The 2022 American League Central Division is Insanely Mediocre

The 2022 American League Central Division Is Insanely Mediocre

It goes without saying there are many stacked divisions in baseball. The American League East has three playoff-destined teams (possibly a fourth with Baltimore). The same goes for the NL East with the Mets, Phillies, and Braves. Then there’s the American League Central which just flat-out sucks.

The AL Central comprises five teams: the Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, and the Detroit Tigers. Let’s be real here too — it is a tight race. The Guardians edge out in first, with the Twins and the Sox not far off. That’s until you see the records.

The Cleveland Guardians are only ten games above .500 at 76-66. If they were in any other division, they’d fail to even be in a Wild Card slot. Remember how we talked about the Twins not being far off? They’re four games out of first yet are 72-70. That’s right, Minnesota is only two games above .500.

The last time an AL Central team won the pennant was Cleveland back in 2016. Since then, no team in the division has made it past the ALDS. The Twins, in fact, have lost 17 straight playoff games, and haven’t won a playoff series since 2002. They’ve gone to the postseason eight times in that span.

This is not to say there isn’t talent. The White Sox are massively underperforming given the fact they have Lucas Giolito, Jose Abreu, Tim Anderson, and Yoan Moncada. The Guardians are led by MVP candidate Jose Ramirez, as well as usually great pitching from Shane Bieber.

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Despite these assets, you really can’t assume these teams stand a chance against other division leaders such as the Yankees or Astros. With the new playoff format with the Wild Card Series, I don’t even think any one of these teams could stand up to the Mariners, Blue Jays, or the Rays.

None of these teams are horrible, but the division is competitive for all the wrong reasons. It is interesting to look at the standings with powerhouse teams like the Dodgers and admire the shortcomings of the AL Central.

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