERA, 198 Ks in 185
1/3 innings), RH Bailey Ober (12-9, 3.98, 191 Ks in 178 2/3
innings), RH Joe Ryan (7-7, 3.60, 0.985 WHIP in 23 starts), RH Chris
Paddack (5-3, 4.99 in 17 starts), RH Simeon Woods Richardson (5-5,
4.17).
Key Relievers: RH Jhoan Durán (6-9, 3.64 ERA, 23/25 saves, 66 Ks in
54 1/3 innings), RH Griffin Jax (5-5, 2.03, 10/16 saves, 0.873 WHIP,
95 Ks in 71 innings), RH Cole Sands (9-1, 3.28, 85 Ks in 71 1/3
innings), LH Danny Coulombe (1-0, 2.12 in 29 2/3 innings with
Orioles).
Outlook: After losing 27 of their last 39 games to tumble out of a
spot in the playoffs, the Twins will try to reset on the field while
the franchise remains for sale and fan angst is stronger than it’s
been in years. Keeping their best players healthy will be the first
place to start, after Correa and Lewis missed long stretches with
injuries. Buxton was more available than he’d been in seven seasons,
but their freefall in mid-August coincided with him hitting the
injured list with hip inflammation. Getting a healthy Ryan back for
the rotation would also be a big boost, too, after he missed the
last six weeks with shoulder trouble. The Twins were 10th in the
major leagues in runs in each of the last two seasons despite the
series of injuries to several of their key hitters, and their
flame-throwing pitching staff that ranked second in baseball in
strikeouts in 2024 and first in 2023 features a reliable group of
starters and a potentially dominant late-inning trio with Sands and
Jax setting up Durán. There’s plenty of potential in a wide-open
division for the Twins to bounce right back in 2025.
___
Chicago White Sox
2024: 41-121, fifth place.
Manager: Will Venable (first season).
Opening Day: March 27 vs. Los Angeles Angels.
He’s Here: OF/INF Joey Gallo, INF Brandon Drury, LHP Martín Pérez, C
Omar Narváez, INF Bobby Dalbec, LHP Tyler Gilbert, LHP Cam Booser,
RHP Bryse Wilson, OF Mike Tauchman, OF Austin Slater.
He’s Outta Here: LHP Garrett Crochet, 3B Yoán Moncada.
Top Hitters: CF Luis Robert Jr. (.224, 14 HRs, 35 RBIs), LF Andrew
Benintendi (.229, 20, 64), 1B Andrew Vaughn (.246, 19, 70).
Projected Rotation: RH Jonathan Cannon (5-10, 4.49 ERA), LH Martín
Pérez (5-6, 4.53 with Pittsburgh and San Diego), RH Davis Martin
(0-5, 4.32), RH Bryse Wilson (5-4, 4.04 in 34 appearances and nine
starts for Milwaukee), RH Sean Burke (2-0, 1.42).
Key Relievers: RH Justin Anderson (1-2, 4.39, one save), RH Gus
Varland (1-0, 3.42 with Los Angeles Dodgers and White Sox), LH Cam
Booser (2-3, 3.38, one save with Boston).
Outlook: The White Sox have nowhere to go but up, right? After all,
they set a modern major league record for losses last year in GM
Chris Getz’s first full season running baseball operations. The team
has new leadership in the dugout with Venable taking over for Pedro
Grifol, who was fired last August. Venable was an associate manager
under Bruce Bochy in Texas for the past two years. Chicago dealt
Crochet to Boston at the winter meetings. But the White Sox hung
onto Robert at least for now coming off an injury-riddled season.
Benintendi was expected to miss four to six weeks after breaking his
right hand when he was hit by a pitch during a spring training game
in late February, and right-hander Prelander Berroa is out for the
season. The White Sox announced last week he would have Tommy John
surgery, leaving them without a key reliever. The 24-year-old Berroa
had a 3.32 ERA in 17 appearances last season.
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