The 2024 MLB season has surprised many with unexpected twists in the American League Central division.
The Guardians have dominated for over 100 days, while the Tigers have disappointed, and the Royals had a brief surge before faltering. The Twins have been inconsistent. As of Friday, the Guardians lead by six games over the Twins and eight over the Royals. The Tigers are out of contention, trailing by 16 games.
So, will the Guardians maintain their lead or will another team rise to challenge them? Let’s dive in!
Cleveland Guardians: 54-31 (-235)
After a seven-game winning streak that put them 25 games above .500, they’ve stumbled a bit, losing five of their last seven. But hey, even top teams face rough patches during a long season. Some folks have been waiting for this team to falter all year.
Their rotation could use some work, but their bullpen is stellar. Offensively, José RamÃrez, Josh Naylor, and Steven Kwan lead the charge with surprising contributions from David Fry and Daniel Schneemann . This team looks solid enough to win the division with their current cushion.
Minnesota Twins: 49-38 (+280)
The Twins started poorly and had two bad stretches against their nemesis, the Yankees. However, they’ve won 15 of their last 22 games and seven of their last ten. Still fans might worry about their inconsistency.
They recently lost Royce Lewis to injury again; Byron Buxton is performing well but seems injury-prone; can Carlos Correa stay healthy? There’s talent here but also reasons for doubt.
A crucial stretch for them is August 9-14 when they face both the Guardians and Royals multiple times. To win the division title they need to stay healthy and perform well in these head-to-head matchups.
Kansas City Royals: 48-41 (+600)
By June 8th they were doing great at 39-26 but then went on a terrible run from June 9th to June 23rd going just 3-11 which might hurt them later on. They’ve bounced back somewhat winning five of seven recently though.
Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez ,and Vinnie Pasquantino provide power but overall lineup lacks depth leading to inconsistency issues.
Pitching-wise Seth Lugo has been fantastic although it’s hard seeing him sustain Cy Young level performance throughout entire season given his career history so far while Cole Ragans shows promise rest staff seems more adequate than exceptional.
Feels like third place finish likely unless something drastic happens!
Detroit Tigers: 39-48 (+25000)
They’re done for this year .
The Play: Guardians -235
This feels like Cleveland’s year in this division! I’m confident enough despite odds being high because while Twins may hang around awhile longer (Royals won’t) ultimately think Guardians clinch it especially if make smart moves before trade deadline!
What do you think? Do you agree or see another outcome?
