Entering play on June 15th, the A.L. Central has the closest race for 1st place out of all the divisions in the major league. Each team is within 4 or less games out of first place. This doesn’t mean that the division is weak either, this means that the Central is full of talented ball clubs. Out of all the divisions around the league this has to be the most intriguing and surprising based on how close each team is within each other. Here is how each team has faired through their first 65 games.
Detroit Tigers (36-29)
The Tigers have carried over their great season from last year into the start of the 2014 season. The biggest difference to the team has to be Prince Fielder not manning first base anymore. Prince Fielder was traded to the Texas Rangers for Ian Kinsler during the offseason just in case anyone forgot. The offense is still one of the best in the league. Miguel Cabrera isn’t in contention for another Triple-Crown season but he is still producing at an elite level, hitting .324 with 12 HR and 54 RBI. Victor Martinez is playing at an MVP type level and is the front runner for Come Back Player of the Year. He is slashing an amazing .324, 16 HR and 41 RBI. The one stat of his that is jaw dropping has to be his 16 strikeouts in 254 at-bats, he has more walks (22) then strikeouts! The pitching staff is solidified by Max Scherzer and his dominate presence on the mound. Scherzer is continuing on his Cy Young season in 2013, in 2014 he is 8-2 throwing 94 innings with 106 punch outs and a cool 3.03 ERA. While Verlander is having a down season thanks to his drop in velocity Porcello has stepped it up for the Tigers collecting 8 wins so far. While Joe Nathan has hit a pump in the road lately he is still one of the best closers in the game, collecting 13 saves.
Kansas City Royals (36-32)
Kansas City have one of the best talented teams in the A.L. Central. They have two franchise type players in Salvador Perez, Eric Hosmer and a young ace in Yorando Ventura. Though the Royals don’t score many runs per game or hit many home runs they still find a way to collect a W. The offense isn’t carried by one player, instead it is carried by a handful of players. Escobar is leading the team in batting average (.287) while Alex Gordon is leading the team in homers (7) and RBI (35). Eric Hosmer is having a down year but being as good as a hitter that he is he will be able to turn things around after the All-Star break. Salavador Perez is playing at a All-Star level still but his power numbers have not came quit yet but only time will help with that. The starting rotation is anchored by James Shields. Shields is having a better season in 2014 than he did in 2013, collecting 7 wins so far with 78 K’s and a solid 3.44 ERA. While Yorando Ventura has had two sub-performances in row due to a sore elbow he has still had a great start to his young career, collecting 63 K’s and a great 3.20 ERA. Their closer Holland is one of the best in the game, already saving 19 games with an incredible 39 punch outs in only 25 innings.
Cleveland Indians (35-35)
Though the Indians aren’t off to the greatest start they are only 1 game back of first place. They have a very solid team that has great role players that get the job done. Chisenhall is a great example of that. He only starts maybe once or twice a week but when he does start he is able to produce. During one start last week against the Rangers he went 5-5 with 3 HRs and 9 RBIs, one game he will never forget. Through 65 games he has drove in 32 runs, good enough for second on the team. The Indians are not known for hitting homers, their leading home run hitter is the smooth playing Michael Brantley, hitting 10 homers while also leading the team in RBI (44). David Murphy has been one of the best off-season signings in 2014, he is slashing a great .284 with 5 homers and 34 RBI. Cleveland is a team full of players that have a knack of driving in runs, they have 8 players that have drove in 20 or more runs. The pitching staff is lead by Corey Kluber. Kluber is having one hell of a season, collecting 6 wins with 104 K’s with a 3.35 ERA, those numbers should be good enough to earn him a spot on the All-Star team. While Masterson’s velocity has decreased dramatically he is finally putting it all together after his two impressive starts in a row. He has an insane 5.05 ERA but only time will help drive that down.
Chicago White Sox (33-37)
The White Sox were the winning team on signing Jose Abreu and it is paying off HUGE dividends. Abreu has stormed out of the gates clobbering 19 homers with 50 RBIs already in this young season. Alexi Ramirez is the other player in the line-up that is also having a great start to the season, leading the team with a .311 batting average while also leading the team in stolen bases (12). The starting rotation is one of the weaknesses of the Sox. Only pitcher throwing at an All-Star level is Chris Sale. Even though he missed a good amount of games due to his DL stint he was not slowed down from the injury. So far he has thrown 59 innings while punching out 68 batters while holding an sparkling 1.97 ERA.
Minnesota Twins (32-35)
The surprise team of the division has to be the Twins. They have many young studs on this team that not many baseball fans know about. One player that falls in that category has to be Brian Dozier. Dozier has been playing at an elite level since being called up from the minors back in 2011. So far this season he is leading the team in homers with 15 while also driving in 33 runs and swiping 12 bags. Those type of numbers should be enough to earn him a spot on the All-Star team, and maybe even earn a starting spot. Though Mauer isn’t hitting at the elite level he used to many players have picked up his slack. Those players go by the name of Kurt Suzuki, hitting .305 with 29 RBI, and Trevor Plouffe, hitting .241 with 5 HRs and and team leading 37 RBIs. Kendrys Morales was recently added to the line-up after the Twins signed him to a 1 year 12 million dollar contract. The pitching staff has improved from its horrible 2013 and it’s all thanks to Phil Hughes. Hughes needed a change of scenery in order to show his potential. So far he has collected 7 wins with 72 strikeouts and a great 3.17 ERA. With Perkins as the closer the Twins should be able to hold their leads in the 9th. Perkins is having yet another great season saving 17 games so far with 39 K’s in only 29 innings.