I Wish Rob Manfred Could Step In And Prevent The AL Central From Participating In The Playoffs
I feel like I'm going against my kind here. I root for a team in the American League Central, and typically I'm not an AL Central hater. The division wasn't good last year, but the Guardians made it to the ALDS and pushed the Yankees to a decisive fifth game in that series. They proved they deserved to be there with how they played throughout the season and well into the postseason. 2023 has told a different story.
I understand that whoever wins any particular division is not guaranteed to be a 105-game winner. That comes with the territory. I get it. We've seen teams win the World Series with 83 wins. I happened with the Cardinals in 2006. There are always anomalies. Sometimes the entire division can have a down here. But what's happened to the American League Central in 2023 is not a one-off. It results from multiple years of cheap ownership and low expectations. If I could chalk it up to being a blip on the radar, I'd do it. But this division has been bad for a while, and it's not showing signs of improvement.
When you look at the alignment of the American League Central, you have four teams who are afraid to throw their head to the ring right now. I know the Royals have been hot lately, but they've been a gas fire this season. They're one of the worst baseball teams and have zero top 100 prospects. Even if their GM knows what he's doing, it will be a while before they get off the mat. You have my Tigers, who are also multiple years away from truly competing for something. Al Avila set their organization back a long way, and even if Scott Harris is an intelligent president of baseball operations, it will take a minute until they get out of it.
I was sure the Chicago White Sox would be a World Series contender for many years. Oopsie daisy. The Guardians probably have the brightest future, though some pitching injuries concern me. At the same time, the Dolans don't spend any money. Their best signing from this most recent off-season was Josh Bell, who they traded to the Marlins. Their farm system is still sound, but their ceiling will only be so high until they show they're truly willing to put their nuts on the table in free agency. There's a reason they haven't won a playoff series since 2016. The Twins are the only team in the division that appears to be trying, but even that has a real downside. The Twins aren't awful, but they just don't aim high. For a team that usually puts together a solid product, the ceiling is so incredibly low year in and year out. Some teams fantasize about a championship parade. They fantasize about winning a playoff game, which they haven't done since 2004. That's the best the division has to offer.
Whoever wins this division will have somewhere between 83 to 86 wins. We could have a repeat of last year, and one of these teams gets hot and gets to 90, but I wouldn't count on it. And the truth is my stance on this division will remain correct, regardless of whether or not the Twins somehow pull some magic out of their ass in October. None of these teams are battle tested. The new schedule has proven just how rotten this division is. I'm not usually this petty, but I will be rooting against whatever team makes it to the playoffs in the American League Central. I hope they get embarrassed because that may lead to one of these owners finally being pressured into spending money. Would I feel the same if the Tigers were in first place in the division? Probably not, but they aren't, and they haven't been for a long time.
I genuinely look forward to divisional realignment, and expansion. I'd be less pessimistic if I felt like things would change shortly. Divisions, much like conferences in college sports, have ebbs and flows. Sometimes you have a down year or two. I've been hammering home the idea that the American League Central is a non-competitive division for a while, and this year they've hit rock bottom. Nothing is going to change, pending some drastic shift. Have fun getting eaten alive in October.