This baseball offseason had the makings of a Hollywood movie. The greatest player the game has seen in decades, perhaps ever, was a free agent, another generational star was traded, a new Japanese superstar looks to make his stamp on the game, and the reigning NL Cy Young winner was finally signed right before the season began. Hopefully, the 2024 season will live up to the hype. We are fresh off a fun World Series with two teams that we didn’t see coming and new stars are set to take over the game. Let’s dive into some divisional previews. Here’s our 2024 AL Central preview.
What Happened in 2023:
The AL Central was a bit of a dumpster fire in 2023. The Minnesota Twins won the division by 9 games…with just 87 wins. That goes to show how little competition there was in the Central. However, the Twins did finally win a playoff series, breaking a very long drought. You can point to massive disappointments in the Guardians and especially the White Sox who despite having all the talent in the world seemed to be a toxic mess throughout the entire season. While many thought that the Royals might finally take a step up, they did the opposite, winning less than 60 games. Maybe the best improvement came from the Tigers, whose youth movement is in full swing and hiring of A.J. Hinch finally seems to be working.
Best Players to Watch:
White Sox – Luis Robert Jr. – If this guy can just stay healthy, he is going to be a star. He hit 38 home runs a year ago and his power is his strength. I hope he puts another full season together so we can see what he can do.
Twins – Royce Lewis – He was a total star in his first extended action, hitting over .300 and bashing 15 homers in only 217 at bats.
Guardians – Steven Kwan – He really broke out a season ago and he is having a fantastic spring. The Guardians need offense behind Jose Ramirez and Kwan could be the guy.
Royals – Bobby Witt Jr. – Baseball’s next superstar? He was rewarded with a massive deal this offseason after hitting .276 with 30 home runs last season.
Tigers – Tarik Skubal – In just 15 starts last season, Skubal showed that he has legit Cy Young potential with a WHIP at .90 and a fastball that can overpower hitters.
Biggest Addition and Subtraction:
Addition – Kenta Maeda (Tigers) – It goes to show how inactive this division was this offseason when Maeda is the big name here. He comes over from the Twins so he is staying in the division and if he can get back to his old ways, it’s a big win for Detroit.
Subtraction – Terry Francona (Guardians) – I am going with a manager here. Francona was incredible at the helm for Cleveland and retirement can’t be understated.
Prediction:
The Twins were the team to beat last year with great pitching. If they can string together some offense, this team can get to 90 wins. Division Winner: Twins, 90-72