2019 American League Central Predictions and Wagering Guide
Let’s take a look at the American League Central. Are the Indians REALLY a mortal lock to win another division crown? Is everyone else THAT bad?
American League Central
Data as of MARCH 13
Team MLB WAR rank PECOTA projected wins
Indians 6 96
Twins 15 82
Royals 28 72
Tigers 26 67
White Sox 27 70
Data as of MARCH 13.
Remember how we always note to SHOP AROUND? Here are the odds from five reputable books;
Season Win Total
Indians 90.5 ov 140 90.5 ov 130 90.5 ov 120 90.5 ov 130 90.5 ov 125
Twins 83.5 ov 125 84.5 ov 120 84.5 ov 115 84.5 ov 115 83.5 ov 133
White Sox 75.5 un 130 74 un 125 74.5 un 130 74 un 130 73.5 ov 112
Royals 69.5 un 135 69.5 un 125 69.5 ov 120 69.5 ov 110 69.5 ov 110
Tigers 67.5 ov 125 68.5 un 130 68.5 un 110 68.5 un 125 68.5 un 117
Win the AL Central
Indians -400 -310 -400 -325 -440
Twins +300 +350 +400 +250 +310
MEGALOCKS says:
The Indians are the class of the division and boast the best starting rotation in all of baseball…..The bad news?…..Their lineup is a shell of what it was last year with several significant bats no longer with the team…..The bullpen is also lacking in depth….It’s hard to imagine these guys not having a slump or two when they reflect upon the PURE FILTH that inhabits the AL Central in 2019…..The Twins have some upside with a sneaky good top-3 in the starting rotation and a good looking back of the pen……They added Nelson Cruz for some pop and have a small handful of very underrated players….Can this be the season that CF Buxton gets the bat going?….The White Sox have a few interesting pieces in the lineup but their starting rotation leaves a lot to be desired…..They could flirt with .500 for a while but think they are a year away from doing much over the course of a full campaign…..The Royals have the potential to drive opponents nuts with the speed in their lineup but can they pitch AT ALL?……Their bullpen ERA was 5.04 last season (last in AL) and might be just as horrible this year…..The starting pitching doesn’t look much better….They will almost surely exceed last seasons’ win total of 58 but will miss their best player and team leader C Salvador Perez…….And then we come to the Tigers…..If anyone needed another reason to NOT go to Detroit this just might be it…..They have only managed to bag 64 wins in each of the past two seasons and this roster appears to be worse……The batting order is filled with scraps, an aging Hall of Famer (Miggy) and one decent bat (Castellanos) who may be moved at some point to a contender…..The starting rotation is filled with GAS CANS and the pen will likely not provide much relief.
What are we are betting?
Season Win Totals
Twins over 83.5 -125. Risking 1.25 to win 1.00.
Tigers under 68.5 -110. Risking 1.10 to win 1.00.
To win the AL Central
No play for us.
The Indians should coast BUT remember what our pal BILLY THE KID said in the timeless classic YOUNG GUNS……”There is many a slip between a cup and a lip”……Cleveland’s starting rotation is awesome and they have some dollars to spend at the deadline for a bat or three….The safer play in our estimation is to take the Twins over their win total as opposed to hoping they derail the reigning AL Central champs.
As always, if you want to take a swing be sure to shop around and get the best number possible.
AL WEST UP NEXT!